BLE: Daily Weighing - reviewing the January experiment

The last day of January is finally here, and it was with genuine relief that I carried the scale out to the garage; may we both enjoy the reprieve from me stepping on it each morning. 

I was dismayed to see a gain this morning, but it wasn't unexpected as I ate last night. During my master mind group meeting I did a quick review from my paper journal and here are the figures.

From the first day on Bright Line Eating - Down 29.6 lbs, so maintaining my  original loss

From the first day of weighing daily - Down 2.4 lbs 

From my lowest numbers since starting BLE - Up 1 lb

So just a bunch of numbers that really don't mean anything except that weighing daily did not act as a stick or a carrot when it came to losing weight. What it did do was make me think about how I felt each morning; dreading a 'bad' number, hopeful for a 'good' number, and reacting in some fashion, mental or physical, to whatever I saw. I just feel that in all ways it was a revisit to diet mentality, and really pretty damaging. For me. This is all about finding out what works for me.

"Focus on your weight, and you'll lose your Bright lines, focus on your Bright Lines, and you'll lose the weight."  I know this, have felt this to be a truism, but guess I just needed to commit to something and see myself follow through. Now I know for sure that for me, stepping on the scale each morning is not a healthy choice.  It's really just a pain in the ass; thinking about wearing the same pajamas each morning, or disrobing to weigh naked in the biting cold of winter; trying to figure out if what I ate the day before was too salty, or if I had had enough water to drink; trying to analyze what I ate in terms of caloric intake, or if I ate too much unhealthy fat, or if I had weighed my salad dressing. Thinking of the food chatter this daily act added to each day I have a hard time imagining that I ever thought it was a good idea to do this. I have, after all, decades of experience that already supports my findings of this past month.

But it was mostly all about perspective, and analyzing this through the lens of BLE. Just maybe, I thought, knowing I am a food addict, and having an eating plan, will change my relationship with the scale. But no, I think there is too much water under the bridge for that to happen, and I am looking forward to not thinking about a number in February.  That being said, I know myself well enough to imagine it will be many times during the next 28 days that my mind wanders into the no man's land of I wondering about it, what the number might be, and maybe even be tempted to bring the scale in from the garage. But I am committing to not weighing until March 1st, and instead I will be focusing on keeping my lines bright, so that's not going to happen.

I think the intermittent fasting is going well, and that having Bright Lines to keep during my 8 hour eating window will make all the difference from my last attempt when I totally overate during the hours when I was not fasting.

So February:  

1. Intermittent Fasting (eating only 8am to 4pm)
2. Focusing on Bright Lines
3. Limiting Dairy & Meat

Number three is for healing, to support the intention behind the fasting. I mean, if my goal is pain relief, why am I eating foods that are known to be carcinogenic and inflammatory? So I didn't buy any meat at the grocery store this morning, instead picking up a couple of bags of dried beans. I have sun dried tomatoes, peppers, spinach etc. to make some flavourful batches of plant protein to have on hand in the fridge, and I picked up lots of salad fixings. 

G from my MMG reminded me this morning how wonderful the detox from animal protein feels, and I do remember from following Dr. Fuhrman years ago that about three days in I felt the change; the added energy, the cleansing of body and spirit. And I must say that I am looking forward to all of that.

This is easily said after a large salad for lunch that incorporated left over meatballs. I have one more serving of those, as well as one more serving of breakfast sausage, but I will pack those both up in freezer bags today to store for another time, or not, we will see.

I had a busy start for a Sunday; grocery shopping, meeting with my MMG, taking a walk with the family, preparing a Bright Line Lunch, and finally this journal entry. Time to rest a bit before doing some cooking, and organizing the fridge for the coming week.

It feels good to have an action plan based on experience and science, and not just on good intentions - which I have noted before on numerous occasions just leads to Hell. It feels good to know I have support and resources, and that I am not crazy, and not alone. I am connected to the world - entangled as they would say in what I believe is quantum physics, or mechanics, or whatever; it's definitely above my pay grade - but I will lean into that connection, and I will thrive.

How wonderful the scent of fresh Hyacinth in my room. I revel in it, in this moment, and in feeling the energy that connects me to everything else through this amazing smell. And this moment truly is enough. I am enough.