Yeah yeah yeah, I admit it: two potlucks in one weekend is probably NOT the best strategy for someone who’s actively trying to lose weight. As proof, I offer you the following evidence:

186.2

Yeah, the weight went up a bit! Not surprising, and I’m NOT worried about it (much), because I know the rest of the week I’m gonna go back to my regular eating/exercising routine.

BUT it is a good reminder — the reason so many people (including me, the previous times I did this) regain their weight after a successful loss is — we get complacent.

We stop tracking our food, our calories, our weight. We think, “Hey, I lost all that weight — whew! Good for me! Now I can relax and start eating what I want again!” We think we’re finished!

Well, guess what? If we want to keep the weight off for a significant chunk of time, no, we’re not finished. It’s an ongoing struggle. We have to keep counting the calories (or the POINTS! if you’re a Weight Watcher), keeping an eye on the food labels, etc.

Like those tricky “per serving” scams. I saw a chocolate bar the other day that said it had 100 calories, and was about to buy it when I checked the label. Guess what? They’d somehow managed to get four, count ’em FOUR servings into that tiny little bar which I would’ve just scarfed up in one bite! At 100 calories per serving, that would’ve basically been my entire meal, and no it wouldn’t have been worth it!

Heh, well, I wouldn’t count on it — those food label writers are notoriously tricky! You just gotta be on the watch all the time!

Hmm, well, let’s hope that’s not the case! But that’s why it’s also a good idea to make more homemade stuff. When you put in all the ingrediments yourself, you have a way more realistic idea of what the nutrition facts are than if you just trust some robot in a factory somewhere in Elbonia.

So that’s it, my Diet Wisdom for a Monday! Hope your day and your week go well. I’m off for a long walk, and hopefully some of those Potluck Pounds will hit the road by next week!