RE: Goal Setting (Pam's Post)

So I'm looking at my goals and affirmations that I made in Pam's post and am trying to incorporate those things into my daily life - at this point I know it's going to take time and patience to achieve everything I want, but I also know I CAN do this. I had two revelations over the past 24 hours in regard to my weight loss that I wanted to share - and am hoping that everyone who committed to the Goal Setting will do the same as they 'think' of things that might help all of us.

ONE: My eyes are still bigger than my pouch but lately I've found myself 'forcing' the rest of my lunch, dinner, etc. down so I wouldn't waste food. DUMB IDEA! So last night I made lean burgers on bakery rounds for dinner - mighty yummy I might add. So as I'm down to the less than 1/2 of it left I'm sitting at the bar slowing down and thinking 'damn, I'm full...but it's so good I hate to throw it out' - OK Kathy - step away from the food - walk it over to the garbage disposal and stuff it down and grind it up. And I did - I didn't wrap it up for later - I didn't sit there and force myself to fini**** - I was DONE and needed it out of sight and out of my mind. Felt pretty stinking good to 'feed the disposal instead of myself'.

TWO: Morning break meal can be a challenge for me at work - I usually keep Atkins protein bars in my drawer because they're lo-carb, very lo sugar, and high protein - and tasty. But sometimes one doesn't quite fill the bill and lately I've found myself 'adding' other stuff to it (maybe another 1/2 or smaller bar - some whole wheat crackers?' - so today I made myself a mocha coffee with sf swiss miss and strong coffee - and had that along with a protein bar. It was extremely filling and I have no desire to knosh on anything else.

So those are two things I am going to add to help me achieve my goals - feed the disposal instead of myself and add a filling beverage to my snack - yes, I know the rule of not drinking before and after meals, and I'm getting back to that with lunch and dinner, but having the special coffee with my morning snack tasted good and filled the pouch.

Kathy

 way to go Kathy. Sounds like an excellent goal and plan.

PS: your comment on the pole dance thread cracked me up :o)

Wait...what????  Pole dancing thread?  I must have missed that one!  Time to look through the archives!
Swede

Girls only, Swede!! probably why you missed the thread - thought it was something to do with that whole 'female' thing!!

Kathy  - this is a great idea.  I've actually been finding myself trying to "finish" lately and I've been very disturbed by this.  Keep posting  - we'll jump this hurdle together !
Lisa

I swear it goes back to family dinners and 'cleaning your plate because there are starving children in India' or something like that! Since I don't have a garbage disposal here I keep a paper towel handy and make sure I have something to deposit in it. Today I made a chicken salad wrap on a small ww tortilla - put about 1/4 of it in the towel and threw it out. And you know what? I'm satisfied - I'm not stuffed - I feel much better. Now I just have to KEEP doing it!

It has been hard for me to "judge" what a filling but small pouch sized portion is - I'm in such a bad habit of pre-surgery enormous portion sizes. What I've tried to do is make what I think will fill the pouch - then eat and chew slow and stop as soon as I feel that up to the bottom of the throat feeling - even if it's only 3 bites (sometimes it's a lot more, and sometimes I finish the whole thing) but I'm trying to determine exactly where that feeling is and when it occurs so that I don't over or under eat.

I'm terrible at measuring and also used to 'big' food - I guess it will always be a learning process of some type. I have switched over to smaller dinner plates - I found some summer ones a friend gave me years ago and they're much smaller than my normal dinner plates, so I'm using those now when it's just hubby and me (I only have 4).

Do you ever just look at stuff and think 'oh man, that's not nearly enough'? I STILL do that and it makes me so angry at myself sometimes...but like they tell us - they can fix our stomachs but not our heads - guess we're on our own for that!

GReat post Kathy!  And funny you mention this stuff....because just the other day at dinner I mentioned I was doing the SAME thing to Brian. I hadn't quite realized it.  And I guess he didn't really either...because when I made a conscious effort to stop eating and not force myself, there was significantly more on the plate than there has been in recent  history - and Brian's FIRST comment "Are you feeling ok?  You didn't eat much"  So I told him what I was doing and why...and he thought about it...and said "hmm, you're right...you are eating more than you had been and then complaining you are to full later on.  Good move"

Because we were in a restaurant at the time (and I didn't want to bring it home, it wasn't "left over" material I used a trick Shauna does...I took my ice water and dumped it onto my plate enough to make the food unappetizing.  No picking until the waitress came to clear the table!

Thanks for getting us thinking and for putting it out there.

The coffee and snack...I'm glad you brought up the rule of no drinking w/ meals etc.  I know you said it filled you up - but did you get hungrier earlier?  Also keep in mind that it will allow your body to "soak up" any of the few bad carbs/sugars that are in the bar and less of the protein.

Not lecturing...cause I drink with my meals too, more so now than I have in the past, just passing out reminders :)

No, I really didn't get hungry earlier because the drink did fill me up, and it's always so stinking cold in here it also warmed me up! Didn't realize that about the carbs/sugars and not getting the protein, tho - the Atkins bars are very low sugar and carbs, but I like them because they are high in protein - however, if drinking a beverage with them is going to cause me not to absorb it then I'll stop with the mocha coffee. Thanks for that tip.

That's funny Brian said that to you about not feeling well because my husband said the exact same thing!! I have to admit its much easier to back off on food now that my mother isn't around to watch me like a hawk - she used to fret and worry that I wasn't eating enough - guess it's just a mother thing...