Dear Diary...

I kept a diary when I was young. I came across it a few weeks ago and was more than a little amused at my writings...I would talk to my diary as if it were a real friend. Pour out my heart to it, proclaim my "love" for various crushes (um, I was 12), tape little four leaf clovers inside with a wish they would love me back...it was a very therapeutic tool for me, and I was really connected emotionally with that flower-covered book. 

The thing about my diary is that I would usually write in it just before bedtime...after my day was done...re-living the emotions of the day, expressing my feelings and getting it all on paper so I could make it all seem "real."

These past few days, I've tried a similar approach to my food diary. (It's not exactly a "diary" per se...I track my food on my iPhone with the Weight Watchers app, and online with the Bodybugg program.) But this diary..well, as they said in the Wizard of Oz, it's a...

What worked in my 12-year old diary simply doesn't work when I try to track my food after the fact. I was at the kitchen table last night and asked my husband, "What else did I eat today?" (like he knew) and I tried, so hard, to recall every bite. Some things I could remember, but the day was so rushed, it was just not happening. Yes, my friends, I suffer from a case of

Food Amnesia

Can I get an "amen" from my fellow sufferers?

Unlike a "real" diary, a food diary (or tracker, journal, whatever you may call it) works best when it gets updated as you go. Or, better yet (for me anyway) before it even happens. Because as I have learned time and time again, when I try to look back on the day, I always - always! - miss something. Or, on the rare occasion I don't miss something and it's 6:00 and I'm making dinner, I realize I only have 100 calories left!  I've eaten the bulk of my calories in snacks throughout the day, underestimating them as I went. And mama ain't gonna eat no 100 calorie dinner. 

just ain't happenin'.

 At the Biggest Loser Resort they used the famous quote "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Well, duh. I knew it...and I blew it. 

When I was in Malibu I religiously wrote out all my meals for the day. There, it was easy, cuz there was nothing to sneak in along the way. That's where I mess up here at home or work. A dark chocolate Dove bar (good for you, right!?) set me back 4 Weight Watchers Points and almost 200 calories. I ate 4 of them this week.  I'm famished, I did not pack my lunch or snacks, and it's convenient. When I looked back, I "wasted" about 12 other "points" on random things, thinking they were negligible amounts of calories.  I thought wrong.


So, here goes. They say it takes 21 days to make a habit. I hear from people at their goal weight who STILL track their food. It holds them accountable and they need the accountability. Ditto for yours truly. I bought an actual paper "tracker" book in addition to my lovely iPhone. I will sit down and plan out my meals for the day...just today...and follow my plan, allowing for some adjustments as needed. Let's see how this goes. I want my success story already. I love dearly to write, but I want to be sharing the fact that I've lost "x" amount of pounds and am on my way to a healthy BMI. Let's try this, starting now. One Day at a Time. One Meal at a Time!


I appreciate the support I've gotten (hi, Megan and Shelli!) (-:


I'm gonna use my blog to hold myself accountable. Wish me luck! I'm off to make my 1/2 cup egg beaters with peppers and onions and a whole wheat bagel thin. (-: