I grew up in the south. I drank sweet tea like it was water. Never understood how people from other parts of the nation would say it’s too sweet. Slowly over time, I mixed sweet and unsweet tea until now I only drink unsweet tea. If I mistakenly get a sweet tea, it’s a real shock to the system and my teeth feel fuzzy.
I also love sweets, but cut out all sweets for a short time to break the habit. When I would have sweets, I tried to limit myself to a small square of dark chocolate or 3 bites of a dessert. That would help me get a fix without going overboard.
I spent much of it bitter and angry, ranting and yelling at strangers in the street.
So no behavioural changes so far.
I weighed myself this morning. I’m going to do it once a week on what we’re calling Weigh-In Wednesdays.
I had a large lunch, which did feature some cranberry sauce, but my rule, you may remember, was no Cadbury chocolate. I typically ate 500-1,000 calories a day of Cadbury chocolate.
I had a Chinese take-out for dinner (my policy for the last year is that I’m allowed take-out on Wednesdays and Saturdays). It did feel odd not to have a dessert.
So much so that I did crack open some dark chocolate that I have one bar of, and I ate three squares. This was partly a way to encourage me to drink water. Eating chocolate makes me thirsty.
Part of the strategy today was to feel full and satisfied. I remember nearly twenty years ago trying to give up chocolate and feeling miserably hungry all the time.
I have not broken my principal rule: I have eaten no Cadbury chocolate. I’ve had sugar via a yoghurt (did I have two?), cranberry sauce, and three squares of dark chocolate. And whatever is built-in to the main meals I had. I’m counting this as a win because I didn’t have 500-1,000 calories of Cadbury chocolate. Which is the principal goal at this stage.
My line that I never wish to cross is my weight limiting the extent to which I can walk as much as I like as fast as I want to. In other words, I want to continue enjoying walks with Calvin, and to be able to survive a full day in a Disney park.
I’m nowhere near that line. But my experience and belief is that weight is a ratchet. So it may only be a matter of time. Unless I effect permanent change. And the simplest permanent change is cutting out the 500-1,000 calories of Cadbury chocolate a day.
My next level motivation is clothing. I spent a bunch of money in Liverpool on things that I like and which I think look good and I want them to continue to fit.
And my lowest level motivation is what might broadly be called vanity. I don’t like looking “fat” as I define it. I’ve never been “thin” but I’d rather be less fat than I am now.
Well, that should make it easy to lose weight if you just eliminate that! Add a little exercise and you’ll be great as long as you don’t replace the chocolate with anything else.
Edit: and thanks for the motivation, I finally did a little exercise and had no fast food today. Hopefully I can keep the trend going!
I have always hoped for a thread on how to lose Disney weight here, so I’m glad to see this post.
I’m not a chocolate addict, thankfully, but I wish I could give up Starbucks sugar drinks, my favorite, white chocolate mocha.
I tried, but in my head I always find a reason why I am entitled to get one.
If I am having a bad day, we’ll I need a treat to help me get through (it it’s really bad, I allow myself to keep the whipped cream)
If I’m happy, oh let’s celebrate, I deserve this.
And now it’s Fall, I mean, it’s not fall without a pumpkin spice latte, right?
(I know I’m going to take heat for that comment but Hersey’s is the worst chocolate ever!)