The truth about Jennifer

Hi guys,

not sure if this is the correct forum to post this in but I just wanted to give a call out, in general, to all the good eye opening, horror inducing and reality checking that tracking HONESTLY in ones food diary can do for you. Lets just say, there are days that I am really not proud of what I've done. More often than not I do a fantastic job all day long only to come home in the evening, have supper then completely fall apart and consume another 400-600 calories that I did not plan to or really, deep down, want to.

I track in my diary daily and I just have to say WOW...makes me stop and think about what I am truly eating and even if I barely come in under my goal or breeze straight by it at a whopping 100 miles an hour only to glimpse it waving at me in my rear-view mirror, I know, without a doubt...why I am on this journey.

Take for example my supper last night. Seemed harmless enough when my husband told me what he had planned for to make. One of my favorites actually (LOVE breakfast for dinner)!! Egg and cheese burritos (of course with salsa and a dollop of sour cream) and hashbrown patties (I was so proud of myself, I did not have a hashbrown!!). Of course, I didn't add up what calories would be before hand (another lesson learned by tracking). but those little harmless tortillas were 150 calories a pop!!! I had 2! (and to be brutally honest, i WANTED more but stopped myself...thank GOD!)

So...add to that the fact that I also had 2 bowls of cereal after that my dinner came in at 835 calories!!!! wowzers.

What did I take away from this? check calories ahead so that you know and are prepared...keep working on that after dinner munching. If I MUST have cereal, keep it to one serving...there is no reason why I needed two. One would have sufficed....so why did I go back for another? Still working on that one.

Long and boring post coming to an end with a call out to all of my MFP friends, thanks SO much for being such a supportive group of people!! I look forward every day to saying hi and checking in with you all. A HUGE call out to my diary, thank you!!! You keep me honest and on the right track....EVEN if I don't like what I see, if I am what I eat you are the truest reflection I could have at this stage of the game. Keep it real!

Trudging along in Minneapolis Minnesota,
Jen

Replies

  • NeverGivesUp
    NeverGivesUp Posts: 960 Member
    Hey Jennifer, you are doing soooo well and I am soooo proud of you. Just look at your ticker. It is important to stay in the here and now but it is also important to see where you have come from and to see you have come a looooong way by just eating right and kicking butt in the gym. This is a lifestyle so the old habits have to be thrown out and replaced by new healthier ones. You are changing them and you are aware which is sooo important. I like clean eating because then it is really easy to pay attention and see exactly what you are eating. I try to make my calories in the evening count and I try not to eat much (some people will disagree with this). Only you will know what is right for you. So glad that you are holding yourself accountable!. You are doing really fantastic and whenever you get down look at your ticker and see how far you have come. 68 lbs is 2 of my children put together. That is a lot less weight to carry around with you. Think about how many years you have added to your life!! Hugs, keep up what your are doing (except the late night over-eating after dinner ;))
  • downsizinghoss
    downsizinghoss Posts: 1,035 Member
    You are doing great! That is why it is so important to track. Especially when you are having a bad day. It is scary how quickly things can blow up!
  • sma83
    sma83 Posts: 479 Member
    You must be doing something right, look at how much you have lost already! I agree with you 100% about being honest when tracking food. I don't always like what I see at the end of the day but seeing the mistakes Ive made gives me motivation to make better choices the next day.
  • lambeas
    lambeas Posts: 229 Member
    That is the kind of revelation that will make this a lifestyle change!!!!

    I LOVE BREAKIE FOR DINNER TOO!.. but hey, no reason you can't enjoy that same dinner.. just a healthier version???!! How about wrapping them in lettuce wraps as opposed to tortilla's, so you can still enjoy but save a bit on the cals. Also, if you have access to a costco, they have Penny's pico de gallo ( spicer than their salsa, but less cals)is 20 cals for 4 tablespoons and is low on the sodium!

    You are doing great keep up the investment in your yourself... you deserve the best you that YOU can give!
  • It's not a boring post! It is the truth for a lot of us and seeing someone else own up to the same problem and overcome it, after a few wobbles, makes me feel better about myself (and my wobbles!). So Thank you for posting xx
  • Mission2Me
    Mission2Me Posts: 208 Member
    I love this post. if you log those bad days it makes you pay real close attention to when and why you are standing at the fridge after you have already eaten. my diary has become my best friend. If it wasnt for MFP I have no clue where I would be.
  • NoraMich84
    NoraMich84 Posts: 109 Member
    Thanks for your open honesty. I totally could have written this entire post. Love breakfast for dinner too :happy: Just like you, I have learned that pre-loading my calories (which I haven't done all this week) is the only way to keep on track. Isn't it funny how sometimes we think we are eating better than we actually are.
  • loosetorideagain
    loosetorideagain Posts: 32 Member
    Hey Jennifer..

    Who says that you can only have breakfast in the morning. I very often have a bowl of cereal instead of dinner... I love cereal !!!!
    You are doing so well my friend, look at how much weight you have lost - your amazing
    So what if you have the odd day where you eat to much... we all do that.. In fact today for me is one of those days..
    Tomorrow is another day and a fresh start.... if you loose 1lb or 100lb, a loss is a loss and every pound counts.
    Keep doing what you are doing and stay happy... don't make yourself miserable over your weight, it's just not worth it.

    Be happy and smile :)
    Hugs
    Trace xx