On the Weigh Down, Month 3 1/2

I weighed myself this morning because my dh woke early and was out of the bathroom and downstairs by 5am when I got up.

Weight: 164.2

Whoa -- I'm kind of shocked I lost 3.8 pounds! I know I said I'd write next time about what Linda Craighead says in the Appetite Awareness Workbook about bingeing, but I don't have the book in front of me. One thing she talks about though is getting over "what the heck" thinking. You know -- I already ate five cookies so I might as well eat the rest of the package. I've really been working on that because WTH thinking is a HUGE problem for me. She pointed out that calories are really cumulative. Any time you stop a binge sooner than you would have previously is a benefit to you. There really is no "starting over" tomorrow because it is magical thinking to believe that you will eat less tomorrow to make up for today. To make up for some binges you'd have to eat less for a week -- i.e. go on a diet.

So, though I've had some days when I had a small binge over the past six weeks, I remember what she's said and stopped far sooner than I would have a few months ago. There have been many days when I've actually been able to not binge even after overeating something "bad". I just keep picturing that continuum of calories. Not that I'm depriving myself. I can honestly say that there hasn't been a single day when I've purposely gone hungry to try and lose weight. I've been trying to make healthy food choices, but when I'm hungry I try to eat. Starving never gets me anywhere except standing in front of the fridge, cruising it for goodies.

I gave up Diet Coke (all soda, actually) for Lent, so it's been three weeks since I've had one. Well, actually I broke down and had one Saturday -- and then promptly developed a tremendous headache. That'll teach me.