I start my days with a little study and reflection, then maybe some CK reading to get my mindset for the day. These things give me ideas of what I want to blog about. But then I think, I'd better have breakfast before I get to the computer ... and after planning, gathering, enjoying and logging my breakfast, I get here and my brain says, "Duh, what to write about?"

Anyway. I do remember that I want to make this blog my diary as an adjunct to my food and exercise diary. What are the thought processes and actual living out of losing weight and trimming down the body? What are the actions I'm taking and the difficulties I am meeting?

It's interesting that I wrote lately in the 2009 Lb.-a-Week-Challenge forum that there's a reasoning my Little Self does that when/if I go somewhat over my daily calories, I have permission to go for ALL the foods I want for the rest of the day and really blow my calorie count. Writing a problem down and sharing it with friends makes it come to mind more clearly and makes it harder to deny that you know what to do about it. Last night I went over by 200 calories. CK will give me a green check for a 100-over day, but gives me a red alert for 100+-over day. Red alert has meant to me, go ahead and eat! But last night, I resisted. I even felt hunger or at least that little empty feeling in the area of the stomach, and still I resisted. My brain kept offering snacks, nutritious snacks, yet I resisted. I finally fell asleep without adding to the 1400 calories I'd eaten yesterday, and this morning I felt so strong and proud of myself.

I quit cigarettes six years ago. Make that, I finally quit cigarettes six years ago, after trying to quit about 43 times during the preceding 37 years! I learned from that quit that the biggest part of giving up a bad habit is that you must live through the times when you're saying, no no no no no. It can drive you crazy, but you must live through making the continued constant effort of no no no no no no no no. After a while, Little Self learns a new way and forgets all the pleasures she thought she just had to have.

I am not focused on Lent this year. Perhaps that's because the efforts I'm already making daily to improve my health and self-image are enough to fulfil the self-reflection and self-correction of the season.

I tried to upload a scanned picture to my computer, but my new scanner is not quite so plain re how to save the image once scanned. If I get 'er up, I might be sharing with CK friends.

LUV