Breaking Free From Restrictions

Dear readers, I announce some progress! First off, I had my anxiety medicine adjusted on Monday and that brought instant relief. And what followed was my very important decision to start breaking my restrictive, repetitive dinner menus. I can't let go of eating the same breakfast (oatmeal), lunch (2 oz turkey sandwich and 1/2 cup cottage cheese), afternoon snack (small apple and cheese stick) and evening snack (Fiber One, non-fat yogurt, berries and almonds). But I have made up my mind that for dinner, I am going to branch out and try new things, and eat what I cook for my husband.

Now, I am definitely preparing dinners that emphasize high fiber/high protein; low sodium and low calories. I am now exploring cooking websites and ordering magazines (I'm old school) to guide me in locating these types of recipes. A new magazine, Eating Well, caught my eye and I like it because when I go to their website, www.eatingwell.com, I can filter recipes by fiber, protein and low calorie content. I haven't been able to find a site that works like this, so I'm intrigued.

My husband, of course, is my test subject and he is just loving what I prepare. And guess what: He is losing weight! He's grown rather attached to the scale too. But not someone like me who gets anxious around it. Lucky him. My dream has been to sit down and eat the same meal as he does, so we enjoy it together. This has rarely, rarely happened since I hit maintenance and I miss it. But now things are slowly changing and I'm thrilled.

I'm very pleased to report that my bingeing is non-existent now. This is not to say it won't crop up again, but for now I feel satiated and in control. The medicine is probably coming into play here a little bit. But it's not a "crutch," as I really do need it. Right now I feel happy and calm and content. It's wonderful. Took me about 8 months to get to this state, but I'm here now and very, very thankful.

Because of a rescheduled talk therapy appointment, I was not able to make it to the clinic today for my weekly weigh-in. But according to my scale, I was 169 lbs. this morning, right where I need to be in my "new normal" range. Sure, I'd love to be down lower, but as I said, I'm content and my state of mind is good right now. So this is a "happy report" from where I sit tonight. As always, thanks to all who are assisting me through my rocky (as of late) maintenance journey. The road is starting to smooth out. It's about time!