Everyday Systems

Hi to everyone that remembers me - and new folks too!

I'm a long-time member, back for my yearly dose of accountability. Will check in here periodically to report how it's going.

Current weight: 146 (top of "happy range")
Exercise: 10,000 steps daily, Tai Chi. My strength class is no more, so looking for alternatives. Used an app on Tuesday; need something for tomorrow or Friday.

Good luck to everyone during the holiday season!

Hi kccc! I remember you! I'm back for pretty much the same reasons - tightening up the habits so the holidays don't get completely out of control.

Nice to see you again and good luck!

Hi Amy! We'll work on the holidays together!

Beginning Day 1...

Welcome back KCCC. Always good to hear from you and your posts!

Hi, noni, and happy holidays!

Pretty good today. Did have a 4:00 "mini-meal" because I had a meeting and knew dinner would be very late - but I planned on that and accounted for it, so don't consider it a fail. (To me, a "red" is generally unplanned eating - this was a decision based on practicalities.) Meals were all good ones, especially lunch. I was on a "use it up" mission, and made a leftover hodgepodge that was yummy. Cauliflower rice (a new fave of my family's) with some spinach thrown in, plus some chicken and cashews. Good, and healthy too.

(I've started freezing leftover chicken in 3-oz portions, so I can pull out a pack on days I'm cooking just for me and need an easy protein. One of my more inspired ideas! And I get the "Just-a-handful" packs of cashews at Trader Joe's - worth the slightly higher cost for portion control.)

Hope the holidays go well for you, KCCC!

I agree - sometimes it is worth paying for the extra packaging for the benefit of portion control.

Have a very green Friday!

I notice that the savings in buying non prepackaged foods are washed away when my family overeats them too!! We go things just as quickly that aren't prepackaged, just eating bigger servings at a time!!

It's good to see another long-timer here -- we've both just celebrated our ten-year anniversaries!. Where does the time go? Congratulations on your continued success.

Had my first red day already. Fridays have always been a little shaky - I do well until the evening, then lose it. Which is what happened last night.

Been here, done this before. Except...
1) I see it as a "red flag" as much as a red day. I've been pushing myself pretty hard, and I think this was push-back.
2) I'm not going to waste a lot of energy in beating myself up, because I've learned over the years how very unproductive that is. Mark it and move on.
3) Coming back is serving its purpose in heightening my awareness of patterns. One contributing factor is that I was also "binge-reading". I used to mindlessly eat while reading, and that habit isn't entirely extinguished. Problem-solving mindset, to the courtesy phone, please!

And today is an S-day. I think I'll do some Christmas baking - the stuff I can freeze - and plan some easy meals. (But baking is optional - I may just knit and relax.)

Fridays are hard here too. Friday evening is probably the toughest moment of the week. I usually just have to white knuckle it through.

The good news is that we get to practice getting it right again every 7 days!

kccc wrote: Problem-solving mindset, to the courtesy phone, please!

LOL! cute!

Saturday and Sunday were both reasonable. I did bake/eat cookies... But didn't eat so many that I was unhappy with myself. Monday I took as an S-day because I was at a conference (really just an S-event). Tuesday back on track.

Today (Wednesday) I have a slightly odd schedule, which makes both breakfast and lunchtime difficult. So, will do brunch in between those times, and allow a small "tea" if dinner is too far away.

Planning. It's all about planning ahead.

Yes, odd schedules do make No-S tricky - and you're right, planning is key! I hope yesterday went well for you! Good job on not overdoing it on the cookies.

Wednesday went well - my plan worked beautifully. Had an extra-lovely dinner - kiddo was at a swim meet, and they were eating on the way home, so hubby and I had all the veggies that kid hates. Salad with avocado, asparagus. And also raspberries, because we like them. All perfectly No-S, and even super nutritious...but yummy.

Today (Th) - good so far. And I did my strength training exercise this morning, so am very proud of myself.

Sounds like a great day!

Haven't been posting regularly - too busy.

Notice a tendency to graze during the evenings - no sweets, but a few bites (couple of pieces of dried fruit, that kind of thing) after dinner. I've been doing that a while, but am noticing now that I'm paying attention.

Also eating out a lot (meetings - held at restaurants/coffeeshops), which can be fraught. Even when I order decent food, it's always more than I normally eat and I still tend to clean my plate. That's not a problem at home, since I just put a reasonable amount on the plate to start. But eating out... yeah.

Strategies:
- When eating out, ask for a to-go box before I begin eating my meal.
- Put a reminder note on the pantry - and maybe move the box of dates so that I have to LOOK for them (thus reminding me that I don't need to be eating them).

Doing very well on exercise, which was a bit of a concern given some recent life changes, so a gold star for that.