First Goal Accomplished

I am finally under 300lbs.! I had tears in my eyes when I saw that I was 299lbs. this morning. That's 50 pounds lost since January, and 39 of those pounds lost since the end of April when I joined Sparkpeople and began the 17 Day Diet. I started off losing quickly, but the loss has slowed to 1.5 - 2.5 pounds per week. In the past, I wouldn't have been happy with that per week loss. I would have been discouraged because I wanted the weight to just magically melt off quickly. If I didn't keep seeing fast results, I would just give up. My last blog in July expressed that frustration and I almost did quit.

First, thank you to all my Spark friends who encouraged me to persevere and continue to support me.

I added other things to my tool box to help me on my way:
- I've learned that a slow loss per week doesn't matter as much as the fact that this diet is so doable. It feels so natural to eat like this, that I don't mind being on it. It's when I feel deprived on a diet that I want a fast result to show on the scale. Those aren't the diets you can stay on for life. I can eat like this for the rest of my life.
- I continually try to practice mindful eating. If I don't, I mindlessly shovel food into my mouth long after my hunger is satisfied.
- I identified my triggers i.e. those things that led me to eat when I wasn't truly hungry, like watching TV at night or various emotions. I made a list and next to them wrote alternate things to do besides eat. For example, at night while watching TV, I keep my hands busy with crochet or I just chew sugar free gum. When I want to eat something outside of meal times, I have learned to ask myself what I'm feeling. Is it an emotion making me crave something or is it true hunger?
- I've learned to read how my body reacts to the food I eat. I discovered that I really don't tolerate wheat well.
- I've learned that processed foods and artificial sweeteners are to be avoided because they increase my hunger and cravings.
- I've learned that splurging is much better than cheating. In the past, on other diets, I would "cheat" and then figure that since I already "blew it", I might as well over- indulge for the rest of the day. Then I'd feel overwhelmed with guilt and just quit because I felt like a failure.
Now if there's something I have a craving for, I tell myself that I will allow myself to have it tomorrow. I know that I can at least wait 24 hours. When morning comes, my urge is gone. There are times when I plan ahead to splurge for one meal on one day (maybe once a month). I don't keep bingeing all day. I don't feel guilty afterwards, because it was planned. It actually helps me stay on track.
- Finally, I've learned that the scale is not the only barometer of success. It also matters that I feel better physically and I've gone down several sizes. If the scale doesn't show a loss every 3 days, I'm not going to get discouraged, because I know that it will eventually move down.

I'm aware that I have a lot more to lose, but I have also learned that it's a long road race not a short track. All my little victories add to my self esteem. Everytime I don't quit, everytime I resist eating something not on my plan, it adds to my confidence. If I keep track of all my little victories and successes, no matter how small or insignificant they seem at the time; I can draw from those whenever I need motivation. I have faith now that I can eventually reach the finish line.

Thank you all again!