Today's weigh-in was 198.8. Not the fabulous 197's of a few days ago, but a .2 drop from yesterday, despite TWO fast food meals (chicken fingers from Zaxby's for lunch and a chicken sandwich from Arby's, plus fried potato products from both). Also, I still haven't gone to the gym, instead relying on longer walks of the doggie.

Tomorrow's almost certainly won't go well, although I've done several LONG walks with the dog today (there must be a bug somewhere in the house, because he has been exhibiting his "the bug's gonna get me" behaviors all day). We made a big batch of chili since the weather has been so cool (heck, cold, earlier this week--daily highs were only in the 20's), which I'm sure isn't the best thing I could be eating. Plus, I'm drinking beer while watching football. And last, we made bread in our bread machine, and I ate a big ol' slice (with honey on it, still warm from the bread machine...yum). Needless to say, I've consumed more than my share of calories today.

What I need to do is consider "volumetrics". There's a book, and recipes, and all that jazz, but the main concept is simply to eat foods that have what they call "low calorie density". In other words, they are foods that take up a lot of space, but don't contain as many calories. For example, a fruit parfait with nonfat yogurt and fresh fruit might contain the same amount of calories (and less fat) than a couple of chocolate chip cookies, but the parfait takes up more space in your stomach, helping you feel full. Things like fresh fruits and veggies, skim milk, and water-based stuff like soups have lower calorie densities than starchy stuff like potatoes and rice, breads, meat, sugary snacks, and fats. It's a way of filling your stomach with stuff that won't load up the calories. One of the most basic rules of volumetrics is to drink a full glass (not a "glass", which is 8 oz., but an actual glass of 12 to 20 oz.) of water before every meal. Not only is water good for you, but it takes up space in your stomach, making you feel full sooner.

I need to make sure I have lots of low density, high water foods and fruits available to me to snack on. I still need to be aware of the portions I am eating; even healthy foods can be unhealthy if you overeat them.