Containment [249.8 lbs]

Reflecting on a bad evening and good countermeasures for the future.

Before diving in, some photos:

A beautiful spring day before a hailstorm hit.

Grilled Spam Lite with light butter and soy sauce on a slice of whole wheat toast for breakfast.

Tuna salad sandwich with cheddar, tomato, light mayo on whole wheat. Side of mixed veggies with salt and soy sauce.

Most of yesterday went well, but there were things that made it teeter and then fall later on which I want to address and plan against. 

The timeline, problems, and countermeasures as I see them:

• Ate at 4:45pm.
• Problem: I was in a new environment yesterday. My work and travel schedule was altered in a way I didn't prep for, making me more vulnerable to old self-soothing habits. 
• Countermeasure: When I'm going into one of these new environments, prepare how I'll act and eat in advance. Mentally practice to avoid backsliding.

• Ate fried chicken, sauce, and toast, all high in caloric density ("CD").
• NOT the Problem: The problem is NOT eating this food. I'm okay with having these meals every so often to sate cravings when I moderate the calories as I did here, keeping it down to about 700 calories since I didn't get fries that would have pumped it up to 1,100 calories. 
• The Actual Problem: Noom has taught me that high CD foods (like candy or fried chicken) aren't "bad," but they ARE less filling per calorie than lower CD foods. 
• Countermeasure: When I choose to eat a high CD meal, ensure my supporting habits are locked in. Meds taken, not procrastinating, drinking water, not eating too early, the works. All these should help limit my vulnerability to the increased hunger that's likely to come after eating these foods.

• Ordered a big DoorDash meal at 7:30pm. Enchiladas with rice and refried beans, chips, and guacamole.
• Problem #1: I expected my hunger would overwhelm me and be intolerable. That's a thought distortion. "There's probably 6 hours before I'll go to sleep. I'll NEVER last! Might as well give up." It's just wrong. Hunger goes away. It wasn't worth it. 
• Countermeasure #1A: Acknowledge openly when I feel this way. Name it.
• Countermeasure #1B: Especially on days like this, aim to go to sleep earlier, around 10pm. It significantly cuts down on the time stretching out in front of me.

• Problem #2: DoorDash is not only expensive, but it's also way too convenient. Too easy to mindlessly order food. 
• Countermeasure #2: I logged off and deleted the app. Just don't use it. Put that extra barrier up to giant caloric bursts.