Day 4: Negative Habit

Via negativia; today, pick a habit that you'd like to eliminate from your life. Bad habits are like armpits, we all have 'em and they all stink. Whether cutting soda out of your life, or putting a stop to your porn addiction; either way, as with yesterday, think about the steps you'll take in order to put the kibosh on that negative habit. And again, also think about how you'll keep yourself accountable to that goal.

My negative habit: constant snacking.

I've been trying to lose weight for a long time. Every time I try to lose weight, regardless of what my starting weight is, I always reach this one particular weight, and I suddenly stop and can't go any farther. I've been stuck right around this weight once again for the last four to six months, and I think I've identified the primary cause of my sticking point: I am a constant snacker. If I see it, I have to eat it. Sometimes it's just a banana, sometimes it's a bowl of M&Ms, sometimes it's a bag of pretzels, but if it's available to me, I have an incredibly hard time avoiding it. And conversely, it's a constant craving. If I'm not eating, I'm thinking about where I can find something to eat.

Steps I'd like to try:
1. Track what I eat. I used to do this with MyFitnessPal, and it was enlightening to see just how bad each item of food was, and it hit me with a helpful dose of self-shaming to see it all racked up. I even found that when I was about to eat something, I would think about having to record it later, and I sometimes felt enough guilt that I put the food back.

2. Snack consciously and deliberately. Put a snack on a plate and put the container away. Record it immediately.

3. Snack on things that take time. I'm thinking oranges, sliced apples, shelled nuts, etc. Anything that can be eaten one piece at a time as each piece is prepared. If it takes time and I eat it as I'm peeling or shelling or slicing, it will will give my body a chance to digest it and help me feel more satisfied. Or so says Jillian Michaels; whatever, I'll give it a shot.

4. Drink so much more water. I've heard this, and I used to do it. Drink a cup of water when craving snacks. Sometimes it's filling, sometimes it's merely healthy. It definitely helps prevent health problems. Seems like a good idea.

5. Avoid salty stuff. Salt leads to more cravings. Not sure why, but that's my experience.

6. Avoid excessively sweet things. Candy, ice cream, anything really high in sugary sweetness. It definitely leads to more cravings.

These are a good starting place. My MyFitnessPal username is kenbellows; anyone who wants can help check up on me. Add me as a friend on there if you'd like. I'll also try to post a calorie count here each day.

This will be good.