Step One

Okay, all I have is New Kids on the Block in my head now...Step By Step, oooh baby...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ5eZSa7URA

Anyway, I got home last night, had one (more) glass of wine, a big cup of water, brushed and went to read. I had to FIGHT the urge to have popcorn. And DID open the fridge - for something other than water. But I immediately closed the fridge and in essence, beat the Monster.

That Monster's name? Habit.

Step One. Assess your hunger. Hmmm...Am I treating this like a 12-stepper? And for that matter, have I harmed others in my eating habits and do I need to make amends (AA Step 8)? Hopefully my brides have all loved me enough no matter how thin I wasn't in their bridesmaid dresses. Blog Topic for another time: Is Eating an Addiction? Answer: Yes.

I assessed whether or not I was hungry and did not eat. Granted, until that bridesmaid dress fits like a glove, if dinner has been consumed and dinner was an appropriate quantity (no starvation), there are no snacks. Hungry or not.

Elizabeth Hurley... (I almost said April for all you Hudson-types. Where did that come from?)

Anyway, Hugh's Ex - after giving birth to the spawn of Stephen Bing (no way in hell that man isn't the father)...am I going to have to start this again? Adult onset ADD, so...

Elizabeth Hurley put out a line of bikinis after the birth of her son, Damien (is anyone else unsettled by that name?). Liz was pushin' 40. She said in more than one interview that she often, if not always, went to bed hungry. She looked (and looks) phenomenal. It makes you feel warm and fuzzy when the Elizabeth Hurleys and Gwen Stefanis of the world admit to constantly BUSTING their asses to be the shape they are.

Ideally, you - like Gwen and Liz - assess your hunger, decide if you are actually hungry, then eat appropriately. Isn't idealism kick-you-in-the-crotch annoying sometimes?

Another trick we all know, if you go in the kitchen to eat, drink a big cup of water and wait 30 minutes. And when I say cup, you probably know I mean something more along the lines of a quart. I swear, I'm a camel.

My question? Does it ever get any easier? Is this something I am going to have to constantly think about for the rest of my life. When does the old HABIT give way to a new habit? Will I constantly be conscious of the steps?

The new habit becomes dinner being the last thing you eat at night. The new habit becomes not wanting a particular food in lieu of a salad. My cravings will change. I'm going to have to start to keep salad on hand. It's hard to want a salad in the winter. There, I've come out and said it. But seeing as we are en route to summer, I will keep those winter habits in the back of my mind until they need to be addressed.

The habit of living The Skinny Life is my ultimate goal. (And my ultimate reward is a brand new black suit once I get super comfy in the other suits.) Also, skinny will vary according to person. Thin for me is having room in my size 12s. That may not sound skinny to other people. When I'm skinny, I am a size 10. Interesting isn't it? How about, when I FEEL skinny, I am a size 10.

Then again, if this becomes a way of life, maybe the skinny of the past will become something different in the future - hopefully, just like the habits.

BTW, How did we think this NKOTB crap was good? OMG, the 80s.