Checkin' in ~ May MY Weigh

Well, I have to say, the first few days of this challenge have been a raving success.  I'm already down 2.2 lbs from my challenge-starting weight!!

Now if only I could figure out what I'd done differently...

Before the snowstorm obliterated our satellite signal last Saturday night (yes, we had a blizzard on April 30th!  It dumped 4" on us, and all the way up to 20" in nearby areas!!), The Man and I watched the first half of some obscure rugby movie about a delinquent kid.

Despite the relative forgettableness of the movie, one line stood out and I think it will stick with me for quite some time.  It was after the team had suffered a loss as a result of the delinquent kid's selfish attitude.  The coach was punishing the entire team, not just the loner who figured he should be the star.  The team was running laps up and down the bleachers, and while they ran to the point of complete exhaustion, he had them repeat this phrase:
 

Practice don't make perfect; practice makes permanent.

And he's right.  Regardless of how popular the saying is, practice really doesn't make perfect.  There will always be mistakes.  There will always be circumstances we didn't or couldn't plan for.  But the longer we practice something ~ whether it's rugby technique or eating habits or anything else ~ the more likely it will become a permanent habit.

It's a no-brainer, really, and yet I found it kinda profound!

I guess one of the things I've avoided in the last week is evening snacking.  I think, since last Wednesday, I haven't had a SINGLE evening snack, not even just a piece of fruit!  That's a virtually unheard-of practice in this house!!  I have also been more carefully watching my portions ~ generally trying to give myself less than I would normally have dished out, and not going back for seconds, no matter how wonderful it tastes!  Or how not full my stomach still feels afterwards.

So if for the next 4 weeks I continue to conscientiously practice portion-control and limit my evening snacking to special occasions ONLY, I will be well on the way to permanence!