How'd It Go? July Update.

So it’s the end of the first full month of my one-year IE experiment. And the verdict so far? Pretty good, if I do say so myself.

What Went Well

• Scale Free Challenge. Accomplished. Woo Hoo! Went the entire month of July without stepping on the scale even one time. There were days when the urge to weigh was almost overwhelming. But for the most part, without the daily obsession of whether the dial went up or down, I felt calmer. I did weigh this morning, just to see if I’d done any damage and my weight is unchanged. It would have been nice if I’d lost some, but I’ll take unchanged. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty darn happy with unchanged. It does go to show that left to my own devices, I won’t binge myself into oblivion.

• I’m snacking less. I rarely troll for afternoon snacks in the vending machines in my office at 4:00, which had become something of a habit prior to IE.

• Grocery shopping is a joy. I can focus now on what I want and not on calories to tell me if something is allowed. I had the best time at the grocery store yesterday strolling the aisles without guilt and thinking about what I really wanted to eat, not just what was “ok” to eat. Oddly, I find I’m actually buying fewer groceries now than I was pre-IE. That’s because I know that I’m actually eating less (volume-wise), overall. So, I try to buy only what I know I’m going to eat during the week. Before, I was buying tons of things that I was “supposed” to have. And I either ended up eating stuff I didn’t particularly want or like, or just as often, things languished in the fridge until they looked like a science experiment then went in the bin. Now, I buy what I want, and I actually eat it. It’s so much simpler.

What I’m Still Working On

• Stopping when satisfied. The leave one bite challenge has been a dismal failure. I’m still just not able to stop if there’s something good on my plate. I’m managing by trying to take small portions whenever I can, so that I don’t have to stop. But this one definitely needs more work.

• Ready to focus more on nutrition. This month was really about eating what I wanted, even if it wasn’t in excessive portions. But I’ve paid little attention to things like making sure I’m getting adequate fruits, veggies, whole grains, etc. And I feel it. I like the guilt-free aspect of eating what I like, but I’m ready to mix the stuff I want with a bit more of the stuff I need.

• Need to dedicate more time to practicing IE principles. I’m working my way through a number of books on IE and there are many great ideas and things I’d like to work on that I think will help me grasp the principles more easily or quickly. Things like a mindfulness practice, meditation, making sure I pause mid-meal to assess my fullness level (even if I’m not ready to stop eating), etc. So many of my behaviors are hardwired that it’s easy to slip into autopilot and not do the things I want and need to do. In August, I’d like to make sure I’m purposely setting time aside to do the things I know I need to do to be successful at this.

So, I’m pretty happy with month one. I know I still have a long ways to go. But I feel good and calm and actually pretty pleased with myself. After a solid year of frustration trying to diet unsuccessfully (and far too many years on the diet rollercoaster before that), I’m ready to call July a victory. On to August!