Again

Ok, so I fell off several wagons in the last couple of months.  I hate the way I feel and now I'm starting over (again).  I've got to try and remember what was working last time:

1 - plan what I'm going to eat. Get all food entered into the planner at the beginning of the day. I'm naturally lazy and it's less work to stick to the plan than to go back and change it.

2 - Eat at specific times. The more structure, the better. My particular body seems to have hunger pangs right about 10am, noon, and 3pm. Add in coffee in the morning and a small dinner when I get home, and that's 5 small meals a day.

3 - Portion control. I cannot cook for myself. Sorry, in my case it just cannot be done. If I have food available, I will eat it. So buying food that's already divided into single portions does help.

4 - Keep to the middle of things you like. There are foods I LOVE and foods I LOATHE. If I try to subsist on food I don't like, I simply won't eat it - and then I'll get hungry and rebel by eating anything tasty I can catch. If I try to subsist on foods I LOVE, even if they're technically ok (like watermelon), portion control goes out the window. Stick to foods you like, avoid the foods you loathe, and use the plan-friendly foods you LOVE as rewards.

5 - Beware the processed food monster. Read labels. Know what's in what you're eating. Points are a great indicator - but they're only part of the story. Sugar, salt, and sugar "substitutes" are all sneaky little devils just waiting to trip you up. And they're in nearly everything that comes in single portions. BEWARE - HERE THERE BE MONSTERS.

6 - Give yourself permission to be hungry. A lot of my problems with food are that I use it as a drug for emotional control. I get hungry, then I get cranky, then I get snippy with my boss... Part of getting control over my eating means being hungry sometimes. Accept it, deal with it, and find other ways to calm your temper. (Open for suggestions!)

7- Exercise is not optional. It doesn't have to hurt and it doesn't have to even be about losing weight, but you have to move a little extra every day. My particular body tends to get stiff and painful when I don't make the effort to at least take a walk every day.

8 - Water. When the hungry gets to be too much, start with a bottle of water. It won't stop the hungry, and it won't make you feel better, but do it anyway. I often mistake being thirsty for being hungry and often end up dehydrated which feels just awful. Drink some water - then drink some more water.

9 - Do not buy what you don't want to eat. Very big deal. The last time I got tripped up started with being stressed out at Walmart and just throwing things into the cart so I could get out of there. Ended up with a cart full of baked goods and Little Debbies... It's best to go grocery shopping with a list and stick to it. Easier said than done - but worth the effort. And if I haven't gotten the groceries by the time church lets out on Sunday - DO NOT GO. Honor thy fear of crowds and shop during the quieter hours when you're less likely to panic.

10 - VARIETY - Huge Huge issue. I fall into patterns and they make me comfortable...right up until I realize I've just fallen off the wagon to alleviate the boredom. Try new tastes and flavors. Shop at different grocery stores sometimes. One week Ralphs, the next Trader Joe's, etc. Keep mixing it up and keep paying attention. Once you feel you've got a handle on it, you are in the most danger of slipping.

There's more, but that's a start...