About a week ago I realized I needed to make some changes with my eating if I was going to continue losing any weight. I've been bouncing around the 190's for a couple of months now and I knew I wasn't eating well enough for any serious progress.

I had to admit to myself that one of the band rules I haven't been following, and never really have very seriously is hurting my progress. That rule is only eating three meals and one snack and not grazing.

I had gotten back into the habit of thinking about food every time I walk through the kitchen, or even get up and go to a different part of the house. I run a quick inventory of what yummy thing there is to snack on and often get it. It stems from me being determined to never go hungry. It had just gotten out of control. I think I was likely consuming as many calories in between my meals as in the meals themselves. I'm not sure since I haven't been food-tracking.

Well, I decided to give it a try this week and it's been amazingly easy. The mental part is still a struggle during certain parts of the day, but what I've discovered is that I'm not hungry without all that snacking. I'm just fine with the meals and one snack and my weight is going back down to the lower end of the 190's.

I haven't been perfect, but I've been a lot better. I'm not striving for perfection, just being a lot better than I have been.

The other thing I'm trying to do is only allow myself a dessert twice a week. It was a lot more than that previously, and let's face it, that's not helpful to weight loss.

I think those are two fantastic steps, melissa. You know I have always had and still have a problem getting the weight off, I have to really force myself to pay attention to what I put in my mouth.

It's almost an instinct for me to snack.

I think I was likely consuming as many calories in between my meals as in the meals themselves. I'm not sure since I haven't been food-tracking.

I'm not striving for perfection, just being a lot better than I have been.

The other thing I'm trying to do is only allow myself a dessert twice a week. It was a lot more than that previously, and let's face it, that's not helpful to weight loss.

Hi Shiny - I think you are making two excellent steps; good luck with them. For me, I'm a volume eater, so my challenge is to keep the snack to an appropriate size...the food is ok, but just the volume. I REALLY need to work on that. part of me says if I just give up the snack, I won't have the problem, but that's avoidance, not dealing with the issue. I have to retrain my brain - and it is a very stubborn thing!!!