Being accountable

I do a few things:

Weigh and Measure - I'm still not comfortable with portion size and I fight a serious headhunger battle.  This helps me know I am eating enough.

Clothes - Also gave away all of my fat clothing.  I only have my current size and I can't afford to buy bigger sizes !!! :>


Go to Support group - This is important because the same people see me every month.  I know they will know if I am trying to fool them or myself.  But I also know they are the ones who will help to pull me back on track when I need it!

I have to change things around every so often. Tracking my foods is major for me right now. Measuring out my food portion size used to be a major thing - but now that I use the same
plates, cups and bowls it becomes second nature.

Coming to the OH forums on a regular basis is also critical for me. I'm over 2 hours away from my surgeon's office so it's not that easy to get to his support group meetings. After you come here you begin to form bonds over time and you share in the successes and failures that they have. It makes it so you know you're never alone and that you can more easily share your battles (head hunger, falling off the exercise wagon, mindless munching, reappearing bad habits...etc).

Thanks for making me think this morning.

- Iris

Hi Iris,

It's all a process. First you were learning to recognize the portions, now you are recognizing the quantity and value of what you consume... You are so right about the fact that the tools you use to be acountable do change as the road you are traveling changes.

I think that finding support in whatever form is also a way being accountable to ourselves and others. The statistics show that those who participate support groups are much more successful in their weight loss and maintenance. 

The board has been so slow and quiet lately... I'm glad to see your friendly face.

Warmly,

 As you know, Barbara, I haven't had surgery yet, but my first appointment with Dr. Sudan, and the nut and the shrink, is on 11/9.  I wanted to anticipate some of their questions so I set up an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my wacky sleep patterns and what & when I eat.  Since I have frequent migraines, I decided to add those to the spreadsheet to see if any patterns emerge.  I'm into my second week of record-keeping.  Although I'm not "dieting" I find that writing it down, and knowing that someone is going to look at it, sometimes keeps me from taking that extra snack.  I don't think I could do this for a long time though.  My 8-year-old nephew was here for the weekend and I was too distracted to keep the records.  I'll have to reconstruct a few days!

Hi Gail,

I think that the fact that you are using your record keeping as a tool to help you see trends is what may be most important. I logged a great deal when I was losing, but I don't really do it anymore unless I find I've gained a few pounds. When I start logging again, I see the trends, make the corrections and I'm back on track. I don't think it matters 'what' you do, I think what matters is finding something that works for you and to be honest, what works for you is likely to change along the way. 

I look forward to hearing about your experience after your meeting with the team at Duke.

See you soon!