Hello Everyone! I'm back from a weekend break from blogging but not from my race. The weekend was definitely eventful in terms of temptations, fighting old habits and attempting to have a social life without the usual players (booze/junk).
I already filled you in on the events of Friday. The rest of the weekend had many ups and downs. Saturday I went to the movies with my friend. Normally, a movie (when I go) involves popcorn, pop, and sometimes candy - which always costs waaaaay more than the movie itself. Of course, when I got to the theatre, the smell of popcorn about KILLED me! Popcorn is one of my favorite foods but it is off limits at this point in my food plan. So, while I waited for my friend to arrive, I mentally prepared myself to buy a Diet Coke and be okay with it. And surprise! I was okay with it. To be honest, I never finish the popcorn anyway, and it's a total rip-off. I made it through the movie totally unscathed - plus I went to see X-Men and that didn't hurt matters (James McAvoy is easy on eyes). Another barrier bulldozed over! Each time I face and overcome a situation in which it is difficult for me to imagine healthier behavior, I become stronger and one step closer to reaching my goals!
Sunday...now that was a really big challenge. Mistake #1: Sitting at home by myself all day. Mistake #2: Waiting too late to eat until all I could think about was making a bad choice. Mistake #3: Not going grocery shopping like I should've so that my choices would be automatically healthy. I was so close to breaking, more out of sheer laziness and habit than anything else. Most often on Sundays, we order out (that's really the whole weekend). In reality, the week is far less challenging, for me, to live this lifestyle than the weekends. But, I hung in there and lived with the food I had available. It was so worth it. As soon as I ate dinner, I felt back to my old self and didn't regret my choice at all. I wasn't even thinking about all of the junk I had been craving all day (pizza, chinese, thai, etc.) THEN my brother came home from work with a bag load of goodies. I had to see what was in there and as soon as I did...I had to walk away. It was late at night and my resolve was not a steely as a couple of hours earlier. I kept thinking, what could half of this or two bites of that do? Kill me? Absolutely not. But what it would do is make me feel like a pile of crap for not even making it one week without cheating. SO NOT WORTH IT!!!
So, I made it through my first weekend of clean living, and I'm here to tell the tale. I can't impress upon you all how HARD this was for me and how dramatic of a lifestyle change it is for me. So if I can do it, I really think anyone can. I did avoid some of the usual traps like the bar and restaurants but I think I could've made it had I really tried.
Today, I went and got gobs of groceries, so hopefully I won't have to go again this week. I felt like I was spending a lot of money, but then I realized that it's still significantly cheaper than eating out. You really don't want to know what we used to spend eating out and going per week. I about stroked regularly. This week, aside from groceries, we spent virtually NO money. I could get used to this!!
Now, tomorrow is the big one week weigh-in. I know I'm not supposed to cheat, but I've definitely been weighing myself everyday (I don't recommend this - and I will not continue to do so but I was just so darned excited my first week). Let's just say, early results are astounding!!!!! I'm so excited I can hardly wait to tell you all! But, I will wait:) The crazy thing is, I very rarely, if ever, feel hungry. I have eating down to a pretty good system (every 2-4 hours). So, it's not like I'm starving myself, or even depriving myself. I've found ways to make food so that it seems decadent but is very healthy. The only thing is that if you have a chocolate tooth, this part of the food plan can be difficult. Thankfully, I'm much more drawn to savory food and that is easy to emulate.
I have to say that I am little surprised by how committed I've been. Normally, any one of the events that transpired this weekend would've been enough to side track me before. I feel lucky that my resolve is deep, because I know I will continue to be challenged. Another good thing...I have a couple of adult "play dates" with some friends who want to exercise with me! I feel so blessed!! Exercise continues to be a challenge for me but I think I need to put it in the same frame of mind as I do my eating. Once I do that, the results will be crazy! I know a huge source of support comes from this blog. I really mean it when I say "I don't think I could do this without you." All of YOU GUYS keep me honest. A couple of times this weekend, when I felt weak, I thought - how bad would it suck to have to tell you all I just gave up? That was not something I was willing to do. (and I know quite a few of you would hold me accountable!) So thanks. The first week is down and the second will be a breeze right?!?
I already filled you in on the events of Friday. The rest of the weekend had many ups and downs. Saturday I went to the movies with my friend. Normally, a movie (when I go) involves popcorn, pop, and sometimes candy - which always costs waaaaay more than the movie itself. Of course, when I got to the theatre, the smell of popcorn about KILLED me! Popcorn is one of my favorite foods but it is off limits at this point in my food plan. So, while I waited for my friend to arrive, I mentally prepared myself to buy a Diet Coke and be okay with it. And surprise! I was okay with it. To be honest, I never finish the popcorn anyway, and it's a total rip-off. I made it through the movie totally unscathed - plus I went to see X-Men and that didn't hurt matters (James McAvoy is easy on eyes). Another barrier bulldozed over! Each time I face and overcome a situation in which it is difficult for me to imagine healthier behavior, I become stronger and one step closer to reaching my goals!
Sunday...now that was a really big challenge. Mistake #1: Sitting at home by myself all day. Mistake #2: Waiting too late to eat until all I could think about was making a bad choice. Mistake #3: Not going grocery shopping like I should've so that my choices would be automatically healthy. I was so close to breaking, more out of sheer laziness and habit than anything else. Most often on Sundays, we order out (that's really the whole weekend). In reality, the week is far less challenging, for me, to live this lifestyle than the weekends. But, I hung in there and lived with the food I had available. It was so worth it. As soon as I ate dinner, I felt back to my old self and didn't regret my choice at all. I wasn't even thinking about all of the junk I had been craving all day (pizza, chinese, thai, etc.) THEN my brother came home from work with a bag load of goodies. I had to see what was in there and as soon as I did...I had to walk away. It was late at night and my resolve was not a steely as a couple of hours earlier. I kept thinking, what could half of this or two bites of that do? Kill me? Absolutely not. But what it would do is make me feel like a pile of crap for not even making it one week without cheating. SO NOT WORTH IT!!!
So, I made it through my first weekend of clean living, and I'm here to tell the tale. I can't impress upon you all how HARD this was for me and how dramatic of a lifestyle change it is for me. So if I can do it, I really think anyone can. I did avoid some of the usual traps like the bar and restaurants but I think I could've made it had I really tried.
Today, I went and got gobs of groceries, so hopefully I won't have to go again this week. I felt like I was spending a lot of money, but then I realized that it's still significantly cheaper than eating out. You really don't want to know what we used to spend eating out and going per week. I about stroked regularly. This week, aside from groceries, we spent virtually NO money. I could get used to this!!
Now, tomorrow is the big one week weigh-in. I know I'm not supposed to cheat, but I've definitely been weighing myself everyday (I don't recommend this - and I will not continue to do so but I was just so darned excited my first week). Let's just say, early results are astounding!!!!! I'm so excited I can hardly wait to tell you all! But, I will wait:) The crazy thing is, I very rarely, if ever, feel hungry. I have eating down to a pretty good system (every 2-4 hours). So, it's not like I'm starving myself, or even depriving myself. I've found ways to make food so that it seems decadent but is very healthy. The only thing is that if you have a chocolate tooth, this part of the food plan can be difficult. Thankfully, I'm much more drawn to savory food and that is easy to emulate.
I have to say that I am little surprised by how committed I've been. Normally, any one of the events that transpired this weekend would've been enough to side track me before. I feel lucky that my resolve is deep, because I know I will continue to be challenged. Another good thing...I have a couple of adult "play dates" with some friends who want to exercise with me! I feel so blessed!! Exercise continues to be a challenge for me but I think I need to put it in the same frame of mind as I do my eating. Once I do that, the results will be crazy! I know a huge source of support comes from this blog. I really mean it when I say "I don't think I could do this without you." All of YOU GUYS keep me honest. A couple of times this weekend, when I felt weak, I thought - how bad would it suck to have to tell you all I just gave up? That was not something I was willing to do. (and I know quite a few of you would hold me accountable!) So thanks. The first week is down and the second will be a breeze right?!?
YEA!!!!! Way to go - week-ends are the worst!
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