Mixed results

I'm still avidly reading and implementing Beck but have not actually started the diet although I did check out Spark People and do a dummy run on the food recording so that I would be properly prepared. My conclusion is that SP will be something I can work with but the calorie counting will be fiddly at first. Once I get all my usual foods calorie counted and entered as favourites, it'll be a lot quicker.

The downside is that, on the spurious ground that "I haven't yet started my diet", I did eat more than I wanted to yesterday. I took a half day from work and went to Nottingham for the evening football match between the mighty Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest. I did some shopping and then met up with my niece who is at Uni there and then my pal Jim before the game for a meal.

I fully expected to have the meal and had done quite well during the day at limiting calories in anticipation. Muesli, salad, a pear! But, before I got to the meal, I succumbed to a cappuccino and pastry which I definitely did NOT need. My poor excuse was that it was raining and I wanted to sit down....I could have done that with a cup of tea and a piece of fruit couldn't I???

The meal also was not great, I could have chosen a salad but plumped for fish and chips. Having said that, I ate much more sparingly than normal, left at least half of the admittedly large portion and was not uncomfortably full after I had eaten so that is progress.

Also on the positive side, I walked and walked and walked!! I must have been brisk walking for a minimum of 90 minutes throughout the afternoon, and that is not counting the time spent ambling round the shops, that's only the time to and from the ground and to and from the pub!! Brisk, it was as we totally misjudged how far it was to the ground and had to almost run to get there on time and even then missed the first 5 minutes.

The game was a disappointment as we had a man sent off and, despite playing quite well and nearly retaining a draw, we eventually let a sloppy goal in and left empty handed....grrr The singing among the away fans was fantastic though, really committed and entertaining.

Today I have been in a course all day. I've probably had a couple of items I didn't strictly need (a small pastry - small, honest and 2 biscuits) but, I chose well at lunch. Jacket potato with a little cheese and salad rather than mayo laden sarnies or fried goujon-y things. Also a pear instead of a delicious looking chocolate cake and no tea/coffee or biscuits in the afternoon, just water. So, all in all, considering how hard those seminar type events are, it was pretty good.

This is all a bit boring today but I'm trying to record for my own benefit really, where I'm going right and where I'm slipping up. I'm making sure that I read my response cards every day though and I hope it'll start to get easier.

Mrs L - Response Cards are index cards that you write out yourself on various topics and keep handy to read at least twice a day. The main one is the Advantage Response Card which sets out your reasons for wanting to lose weight but there are others regarding sitting down; eating slowly; giving yourself credit; anything really. They act as reminders and reinforcement and seem to be the difference between just reading the book and actually implementing it.