I think that the one thing that helped me the most in loosing weight was my “what not to eat” section of my diet journal.
Although it wasn’t technically a list of what I could not eat, I don’t really believe in that, anything is OK in moderation… otherwise we trip into scarcity mode, and that is not OK… it is really a list of what I didn’t eat today.
It was extremely revealing and gave me power and control not to eat things I normally may have. Why?
For the sheer fun and accomplishment of listing it in my book!
And seeing it on paper really makes it obvious where those little pockets of flab are coming from.
A little every day adds up to a lot, but some days there where enough calories listed to have done me for a day alone - just on extras that I refused now that I was aware.
So it’s fun and it really is a good tool, I can’t think of one thing that made me feel better at a glance than the what not to eat list - or I even better - the what I didn’t eat list. The quick view of garbage that didn’t make it in is extremely rewarding. It just gives you a clean feeling inside :0)
Action Tip:
Try it today. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just a piece of paper at your desk or taped to your wall with today’s date on it, then tomorrows and the next day (you get the idea :0)
And then write any extras on it that you would normally have eaten without thinking. (the whole process is actually quite a boost to weight loss because now you are catagorizing food in a concrete manor between what is good and what you should eat, and what is “excess” that can go on the list. You get credit for it, it doesn’t just slink unnoticed into the abyss!
(note: I never want to see things like apples, salad - maybe extra salad dressing, or even avocadoes on the what I didn’t eat list unless you where truly stuffing yourself. Why? Because they are good food. Eat as many as you want. Avocadoes have a lot of calories but a lot of nutrition, and even protein, so I say eat them, just don’t eat that cracker or something else that has less nutrition and the same calories that day.)
It really does feel good.
I purchased an ebook called “Cooking With A Thin Attitude” (that’s the key, right there) and it is full of good for you recipes that are practical and easy to make. One of the things that I like about it is that it “lives” my philosophy as well, you can get healthy and loose weight by focusing on what you should eat.
The “what not to eat” list gives you a place to put it and then put it out of your head, another beauty of it, so that you can focus on “what TO eat”, that’s even more fun and will take you far, not only in weight loss, but in good health.
Cooking with a Thin Attitude - Carole Pagan
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