I Knew That Weight Gain Was Coming

250.2 pounds, + 0.3 pounds, - 82.8 pounds overall, 8.2 pounds to go to reach my goal of losing 20 pounds by January 1st. 

Yesterday I failed to follow my plan and I paid for it on the scale this morning. I expected the weight gain, and I'm not surprised that I didn't follow my plan. What went wrong?

I've been losing quite a bit of weight this week and I know that can't be sustained forever, so some thoughts creeped into my head about not keeping the progress going. The bigger part of why I didn't follow my plan is that I've been working out quite a bit not just with walking, but with lifting weights, and that has really driven my hunger up quite a bit. 

Last night I was watching some shows and the smell of a wonderful meal my daughter had made was going throughout the house. I finally got to the point where I couldn't take it anymore and I had some of that meal. But then I couldn't stop myself and I ate more and more food. I'm thankful that I didn't eat as much as I normally would have liked to, but I ate too much regardless, and I gained weight on the scale this morning as a result. I'm asking myself what I could have or should have done differently. 

The lesson I had reinforced to me from that experience last night is that when I eat after 5 p.m., I can't stop with just one bite of food, or with a normal portion of food. When I eat at night there is seemingly no "off" switch in my brain, until I get so full that I feel like I can't eat anymore. So the best course of action is to focus my energy on not taking that first bite. That is easier than trying to have a small portion of food. If I fail at that goal then I need to focus on having just one plate of food. Rewiring the brain is not an easy process, but it is worth it and it gets easier over time. 

What are your strategies for avoiding overeating?