While trying to calculate the carb counts for the recipes I made, I began to feel stressed out and got to thinking...how much time in a day do I obsess about counting and tracking my food/carb count? How many times do I have to get onto my computer to input info and track every single thing that enters my mouth? I feel like I may need to try and see how I can do without tracking and counting. I'm pretty close to goal, well, closer than when I started. And I wouldn't mind staying at this weight, though it would be nice to get to goal. I am only 4 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy with my first DD (that was back in 2000) and if I think about it, that's pretty awesome!

So I am going to do a little experiment with myself until the end of this year (6 weeks or so). I am no longer going to track my food, mentally I can estimate what I am intaking, but I don't want to obsess about the numbers and being on the computer SO much is draining me. I will still stay LC, follow the rules I have been, and exercising. I am just realizing how I have this obsessiveness with things and been trying to do everything perfectly and be perfect...I need to stop. It's causing me more stress than helping and I will NEVER be happy because it just isn't possible for me to be perfect. When I am actually hungry (not craving) I will eat, but I am not setting a limit to my daily carbs per say, just keeping them as low as possible without stressing out if I am over a few or whatever.

Still going to weigh in on Mondays, which should continue to show me how things are progressing and after the start of the new year I will reassess the situation to see if this way is doable for me or not. And I will still track my fitness minutes and calories burned (for now).

Time is precious, and I have been wasting a lot of it by nit picking about silly things...time to focus on other things I need to work on.

I will still plan my menus, but not base them on my carb allowance but for pure balanced meals. If I am hungry, I'm just hungry and shouldn't feel guilty about eating something that will fill me up for awhile, as long as I make good choices I should be okay. I just think I feel like I am constantly on a "diet" when I have to calculate EVERYTHING, instead I should treat this like a lifestyle and just use my common sense.

So that's my big revelation today...I'm excited to let loose a little and hopefully relieve some stress.