The braces diet

First of all, I truly can't believe that the last time I blogged about anything was OCTOBER! What a slacker I am! I bet you really want to see some updated pictures of my kids and stuff. Well, too bad. I'll do that in another six months. Today is all about me, me, ME!

I've had my braces for almost exactly one year. (I got them on St. Patrick's day.) My goal when I got the braces on was to weigh 140 pounds by the time they came off. I weighed about 165 at the start, and as of this week I have hit the 140 mark. Yay, me! So I thought I'd celebrate by sharing how braces take the pounds off.

At the beginning, I couldn't chew anything. This was partly because the braces hurt, and partly because my bottom teeth were so crooked that when I tried to bite down, my top teeth hit the braces brackets instead of my bottom teeth. For about 2 months, I literally couldn't get my teeth to touch each other. I learned that chewing is optional. If you eat lots of yogurt and applesauce, you can get by just fine without the use of teeth. But more importantly, I learned not to be so afraid of hunger. Maybe afraid isn't the right word. I've just learned to function without a full tummy all the time. Fasting is getting easier for me because I've learned to make food decisions based on something other than a rumbling tummy. In this case, I had to weigh how much my hunger bothered me vs. how much it would hurt to eat. But the general principle stayed with me, even after I could chew again.

More recently, I've had rubber bands I have to wear all the time unless I'm eating. This means that before I eat I have to take out the bands and throw them away. When I'm done eating I brush my teeth and put the bands back in. This has basically cured me of mindless eating. Sometimes when I go shopping I grab a box of crackers or something and let Blake munch while I shop. In the past, I would sort of munch along with him. Not anymore. I guess I could take out the bands in the middle of Wal-Mart, but is it really worth it for a few little goldfish crackers? I basically always decide not. I've learned to eat only what I've planned to eat, when I've planned to eat it.

Let me also just say that I exercise for between 60 and 90 minutes every day, which also helps with the weight loss.

I think I might write a book about the braces diet. It would probably be a big hit. And then my orthodontist would sue me for the rights and I'd drive my family into bankruptcy trying to pay the lawyers. So never mind. I'm just glad it's working for me!