Day 8--What is Happening?!

I need to get a grip. One cheat day can lead me to a downward spiral very quickly. It's not even "my time" so I need to find some strength to fight off the baked goods cravings. Breakfast at 8:15 am oatmeal with almond butter, maple syrup, and 1/2 cup orange juice Snack at 10:45 Matthew and I were doing a lot of running from store to store and he was taking it like a champ so I got him a popcorn at Target. I ate some, too. How could I not?! Lunch at 12:30 pm turkey/Gruyere/spinach/apple sandwich Something sweet at 1:30 pm two Harry & David dark chocolate covered toffee almonds Snack at 3:15 pm more Target popcorn (darn that huge bag!), almonds, and raisins Binge fest at 4:30 pm I made oatmeal raisin cookies as an end of the year gift for the school office staff. The cookies were fresh--warm and chewy--so I ate three of them. Dumb.

Dinner at 5:30 pm Cooking Light Enchilada Casserole with green salad (green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, balsamic viniagrette) Skateland Birthday party at 7:00 pm The kids ate pizza for dinner at the party, but I ate in advance so I wouldn't eat pizza and cake there. Well, they didn't finish their pieces and it looked good and a former Miss Arizona was a party guest and she ate the pizza so my rationale was that if Miss Arizona ate the pizza, I could eat the pizza. Geez oh man. So when it was cake time, what the hell? I ate the cake, too. I think it's bad luck for the birthday girl if everyone doesn't eat her cake, right? After that, I was done for the night! So in summary I have not only fallen off the wagon, but it is running me over and over and over again. But tomorrow is fresh with no mistakes. "Turn the clock to zero, Honey...we're starting up a brand new day." Thanks, Sting.

Day 7--A Cheat Day

Well, it was a holiday, after all. Breakfast at 6:45 am oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar, one scrambled egg, and half cup orange juice Snack at 10:00 am apple Lunch at 11:15 am chicken salsa wrap, 8 Triscuits, some low-fat cottage cheese, and some bites of a brownie as I was cutting the pan Dinner at around 3:30 pm at friends' house chicken and steak tacos, fruit, and chips and guacamole, two glasses of wine and a beer "Dinner" again at 7:45 pm bowl of raisin bran with skim milk Dessert at 9:00 pm Cooking Light classic walnut brownie (I had some left over because the middle didn't seem all the way done. Tasted great anyway though!)

Day 6

Breakfast at 7:30 am oatmeal with half mashed banana, raisins, sprinkle of brown sugar, splash of milk, and one grapefruit Snack at 10 am banana with peanut butter and a cup of iced coffee with a tablespoon of Natural Bliss creamer Lunch at 12:45 pm chicken salsa wrap (whole wheat wrap, sliced chicken breast, 1/4 sliced avocado, a tablespoon of chedder jack cheese, and lots of baby spinach) and 8 cherries Snack at 3:15 pm homemade Lara bar Dinner at 5:15 pm at Grandma's meatball sub (5 frozen meatballs with marinara and a tablespoon mozarella cheese on a whole wheat roll), green salad (green leaf lettuce, baby spinach, tomatoes, carrots, and ranch dressing), fruit salad (watermelon cubes, cherry halves, grapes), and three bean salad Dessert at 7 pm cup of coffee with milk and sugar Snack at 8:45 pm salted roasted almonds and raisins Obviously, late evening is my time for cravings. At 9:30 pm I had a square of Lindt Excellence dark chocolate with chili.

Day 5--Feeling Good, but Challenged

Pre-workout snack at 6:45 am banana with 1 tablespoon peanut butter Breakfast at Starbucks around 9:30 am egg and veggie sandwich and iced coffee with skim milk and one sugar Lunch at 12:30 pm half sandwich (whole wheat bread with cracked pepper turkey, 1 tablespoon shredded Gruyere, baby spinach) and an apple Snack at 3:15 pm 2 slices of watermelon Snack #2 at 4:45 pm(I was feeling shaky and dinner was an hour away) 12 raw almonds Dinner at 5:45 pm Cooking Light maple-mustard glazed chicken, 1/2 c brown rice, Cooking Light butter-roasted carrots, salad (green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, balsamic dressing), and glass of chardonnay Dessert at 9:15 pm 3 slices of watermelon Still hungry at 10 pm 12 raw almonds Can't stand the craving anymore at 10:15 pm 12 pieces of Harry & David's moose munch It wasn't as good as I thought it would be. Lesson learned. Nothing tastes as good as being fit feels.

Day 4 -- Still in It!

Breakfast at 7:15 am Oatmeal made with skim milk, maple syrup, pecans, and peaches--I doubled the batch yesterday so all I had to do was heat it this morning. It didn't taste as good because the peaches were heated in the microwave so I ate about a third of a cup before giving up on it. I wasn't that hungry anyway. Breakfast #2 at 8:45 am I was hungry then so I ate a fried egg. Snack at 10:15 am I didn't exercise this morning and I wonder if that screws up my appetite and metabolism and makes me crave food more. I ate some almonds and raisins. Lunch at 11:15 am About 1.5 cups of macaroni casserole left over from dinner the other night and 3 slices of watermelon. Lunch #2 at 12:15 pm So screwy today! I mashed up an avocado with a splash of orange juice and some kosher salt and spread it over ten Triscuits. Snack at 3:45 pm banana with a tablespoon of peanut butter. Dinner at 6:00 pm Three slices of homemade pizza with Canadian bacon and green leaf lettuce salad with avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and balsamic dressing. I also had a few pineapple chucks and drank the leftover juice. Treat at 10:00 pm decaf chai tea with a tablespoon of Natural Bliss vanilla creamer.

Day 3

I wonder how long this will last. Long, I hope. I feel great--in control and healthy. Breakfast at 8:15 am oatmeal made with skim milk, 2 teaspoons maple syrup, a tablespoon toasted pecans, and half a peach Snack at 10:45 am 1/4 cup roasted/salted almonds with raisins Lunch at 12:15 pm cracked pepper turkey sandwich on whole wheat with baby spinach, Gruyere cheese, and 1/2 sliced apple other half of apple and 1/4 cup carrots Snack at 3:30 pm one tablespoon pesto spread over 8 Triscuits Dinner at 6:00 pm croque-madame sandwich--ham and Gruyere on ciabatta with soft-cooked egg salad of green leaf lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and balsamic vinaigrette Dessert at 9:00 pm two slices of watermelon

Day 2

Breakfast at 7:15 am chai oatmeal with peaches and pecans Morning Snack at 9:00 am half a peach Lunch at 11:00 am cracked pepper turkey sandwich with baby spinach, half sliced apple, Gruyere cheese 2 slices of watermelon Afternoon Snack at 3:00 pm roasted/salted almonds and raisins Dinner at 5:30 pm I ate dinner at a retirement party at an Italian restaurant. I tried to fill my plate with mostly salad (iceburg lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, vinaigrette), but also took reasonable portions of the spinach/mushroom lasagna and ziti alfredo. Dessert at 8:30 pm two slices of watermelon