Re-post of my T&A accountability report for week ending 11/4:
Hello Team Time & Adherence! Here is my report for the week ending 11/4/22. We can just call it The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly!
1. Start each meal with a soup and/or salad and/or fruit. Yes, with all the caveats previously discussed. I feel good about where I am with this one. I have been doing well with batch cooking my soup. I do want to figure out a superfast single serving type solution “just in case.” Perhaps using my stash of dehydrated veg. It’s just a matter of taking a small amount of time to figure it out.
2. Follow the 50/50 plate method for your meals, filling half your plate (by visual volume) with non-starchy vegetables and 50% (by visual volume) with minimally processed starches. Choose fruit for dessert. Yes, with the previously mentioned parameters.
3. Greatly reduce or eliminate added sugars and added salts. This includes gourmet sugars and salts, too. If either is troublesome for you, you can eliminate them. Yes – reduced not eliminated.
4. Eliminate all animal foods (dairy, meat, eggs, fish, seafood). Yes
5. Eliminate all higher fat plant foods (i.e., nuts, seeds, avocados, tofu, soy). I had a slip last night involving almond butter. I’ve been giving thought today to what happened – this is NOT a direction that is safe for me to go. For me, a little always leads to a lot (as it did last night), and I don’t want this to become any sort of regular practice. I also recognize the need, because of this group and what I have learned here, for self-compassion. I forgive myself as I learn from this experience and move on. I had some stressful and triggering events happen this week, and I think I let the pressure get to me seeking “relief” through food (which is not real “relief” – only temporary blockage!)
6. Eliminate any added oil. Yes
7. Eliminate all higher calorie-dense foods including flour products (i.e., bread, bagels, muffins, crackers, dry cereals, cookies, cakes), puffed cereals, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. No – two meals that included corn tortillas. Then BREAD last night during my over-eating episode. The corn tortillas were planned, but I wonder if that departure from this check-list contributed to a “setup” for the unplanned eating last night? I really am better off keeping things simple and sticking to whole, minimally processed, simply prepared basic starches, veg and fruits. I think oatmeal would have made a better “comfort food” if I really wanted to do that. I don’t usually eat breakfast, so don’t always have oatmeal at the ready in my fridge. Since I’m OK with how it turns out after being frozen, I think I need to keep batch cooked oatmeal ready to go. That would have been a much better choice that I would feel a lot better about in the bright light of today.
8. Don't drink your calories (especially from juices & sugar-sweetened beverages). Yes
9. Follow these principles, eating whenever you are hungry until you are comfortably full. Don't starve yourself and don't stuff yourself. I stuffed myself last night. The good news is that I can come here and be honest about it, knowing I am not alone with these struggles. I am learning self-forgiveness and I don’t have to let “last night” turn into a months long eating binge.
10. Avoid being sedentary and aim for at least 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise daily (i.e., brisk walking). I did miss one day of exercise this week, but I am definitely giving myself grace for that one day considering the kind of week this has been. (we closed on the sale of a rental property, which was cRaZy the day before and day of the closing, and my father-in-law passed away, and I had to be up close and personal with a car full of cupcakes!) I am very happy to report that my accountability chart for October had only 3 red dots. My accountability chart for November has all green dots so far! I walked 3 miles yesterday AND the day before. I walked 2 miles on Nov 1 and Nov 2. So I feel so good about the progress I am making! I read what Stephanie wrote last week about loving to walk outside – ME TOO!!! In fact I just ordered some lined exercise leggings from Old Navy to hopefully help me extend outdoor walking as the temps start to drop. I do have many indoor options (treadmill, elliptical, a zillion DVDs, hula hoop, etc.) for indoor activity as needed.
Victories: I DID NOT EAT THE CUPCAKES!
Comments: Some of the hallmarks and triggers of my past binge eating life were very present this week. Stressful stuff in general, combined with being alone in my car with dozens of cupcakes, then being alone at night in my home with my husband’s high fat stuff (he is out of state with his family re: his Dad’s passing). Definitely an atypical week.
Concerns: I realize how deep my fear runs that I will somehow not be able to sustain my new healthy lifestyle. I think my best tools right now are 1) Accountability (I really didn’t want to be honest about last night, but here I am!), 2) Planning and prepping, and 3) Keeping it simple. I will be doing a lot of batch cooking this weekend.
Questions: I am interested in hearing from others who have learned to get right back on track after eating off-plan. My past is littered with slides down that long slippery slope directly into the Pleasure Trap, and I want to change that pattern of behavior. I don't want perfectionism to derail me, and I also don't want Pleasure Trap foods to derail me, which they so easily can! I'm trying to learn how to balance all this, and I feel a bit befuddled right now.
by VegSeekingFit » Fri Sep 30, 2022 5:54 pm 
