Yesterday was a non-fasting day, and I gained a pound. Part of that gain may be water weight as I consumed quite a bit of sodium. On impulse, while shopping for my usual salad with grilled chicken ingredients, I picked up a couple of very small packages of spicy fried peanuts. I didn’t really think much about them until I read the nutrition information (while I was eating a handful). I was stunned to see that such a small package was so high in sodium. Additionally, one small package contained 46 grams of carbohydrates! I guess neither of these nutritional properties should be a surprise. Salted nuts are salted pretty heavily, and peanuts aren’t really nuts. They’re legumes, which are higher in carbohydrates than nuts. The bottom line is I didn’t do myself any favors with this choice. I tend to be curious about things I haven’t tried before, and I don’t think I’ve ever had spicy fried peanuts, hence the purchase.

I also had some cheese that was left over from Cheeseburger Weekend. While cheese is a good source of protein, it isn’t a low-calorie food because of the high fat content (and what’s the point of eating low-fat cheese?). Also, I found two tiny cups of ice cream in my freezer that I had apparently forgotten about. This was a nice surprise, but I was a little concerned that I had actually forgotten about ICE CREAM (something must be wrong with my brain for me to forget about ice cream). Anyway, the little things add up calorically, so, in combination with the likely water retention, it’s no surprise that my weight is up a little bit.

I have to do a better job of avoiding the impulse buys. When I think about it, there’s no reason for me to even be looking at the grocery store shelves. Everything I need can be found in the produce aisles and the meat department. A good weight loss tip that I’ve read more than once advises making the bulk of your grocery store purchases in those areas rather than from the shelves. Fruits and vegetables are really good for you, and lean meat is a good source of protein without carbohydrates (although honestly I’d rather eat beans and rice most days than the grilled flesh of a dead bird, but doing so would increase my carbohydrate load far beyond the recommended 50 grams per day).

The little things matter. They add up. So I’ve got to be better at sticking to what I’ve planned to eat on a particular day. I’m slowly learning that I’ve just got to be more disciplined than I have been so far, and hopefully I can do that from now on.