Livin' in the Range...

So, being satisfied with the amount of weight I'd lost and moving on to maintenance, I came up with a five pound range that I want to stay in. That range is 135-140. And I try to religiously weigh myself every morning, even though some days I worry before getting on the scale, if the day before involved restaurants, parties, alcohol, baking (involving taste testing and sampling!), or other factors that didn't result in a nothing-but-healthy-eating day.

So far, so good. I've been as low as 136 and as high as 139 (with decimals after both numbers), and I've tried to react to the higher end number by "taking it easy" food-wise the next day. Which means maybe having a bar (meal replacement) for one meal, and avoiding social eating situations.

I do consider myself a food addict, in that under certain situations I overeat and put self-control on the back burner. There are definitely trigger foods and situations that cause me to regret my behavior later. As a food addict, like an alcoholic, I'm not sure I'll ever be a "normal" person like others who never worry about what they eat. I think I'm going to just have to take one day at a time, and keep on trying.

The main thing, and it's no secret, is that just because overeating occurs, whether it's one candy bar or one meal or one day, you absolutely can't throw in that ever-ready towel and say "oh well, diet's over, I can eat what I want!" That is the path to weight gain, I know as well as I know my own name. At 140 pounds that's still 55 down from January. So even if I am at the top of my "range" I'm still in a great place, and with some dietary adjustment for a day or two or maybe a week, I can land back at the lower (safer) end of the range.

That's my plan anyway!