173 lbs-Monday Weigh-In 7-23-07

Whoopie!!! Today I finally had a breakthrough! I weighed in at 173 lbs. this morning. That's 5 lbs less than last Monday! I remember that this sometimes happens when people eat portions recommended in the Light Weigh. There can be weeks that you loose 2 lbs and there can be weeks that you loose 5. Glad this is a fiver! I can use the boost of encouragement to keep going. I was really hoping and praying that this week's eating efforts would pay off.

The great thing is that I feel good and not hungry or deprived. I do feel like I WANTED to eat more some times but for emotional reasons and not physical ones. The truth is, when I wanted to eat like that, I knew I wasn't hungry and so it was clear that I wanted to eat just because I wanted to eat at those moments. Because of the clear boundry of the bento box, I am not tempted to say "I think I can have a bit more of this or that" because it's very clear how much fits into that cute little box and what is beyond that amount.

It feels like my stomach has shrunk down because I can be very fulfilled in the portions now that I've been eating. I think using the bento box has been not only fun, but also a good visual for me. For example, at dinner last night I was able to really enjoy my food and by the time I got to the last few bites I felt full and I left a couple small bites. On the Light Weigh you are encouraged to leave a bite of food for your Guardian Angel. It's such a sweet concept. The main idea behind it is that you teach yourself "detachment" from food, meaning that you are not so stuck to it that you are hoarding every bite that you can get, but that you are able to remain in control of yourself enough to be able to leave some for someone else. It is really a good practice that has a pretty deep spiritual meaning.

I am enjoying that when I eat out I can think of what I can eat some of and then take home to use in my bento box for future meals! Like when I went to Red Robin, I asked for the dressing on the side so that the salad would last longer. I was able to take the container of dressing home since they brought me a lid for the little container. I thought maybe I'd have to take out the apples later, but they stayed surprisingly fresh (kinda scary, actually, since that is not natural for apples). This is really great, actually, because eating out is one of the things that has been my downfall and contributed to me putting weight back on. I was just thinking that it wasn't a good thing to be spending the money on eating out and then not eating much. But, knowing that I'm going to eat it eventually and not only that, but that it saves me time and money for future meals is a really cool thing. (Not to mention that I'll know that I have some yummy food in those future meals.)

BABYSTEPS forward! Here's to another week!