My first test came on Sunday night, really the end of last week, if you are looking at my Body Back cycle. We went to a good friend’s for dinner. The dinner (chosen by her three-year-old son, in honor of his birthday) was pizza. When Stacey remembered my “diet” she offered to make me a special salad. I didn’t want her to go to trouble. Besides…I’m NOT on a “diet.” My goal for this program is not to lose weight*. So why can’t I eat with my friends? There is no reason. So I did. I also enjoyed a beer. See how slippery the slope can be?
An interesting thing occurred at home that night. We were watching television and I suddenly had a sweet tooth. I have a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips in my pantry that sounded so good. I had already had a bad night in terms of eating. What is one more handful of chocolate? It wouldn’t be that many calories, right? I decided to have a handful of raw almonds instead. My urge for chocolate went away. I really learned a lot about the mental aspect of “dieting.” Once you fall off the wagon, it is so easy to justify falling off all the way. The key is looking at each choice individually that comes your way.
I “confessed” my less-than-optimal pizza-and-beer choice to Allison, my Body Back coach, on Tuesday morning. She was supportive and non-judgmental. We discussed the rest of my food journal. I was very good the rest of the week.
Which leads me to this week. The Body Back class was great. It was high intensity and I really pushed myself. I don’t think I could push myself like that without other women around me. You just can’t dig that deep in front of a DVD. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I have ever worked out at that level on a regular basis and it feels good.
After class, I made some oatmeal for breakfast, but only ate a couple of bites. I had no appetite. Strange, considering I probably burned 1000 calories an hour earlier. I made a protein smoothie instead and drank that instead. I didn’t eat the rest of the day. I had no appetite. I wasn’t sure if I had overdone it in my workout or if I was sick. I went to bed at 8:30 and felt the same all the next day.* Yup, I had some sort of virus that hung on for several days. Yuck.
Have you ever felt just “icky?” I know many moms know the feeling, because it was how I felt when I was pregnant.** So when I tried to get myself to eat, the only things that I felt like I could choke down were “comfort foods.” I made my spinach and egg white scramble, but added a little country gravy made from an envelope. At one point I broke down and ate some Trader Joe’s Mini Tacos. Hey… they are whole grain, right? FAIL.
I have been feeling better the past couple of days. So you would think that my eating has been better. It has been a crazy, crazy few days. I do not have time to plan meals and eat five times a day. We are moving on Saturday. We are moving from one house to another one five houses down. It is not a long way, but I still have to pack up the entire house, rent a truck, get people to help etc. etc. Oh… and in the middle of all this, my daughter turns five. Have you ever tried to postpone birthday activities for a five-year-old? This girl has asked me how many days ‘till her birthday since Christmas. The party is the night before our move. What was I thinking??
So week two was tough because of my health and energy. Next week will be a challenge because of my schedule. I hope that tomorrow’s workout will give me a ton of energy to attack my to-do list.
I know that these two weeks will make me a better Body Back (and running) coach. I will have clients who have similar issues. We are all faced with dinners with few choices. We all get sick while trying to get fit and eat right. We need to find ways to manage our lives so we don’t sink too far into the comfort food and don’t get too far off track. Most of my clients will be mothers, so crazy schedules are guaranteed. I will definitely be able to relate to my clients and help them through these struggles. I will help them move on from the less-than-optimal choices and not dwell on them.
Wish me luck keeping on track over the next week.
*Thank goodness for Jamba Juice! It was really the only thing that sounded the least bit appetizing for a day and a half.
**I am NOT pregnant. My 7-year-old son felt the same way for a couple of days.
postscript: Karen's comment made me realize that I should probably explain my motives regarding this program. The program is designed to show real results in eight weeks. As I prepare to offer this to clients, I wanted to commit to the program fully to see what kind of results I could get. The main reason I was feeling guilty for pizza etc. is that I didn't even last a full week into the program before faltering. Of course enjoying a slice of pizza is fine! What is life if we can't enjoy ourselves. It is all about moderation. However, if someone is trying to see measurable results, it should be avoided during the eight week program. I learned a real lesson and the last thing I want to do is send the message that it is not ok to indulge every once in a while. The long term results of the program will be overall healthier eating, but it takes a short term commitment.
2 comments:
I don't know how this program specifically works (other than what you've written in your blog), but if you're shooting for a lifestyle change, does that mean you can't ever have pizza and a beer with friends? Or is it just that you should feel really guilty when you do? You are SO healthy and fit and thin. If YOU can't eat a slice of pizza without guilt, who can? (Good luck with the move, by the way! I had no idea!)
So sorry to hear that you are sick! However, like Karen, I want to urge a bit of caution - it can be a slippery slope from eating healthy to eating disorder. NOT to imply at all that's what's going on with you, but I know from my own trials that watching what you eat can degenerate quickly. Make sure you enjoy that pizza and beer when you do sneak it in and that you don't beat yourself up about it :)
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