The Real KBD

I’ve had this topic on my mind for a few days.  In Weight Watchers you often talk about trigger foods.  Foods that once you start eating you can’t stop.

Its funny because for me, as much as I love ice cream – its not a trigger food.  I can have a small amount and be satisfied.  My trigger foods?  The ones I can’t stop eating?  Fried chicken – with the skin on.  And Cheetos.  I have a hard time stopping either of those – so its best just to avoid.

But lately for me, its not about trigger foods but just life triggers.  In particular lack of sleep.  For me being tired is the fastest way to not making good choices.  This becomes important because I was blessed with a toddler that is not a great sleeper.  So essentially for 20 months now, I haven’t been well rested.  Even though there will be stretches of time where things are good (we finally are in one again), I don’t remember when I felt truly rested and relaxed.  Its not something going to bed earlier would cure – we already go to bed pretty early.  Its about getting continuous good quality sleep.  Doesn’t feel like it happens a lot around here, although I do hope we are on a good track now.  And so I think a large part of why i’ve struggled making good food choices lately – is that I am often tired. 

Another one is stress – that’s pretty obvious.  Many people stress eat.  And there is always stress, even if its good.  I am better at dealing with this one however.

I think a main part of the battle against triggers is awareness.  I am now aware of my triggers.  So I can begin to make better choices when I realize I’m in one of those situations. 

Wish me luck! (And more sleep.)

Update:  Its going to be a bit harder to lose weight next few weeks because my Achilles needs rest, doctor’s orders.  But I am going to work really hard on not just eating better but eating more ‘whole foods’ – you know, those non-processed things like fruit and veggies, as well as focusing on more meal planning and just not eating out.  Eating out = bad things for me weight wise.  I know it and I am taking control.

Happy Mardi Gras y’all! [best with texan drawl]So I love Mardi Gras – the family version anyway.  I was born in New Orleans.  I think I was fed king cake as my first baby food.  Had huge boxes of beads and dabloons to play with as a kid.  Love it.Tonight, I am introducing it to my kids.  Sausage with red beans & rice for dinner, some king cake and they each have a bead necklace.  [We might also have a rum-based drink for the adults.  Yum.]I’ve spend a lot of time today trying to remember the whole reason there is a Fat Tuesday – its the feast before Lent.  A time to self-reflect and to give up something, or change a behavior.   In college I took it as a time to give up something easy, like chocolate – stick to it until Easter, you are done.  But I wasn’t self-reflecting.  I was giving up something just to say I could give it up and have the will power to do it. Headed into this year, I am trying to truly look at myself and see some behaviors I want to change.   The first I thought of, the second my husband brought up – and both are worthy and so I’m going to do both.First – while its still giving up food, its giving up a night time dessert/snack.  I am trying to be healthy and workout and lose weight – yet every night around 8 pm I get this sweet craving.  I justify it by saying, well its a ‘weight watchers ice cream’ or its only 3 points… but I really think its part of a bad cycle for me.  And I need it to stop.  I know how – I know that a cup of hot tea with a touch of agave can tide me over – that I’m not hungry.  Its a behavior I need to stop, and so it stops tomorrow. [Tonight is King Cake afterall]Second – the smartphone.  Gosh we love them don’t we?  And I have been better about not being on it around the kids, but not great.  So for Lent?  No smartphone around the kids at home.   This doesn’t count phone calls – its not about that.  Its about checking Facebook, Twitter, blogs and email.  I only get a couple precious hours with them at night – I shouldn’t be on the smartphone. So hopefully I can turn this spring truly into one of self-reflection and improvement.Anyone else want to join me?[And workout update on my March challenge - March 8th and I have done 20+ minutes of working out 8 days in a row!!!  I'm very proud of myself.  I didn't want to a few of the days, and I always feel better after.]

So I wrote here before about my struggle with weight.  And this time, after a 2nd kid – it just is soooo hard to think about what you are eating all of the time.  There just isn’t time to plan and cook… excuses.  It just seemed harder. So I re-joined weight watchers in mid-December, right after they announced their new plan.   I thought about waiting until after the New Year, but why wait.  I am going to join, just join right?  So glad I did. I haven’t been following the plan 100% for sure during the holidays – but it did make me aware of my choices – and I lost 2 lbs that first week and then kept it off during the holidays.  So that was a huge win.  And this past week, even though there was cake multiple times for my husband’s birthday – I lost 1.2 lbs!  I’m still having trouble following it exactly, but the thing is – its about accountability.  They have this iPhone app which is awesome.  I can track all day every day what I’m eating and exercising.  And it takes care of all the points, the extra points, the exercise points… it even has most major restaurants so I know if I am going to do Chick-fil-a, what the best option is (for reference the grilled chicken sandwich or the 8 piece nugget, with fruit instead of fries of course  – are both pretty good and filling options.) And this past week, I had a friend join too – and I was thinking of the things that made me successful in the past.  The things I need to remember this time to continue being successful (3 down, 16 to go).  And I thought – I should email these to her – then I thought – I should blog them and share with everyone…. so here you go.1)  Keep snacks in the car that you know (and are okay with) the points – I keep granola bars that are 3 points in there.  In case I get stuck somewhere.2) Fruits & veggies make great snacks, especially now that they are 0 points.  I often throw an apple into my purse as I leave the house.  They really help you make it meal to meal if you need to stretch your points out.3) Its okay to treat yourself – that’s what the ‘extra’ points are for.  For me, I need to have some chocolate and some wine.  If I don’t…. its not fun.  This isn’t a DIET its a lifetime change.  So I can’t deprive myself of things that I really enjoy. 4)  If you have a bad meal, a bad day or even a bad week – its okay.  A leader from a meeting way back before kids said once, its like Dori in Finding Nemo – ‘just keep swimming, just keep swimming’ – you just keep going, and don’t look back.  Get back on track and keep going.  Everyone is going to have a bad something at some point.5) At first I’ll exercise to get more points, but then I realize – wow I actually feel better…. its a wonderful cycle to get into.6) The meetings & the weigh-ins – those are what work for me.  I need that accountability.  I don’t stay for every meeting – but you never know what you will learn from others going through the same thing.  Like that there is now a dessert gum that is pretty tasty for 5 calories if you need something sweet.  Or a great restaurant with a healthy option for you to order just around the corner.  This is really why weight watchers works.7) Tracking…. I can’t say I track 100% but when I do track, that’s when I lose.  You see … even the bad days – track those.  Just to see.  You realize that a choice you thought might be healthy is like 6 of your points… and its just a snack.  So you find better choices… tracking is key for me.8) Talk to friends about it, don’t make it secret – so much easier when there are people going through the same thing that you can ask questions to, or that you can complain to, or just share your thoughts with… I know many friends who have used, still use, weight watchers – and its great to talk to them about it.  And if you aren’t hiding it, then its easy to say at a party that you are skipping that dessert tonight…9) If you have an event you are attending, bring something healthy… volunteer for the veggie or fruit tray, etc.  So you know there is one thing you can control.10) Grocery shopping is key – planning ahead ideal, but if you can’t meal plan at least have the right building blocks in the house.  Fruits, veggies (pre-chop if you can to have those carrot sticks easy to eat when its snack time), lean meants, whole grains such as brown rice…. if that’s what you have in the pantry, that is what you will make.  These are great things for your kids to eat too – I feed the family the same meals.  I do not make myself something different.  So it works for me.  Speaking of, I need to go make my grocery list for today.I think that’s it for now – the rest of you out there have any more tips?