What is My Secret?

My friends and family have been asking me, "What is my secret?" So I have decided to share examples of my meals, thoughts, and strategy.

The easiest way is just to break it down for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was calculating points religiously for the first 3 weeks, and I noticed that if I didn't calculate what I was eating BEFORE I actually ate it, I would end up going over on my points for that meal. Now, I will still calculate points on some new food, but many of the foods I eat, I now know the points and portions I have had before, so I can just eyeball it better. I still say to myself, "I want to stay under 10 points for this meal", and I remember what I have measured out before that was 10 points, and I will only eat only those things, in those amounts or less. Then, mentally, I cross off 10 points for that meal, even if I was satisfied that it was less, (like 7-8 points if I actually figured it out)

Sometimes, I will go back and write down what I eaten already, this is helpful if I have had something new that I need to remember the points value for. I visualize what I ate, portions, and kind of food, and then I add up the points on my paper diary.

I have some other basic rules. One, I try to stay under 10 points at every meal. Here is my reasoning. If I have 25-30 points to spend a day, no one meal should make up more than 1/3 of the total. Otherwise I get too hungry when I run out of points and still have hours left in the day. My second rule is to never skip a meal. When I used to eat a lot more, I could skip a meal without a problem. But I have noticed that when I eat only what I need to get me to the next meal, I cannot skip a meal. If I do, I get too hungry, and end up light headed, loosing energy and concentration, and getting irritated.

Another rule I have is if I do get too hungry, and feel like I can't make a good choice right then about food. I will drink an emergency slim fast (5 points) which takes the edge off the hunger. Then I can think rationally about food again, and I will still eat something healthy. The hardest thing is to make a good decision about what to eat when I am too hungry to think clearly.

My wife can tell if I have eaten or am hungry too. If I am cranky and short with her, she knows I need to eat something, and she will tell me. I love her!

Honestly, I was hungrier when I was eating crap all the time, before I started Weight Watchers. When I was going through fast food withdrawals, I was pretty much a crank too. But, now I don't crave the same types of food I once did (See StarBurtos Below) white corn on the Cobb, barbecued on the grill gets me salivating, and carrot stick leave me more satisfied than french fries ever did! Carrots are sweet! It is kind of like my taste buds have woken up to flavors that always seemed too bland to me before.

In fact, not that long ago, my wife and I decided to "go off the diet" for one meal, and have an In-And-Out Cheese Burger. We were both on the toilet for an hour! Our stomachs cramped up, we felt ill. At first we thought maybe something was wrong with the burger, but I am sure it is because our bodies are not used to that kind of food any more. The milk shake was worth it though!