It was a good weekend. I ate well, I exercised, I bought new workout shoes. And I had a brownie. :)
I had to work on Saturday morning so I didn't get much of a workout in with Mr. Muscles. Instead I did an hour of cardio and then visited with him about Women in Religion. He's a hoot. He is a minister and preached to me about my faith. He's preaching at a church in a few weeks and I'm going to go see him. I think he probably goes to one of those churches where the women get dressed up and feel the Lord from head to toe and it's so powerful, they shout about it! Sounds like a good time to me.
This afternoon I had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. I'm sure everyone has been there and knows how extensive their menu is. I chose it thinking I was going to get a salad, but then realized they had a brunch menu and had a monte cristo on it, which is my favorite! I ended up getting some bbq glazed salmon because it was a healthier choice then the monte cristo. But I really wanted the monte cristo. So I felt very deprived. Sure, the salmon was good and I should have been been happy with it, but I wasn't. I got full, but could have cared less. I still wanted that monte cristo.
This is the part that is most challenging to me. How to make the right decisions when the wrong ones taste better. Sure, there's the large amount of money I've invested and that's a big help. But there are some times that it won't matter. I don't want to completely deprive myself for the rest of my life (obviously...I had a brownie tonight) but just a few days ago I was complaining that I am not losing weight. It's so hard. I've never been an alcoholic and I've never been a smoker, but I don't know how losing weight could be easier then quitting either of those things. I've said it before, but it's so true. I still have to eat. I have to make that decision 3-5 times a day. If I was an alcoholic, it's cut and dry. Don't drink. Heal yourself.
I know this is going to be a lifetime struggle, but I hope as time goes by and I start to see the numbers on the scale go down, it will become easier.
I understand how hard making these choices are. I struggle every day with the same thing. I love food and I agree you have to make this a lifestyle you can live with and it is a battle sometimes but definitely one you can win! Part of being able to make better choices is the power of knowledge of the food you are putting into your body. One thing that really helps me is researching the places I am going to eat and looking at their nutritional menu's ahead of time so I can make a choice before I get there and then I am not so tempted to splurge. There a few staples I use to do my research because a lot of places don't want to tell you but www.calorieking.com is pretty useful and it is free.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I learned is that by having the knowledge of how bad something is in advance makes me automatically not want it nearly as bad and suprisingly sometimes I am pleasantly shocked that something I thought was going to be "off limits" I can actually have!
It will get easier in time to make the choices and soon your body will actually crave healthy stuff too and when you do indulge your body will probably let you know it! LOL
One good rule of thumb is to pick one day out of the week you save up and enjoy one major indulgence (one meal of the day) and let yourself enjoy it guilt free! You are doing great so far and it is all a big learning process!
Thanks Jamie for the support. I definitely apprecaite it...and you. I've used calorieking.com a few times, but only when randomly googling something. I'll have to really check out the site.
ReplyDeleteMr. Muscles "let's" me have Sunday's free. But it's hard to make an indulgent choice, knowing how far I still have to go.