Time Out

Ok - I committed yesterday that I was going to do the time out - liquid protein - for three days and I did make it yesterday and so far today. It has really been Ok. I think someone else posted this too but I'm afraid to go back to real food. This is so black and white - no food. Throw in healthy food and ... it gets grey for me. A great example is All Bran crackers. They are a healthy food - great fiber not a lot of fat but... when I polish off a box in a day... not so healthy. I wish I could just stay on liquid and not mess with the food. Hugs Trudy

I know exactly what you are saying! Liquids are easy to judge. You know exactly how many calories, how much protein and they are in limited quantity. You can't "accidently" drink too much. You can't mindlessly grab more and more. Unfortunately, we can't stay on liquids forever....well you could but you would get very bored. Remember when we were newbie's and how much we hated the liquid stage? It just isn't practical for real life. We just have to get used to all those wonderful shades of grey! Hugs, Valorie

I went to a "Back on Track" support group meeting last night at my surgery center and we were discussing the old black and white thinking. The counselor warned against this kind of behavior and instead reccommended planning. Go back to planning and weighing our portions so that we realize when we have had enough. She also suggested breaking snack food into "snack portions" before storing them in the cabinet. In other words when you purchase the bran crackers seperate them into individual portions in zip lock baggies.... no boxes in the pantry. That way we have a visual que as to how much we are eating and have to make a concious decision to get more. Sounds logical to me. She also reccommended going back to eating the protien first before other items on the plate. The protien is usually the most dense and will create a plug in the pouch which will keep us full longer. The biggest faux pas that the group had were .....drinking or sipping at meals which moves the food thru the pouch too fast and grazing which defeats the behavior modification because then we are never truly hungry or full and it is important that we learn what this feels like so we eat for hunger not "head hunger". Practice makes PROGRESS. Hope this helps....it helped me, Desiree

Trudy, So, how is it going? Are you still on liquids? I think I need this "time out" you are doing. I need something to kick my butt into loser mode. I am still stuck at 205. It is a struggle for me to do the right thing without seeing results on the scale. Every day I see 205 my depression grows a bit deeper. I know the scale going down is not the definative resolution to my mood but seeing 199 could do no harm. I will definately do the time out starting either Sunday or Monday and I commit to it until I see 199 or less! I am through playing. 1 week, 2 weeks, or whatever it takes! There you have it folks, in black and white. You guys remind me of this if I slip. Keep me accountable. Hugs, Valorie