Day 29: 298 lbs

My weight popped up a pound yesterday.

I think I survived the Chinese Buffet last night. There was no way I could actually count calories at that venue (and no graceful way to not go the way I managed a few weeks ago), so I settled on a strategy instead.

First, I made sure I had plenty of calories available. That's the easy part, since I've gotten out of the habit of snacking during the day, and often have 800 or more calories left from my 1,500 calorie quota by dinnertime.

At the restaurant, I began with a bowl of hot-and-sour soup, which I love, and which is also very light. This was to help fill me up. Then, I went to the buffet and had a plate of salad, also to fill me up.

Then, and only then, I allowed myself one plate from the regular buffet. I have no clue how many calories were on that plate, but I called it 700. This actually put me slightly over my quota for the day, and I consumed 1,515 calories for the day. That's not a lot over my quota, but it's still a break in discipline which isn't good.

But at another level, the strategy worked, since by the end of that one plate of buffet food I was quite full and not the slightest bit tempted to get more food. I suspect, too, that after a month of dieting my stomach is physically smaller, so it takes less food to fill me up.

I'm not entirely happy, though. First, I did in fact go over my calorie quota. Second, I don't have any good idea how many calories I actually ate. There are too many ways for me (being a smart guy) to turn a little loophole like that into a justification for giving into temptation.

Next time, I think I'll just stick to soup and salad.