Success!

Yesterday was a complete success! I ate between 1,330 and 1,680 calories, ate when I was hungry, and didn't eat too much. Today is day two, and I'm looking forward to repeating my success.

A few things I do along the way to make sure I eat healthy:

• Water - I try to drink 8 8-ounce cups a day. I also count my other drinks (mainly coffee and tea) toward the end goal of 8, but I try make the majority of that water.
  
• Planning ahead - I try to plan out what I'm going to eat that day. When I make a switch during the day, I must first decide what I'm going to switch it out for.
• Count calories - As I've mentioned before, if I don't count it, I don't lose weight. It's really that simple (for me).
  
• Believing in myself - This is by far the hardest for me. Saying "I can" instead of "I will" or "I should" makes me more successful, but too often I don't trust in myself. When I lose that trust, I lose respect for my decisions and overeat. I try to counteract that by saying positive mantras to myself during my morning workout. They deal with weight (this week I will be 1.5 pounds lighter if I keep up the good work), they deal with being body positive (I love my hair and I look beautiful today), they deal with food (Today I can count all my calories), and they deal with my day (Today is going to be great; I'm going to make it great).
  

So far I'm off to a good start - I've even counted the cream in my coffee - and I know I can continue, if only I believe in myself. (I believe I can, I believe I can, I believe I can.)