Lunch and Magnets

Jennie-O Savory Seasoned Lean Turkey Burgers in the frozen food section. YUM! They come in a box of 12, but are wrapped in twosies with paper between, so you don't even have to thaw before throwing them on the grill. They weigh in at 2 ounces of turkey goodness when grilled. Lite wheat bun, a slab of vidalia onion, tomato, lettuce, pickle, and mustard...it might even be for supper too. It's that good!

Ok, my magnets. When I was 23 I was really successful on a local (at the time) program where I could have 4 starches, 5 oz meat, 3 fats, 3 fruits, 2 milks, and unlimited non-starch veggies. By successful, I mean I lost 99 pounds in like a year and maintained for 5 years...could never get that 100th one to come off. I maintained at that weight for 5 years before getting pregnant. Then everything went to Hades in a handbasket. It was during that pregnancy that my marriage became neglective and emotionally abusive. I never bothered to lose the weight after my son was born. I jumped through some hoops and tried for appearances sake, but you know, at that point I really didn't care. If I had had any self-esteem to measure at that point, I would have cared, but I resorted to food for comfort, and the rest is history. So anyway, back to the magnets. I know this was a good mix for me personally. I did it with ease. My Mom and I did it together, and we honestly thought some weeks the weigh-in lady was tampering with the scales to make us THINK we had lost to keep us coming back weekly and handing over our $5! There were things I didn't like about the program because certain foods were forbidden. Need I say more? So what I started doing right after Christmas 2009 was revisiting the structure that had worked so well, but finding places for the forbidden foods if I wanted, say, some peanut butter. Also, at the time of that program, there weren't NEARLY as many good choices, like lite buns, fat free and sugar free options, baked chips, etc. We went out and bought a bunch of magnets and spray paint and made the magnets. Brown is for starch. Green veggies. Yellow fat. White milk. Red meat, though it seldom ever is! Blue is fruit. I made a Word document with "breakfast", "lunch", "supper", and "bedtime", slipped it into a plastic page protector, and put it on the fridge. All the magnets begin the day at the bottom under bedtime. As I prepare meals, pack lunch, snack, whatever, I slide the corresponding magnets for what that meal has used up. If I only used half of a serving's worth of something, say 1/2 t oil, or 1/2 oz meat, I slide the magnet over to the far right to remind me I still have it for use later in the day. At the end of the day if I'm feeling a little snacky at bedtime, all I have to do is look and see what's left. The first month after Christmas, I lost 17 pounds. Going into the next month, I had lost 3 more pounds and got distracted. I didn't work at it at all in the months that followed, but kept an eye on my weight and I wasn't going up, so I didn't do anything. Three weeks ago I attended a week long class out of town and meals were provided, and there was an endless supply of foods...grazing, if you will...the fare was not unlike what you'd find on a cruise ship...all expenses paid. I gained 9 pounds that week! It wasn't until last week that I got really serious about committing to a plan involving good food choices AND exercise. As of this morning, I've lost all that I gained and am back to where I can say I've lost 20 pounds...albeit since Christmas, I'm about to cross a river on my return trip home. :)