I Want My Half Pound Please

I love MyFitnessPal, but I feel cheated. I lost 1.5 pounds this week; however, the program doesn't display half pounds. Sigh. I'm sure it all equals out in the end and I'll get my half pound back in my public results later, but I'd like every bit of credit I deserve. I worked hard for that half pound.

So the real grand total of weight loss for last week is 1.5 pounds! Yay!

The Art of Lunch

I've become fascinated with bento boxes. If you're not familiar with them, I highly recommend you do a Google search and check out a few images. Some are fantastical art that only resemble food when you look closely.

What I like most about bento boxes is that they seem like little lunchtime gifts. Most aren't elaborate art, they're simply lovely food divided into small containers in a lunchbox. Simple enough isn't it? But how many of us take the time to package our lunch so it's a wonderful treat when the clock strikes noon? I don't. I throw things into baggies with one hand as I use the other to pour water into the cup that goes with me everywhere. Then I dash out the door to work. When lunchtime rolls around, I eat at my desk and hope people have the decency to leave me alone for at least 30 minutes while I wolf down whatever happened to land in the lunch bag that never keeps anything cold or warm enough.

No longer. Bento boxes have made me realize lunch isn't just about satisfying the gnawing little hunger in my stomach I keep trying to ignore. It's about taking a break, breathing deeply, relaxing, enjoying what I'm eating, reading a book, writing a story, talking to a friend, listening to music. Perhaps one of the things that's keeping me from truly being satisfied at lunchtime is that I'm not stopping to actually participate in the art of taking a lunch.

So I purchased my own version of a bento box, and today I filled it with my favorite yogurt, apple slices, carrots, cucumbers, spinach, tuna salad, veggie chips, pita bread, and string cheese. I brought a placemat, real silverware, and a cloth napkin with me to complete the experience. It's the same lunch and snacks I had yesterday, but it was so much better today. Music played as I relaxed and enjoyed my meal, which was arranged nicely in burgundy bowls. I didn't think about photographing it until I was finished, but this is the lunchbox I'm using, purchased at Amazon.

Today's experience proved to me that it's worth taking a few minutes each night before I go to bed to make my lunch so I can have an enjoyable meal every day at work. If I'm more satisfied with my meal and less stressed overall, I'll be less likely to want to have an unplanned snack later in the day.

Thank you, little bento boxes!

Monday, Monday

I may be a little nuts, but I decided to make Monday my official weigh-in day. Whether the results are good or bad, I'll share them once a week, and hopefully we'll all watch the pounds lost add up on the MyFitnessPal badge to the left. 

I'd love to know how all of you are doing too. If you've lost, share and let's celebrate together. If you've gained, let us know and maybe we can encourage you to keep trying. Your day doesn't have to be Monday, but it should be the same day every week.

And the grand total lost for week one is...

That Naughty Four Letter Word

I celebrate, mourn, kill time, and console with it. At times it feels like my best friend, and then it turns on me. The variety of it is endless, and yet I often stand frozen, staring, waiting for the perfect thing to jump out at me as I search the kitchen with my eyes and stomach.

It haunts and taunts me, making me feel like I have no more control over my appetite than I do the weather. The mere notion of being on a diet is enough to send my body into hunger shock. If I dare to take action and limit the amount and types of food I eat, my stomach rebels, going into a Hulk-like rage until I give in and down the nearest unhealthy treat within reach. I slump in disgrace as my stomach gurgles, "Puny human." I am no match for the lure of food. 

Still, I try. Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Weigh Down, Slim Fast, and The Christy Knight Starvation Plan. Of them all, the best for me was Weight Watchers. I learned that I didn't have to deprive myself of things I love to eat and drink, as long as I did it in moderation. It worked. Again and again and again. But counting points or calories, and analyzing every morsel or drop that slips past my lips is simply no fun. Eventually I near my goal and grow tired of the chore that eating becomes. I think B.B. King was singing about food in his famous song. The thrill is gone indeed.

But here I sit, ready to give it another try with yet another program...make that programs. And this time I'm making it more public. Perhaps sharing on my blog how much I've lost or gained will help me keep my resolve to be a healthier person at a healthier weight. Maybe it will shame me into submission when I feel the need to rebel.

So look up and to the left. You'll see an indicator from MyFitnessPal that will show how much I've lost in total. I'm starting at zero so we have a clean slate. Along the way I'll blog about topics that are on my mind, share things I find that are useful (or not), and post recipes on the "Recipes" tab (always with nutrition info). If you're interested in joining me, MyFitnessPal is free. I'm also going to use some of the USDA SuperTracker tools. It's also free, and if you've never peeked at it, you should. I like them for different reasons. Both were very revealing to me and helped me see where I need to improve.

I'll leave you for now with a clip of a gentleman named Aaron Wilburn singing part of the lyrics to a song called The Diet Song, written by Shel Silverstein (modified by Mr. Wilburn). Wish me luck in my new journey. Join me if you dare.

Change Is Coming...

And it's going to be good!