Accountability

I was the Queen of. Boredom Eating. I calculated snacks alone when I first started here, and easily 8,000+ a day in candy, cookies, pie, cake, donuts. That didn’t even include “real” meals. I ate it all. So I feel ya.

Find lower calorie snacks you enjoy. For me lately, that’s airpopped popcorn topped with a 30:70 ratio of margarine and low salt soy sauce. I also like cottage cheese with fruit. I have to plan most days around a giant snack bowl of that.

Pay attention to what satiates you. Seriously, listen to your body for a change. (That was the hardest part for me.) I find protein very satiating. Others respond better to carbs or fats. Just be sure to Tetris it so that you stay within your calorie goals.

Find something to keep your hands occupied. For me, that’s needlework and handcrafting, reading the boards here, getting immersed in planning my next trip, making a meal plan/shopping list for the next week, or pre-logging my food diary several days ahead.

That shopping list? Eat a filling meal or snack before you go to the grocery store. I was all over some olive/feta salad yesterday, but having had a large breakfast and reading the label, I out it back down. I could easily make my own for half the calories.

BTW, read those labels. I put back 50% of what I pick up. Either too high calorie or I have learnt a better substitute.


Invest some effort in the process. Good things done come to those who wait for something good to happen: they happen for those who go for it. Simply downloading an app isn’t going to count calories for you and magically make you slim.

FWIW, I went from a 22W to a consistent size 4, where I’ve been the past five years. I still log and count calories every day.