keeping it off...

A while back, I posted about being chubby, and then how I lost the weight.

Now comes the part that I'm not so sure about. The maintenance. I've been testing the waters, and I seem to be experiencing a metabolic honeymoon. I have been able to get by with a whole lot of caloric indiscretion. But I know that caloric indiscretion is what got me into chubbiness in the first place. I'm not too keen on going back.

I've had to reign myself back in.

And it all begins at the end.

Of my day.

Now, I can follow a diet to a 't'. Until bedtime. And that's when I find myself in a familiar land. A land called, "I'll eat whatever I want tonight and TOMORROW I'll start for realsies." Which means an entire day of good eating is tossed out the window for 10 minutes of brownies and nachos. Not at the same time.....but, you know how you start by eating just one brownie, then three more, and since you've tanked it you decide to REALLY tank it and suddenly find yourself at the bottom of a Dorito bag? That's where I was heading. Those old thoughts and bad eating habits.

I've discovered a few tricks that seem to be working for me, and I thought I'd share.

1. At night, when I'm ready to throw in the towel and eat to my heart's content, I try to wait it out. Usually after I've thrown in a load of clothes and cleaned up the bathroom, I'm stronger to resist the craving. And if that hasn't worked, I move to the next trick.

2. I look at clothes on Anthropologie or Forever 21. Because who wants to eat a brownie when they are looking at cute clothes? On tiny people? Not me. That's who.

3. I follow the rules I set for my children. When my kids are hungry at non-meal times, they have the option of eating a banana or an apple. (I hate this trick. An apple is not a cookie when you want a cookie.)

4. I drink (black) coffee. Regular or decaf. Depending on the time of day. It gives me something to put in my stomach and, for whatever reason, feels a little special.

5. I put on a dangly pair of earrings. This is the stupidest of all my tricks. However, it makes me feel like a lady. And I've got it in my head that lady's have will power.

Do you have any tips or tricks that work for you?