DAY 29: To-do List

My results at the start of week 5:

I read my Advantages Response Card, NO CHOICE card, and It's Not Okay and Get Back on Track Response Cards at least twice.

I read other Response Cards as needed.

I ate slowly, sitting down and noticing every bite: Every Time

I gave myself credit when I engaged in helpful dieting behaviors: Most Times

I did spontaneous and planned exercise.

I wrote out a food plan for tomorrow and monitored everything I ate in writing.

I dealt effectively with issues of unfairness and discouragement.

I decided how I'll respond to food pushers.

I weighed myself, recorded the results on my weight-loss graph, and reported my change in weight.

I used the Seven Question Technique to make Response Cards.


CREDIT ACCOUNT: $27.50

At long last I've completed the task for Day 27; the end result is that the only new Response Card I came up with was one on perfectionism. The all-or-nothing idea is a huge stumbling block for me so I hope this will help:

Sabotaging Thought: I have to be 100% successful or I'm a failure.
Helpful Response: I am rarely 100% successful and I am rarely a failure; I'm usually somewhere in between. And if I expect 100% success, I will fail and be discouraged. Better I tell myself, Nobody's perfect; all I have to do is try. I may not get there quickly, but I won't get there at all if I quit trying.

Reading this card twice a day with my ARC may be just the fix I need. As for the rest of the exercise, it seemed like a waste of time, but it was probably good practice for the day when (if, If, IF) I slip back into old habits.

My new habits were a little stronger today. I skipped lunch and a snack, which has become my routine despite my efforts to eat everything on my plan. But I've figured out I need to eat breakfast earlier in the day so that I have time to get hungry for lunch before it's time for dinner. The good part is, when I ate today, it was much more mindfully!

And I remembered to apply a new tattoo (a row of colorful hibiscus flowers), and it definitely worked for reminding me to give myself credit. It was an incredibly busy day, so I didn't remember every time, but that's OK -- nobody's perfect!