Week two of the rest of my life.

Hmmm, so I weighed in and believe it or not...I actually put on weight. I don't feel too bad about it actually. I am trying to be gentle with myself. I think this week was more of a transitional week.
My weight today is 101kg., (amazing how much you can put on in a week isn't it?).
I don't feel too bad because even though I have put on weight (not what I really want!), I know I have made some good changes in my life and my diet and I may just need a bit of time to reflect this in my weight. The week before I started this I really overate and sometimes this is not seen in the number until the following week.
So, the good changes I have made in my diet and lifesyle this week:

• The main change is that I became "more vegan". I cut way back on dairy, but still ate eggs. Having said this, I still was not strict enough and I found myself eating cake and cookies, with, of course dairy in them. I have been a bit on a sugar binge this past two weeks because, as some of you will know, I have spent the last six months not having any sugar at all because I was trying to see if sugar was triggering my migraines, (it's not). I did eat about 80% vegan though, and my aim this week is to go 100% vegan for at least this week. The next week I will probably allow myself to have some eggs.
• The other big change is that I am eating my largest meal at breakfast and then having a medium meal for lunch and a very tiny evening meal. This really seems to work for me. I call it the 'adventist way of eating' because it is something that I learned from the vegetarian cooking classes at my church. I like to eat this way because it allows me to go through all the morning without being hungry and needing to snack. This way of eating ( and therefore avoiding  snacking) is quite different from the current model of thought where you are suppossed to eat every 2 to 3 hours to keep your metabolism fired up. Not snacking is also another component of the adventist way of eating. I like it. It annoys me to have to stop and eat just 2 or 3 hours after breakfast. Eating this way means that I can usually not eat until 2pm and I like that. It also causes me to then not need a 3pm snack. The reason why they recommend not snacking has something to do with the release of insulin from the pancreas and also it apparently delays stomach emptying time and food seems to ferment or something. (I might look that up and let you know next week).
• I am eating at least 2 of my 3 meals a day at the dining room table, rather than in front of the TV which is good and 'normal'. That's something I have not been able to do for many  years. Because I live alone, I find that difficult somehow. But I am enjoying it. I put ABC radio on and listen to that whilst I eat and I try to eat slowly.
• I have been for a few walks. Not fast. Next week I will be faster.
• I have started reading a good book which seems to be mainly about the psychology of weight loss, "Weight loss for food lovers: understanding our minds and why we sabotage our weight loss", by Dr. George Blair-West. (Terry white chemists $29.95).  He says that 80% of the population are unable to stick to a weight loss diet, so this means that it is normal to struggle with a traditonal weight loss plan. He says that this makes us feel like failures, not only at weight loss, but also as people,  which, he says,  is tragic as it is normal to find it difficult to stick to a diet. This really rang true for me. As I was saying last week, there is so much shame wrapped around diet and bodies. I need to let the shame go, before I can really deal with this.

So, there you go. Not brillant, but moving in the right direction. My focus this week will to be 100% vegan and to cut back on my portions and fat intake. I aim to be more focused and to walk faster.
I'll see YOU next week. Love annie xxx