Today, while I was (...finally...) doing my laundry, 
I was thinking about the fact that no matter what task I'm engaged in,
I find a voice inside of me telling me
that I should be doing more,
or that I should be doing something else.

So, I started thinking about the fact that I was thinking that,
and about the definition of that type of thinking.

Perfectionism…
I've never thought of myself as a perfectionist,
think of myself as more of a pragmatist,
my solution is "whatever works".

Still, I went searching for the definition of perfectionism,
which resulted in the following:

Perfectionism includes:

The irrational belief that you and/or your environment must be perfectly as you wish it to be.

The striving to be the best, to reach the ideal and it is unacceptable to make mistakes.

A habit developed from youth that keeps you constantly alert to the imperfections, failings,
and weakness in yourself and others.

A level of consciousness that keeps you ever vigilant to any deviations from the norm,
the guidelines or the way things are "supposed to be".

The belief that no matter what you attempt it is never "good enough" to meet
your own or others' expectations.

 This led me to see that although, I'm not exactly a perfectionist,
there are elements of perfectionism in my character.

So, what rational behaviors are needed to overcome perfectionist tendencies?
To overcome perfectionism, one needs to:

Accept self as a human being.

Forgive self for mistakes or failings.

Accept that the ideal is only a guideline or goal to be worked toward,
not to be achieved 100 percent.

Set realistic and flexible time frames for the achievement of a goal.

Develop a sense of patience and to reduce the need to "get it done yesterday".

Be easier on oneself; setting unrealistic or unreasonable goals
or deadlines sets you up for failure.

Recognize that the human condition is one of failings, weakness, deviations,
imperfections and mistakes; it is acceptable to be human.

Develop an ability to use "thought stopping" techniques whenever you find yourself
mentally scolding yourself for not being "good enough".

Visualize reality as it will be for a human rather than for a super human.

Learn to accept yourself the way you are; let go of the ideas of how you should be.

Learn to enjoy success without the need to second guess
your ability to sustain the achievement.

Love yourself; to believe that you deserve good things.

To eliminate unrealistic expectations and the idea that you are infallible.

Visualize yourself as "winning" even when it takes more energy,
and more perseverance, than what you had planned.

Let go of rigid, moralistic judgments of your performance and to develop
an open, compassionate understanding for the hard times, obstacles and temptations.

Be flexible in setting goals and be willing to reassess your plan
from time to time to keep things realistic.

Realize that the important thing is to be going in a positive direction.

 Can I do these things?

Well,
I don't have to be Perfect. .......  LOL   

Today I'm taking responsibility for myself. 
Yesterday, I ate "too much"  from the heart-shaped box of candy
that I received from my husband for Valentine's Day.

He wasn't sabotaging my maintenance efforts.
This was a gift that I wanted,
and one that he knew I wanted. 

Each chocolate that I ate was my own choice,
and my personal responsibility. 
I knew that one chocolate was between 80 and 100 calories.
I knew that keeping the box in plain sight on the kitchen table
would make me return to it again and again.
Despite this knowledge I made this personal choice for myself. 

During the day, each time I ate from the box,
I went over to my computer
and entered the food into my DietPower food log. 
I was aware of what I was doing
for all of the time that I did it. 
I made the choice. 
It was my own activity.
I, alone, am responsible.

Now, I must cut back on my food calorie intake for the rest of the week. 
I engaged in weight-gaining behavior,
now I must engage in weight-loss behavior. 
Bummer .... but so it goes here in Maintenance. 

This ia  picture of one serving of food from my new cooking video,
Cinnamon Bread Pudding
which is located at DietHobby, under RECIPES,  Sweet-Tastes.

Yesterday in Facebook, I came across a cite to the following article.
I haven't checked out the underlying research, 
and I don't plan to experiment with this idea,
because I've already had a lifetime
of unsuccessful experimentation wth it.

Still, it's an interesting article, 
and I see it as one more example
of how different each of us can be, and
that the same things don't work for everyone.

"10 February 2012

Attempting to avoid sweets entirely can create a psychological addiction to these same foods in the long-term, explains Daniela Jakubowicz, professor at Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine, who led the study.

Over the course of a 32-week-long study, participants who added dessert to their breakfast - cookies, cake, or chocolate - lost an average of 40 pounds more than a group that avoided such foods, the journal Steroids reports.

What’s more, they kept off the pounds longer. A meal in the morning provides energy for the day’s tasks, aids in brain functioning, and kick-starts the body’s metabolism, making it crucial for weight loss and maintenance, according to a Tel Aviv statement.

And breakfast is the meal that most successfully regulates ghrelin, the hormone that increases hunger, explains Jakubowicz. While the level of ghrelin rises before every meal, it is suppressed most effectively at breakfast time.

These findings were based on 193 clinically obese, non-diabetic adults, who were randomly assigned to one of two diet groups with identical caloric intake - the men consumed 1,600 calories daily and the women 1,400.

However, the first group was given a low carbohydrate diet including a small 300 calorie breakfast, and the second was given a 600 calorie breakfast high in protein and carbohydrates, always including a dessert item (i.e. chocolate).

Halfway through the study, participants in both groups had lost an average of 33 pounds per person. But in the second half of the study, results differed drastically.

The participants in the low-carb group regained an average of 22 pounds each, but participants in the group with a larger breakfast lost another 15 pounds each.

At the end of the 32 weeks, those who had consumed a 600 calorie breakfast had lost an average of 40 pounds more per person than their peers.

Jakubowicz conducted the study with Julio Wainstein and Mona Boaz from Tel Aviv and Oren Froy of Hebrew University Jerusalem."

                          

Portion control is essential to successfully manage weight. 
This is true for weight-loss and for maintaining weight-loss.

It is valuable to learn what a portion really looks like. 

Portion control is a basic principle of almost all weight-loss plans,

and yet, it is one of the hardest skills for people to master.

Most restaurant plate servings  contain between 2 to 4 portions,

and finishing the entire plate can go far beyond the limits 

of what the body can use on that day.  

 Visualizing what one normal portion looks like can be helpful. 

Here are some examples:

Meat = the size of  a deck of cards or a cassette audiotape

Fish = the size of a checkbook

Peanut butter=- the size of a walnut

Dressing = the size of a shot glass

Butter = the size of a postage stamp

Cereal = the size of a woman's fist, or a baseball

Rice or pasta = one-half a baseball

Potato = the size of a computer mouse

Bread = the size of 1 CD

Hard Cheese = the size of 2 dominoes or 4 dice

Mixed nuts = fits into the cupped palm of a child's hand, or the size of a golf ball

Generally, a single serving consists of:

1 cup (8 ounces) of milk

1 ounce of cheese

½ cup of vegetables

1 small piece, or `½ cup to 1 cup of fresh fruit

½ cup to 1 cup of cooked rice or pasta

3 ounces of lean meat, fish, chicken.

 We need to retain our brains to think small.

When we measure with our eyes, remember:

1 teaspoon = the size of a fingertip (top to middle joint); fits into the screw cap of a water bottle.

1 tablespoon = the size of a thumb tip (tip to middle joint)

¼ cup = the size of a golf ball

½ cup = a fruit or vegetable that fits into the palm of your hand - about the size of a tennis ball.

1 cup (dry) = the size of a woman's fist or a baseball. 

 Some common Myths and Misconceptions are:

"It's low in fat so I can eat more." 

This is a common mistake, but it isn't true - just because a package says "low fat"

doesn't mean that food is low in calories. Portion control is important for all foods,

even those claiming to be low in fat or calories.  

"Liquids don't count". 

Yes they do - and here it is easy to misjudge the intake of a food portion. 

Some liquids contain a lot of calories.  A simple coffee latte contains about 212 calories,

and the skinny option contains about 167 calories. 

Anything that goes into your body, liquid or solid, will impact your weight.