It Worked!

This is a follow up to the post "My Promise." So it actually was not that hard to do the 15 days, because I knew that is was only 15 days. I must admit, I was so proud of how strong I was. And not weighing myself was awesome, because I didn't feel the pressure. I think stress sometimes effects weight loss and I don't feel like I had any stress that way. I actually ended up weighing less than my goal, but partly because I had thrown up the night before. But I am at my goal weight and I am so excited to be allotted more calories. I am now eating 1928 calories a day. That is actually allot of calories, especially since I am used to 1550. I am still counting calories obviously, but I don't really know how to do it any other way yet. I divided my calories like so;
Breakfast 500, Snack 200, Lunch 500, Snack 200, Dinner 526. If I know I am going out to eat I will eat less for breakfast and my snacks to allow more calories later. I really wish all restaurants knew their nutrition info. because it is scary to guess how many calories are in dishes at restaurants. What I have done so far is ask the server for there opinion on the healthiest meals on the menu . Then when the meal comes, I eat half the portions they gave me. Restaurants don't usually take a precautions to making a meal lower fat or calories like I do at home, so I have a hard time trusting them and need to make sure I do what I need to, to make sure I don't eat too much. I know that creamy pasta dishes a restaurants are around 1500 calories or more per plate. Which I think I ridiculous! But my favorite food is Fettuccine Alfredo, and to ever be able to eat it at a restaurant again, I will have to save calories from earlier in the day and then only eat half of it. I feel empowered knowing that I can't just go to a restaurant and order what ever I want and eat everything. I know the outcome would be weight gain.
I recently went to get my hair done and while they were doing my hair, I was reading an article about weight loss in Elle. I found this article very insightful and eye opening. It said when you are hungry, the food you reach for is the most important thing. Meaning that the food you reach for most often when you are hungry is the food that brings you the most joy. So if you are always reaching for snickers, then emotionally snickers equals joy to you. There are actual feelings of joy when you eat it. But if you change the food you reach for when you are hungry and continue doing so, you can change what is your "Joy Food." For example if you always reach for an apple when you are hungry, pretty soon the apple will start to sound just as good as that Snickers did for you. That is amazing! Sometimes some cravings are so strong for my joy food (which prob. is Snickers or Chocolate) that when I am strong I can resist them, but when I am emotional or stressed it is so hard to resist. I really think I would be cool to change my emotional eating to something more healthy! Anyway, let me know if you know of any eating out tricks or Pot luck tricks, I would love to hear them.