I had kind of a rough weekend this weekend. For the most part I ate well and kept moving...and I continued to avoid snacking. Actually, the majority of the weekend was good. My meals were larger than they have been in the past few weeks but the were still relatively healthy. Lots of chicken, potatoes and salad.
The problem was Sunday morning. My lovely wife's family was in town, along with one of her oldest friends, so we decided to do brunch. We ended up at this great place called Ike's in downtown Minneapolis. I was cautious going in. I knew this would be my biggest challenge yet. But I was not prepared for what waited at the table.
As soon as we sat down, the waitress brought two caramel rolls that were literally as big as my head. And I mean that literally , literally! These caramel rolls were meant to feed 6 and they brought us two for our small party of 7. And two of those seven were toddlers! So I picked and picked and picked, and by the time it came to order I was starting to fell a little full and a lot guilty.
The brunch was heavily egg based, omelets, scrambled eggs, McMuffin type thingies. I am not a huge fan of eggs, except when my lovely wife makes them, so I choose to go a different route. I ordered the only other thing on the menu... a hamburger. For brunch. At 10:30 in the morning. At the time it seemed like a logical choice. I could both skip the eggs and avoid the temptation of the bottomless pancakes and hash browns.
Then, the burger arrived. It was massive! And the pile of fries was literally as big as my head. OK so this time I don't mean that literally, literally. But it was a gigantic mound of greasy, delicious fries.
Here is where the tiny, little symbolic victory comes in. I ate until I was stuffed and then I stopped. I left a quarter of my burger and a quarter of my fries sitting on the plate. Sure, I most likely consumed two days worth of calories in that one meal, but I didn't use that as an excuse to give up and finish the whole plate. And I was tempted. I had to give the plate to someone to move away from me so I would stop picking at the fries. But I did it!
In the past I would kept on eating, and I would have most likely kept on eating for the next three days, undoing all the good I have done in the past two weeks. Not this time! This time I am dedicated to eating well today and getting out for my walk, even though it's going to be 92 degrees and the air quality could kill small children. Despite all that I will walk today!
And that is my small victory. At some point today I will do my best to tally up my calories for the weekend, but regardless of what they say, I feel good this morning. Actually, I feel fat this morning, but I feel determined and that makes me feel good!
Tony
Tony
6/25: 269 lbs.
Goal: 220 lbs.
49 lbs. to go
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4 comments:
Going out is hard. Even if friends and family know that you are working hard at staying healthy it is hard to interject and say "I am not going there because there is nothing for me to eat". These are the challenges you will face for the rest of your life so it is good that you are learning to deal with them now. Keep going. Some weeks will be good and some weeks will be bad. You may not have control over your environment but you have control over yourself and that is all that matters. Try to drink a liitle more water today because it is going to be hot!
It was my decision to go out! Laura even asked three times to make sure I was OK with going to Ike's. I just didn't expect those darn carmel rolls.
Tony
Even though you are working hard at staying healthy, you should still be able to go anywhere with friends and family, eat something that tastes good, and keep yourself on track. You just have to keep it in moderation, watch your portions, and cut back somewhere else.
I really enjoyed my meal yesterday morning. Everything tasted so good! I ate smaller portions of the things I wanted to eat and tracked every last WW point (including the bloody mary). I had to dip into my weekly allowance of flex points, but it was worth it. I didn’t need to eat lunch yesterday and only had a light dinner. I didn't feel deprived and I don't feel guilty.
If this is going to be a lifestyle choice, I refuse to be held prisoner by my eating habits. I refuse to feel as though I can't (or shouldn't) go into a particular restaurant because I am trying to slim down. I also refuse to feel guilty about eating real cheese, real butter, and real sugar as long as I am keeping an eye on my portions. I refuse to become obsessed with a black and white version of what is okay to eat and what is not okay to eat. I am not going to stop eating French fries for the rest of my life…I will just eat fewer of them and eat them much less often.
After staying on program all weekend while eating a couple of fantastic meals, I feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and excited about going back to my everyday eating pattern. In my opinion, it is unrealistic to think that you can live in a straitjacket for the rest of your life. In the immortal words of Nato (weight loss guru), “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
I'm so inspired by your commitment, Tony! Congrats on your symbolic victory. Your lifestyle changes will make the difference in the long run, right? So stoppping with food left on the plate is a huge step to cementing your new habits.
I'll be vollying for you all the way. Keep it up! You have a long, healthy, happy life to look forward to .... topped off with that good-looks vanity you mentioned! I love it!
Hugs! ;) Angie Hirschman
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