You know, despite the excessive running around and "partying" I did today, I actually did pretty well. I found a way to combine realistic eating with healthy eating in a way that worked for me, and I'm really proud that I had the ability to do that. In fact, I think I'm happier than if I had willed myself to eat plain all day...if that were the case, right now I'd probably be subconsciously angry and resentful of the fact that i couldn't feel like a "normal" 25 year old and be able to enjoy a party with friends or family. But these feelings are the end result of my day. Allow me to provide some background.
This morning I worked out at CrossFit Belmar and knew that I would be going directly to my Aunt's house for my grandmother's birthday party. Now I only eat breakfast AFTER a morning workout, and today I wanted to make it an especially small meal since I knew I'd be partying...so after working out I drank half a Naked juice and some coconut water followed by about 25oz water. When I got to my Aunt's house it was 10:30 and the food wasn't coming until 1, so at 11:30 I had a cup of coffee, since coffee keeps me full. She put some healthy snacks on the table and I grabbed a handful, so that by the time the food came at 1 I wasn't really too hungry so I only ate a little bit. About 2 hours later we had dessert, and I a tiny bit of it. I then drove to work, and I was only a little hungry, but since I knew I'd be going out at around 10 I wanted something to hold me over so that I wouldn't overeat at the restaurant. So at work I grabbed a small amount of food. Then after work I did go out, and as soon as I ordered my food I asked for a to-go box and immediately put half of it aside for tomorrow. I did eat dessert, but it was a "mini" size as opposed to overindulging in one of those huge dessert portions that chain restaurants are so well-known for. All the while I kept drinking water or unsweetened iced tea, and kept my portions small. It was in this way that I was able to 1) eat healthier versions of what I already like to eat 2) eat constantly throughout the day and 3) Not feel like I was depriving myself in any way.
In a somewhat related note, I was explaining to a friend at dinner tonight how I am having a much easier time with this "diet" than in the past, since I've learned to forgive myself and accept the bad choices I make as inevitable and minor in the long run. This has been a recurring theme in my blog. Tonight I came home to an email from a friend of mine who found an article with scary similarities to what I have been saying these past 2 months. The article is HERE if you want to read it. It basically talks about how the key to success in any goal (dieting, exercising, etc) may be to be easier on yourself and forgive yourself rather than criticize yourself or feel guilty about "bad" behaviors. It was really interesting and I found myself smiling as I was reading it because of how much I agreed with what the author was saying. In the past I can honestly say I might have shrugged off her research or skipped over the article entirely. But seeing what a tremendous effect my positivity has had on my weight loss really leads me to agree wholeheartedly with what the author had to say. I highly suggest you read it, as much of her article is able to put into words what I cannot.
Anyway, now that I've given you the full backstory, here is what I ate today:
Post-workout breakfast:
-8oz Naked juice
*This is actually the first fruit juice I have drank in 2 months! Crazy! But also delicious.
-8oz pure coconut water
*Sweeter than I expected it to me. This was my first time trying this. It's supposed to have a crazy amount of electrolytes, so I wanted to drink it after my workout. I liked it!
Mid-morning snack:
-1 c coffee with 2 tbsp french vanilla creamer and 1 sweet & low
*My aunt has the most packed fridge I have ever seen in my life. The first dairy product I saw was the vanilla creamer so that's what I used. I also made sure to drink caffeinated coffee because as much as I know it makes me freak out, I knew it would keep me fuller.
Snack:
-Some (not sure how many really) "veggie straws"
*So addicting! But a MUCH better choice compared to the party mix and nacho chips on the table!
Lunch:
-1 small piece of grilled chicken with broccoli rabe, peppers, onions & mushrooms
*This was really good!
-1 small square piece of plain pizza
*No idea how bad or good this is for me, but at least it was a small piece.
Dessert:
-3 (small) forkfuls of plain white cake
*Better than eating a whole slice! My sister was kind enough to take the rest off my hands :-)
Dinner:
-Salad (lettuce, tomato, onion, olive, mozzarella) with balsamic vinegar
*Always good
-1 slice of tomato pizza (NO CHEESE)
*Lucked out in finding that the tomato pie hadn't been totally devoured yet!
Late-night meal (Uno's)
-Chicken milanese (breaded cutlet, lettuce, katamala olives, onions, tomatoes with balsamic vinegar)
*(2 servings on the plate, I ate one and packed up the other) Packing it away immediately was such a good decision. Plus the friends I was with were super supportive of my eating/ordering/packing strategy.
-1 mini apple-crumb dessert
*REALLY wanted this. Had a talk about ice cream at work today and I left work REALLY wanting ice cream. Glad that I limited myself to the mini version. And you know what's great? Left the restaurant NOT feeling like I was going to explode!
-Unsweetened iced tea
Water:
-50oz
*So I read in an article last night that in order to determine the amount of water you should consume throughout the day, you take your weight, divide it in half, and that's the # of ounces you should drink a day. I'm 180 (rounded of course) so I should be drinking about 90oz a day. I have a 50oz bottle that I keep refilling, unfortunately I only got through one today. I can't drink to much when I don't have access to a bathroom!
Exercise:
-Crossfit: 30 min
*SOOOO tough! My left arm is such a weakling!
See? Really not so bad at all. I ate light at each meal and ate frequently. The worst thing really was that apple-crumb dessert and the forkfuls of cake. I also am kind of clueless as to the nutritional value of pizza. I should probably educate myself on that. Anyway, tomorrow won't be hard, but friday and saturday may prove difficult as well. But I know that if I was able to deal with today as well as I did, then the other two days probably won't be so bad at all!
This morning I worked out at CrossFit Belmar and knew that I would be going directly to my Aunt's house for my grandmother's birthday party. Now I only eat breakfast AFTER a morning workout, and today I wanted to make it an especially small meal since I knew I'd be partying...so after working out I drank half a Naked juice and some coconut water followed by about 25oz water. When I got to my Aunt's house it was 10:30 and the food wasn't coming until 1, so at 11:30 I had a cup of coffee, since coffee keeps me full. She put some healthy snacks on the table and I grabbed a handful, so that by the time the food came at 1 I wasn't really too hungry so I only ate a little bit. About 2 hours later we had dessert, and I a tiny bit of it. I then drove to work, and I was only a little hungry, but since I knew I'd be going out at around 10 I wanted something to hold me over so that I wouldn't overeat at the restaurant. So at work I grabbed a small amount of food. Then after work I did go out, and as soon as I ordered my food I asked for a to-go box and immediately put half of it aside for tomorrow. I did eat dessert, but it was a "mini" size as opposed to overindulging in one of those huge dessert portions that chain restaurants are so well-known for. All the while I kept drinking water or unsweetened iced tea, and kept my portions small. It was in this way that I was able to 1) eat healthier versions of what I already like to eat 2) eat constantly throughout the day and 3) Not feel like I was depriving myself in any way.
In a somewhat related note, I was explaining to a friend at dinner tonight how I am having a much easier time with this "diet" than in the past, since I've learned to forgive myself and accept the bad choices I make as inevitable and minor in the long run. This has been a recurring theme in my blog. Tonight I came home to an email from a friend of mine who found an article with scary similarities to what I have been saying these past 2 months. The article is HERE if you want to read it. It basically talks about how the key to success in any goal (dieting, exercising, etc) may be to be easier on yourself and forgive yourself rather than criticize yourself or feel guilty about "bad" behaviors. It was really interesting and I found myself smiling as I was reading it because of how much I agreed with what the author was saying. In the past I can honestly say I might have shrugged off her research or skipped over the article entirely. But seeing what a tremendous effect my positivity has had on my weight loss really leads me to agree wholeheartedly with what the author had to say. I highly suggest you read it, as much of her article is able to put into words what I cannot.
Anyway, now that I've given you the full backstory, here is what I ate today:
Post-workout breakfast:
-8oz Naked juice
*This is actually the first fruit juice I have drank in 2 months! Crazy! But also delicious.
-8oz pure coconut water
*Sweeter than I expected it to me. This was my first time trying this. It's supposed to have a crazy amount of electrolytes, so I wanted to drink it after my workout. I liked it!
Mid-morning snack:
-1 c coffee with 2 tbsp french vanilla creamer and 1 sweet & low
*My aunt has the most packed fridge I have ever seen in my life. The first dairy product I saw was the vanilla creamer so that's what I used. I also made sure to drink caffeinated coffee because as much as I know it makes me freak out, I knew it would keep me fuller.
Snack:
-Some (not sure how many really) "veggie straws"
*So addicting! But a MUCH better choice compared to the party mix and nacho chips on the table!
Lunch:
-1 small piece of grilled chicken with broccoli rabe, peppers, onions & mushrooms
*This was really good!
-1 small square piece of plain pizza
*No idea how bad or good this is for me, but at least it was a small piece.
Dessert:
-3 (small) forkfuls of plain white cake
*Better than eating a whole slice! My sister was kind enough to take the rest off my hands :-)
Dinner:
-Salad (lettuce, tomato, onion, olive, mozzarella) with balsamic vinegar
*Always good
-1 slice of tomato pizza (NO CHEESE)
*Lucked out in finding that the tomato pie hadn't been totally devoured yet!
Late-night meal (Uno's)
-Chicken milanese (breaded cutlet, lettuce, katamala olives, onions, tomatoes with balsamic vinegar)
*(2 servings on the plate, I ate one and packed up the other) Packing it away immediately was such a good decision. Plus the friends I was with were super supportive of my eating/ordering/packing strategy.
-1 mini apple-crumb dessert
*REALLY wanted this. Had a talk about ice cream at work today and I left work REALLY wanting ice cream. Glad that I limited myself to the mini version. And you know what's great? Left the restaurant NOT feeling like I was going to explode!
-Unsweetened iced tea
Water:
-50oz
*So I read in an article last night that in order to determine the amount of water you should consume throughout the day, you take your weight, divide it in half, and that's the # of ounces you should drink a day. I'm 180 (rounded of course) so I should be drinking about 90oz a day. I have a 50oz bottle that I keep refilling, unfortunately I only got through one today. I can't drink to much when I don't have access to a bathroom!
Exercise:
-Crossfit: 30 min
*SOOOO tough! My left arm is such a weakling!
See? Really not so bad at all. I ate light at each meal and ate frequently. The worst thing really was that apple-crumb dessert and the forkfuls of cake. I also am kind of clueless as to the nutritional value of pizza. I should probably educate myself on that. Anyway, tomorrow won't be hard, but friday and saturday may prove difficult as well. But I know that if I was able to deal with today as well as I did, then the other two days probably won't be so bad at all!
Coconut water is GREAT to drink after a long night of partying :) Drink it before you go to bed and maybe when you wake up if you need it after boozing the night before. You'll feel better. Happy St. Patty's day to my favorite Italian principessa.
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