Delicious Combinations, and Work is Busy Again

I'm going to try not to weigh myself for at least a month. Though I'm feeling good, I have a long way to go and I need to just focus on the next day so that I don't get frustrated if I don't lose as much as I think I should have. Now that I'm on the right track, I'm even more impatient for what seems inevitable.

Would you like to see my belly button? 

Tonight I enjoyed one of the best combinations known to man - vanilla ice cream and peanut butter. Try it. This delightful treat was also a good reinforcer that I can fit in a nice dessert with normal meals if I plan a little bit - basically, just not eat random crap during the day, and then later realize that it added up to way more than I originally thought.

On an unrelated note, work has been busy this week. We slowed down a lot over the holidays, but once mid-January rolls around everyone seems to start remembering everything they were supposed to do over the last few weeks. Since my work is based mostly on short-term projects from other people, it's also the end of weekdays with two or three hours of work followed by five hours of getting paid to read the entire Donner Party wikipedia entry and three months of Zits comics.

A bonus for busy times is that I really appreciate getting out of the office at the end of the workday, instead of just being happy that now I can go home and surf the internet in sweatpants. I'm also really, really lucky to be employed.

How I feel in sweatpants

Day Two: So Now I'll Wake Up Thin, Right?

Today was successful, food-wise. I was lucky that there weren't any work temptations, so all I had to do was not go across the street and buy several giant chocolate chip cookies. Generally I aim to eat about 1300 calories per day, and track on my smart phone.

I brought breakfast and lunch to work, which meant that I didn't have to use any thoughts to decide what to eat, plus it's a lot cheaper. Lunch was ground beef with peppers and onion, with salsa, rice, and mixed lettuce. I managed to make the beef in the Crockpot yesterday, and it should last 3 more lunches. Bringing lunch to work is the oldest and most cliche dieting and money-saving tip ever for good reason.

I'm in what I would call the "motivated place" - I'm feeling confident in my willpower, and more importantly, in my ability to be patient, keep doing what I'm doing, and know that I will see results eventually. That place is across from the "Who gives a fuck, because I will eat a whole cake" location.

 I'll will wake up tomorrow, having eaten well for the entire previous day, and be the tiniest bit annoyed that I'm not slim yet. Rationally I know that it will take hundreds and hundreds of "good" days before I'm where I need to be, and that after that it will be a lifetime of maintenance. Yet somehow, I'm still going to be a little disappointed tomorrow that my old pants don't fit quite yet.

But with zippers.

For that reason, I am just going to be proud of myself for this day, and then try to eat well tomorrow.

Welcome

Hey, my first post!

This blog will mostly be about eating and weight loss. I may also talk about my life, or rant about random crap that happens during the day.

I have never been at a healthy adult weight as an adult - I reached and surpassed that milestone at the age of twelve. Since then, I have been steadily gaining, with occasional bouts of dieting that led to losses of 15 - 45 pounds.

Now I have found myself back at the point where I can either go forward and get healthy, or keep gaining. For me, at least, there isn't really an in-between as I have no maintenance skills.

Current stats:

Sex: Female
Age: 23
Height: 61 inches
Current weight: 188 pounds, wearing a US size 14 or 16
Highest weight: 205 (in 2009)
Lowest weight: Technically 7 pounds, but at this height, 147
Maybe Goal weight: 130
Location: New York City
Cheese: Pro

The title of the blog is pretty simple. It's a reminder of a simple concept that I need to internalize if I'm going to successfully lose weight: I am in control, not the food, both because I am human and it is inanimate, and because it will always be available.

I am very lucky to live in a country filled with food and money to buy it with, and hopefully I have many good years left to eat it. Therefore, there will virtually always be a next time for any particular food. I can buy some amazing sharp cheddar or whatever, enjoy a normal serving, and eat more of it the next day. And even the next day. I can also go to the store and buy more of the cheese.

It will be there. I am an adult and nobody will take my food away.

The title is also a tribute to the character Liz Lemon of 30 Rock, who has a particularly memorable and funny scene in which she sings about eating:

Thank you for checking out my blog! I always love chatting with people, especially those who are going through their own weight loss journeys, so please feel free to email me at mynightcheese@gmail.com