Day 9: Bent but not broken

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Yesterday was the official start of week two of the 28 day eating challenge. That means nuts, beans and gluten-free grains are now on the menu. I know, I've been eating them here and there before yesterday. At least now it's on the list.

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ 1 tbsp maple syrup.

It didn't keep me as full as yesterday. That's likely due to my exercise yesterday and the fact that I didn't have an egg with it. But I was busy at work so I wasn't tempted to eat anything other than the snacks I'd packed.

Snack: Banana, 13 almonds

Lunch: Burrito bowl w/ grilled chicken, black beans, rice, pico de gallo, avocado

I had a staff meeting to attend in the afternoon and because of winter breaks, we celebrated December birthdays today. Well, I couldn't NOT eat the pie they'd gotten, right? Well of course not but I wanted it. So I had slither of a slice of chocolate nut (like pecan pie with several nut varieties and chocolate chips) and a slither of a slice of the blackberry pie. I actually found the nut pie to be too sweet to enjoy. But the blackberry was nice. They were both made locally and, of course, had sugar and gluten.

Snack: 2 slithers of pie, oranges

This could have been the beginning of the end of my eating day. I've read so much about sugar and carb consumption triggering the desire for more, more, more. I worry some will see their being powerless and sort of give up, but I think it's just good to know what different foods do to our bodies (and minds), and then recognize how it plays out for us as individuals.

After work I went to the gym, 25 minutes on the upright bike (finally able to do level 9 at full speed), legs/shoulder/PT exercises. And then home for dinner, which was a homemade version of lunch.

Dinner: black beans, rice, pico de gallo, avocado, small slice of soft cheese.

After dinner I played with the kids for a while and then started the too-long process of putting them to bed. I need to figure out how to shorten the bedtime thing. It takes a full hour between story reading, teeth-brushing, potty going, toy requesting, one-more-hug wanting bedtime stuffs. I'm telling you all this because I think I used the drawn out bedtime ordeal, plus whatever other stress I'm under, plus maybe even the pie choice, as an excuse for what happened next.

Snack: Lots of tortilla chips. Lots.

It wasn't the whole bag or anything but it was more than a bowl. Fortunately I came to my senses eventually and asked why I was sitting on the couch eating almost-stale tortilla chips. Why am I doing this challenge? Because I want to. Why am I choosing not to eat processed foods during this challenge? Because I want to. I signed up for this, it is my choice. Enough with the undermining my own goal. I put the remainder of the chips down the garbage disposal and also put a stop to the excuses.

So I had a great day on the whole. Good, wholesome food choices (mostly), great exercise, and some fun with the kids after work. I'll admit, I feel crappy about the tortilla chips, but that's a good thing and important to remember, it helps when I'm facing the same kind of urge the next time, "remember, you felt crappy after eating that junk last time." The lesson is to balance it. Not beat myself up but not ignore the natural, negative consequences either.