Serious Business

After a week of so-so restricting, I've decided I need a plan.

I need a firm and serious regime to adhere to, instead of starting my day without a definite maximum level of calorie intake in mind.

Restricting "into the Blue" has led to some fairly good days, where I stayed around 500 to 650 - but also to a major binge day and a few so-so ones, like yesterday.

I didn't binge yesterday, not exactly.
Rather, some friends of mine quite spontaneously invited themselves over to my place for brunch, bringing most components of said brunch with them and only asking me to supply a few more missing pieces.

I was thrilled about them coming over - they are wonderful friends, more so than I deserve really, for not being mad but wanting to cheer me up after I have pretty much hidden under the duvet, given in to depression and not answered the phone to anyone for weeks.

I was less thrilled about the "brunch"-part, obviously... I made a fruit salad and an omelet, supplied freshly pressed orange juice and a lot of low-cal snacks like baby tomatoes and chicory leaves.

Still, I couldn't get by eating nothing but small tomatoes - not only would it have caused attention, it would have been infinitely hurtful of me to reject all the food they made and brought for me, and to reject their thoughtful idea of a comfy and relaxed day of eating and chatting together.

So I ate - I didn't go overboard but I couldn't exactly weight and measure the food I consumed either, and with some of the more fancy stuff they brought I have no idea what the calorie content might have been.

Although I did try to minimize the damage - they ended up staying over til midnight, and at various points throughout the day the others would get up and get themselves a fresh plate full of left-overs from the brunch, as a snack, a late lunch, dinner, second dinner, whatever.

I, however, maintained that I was still full from the morning's eating, and politely refused every third and second helping I was offered after the initial brunch-period was over, so in principle I only ate once all day.
Still, because that "one" meal was a lengthy and copious one, I strongly assume the calorie intake was enough to gain, in the end.

I still haven't weighed myself yet - but from the way I look, I strongly assume it hasn't budged from the 60 or at least 59 I estimated it to be.

So, to get on track, I have decided to make up an individual plan for myself detailing how much I want to consume over the next 20 days.
It should incorporate a fast about once a week, as it has been too long since I've done that, but I'm not doing ABC or 2468 or any other existing plan.
I think I need to find something individual for myself that I can stick to right now, and that might provide results in the time-frame I have in mind.

Stay tuned, I'll keep you updated.

Tonight, I am invited to a party and will later go out clubbing with my friends, probably, so I have to take care to limit my alcohol intake (actually, I'll see whether it will be possible to get away with not drinking at all), and of course to not eat any party snacks.

I think it won't be too hard though - at the fist party, I will say that a) I have already eaten at home and b) I cannot drink too much because I will be going out later. Meeting up with my friends, the excuse will be that I already drank a lot at the previous party and am feeling rather tipsy now, so no more alcohol for a while, please.

... actually, I think today will be a good day. I also think this was a rather uneventful post; I do apologize, I simply had to think aloud and organise my thoughts on how I want to proceed in relation to food and weight.

In other, possibly slightly more exciting news: My mother called this morning, and actually apologized for her behaviour the other day, saying she should have perhaps been a bit more understanding.

She friggin apologized, people!

Knowing my mother, that is quite a big deal, and a rather pleasant surprise at that.
I'm deciding to feel happy about this, as despite the rocky nature of our relationship I do prefer to be on good terms with her.

Have a wonderful Saturday everyone, I hope you all get to do something you like. <3

Update, late afternoon of the same day:

All right, change of plans - I think I'm doing the ABC after all.

Two main factors were my inspiration in this change of heart:
1) I just read Bella's post, where she said she would be starting abc tomorrow, and it inspired me to go along (humans are gregarious animals, ain't that the truth..) and "inspiration" number 2:

I literally just met a "friend" I hadn't seen in a while, and he asked me whether I had put on weight.

... yeah. I think well can all imagine how ecstatic that made me feel.

So, I decided I need to stop dicking around and making excuses - a 20 day plan won't even cut it, I need to think way more long term than that and abc seems like a good start.

Plus, I haven't been doing too well in coming up with my own plan anyway, so I will focus my creative endeavors elsewhere and go with what is tried and tested in the restricting department.

It's settled; I'll continue trying to be good today (hopefully, 280 cals so far), and then officially get on the abc wagon tomorrow...

On Sleepless Nights and Guilty Pleasures

Blargh, no sleep again last night, although I was feeling so goddamn tired... know that feeling when you're actually TOO tired to sleep?

Kept telling myself to get up and do something useful, like say reading or crunches, if I couldn't fall asleep anyway - alas, I remained absolutely paralyzed by lethargy and inertia.

I just lay there all night, morbidly fascinated with watching the shifting shadows on the ceiling and the excruciatingly slow passage of time, firmly held in the withering, vice-like grip of total apathy.

Then a big fight with mother dearest this morning, where she called me "manipulative" because I cried in front of her.
I said I didn't mean to be, what made her think that, and she replied that I was purposefully trying to make her feel bad by crying.

I wasn't though - I was sad, feeling alone and helpless, I wanted to talk to someone familiar and was hoping that perhaps she'd comfort me - clearly a naive notion.
So I said I was sorry, I didn't want her to be mad at me, I was just trying to tell her how I felt.

And she just yelled at me, that I should do whatever I wanted with my life but leave her alone with my manipulative ways, then she left.

Obviously, a very successful mother-daughter meeting.

Teaches you that crying in front of other people is seldomly a good idea; unless they happen to possess a modicum of compassion, which you cannot always count on.

Hmpf.

On the positive side, I did exercise today (go me, one step towards easing into becoming the happy exercise freak I used to be - I'd almost forgotten already how GOOD your body feels when you actually give it some movement!)

Also, I'm going to meet up with a wonderful friend right now, a friend I haven't seen face-to-face in a long time, and who happens to understand from personal experience a wide array of troubles and obsessions of the mind.

So, that should be nourishing for both body and soul (we are going to a sushi place and I haven't eaten yet today, therefor low calorie makis and high satisfaction with self will be provided).

I really liked the comment Summer left on yesterday's post - saying that it's a highly satisfying guilty pleasure to be "that other girl" that someone suspects their bloke might long for.
It is indeed, and while it doesn't exactly make you feel like you deserve a Nobel prize in the category "high morals", there's no denying that it feels good.

I've been there with The Coward and his new girlfriend before - not too long ago, there was a party that we all attended.

She was looking rather plain that night, as in my eyes she always does, and I had actually pulled myself together, bringing my hair to shine and my eyes to sparkle, making an effort with my make-up and my clothes.

So there I was, surrounded by friends, the center of attention, laughing, looking my best and pretending mirth like there was no tomorrow - and there they were, slightly isolated in a corner as overly clingy couples often get, not really talking to anyone.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see her gaze darting over to me every five seconds, filled with uneasiness and fearful concern - the kind where she knows that her man and I had something once upon a time, and that even if he decided to break my heart and choose her to become his girlfriend instead, that doesn't mean she can stop worrying.

It felt good then, even though clearly if she could see inside my heart she would know that I still feel the loser, still cannot quell the longing for a guy that decided to lead me on and hurt me in a most undignified fashion.

When they were getting ready to leave, she actually came over to me.
She tapped me on the shoulder while I was immersed in conversation, just to say a shy goodbye, all down-cast eyes and batting lashes, staring at her feet.

And I smiled at her, generously, all teeth and insincerity; gave her a warm "goodbye" back, in a voice much louder, much more affable and cordial than was strictly required.

It was my On-top-of-the-world act, my I'm-so-great-I-can-afford-to-be-friendly-towards-you, You-are-but-a-tiny-blip-on-the-outskirts-of-my-world and of course I wish you luck dear, you sure need it.

And damn it felt good that night, if only for a few hours.

I also liked how Bella said her self-esteem won't "rear it's fragile head" - the fragile bit is spot on, she has an almost non-existent self-esteem that depends entirely on validation from others, particularly men.

Now, I am not the queen of the "Love Yourself"-club either - but the particular way she goes about openly putting her insecurities out there - all "ooooh, look at me, I'm so poor and insecure guys, don't you wanna saaaaave me, make me feel pretty?" - it is appalling to me.

I hate hating myself, I never think of it as an advertising advantage.
Nor would I want to talk about it to potential romance interests or passing acquaintances all the time.

Found the below picture with the caption "Jealousy. The best motivation for revenge.".
True indeed.