This has, on the whole, been
a good week. The first couple of days were the most difficult, but as I
began to learn what kinds of food would be most nutritional and filling
without exceeding my point allowances, I started to settle in to some
new patterns.
The two most interesting things that I learned over the week: much
of the food I had been eating was inordinately high in calories and
fat, and, relatively simple changes in what I eat can make a huge
difference toward eating healthier. As an example of the latter, if you
are eating fast food, asking for a salad or a baked potato instead of
french fries, and getting water or unsweetened tea to drink instead of
a soda can significantly reduce your caloric intake. It may take some
getting used to, but I suspect you’ll find (as I did) that the
healthier options taste great too.
My biggest challenge had to do with eating between meals. At my desk
job, I routinely start feeling hungry (either for real or in my
imagination) at various points throughout the day. My normal course of
action was to eat something. Now, monitoring and limiting my eating
habits, I was forced to consider other options. I can still eat
something, but have been finding and choosing healthier snacks. Also, I
may be able to curb the hunger without eating, perhaps by drinking some
water or going for a walk.
These new ways of eating are still not quite second nature to me,
but I believe that I’m off to a good start. I feel healthier than I did
last week, and according to the scales, I’ve lost about five pounds.