I know the holidays are supposed to be about good cheer, family and loved ones, and for those of certain faiths - God. However, for me, the holidays have always been about food. Yes, sure, I look forward to seeing my family! But at the end of the day, a large part of the anticipation is around the traditions we've established, and those include mass quantities of food.
With that said, I was dreading getting on the scale on Wednesday for my Official Weigh In. I was only in week two, but I knew, just knew I was going to have gained back the 3.5 pounds I'd fought so hard to lose. How could I have not gained it back when I only ate 'in the box' for two of the prior seven days? How could I have not gained it back when I ate (insert loud audible gasp) COOKIES three days in a row? How could I have not gained it back when I splurged on Thai food (noodles with chicken and Chinese broccoli, if you must know) and crusty French bread at Pigalle with, not for, dinner? On the same day, even! A travesty, I know!
But, I did not gain. In fact, I lost. I lost another pound. That brings my weight loss in two weeks to a total 4.5 pounds gone. Wow woman! You're a real champ! my brain informed me, You lost 2.25 pounds a week two weeks in a row...Whoopdeefreakin' do! Bring on the wonder! But really, it's a feat. It is a feat when you're surrounded by food you love, but aren't supposed to eat and do anyway (in moderation, I swear!) and to force yourself to get up and move even when you'd rather not don unflattering sweatpants and dig your family out of two feet of snow. No really, I helped!
I was shocked when I stepped on the scale. But then, during my class I started feeling guilty because another woman stuck strictly to the plan and she didn't lose anything. Not an ounce. But how can that be? I am usually that woman! I don't know. And I decided it was better not to invite such negativity into my world. Best to just let it go, get back on track and move on.
But then, my husband surprised me by wanting to plan an impromptu overnight trip to the White Mountains on New Years Eve. I managed to finagle a room, despite everything in the region being sold out. But I knew it would be pointless for me to bring my food since our room didn't have a kitchenette. That meant at least three meals 'out of the box'. So, how did I fare?
For lunch on the first day, I chose a 7oz. steak from Applebee's from their <550 calorie menu. I asked them to hold the asiago, provide a plain baked potato and plain steamed veggie with no butter. But then, I went a bit wayward and had a brownie bite. Literally, it was about three (bites, that is). That evening, I ordered a chicken pesto salad without the cheese and asked for the balsamic dressing on the side. It turns out, I didn't need any of it anyway. But then, I ordered an apple crisp. Whoops. On our last meal of the trip, I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich. I substituted the beer battered fries for a house salad with balsamic on the side. I really wanted the fries.
As soon as we got home, I met up with friends to work out. I hadn't worked out in a few days and had been hoping to get something exercise-related done while we were away, but we just didn't have time. Nordic skiing? Snow Shoeing? Nope. I digress. I put on my brand spankin' new Reebok Easy Tone sneakers and headed to the treadmill. They put quite a bit of stress on my legs, ankles and feet (which is mostly what they're supposed to do), so I couldn't quite do as much as I could in a normal pair of sneakers. But, I did manage to get a mile in while burning about 200 calories. I followed that up with about 25 crunches...all I could muster on the under-inflated stability ball in my apartment building's gym.
Since I've been home, I've picked myself up, dusted myself off and gotten back 'in the box'. Dinner was a mix of two entrees - chicken pasta and turkey chili - for a semblance of a turkey mac. I followed that up with what has quickly become one of my favorite snacks: an HMR 70+ vanilla shake mixed with 2 tsp PB2 (or, in non-HMR speak, powdered peanut butter, which I assure you tastes much better than it sounds) with a sliced apple. Mmmmm! I've only had half the water I was supposed to have today, but I'll make an extra effort tomorrow. Also, back to the gym tomorrow morning with these same gals and I can't wait! The plan for tomorrow is to get in 30 minutes on the elliptical as well as 20 minutes of Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. I need the strength/cardio combo...it's been too many days without it!
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