Day 16 and I'm 9 lbs down. I don't feel like I'm starving all the time. I'm not looking at my pencils and post-it notes with hungry eyes anymore. Go ahead, sing the song...I'll wait...
This is nothing to sneeze at. It's kind of a big deal for me. It's been hard work, with LOTS of practice in will power and self-control, thanks to the fact that my dear hubby doesn't seem to have either one of those things. ;) Do you know how hard it is to come home hungry only to find 2 Papa John's pizza boxes on the stove, and not dive in? That's okay, no good deed goes unpunished, and since no one put the leftovers away that night, they sat out and had to be thrown out the next day. HA! Now NO ONE can eat the pizza!! Fast forward a week and there's a Freddy's Frozen Custard burger box on the counter...really? Then he's eating the ice cream on the couch RIGHT NEXT TO ME and says, "wanna bite?" "nope. (that was a lie...I did want a bite, I just SAID I didn't)" "come one, one bite won't kill you!"
One bite might not have killed me, but I already know that if I had allowed myself to give in - not on my cheat night, 'cause really, you SHOULD allow yourself a break every week - it would have changed my whole attitude. One bite turns into one soda, which turns into another soda, which turns into a #5-Super-Sized-plus-Mac-Sauce-Dr-Pepper-&-Sweet-&-Sour-Sauce-for-my-fries every week or so. I made a joke on a Facebook thread a week or so ago that soda was my "gateway drug." It's true though. I'm fortunate enough to never have had a serious addiction to drugs or alcohol, but I would liken it to offering a glass of wine to a recovering alcoholic. (Which reminds me of an Elvis Duran Morning Show Phone Tap I heard the other morning where they were pretending to be a Whiskey company wanting to sell to someone's dad who was a recovering alcoholic...and boy did he get MAD!!!!) People in Drug/Alcohol rehab aren't supposed to hang out in bars or around people who drink because it's super stressful to be tempted so blatantly - and people who are trying to adopt healthy eating habits aren't supposed to surround themselves with unhealthy choices. Makes sense, right?
And speaking of temptations, I was invited to go out to lunch with our department for a Boss' Day celebration yesterday. The restaurant of choice was Razzoo's Cajun Cafe. If you've never heard of/been to Razzoo's, you're missing out. It's a fun, lively atmosphere of lights, zydeco, Cracker Barrel-meets-the swamp type decor on the walls and ceilings, and fried food. Deep. Fried. Food. Which is usually served with some kind of yummy, starchy side like corn on the cob, rice, slaw, or Cajun seasoned French Fries. There are 2 salads on the menu. Two. One's a Caesar salad, the other a Garden Salad topped with cheese, bacon, egg, and fried onions. I've eaten at Razzoo's several times since it's opened in Harker Heights, and I have never once ordered the "Rabbit Food." Why go to a Cajun restaurant and NOT get a shrimp po' boy? or fried catfish? or gumbo? or etouffee? It just doesn't seem right! Well, yesterday was a different story. I knew I'd have a challenge on my hands. My cheat day was the night before, so I had to stay on track. So while everyone ordered the grilled chicken etouffee and the popcorn shrimp, I ordered a garden salad. With no cheese. And no bacon. And no fried onions. And if you read my first challenge-related post, you also know that I nixed the cucumbers, and ordered my balsamic vinaigrette on the side. I did opt for the addition of blackened chicken on top, just so my salad wasn't so miserable looking and dull. I'm glad I did. I ate my salad...probably a little faster than I should have...but the point is that I survived lunch when I thought for sure it was going to be impossible.
You always have temptations. As I type this I'm surrounded by temptation in the form of my son's band fundraiser chocolate bars I'm trying to sell for him. Am I tempted to see how much I could stuff in my mouth with one bite? Possibly. Am I tempted to test their title of "World's Finest" chocolate? Who wouldn't be??? I mean, come on..."World's Finest?" That just begs to be tested!! I posted this on Monday and it's true. There are always temptations, but there are also always choices.
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