BYE, SNACKS.

It has been a rough couple of days teeth-wise. Invisalign HURTS. It wasn't an unexpected pain, but holy shit. I'm finally getting to a place where I feel like my teeth almost don't hurt. It's also hard to stay ahead of the pain, but I think I have it figured out at this point, as well as what to do every two weeks when I have to change trays.

However, I have also discovered that the most significant pain is actually mental.

I can't really snack anymore.

Yeah.

I knew this was coming on some level, but I didn't realize how much I mindlessly snacked throughout the day until this past Friday - my first workday with my trays in.

Dentist's orders, I'm to wear my trays 24/7, except when I'm eating. That first full day was so rough pain-wise that I had my smoothie sitting on my desk and was like "it will hurt too much, so I'm not going to have it." I made the conscious choice to not have breakfast in favor of just leaving my trays out. When lunchtime came, I had to psych myself up for it. My morning routine is going to have to change a little bit, I think. I'm still figuring it out.

But the whole day, I also had a bag of snapea crisps sitting on the edge of my desk, taunting me. I wanted literally nothing more than to bust that bag open and eat them, but I couldn't.

I had looked at this bag for probably the thousandth time in the hour after lunch and came to an alarming realization: this is my reality for the next 18 months. I have to get rid of my snack drawer at work. I can't keep snacky stuff at home. If I'm going to snack, I have to be mindful and planful about it.

In the long run, this is actually healthier. My dentist also told me to not be surprised if I lose a little weight because my calorie intake will be lower. This will regulate my eating patterns in a way that has been necessary for years, and with these diet shenanigans that I'm going through, it will actually probably dovetail nicely. I get it. Truly, I do. But, getting it and liking it are two VERY different things. I'm in the "I really don't like this at all and what do you mean that I have to brush my teeth every time I eat, that sucks a lot especially because NOW I HAVE TO CARRY A PURSE" phase.

These are good changes. I know they are. I'm acting as if I like it and then it will be so. Hopefully.

If not, it's going to be a long 18 months.

17 months, 27 days until I can snack again.