A Day of Rest

It seemed appropriate to post this on the Sabbath, since it has to do with the importance of taking a day off. When I last posted about my weight, I was frustrated, overeating constantly and naturally, I wasn't having much success. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to try taking a day off of the diet. I've read about that in several places, and it is an integral part of the Body for Life program that Mitch had success with in the past. So, 2 weeks ago, I took a random Tuesday off.  Totally off. I didn't log my food, weigh myself or track progress in any way.

And what do you know, I broke out of the plateau!  In fact, as of today I am only 1 1/2 pounds away from my goal weight!!

Here is this week. Notice the lack of red... Another thing that taking a day off has helped me with is controlling my appetite a little better.  I think some of this may be psychological. I know that there will be a day coming when I can eat what I want, so it is a lot easier to put down the cookie when I know I can have it if I want in just a couple of days.
Another funny thing... You know how people who follow a strict diet, like vegetarianism for example, notice that when they eat something that isn't a part of their diet they feel ill? Well, I always sort of poohed that phenomenon, but on my last day off, it totally happened to me! I had a lot of junk, since that was what I felt like eating, but after dinner (which was actually sensible, since Mitch wasn't taking the day off), I started to feel ill. It took me a full day to recover! And I'm definitely not looking to have another cookie dough binge any time soon. Mitch and I were talking this morning about how much better we are both feeling when we eat healthful, whole foods, as opposed to mindlessly eating junk. I'm thrilled with the weight I've lost, but just learning about what eating well really means for me has been such a great part of this journey. I really feel like a new person! A healthy person! And remember the skirt that started this? I wore it today, and it's a little big! But still cute.