Shelley: Day 27 - Don't Finish! (Yep, that's the tip, read on!)

I weighed in this morning and was pleasantly surprised to see that I was down 15.6 lbs!  I don't think I'll be able to lose a full 20 lbs before the end of the month but I'm still going to try!

I have an appointment for my kids scheduled at the gym tomorrow for two hours so I'm going to be doing a serious work out.  My foot still looks super icky and all of my kids keep saying, "Mommy, owie, owie, owie," but it actually feels much much better so I think I'm ready to get back to the gym.  Plus, I miss it.  I'm seriously dying to drop this weight and it will take forever if I don't work out.  

I also did some math today.  If I keep up this very do-able progress, accounting for a slowdown towards the end (it's harder to lose as you get more fit and smaller) I should be at my goal weight by my 30th birthday!  Beyond just wanting to be fit, I also want to make sure that my driver's license photo doesn't make me cringe for the next ten years.  

Because a friend of mine said it was helpful to see what I'm eating every day I'm going to post both yesterday and today.

Yesterday: (Yes, you are seeing french fries from McDonalds - See Today's Tip for explanation)  

Budget 1,502 Food 1,187 Exercise - Net 1,187 Under 315

Breakfast: 268 Breakfast Sandwich, Sausage, Egg & Cheese Flatbread 1 Each 240 Orange Juice, No Pulp 1/4 Serving 28 Lunch: 168 French Fries, Small 1/2 Each 113 Beef Pastrami 2 1/3 Slices 54 Dinner: 204 WW Garlicky Beef And Snow Peas 1 Serving 159 Chili Garlic Sauce 1 Tablespoon 45 Snacks: 548 Chocolate Muffin 1 Serving 250 Cookie, Chocolate Chip, Soft 2 Each 136 Hummus, Classic 2 Tablespoons 70 Tomatoes, Cherry 25 Each 77 Gelatin, Lemon-Lime, Sugar Free 1 Container 10 Reddi Wip 2 Tablespoons 5

I'm pretty sure I forgot to add 78 calories of Skinny Pop, but you get the general idea.  I also had pickles because I had an attack of the munchies but I don't add things that don't have calories if I'm in a rush and my kids have been demanding ALL of my attention.

Today: 

Budget 1,498 Food 1,172 Exercise - Net 1,172 Under 326

Breakfast: 268 Breakfast Sandwich, Sausage, Egg & Cheese Flatbread 1 Each 240 Orange Juice, No Pulp 1/4 Serving 28 Lunch: 318 WW Garlicky Beef And Snow Peas 2 Servings 318 Dinner: 274 WW Sloppy Joes Tex-Mex Style 1 Serving 274 Snacks: 312 Random Snitching 2 Servings 100 Skinny Pop 2 Cups 78 Cookie, Chocolate Chip, Soft 1/2 Each 34 Wrap Veggie Delight w/Spicy Mayo 1 Serving 100

I'll probably have some jello and maybe some Skinny Pop tonight as well.  

BMR CALC:  1,769-(1,172+100 for the snacks I will probably have tonight)=497 Deficit (3,800 Cals = 1 lb)

I have been doing a lot of cooking from Weight Watchers in 20 Minutes.  The recipes are fabulous, though I do tweak flavoring occasionally by adding a bit of seasoning here or there.  Tonight I made a wonderful recipe for basically a turkey taco.  I made a few changes to reduce the calories even further.  For example, I used a corn tortilla instead of a whole wheat or flour tortilla.  This is a good substitution when you are out to dinner as well.  You'd be amazed how many calories you add when choosing flour/wheat tortillas.  I also used ground turkey breast instead of ground chicken.  They taste the same to me and using ground turkey allowed me to make my meal a bit bigger and still decrease calories.

TODAY'S TIP:  Don't Finish!

My Dad had MS and was very ill when I was a child.  As a result I spent a great deal of time living with my grandparents who had experienced the great depression.  Because of their experiences they were big fans of the "Clean Plate Club" as my family called it.  Since my self-esteem is entirely based on the opinions of others I always made sure to join the "Clean Plate Club".  While this isn't a big deal if you have reasonable portions, if, like my family, the plates are large and the portions huge, this is not a good plan.  It has taken me years to overcome this training.  To this day, I often have to stop and give myself permission not to finish.  I also have to remember that I should only eat what I really want.  

A friend brought us cupcakes when Cannon had surgery and horror of horrors, they were rainbow chip cupcakes with rainbow chip icing (this is like offering a heroin addict their favorite brand of heroin).  As I was diving in my husband reminded me that I only needed to eat the part I wanted.  So I pulled off the top and threw away the bottom.  I ate just the top with icing (only crazy people throw away rainbow chip icing).  I saved myself calories for a part of the cake I really didn't care about and still got to indulge.  

Yesterday, I had to take Cannon to the ER (only because the doctor's office was closed and that's where he wanted to meet us, lame I know) and as he was refusing food I decided to tempt him with his very favorite, McDonald's fries.  I asked if I could order a kid's fry (100 cal) al a cart but was told the smallest they would sell was a small.  What I should have done was order the small and tell them to only give me the kids but I'm a little rusty so I got the small.  The good news, their nutritional info is actually printed on the carton, so I immediately separated out the 100 cal portion and kept that for myself and gave Cannon the rest.  He didn't finish his but rather than finishing them for him I tossed them in the garbage can after giving myself permission.

Nothing is more true than the old adage, "A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips."  So next time you want to indulge or you are just feeling full, give yourself permission to not finish!

Have a great night!