Food fight.

My running is only part of the weight loss. The other part is changing the way I thought about food and how I reacted to it.

I like food. I really do. I have some things here and there that I'm not crazy about, but in general, I love food.

But my view of it was (still is) skewed.

I'd say I was on a "diet" or that I was "watching what I ate," and then at lunch, I'd drive down to Sonic and get a cheeseburger with mayo, tots with cheese and a Route 44 Diet Coke.

So what I was watching was myself gaining 10 pounds because of the crap I was eating.

I started off with Weight Watchers Online, and am still basically using that structure, although I'm no longer a formal member. It helped me see the way food works, albeit in their simplified format of "Points," until I could actually see it for myself.

I've done this before; I'm not stupid. But somehow, in the activity of my daily life, the ability to really see what the food I'm eating for what it is just gets lost. And WW is an easy way to figure it out again.

Basically, I've changed a few things:

1. Portion sizes. When I cook supper for the four of us at home, I'm still cooking the same things for the most part, but when we sit down to eat, I take smaller portions. Rusty grilled steaks over the weekend and I had a true portion (3 oz., about the size of the palm of my hand). Before, I would have had half a steak or more. Most vegetables that I prepare are without extra calories anyway -- I don't add butter or oils to them -- and aren't starchy (potatoes, corn, carrots), so I can eat those in unlimited amounts for the most part. We had steamed broccoli on Sunday, and I prepare it without any sauces. So I had a good-sized portion of that.
2. Substitutions. If I'm serving something for supper that I shouldn't eat, I don't. I always offer a salad, so I have that as an extra, or I eat a double serving of the other vegetable. We had macaroni and cheese on Sunday -- the kids' favorite (they don't like mashed potatoes) -- and I didn't have any.
3. Slow eating. I do pretty much EVERYTHING in a rush. And in the past, I've eaten quickly. But that's not a good idea, really. It takes a while for your stomach to register that it's full. So if you eat slowly, that gives you a better idea of when you're full. 
4. Water, water, water. Did I say water? I have increased my water intake to about 90-100 ounces a day. It's not difficult to do, and it is so beneficial. My complexion is improved, I can run without any hydration problems, and it keeps me from eating something just because I think I'm hungry.
5. NO fast food. Seriously. I'm not talking restaurants, because I am able to eat in various establishments without problems, but I'm talking about McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell. They're just not healthy for you, period.

I don't use a lot of "typical" diet foods. I do use the Weight Watchers cream cheese -- it's very versatile; for lunch sometimes, I'll bake a small potato, add a tablespoon of WW cream cheese and a little cheese and salsa and have a very filling, nutritious lunch. I do have a supply of Lean Cuisines in the fridge for those nights when we're busy and what I'm cooking for the kids isn't the best thing for me, but I try not to rely on those so much. I want to learn how to eat REAL FOOD in a reasonable fashion.

I don't allow myself "cheats." One bite of ice cream or a piece of candy and it's all over for me. When I reach my goal, I will have to adapt to that, but hopefully the experience and knowledge I've gained will allow me do that intelligently.

The last time I lost a considerable amount of weight, I had an epiphany that this is something I will have to do for the rest of my life. I will never be able to just casually eat whatever. I have to plan and think about it and be reasonable every single day for the rest of my life. That didn't happen last time. I got really busy, stopped running and the rest is 20-30 pounds of history. I'm hoping that I've learned from that.