It’s been a hectic week and I just haven’t had time to sit down and write, so here is a quick recap.
The skinny jab seems to be working. It is very easy to get in your head about it and question everything. Is it working, or am I just more determined now? The jab isn’t cheap, so I’m determined to make it work, but is that determination what is making it seem like it is working, or is the jab helping me stick to my determination? I know I’m not eating as much now, and I am making better choices, but is that because of the jab, or is it because I want it to be the jab? Sod it, whatever the reason, whether it be a placebo effect or if it is actually doing something, I just hope it carries on because it is definitely easier to stick to my diet at the moment.
I’m finding that when I get up in the morning I don’t necessarily need to eat straight away. There is still the thought in my head that it is time for breakfast, but on the whole I am able to take a minute or two to decide whether I am actually hungy or not. When I do have breakfast it is proving to be easier to reach for some fruit rather than craving toast swimming in melted butter. Also, if I feel the need for a more substantial breakfast I am again able to make better decisions, going for high fibre cereal rather than processed rubbish or high fat options.
When it comes to lunch I am so far making what I would consider to be sensible decisions. I’m able to have things that I enjoy, but in moderation. For example, I had a toasted cheese bagel one day, and I mean A bagel, not the two that I usually would have as default. I even passed on the butter and stuck to just one slice of cheddar rather than using a small countries yearly consumption of cheese. A big part of getting through lunch is breaking old habits and learning new ones, like I don’t need two sandwiches every time, sure, there will be some days that I am hungry enough to warrant two sensible sandwiches, but I don’t need to go into lunch automatically thinking I need two.
Dinner is honestly the most difficult meal to manage right now because I’m still trying to find the right balance between having something we enjoy and making it low enough calories. Also, I’m making dinner for two which means I have to think about not only what I need but what Vikki needs to. On the whole we’re not doing too bad, but I’m sure there is room for improvement. I think the hardest thing about cooking for two on a calorie restricted diet is that we have different tastes which can make having a varied menu difficult at times. Again, I think the jab is working, I’m able to have a sensible portion and not be hungry after, I just need to get better at paying attention to when I should stop eating rather than finishing the meal and then deciding if I ate enough or too much.
I could do better when it comes to snacking, it’s just a case of finding the right snacks. We always have fruit in, but fruit isn’t always what I want. Having just done the shopping last night I found a whole range of 100 calorie or less snacks, they’re full of sugar but as one snack a day they will do for just managing any cravings.
We’ve had a weekend away this week in accomodation with no cooking facilities which meant eating out for every meal. There was no salad bar or anything, it was Chip Shop, Burger King, Pasty shop, etc, so nutritionally we haven’t been great, but it was a great test of how things are going. My usual order at Burger King is an XL Bacon Double Cheeseburger large meal with a chocolate milkshake, this time I just had the burger. At the chip shop, I went for the standard portion of chips rather than going large. We got ice cream and I had one scoop in a cup rather than 3 scoops in a chocolate dipped cone. At pretty much every opportunity I feel like I made good choices, at least making the best of a bad situation. Maybe there were better options but I’m happy with how the weekend went.
All things considered, I think the jab is working, but I am also open to the possibility that it is just a placebo effect. I have had no negative side-effects so far, which whilst being nice also makes it more difficult to know whether the jab is doing anything, it would almost be easier to know the jab is working if I was suffering with nausea or something.
Exercise this week has been OK but could be better. I’m very aware that I am eating a low number of calories and as such I don’t want to over do it in the gym and make myself ill. I think as the weeks go by I will learn how much I can do in the gym and where the limits are. Again. on our weekend away we did what we could. Whereas previously I would have opted to do anything to avoid walking, this time I suggested taking part in an activity that was esentially walking around listening to music but on this occassion I actually suggested we do it just for a bit of physical activity. So yeah, I’m no Mr Motivator, but I’m gradually getting better and as the weight drops off it gets easier to be active.
I guess for now I have no choice but to be happy with the jab, whether it’s a placebo or not, and hopefully going forward it will only get better as I learn to recognise my bodies needs better.