AWOL with good reason

Sorry for yet another months-long absence from the blog. This time, my life and diet haven’t gone off the rails … not really, anyway.

I have a new guy in my life, and I’ve been really happy—and busy. No time to blog, and I’m surprisingly OK with that. My guy, whom I’ve dubbed Almost Eagle for blogging purposes, is an upstanding citizen who recycles, drives the speed limit and tries to always do the right thing. (And he did everything BUT earn his Eagle Scout designation—project and all.)

Still about 30 pounds down from Jan. 1, although I’ve been kind of lax with the eating lately. But Almost Eagle and I have been walking most days before work, so that’s ramped up my activity level, so it’s been a wash on the scale.

However, we did have a nice chat last night. (He’s seen the photos of me from Halloween 2005, at my low weight and dressed like a naughty schoolgirl—and as a former Catholic schoolboy … well, let’s just say fantasies have been fueled.)

It started with a podcast, an episode of “Better Everyday with Sarah and Dr. Brooke.” Their guest, Tricia Nelson, said that most emotional eating falls into one of three categories, which spell out PEP.

Painkiller

Escape

Punishment

AE was down with the first two, but couldn’t quite visualize how food is punishment. Since I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten to punish myself, I explained. When I’m having trouble sticking to whatever’s my diet du jour, I tend to stuff myself with junk I might not even want … That’s a form of punishment, right?

Anyway, the discussion continued for a bit, including the words “addiction” and “distraction.” We’re a lot alike, AE and I, and he understands the struggle is real.

When I’m not being a “good” low-carb eater, I tend to gravitate toward certain foods (fries, sandwiches, nachos, cake)—and I devour them with one thought: “Tomorrow I’m starting the low-carb diet again, so it’ll be the last XXXX I ever eat.”

Always. And when I don’t manage to stick to it, the cycle begins again.

Ugh.

I shared a quote from one of Lynn’s posts over at Low-carb Traveler. She’d written a long recap of a road trip, complete with lots of pictures of her on-target meals, despite being on the go. (Me, when I’m on vacation, I still tend to throw my eating plan out the window. I’m on vacation; I want to eat what I WANT to eat, carbs be damned.)

But Lynn made an excellent point:

“People have asked me how I turn down all the beautiful carbs at these catered buffets and luncheons. My answer: ‘Easy! I choose to eat healthy because I choose NOT to be overweight and miserable anymore.’ That is NOT a hard choice.”

Hello? I need to print that one out and post it on the fridge. And the car dashboard. And my computer monitor at work.

Lynn makes it look so easy. Her meals are quick to make and often rely on smart choices at fast-food restaurants.

She also keeps talking up the Keto Krate—a box that delivers six to eight full-sized low-carb products (5 Net Carbs or fewer) to your door each month.

After seeing several posts detailing the goodies Lynn has received, I just signed up for my first shipment. (If you join using the link above, I earn points toward a free Krate.)

Can’t wait for it to arrive! I’m sure I’ll be as impressed as Lynn is with the quality of the eats. And they’ll be a great way to reward myself for sticking with it.

For a short time, I lost sight of the progress I’ve made this year. But I’m back now, determined to keep losing the weight without losing my ever-lovin’ mind.

Who’s with me?