5/31/16: One Rule and One Motto that have Kept Me on Track

Weight:  155.8

Motto:  "If it is not on my plate, don't eat it."

I discussed this motto in my blog a few weeks ago, when I first adopted it.  I had no idea how powerful it would be.  It has kept me 100% on program for almost four weeks.  If something is tempting I think to myself, "It's not part of a planned meal, don't eat it."  This motto has reduced all food choices to a clear cut, black and white decision.  If the food is part of a planned meal, I eat it and enjoy it.  If the food is not part of a planned meal, I don't touch it.  I plan all of my food for the week on Saturday, when I make up my grocery list with Jack.  Between the two of us, we decide on our meals for the week. We make the list together and Jack does the shopping.  He brings home only the food that was on the list and I cook it on Sunday.  For the rest of the week it is just a matter of deciding which two meals I am taking to work with me for lunch and dinner.  I don't eat it if I don't pack it.  It's that simple.

Rule:  "Weigh everyday.  If I weigh more than 150.0 pounds, I must stay 100% on program for that day.  If I weigh 150.0 or less, I can go off program for that day, and that day only.  If I weigh in the next day at more than 150.0 (which I inevitably will), then I must stay 100% on program until I am back to 150.0 pounds."

This is a new rule that I adopted a few weeks ago with no discussion and no fanfare.  I wasn't sure that it was a rule that would stick and I had no idea if it was an idea that would motivate.  But the rule is sticking and it is motivating and it is making more sense to me the longer I live with it.  Therefore, I decided it was time to start talking about it.  

This rule has been highly motivating because I can follow the rule perfectly for the rest of my life without being "perfect" for the rest of my life.  I like following rules.  It makes life easier for me.  I am constantly coming up with new schemes and ideas and things to do.  My mind can go in a million directions a day.  Having a few hard and fast rules makes it easier for me deal with all of the distractions in life.  Having rules for things that are not particularly fun or interesting frees up my mind for other things that are more complicated and interesting to think about.  The problem is that it is oppressive to have a rule that states I can never eat or drink something that I really enjoy.  If I have a rule that states I can never eat something that I really enjoy, sooner or later I will break that rule.  As soon as I have broken a rule, particularly if no negative result follows (like I can still get into my jeans the next day), I have a tendency to break the rule again.  This new rule solves that problem and it is very motivating at the same time.

The rule is motivating because I don't feel deprived by my choice to stay 100% on program.  In fact, I have been incredibly diligent about my program because I want to get to 150 pounds so that I can enjoy some guilt free indulgences.  I am also excited about the decision to not have an acceptable weight range.  I have discovered that weight ranges are impossible to manage.  As soon as I assign a weight range, I creep to the top of the range.  Then I creep up a few more.  At that point I say, "I don't feel much different at 158 than I did at 155, this is OK."  Then I creep up a few more pounds.  Before I know it, I'm hovering between 160 and 165 and not liking the way I feel.  Now I feel too big, like I take up too much room.  My clothes are getting tight and I have to lose 15 pounds again.  *Sigh*  Not much fun.

This rule is much different than having a range.  If I weigh more than 150.0, I go back on program.  That day.  The good news is being on program for me is well defined.  I know exactly what on program means to me now and forever.  It's simple to go on program, because being on on program means I am eating my everyday food.  When I go off program, I'm not changing what I eat for my 3 squares a day, I'm indulging in a dessert or a glass of wine or I'm going out to dinner with Jack or some friends.  I am finding that this rule is very easy to live with.  Because I don't have an acceptable range, I'll never weigh more than about 153 pounds.  I've gained 3 pounds overnight before, but I can't think of a time I've gained more than that.  I've gained 7 pounds in a week.  Yikes. 

 As a side note, I know that a 3 pound overnight weight gain is not 3 pounds of new fat, it's mostly water-weight gain.  But I've learned a lot about how our body manages toxins in our diet.  Systemic inflammation is a key component in our bodies' attempt to get rid of toxins.  When I gain 3 pounds overnight, that water-weight is really inflammation weight.  It's really my body's way of dealing with the crap that I just put into it.  It's really an indication that I just poisoned myself a little bit.  It's really my body's way of saying, "Hey, you just screwed up the balance we had going on here.  Get back on program!"  My new rule acknowledges the fact that I will go off program every now and then.  It acknowledges the fact that I am not perfect and now and then I will put something in my body that does not make me healthier.  But my rule will not allow me to do it every day. The rule allows me occasional indulgences, but it will force me to be disciplined most of the time.  I believe this is a rule that I can follow for the rest of my life and I find that quite exciting.  

This motto and rule together have caused me to be 100% on program since the beginning of Operation Re-start and I have to say I am incredibly impressed with the results.  For several months prior to Operation Re-start I had been almost 100% on program.  My three squares had been solid, but I'd nibble a little here and had a little snack there.  I'd have some nuts in the evening, before my dinner.  I'd eat a mint or two or three from someone's candy dish at work.  I'd snag a few extra pieces of pineapple from the plastic container when I was fixing breakfast.  I'd eat a few squares of dark chocolate in the evening when I was reading a book.  I didn't add it up, but it was probably an extra 300 - 400 calories a day.  Maybe more.  That was just enough to keep me from consistently losing weight.  I didn't know how much I was sabotaging myself until I went hard core with my new motto and rule.  After I adopted them, all of a sudden the weight loss became consistent and predictable.  I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was.  When I am 100% on program, it is pretty easy to lose weight.  When I eat off program, even a little bit, it is pretty difficult to lose weight.  Huh!  Who would've thunk it?

So, I have 5.8 pounds to go until I hit 150.0 for the first time since January of 2013.  It shouldn't take long.  After that, 150.0 will be the number I am looking for each morning.  What I weigh in the morning will determine if I am 100% on program or if I'm allowed to indulge in off program food or drink, that day.  I really like this rule.  I'm looking forward to seeing the other side of it, soon.

Have a good one out there!! It's summertime.  What's not to love?