Today’s the last day of week four for me on the Always Hungry plan. I lost the weight that I gained in week three so I’m now convinced that the 11 pounds are all actual pounds lost and not a lot of water weight.
I feel really good and it’s not all tied up with the number on the scale. I feel good because I’m sticking to the plan – no matter what I lose or don’t lose. Every day I commit and I’m adhering to that commitment.
That is the essence to being abstinent from my compulsive eating, to living in recovery. I’m grateful to be solidly on track. This keeps my head and emotions in a great place rather than rocketing around like a manic pinball.
If I never lost another pound, living without the compulsive food thoughts and behaviors that torment me emotionally and mentally would be blessing enough.
The plan delivers on the promises that satiety would increase and cravings would decrease. It says that cutting way down on white flour/white sugar/processed foods will get my body working effectively in its insulin production and other important functions.
The book has numerous recipes and offers detailed daily and weekly menus. Given that I don’t eat any seafood, I can’t follow them exactly. Fortunately, the book also offers guidelines for building your own meals. There is a chart with the percentages of carbs, fat and protein set for each meal.
It takes some thinking and planning to design my daily meals and hit those percentages. Today I really felt like I’m getting a better hang of it.
Take dinner for example. I made grilled lamb pops, a warm artichoke heart and quinoa dish, and mashed rutabaga. It was an absolutely delicious meal, if I do say so myself. Plus I hit the percentages almost perfectly.
The hardest element for me is the fat. In some cases, it’s easy, like adding a tablespoon of peanut butter to my afternoon Apple snack or full fat yogurt for the Bleu cheese dressing I made. Other times it is more difficult because it isn’t intuitive. I’m getting there but it requires me to spend more time thinking about my food ahead of time.
It’s like I have the added work of pre-planning before I menu plan and prep. Sometimes thinking so frequently about food is downright scary for me. I worry that I’ll fall off of my effort and planning will convert to unhealthy obsession.
To settle myself, I just keep focusing on percentages and balance. Always balance. That and doing this one day at a time.
Weighty Matters 
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