I spent the week after Christmas in Washington, DC with two long-time friends, Mary and Michele, and we had a blast.
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| Self-portrait in front of the capitol. |
Food was a struggle. I haven't struggled with food all year, but that changed when the
holidays hit and I was around food that I don't bring into my house.
In DC, I felt tempted many times, as I was in Florida, but this time it was restaurants that challenged me. I had a slice of bread with a steak and salad two
different nights and another night I had Ethiopian food and I ate some of the
bread with that meaty meal too. I also ate too much cheese, but overall, I did well and I'm happy to report I did not give in to
sugar, though there were some tempting moments.
My biggest struggle was when I was on my own. We decided to spend our last day in DC each going in our own directions. About 3 pm, I was walking by myself, my feet were tired, and I was hungry. As I walked
down 14th street, I heard my name from the bakery. Then gelato called my name. A handful of other
places lured me with incredible aromas, but I did not give in. I know when I feel tired and hungry, which doesn't happen
often, my best bet is to find a place that serves incredible meat. I waited until I
saw a place with a menu that would fill my needs - especially in the
beef category. Ruby
Tuesday did just that. I had a half-rack of ribs, with a side of
spaghetti squash, and grilled green beans. Just what I needed.
My body issues came as a surprise. I also didn't realize how much I relied on comments about my weight from
others. Neither Mary nor Michelle commented on my "new" size. I felt fat for the first time in a long time. In fact, I felt like I had gained weight. I need to get over myself.
Looking back, I see my body issues started on Christmas Eve when I bought new pants. While shopping, I was bummed that I needed to buy size 22 at the Avenue; I was hoping to be size 20. I should be joyful that I'm a size 22, since I started at a 32,
rather than being disappointed I'm not a 20.
I'd held off spending money on
new clothes for the past six months, and the time had come to get rid of pants that are too big and buy pants that fit right. All my pants were one-to-two sizes too big,
and some even three sizes too big. While my new pants fit well, one pair is tight in the waist and when I wore it with a new sweater a size too small, I felt fat. After wearing the sweater a few times, I realized I needed to stop wearing it. I need to either return it for a size bigger or wait until it fits right.
Why did I buy a sweater a size too small? Because it's a beautiful green that is always hard to find and was the only one that color left--and for the sale price of $4 - who could say no? I did my best to keep reminding myself that I feel fat because I'm used to clothes that are too big and tried to stay out of the negative body thoughts.
Moving along to today, I am focusing on getting over this wicked cold and continuing with my strong commitment to this program. I know I am in a plateau and that my best way out is to keep going. Once I'm able to get to the store, I'll buy some cooked meatloaf and continue eating meat, meat, meat.
Meanwhile, I've been eating meatballs for the past two days, which I froze before I left. Last night I pulled chicken from the freezer, which I also cooked and froze before I left. I haven't had the energy to cook the butternut squash that is in the refrigerator, perhaps I will later today, but I've enjoyed celery sticks with my meals. I had a can of tuna with mayo last night for dinner. Having these ready-to-eat meals has helped me get right back on track at home. This is especially helpful being sick.
I have an appointment to see Julie next week and I'm so excited that I have been on this program for one full year. I'll blog before and after photos and reflections near the end of the month.
I'm happy to say - this is one year that I do not need to resolve to go on a diet!
One more thing before I close - I did exercise every day. My friends needed to rent scooters, so I jogged/walked and kept up with them for an hour each morning as we headed to the national malls to see museums, then repeated this on the way home. This did a number on my toes by the end of the week, but I can see now that I am ready to jog every day rather than every other day. I will kick it up a notch on the treadmill and strive to jog 5-6 days a week, once I am over this cold. I'll assess the duration as well, and I'll clear the clutter around my treadmill in the basement so I don't have to do this at the gym at work. I will plan to jog with my friend Aime, but I want my home treadmill ready for me to hop on when I get home if I didn't workout at work.
Happy new year everyone! I hope to hear from you more often and that you invite your friends to join us as well.
Theresa
