Trying to plan....

Today was a typical summer Saturday at our house...that means the pool, friends (or family), food and liquor. I had woken up to find a 1 lb loss on the scale from Friday, which was a nice surprise - and while it's not "official" and I know how we fluctuate from day to day, I still wanted to try to not blow it. Then, my hubby came home...with Dunkin' Donuts...

Yes, the glazed donut...how I love thee!!  But, I realized that part of long term/life long changes means either going without or figuring a way to work around it.  So, I had one glazed donut for 220 calories and more fat than I am comfortable with.  In a past life, I would have had 2....maybe even 3.  (True confession time - Laurie and I would stop at Dunkin Donuts sometimes after our WI in at WW's...how embarrassing!!)  So, I had one - I enjoyed it, and then....I went to the gym!  I wasn't going to let myself off the hook with just splurging on a donut - I had to work for it!  And the deal was that I had to burn off 300 calories, minimum, which I did.   I'm not trying to justify this as a way to eat crap for the rest of my life, or have a treat everyday....but just to say that sometimes, it's okay to give in....but it's never okay to just give up.  So, instead of saying "look, they're here, I'm here...it was meant to be...!!", I had a treat, I worked out and life moved on.  Maybe someday I will be that person that never touches sweets, refined sugar, etc., ever again - but, it's not today.  It's baby steps around here, all the way.  Some day Laurie, Kate and I will have to go into the kind of food we grew up on and how picky we are as eaters (well, not Kate as much...)

After the work out, and some house cleaning, I wanted a "real" breakfast so I had my usual cheerios and 1% milk (I love Cheerios, I have to admit...).  Lunch was a tablespoon of peanut butter on whole wheat bread.  For the evening, we were having friends over and on the menu were the usual hot dogs and hamburgers, but also grilled chicken, fresh corn and baked potatoes.  I made some good choices, I made some iffy choices.  Again, it was still a long way from what I would have done a month ago - and once I was done, I was done - there was no late night snacking tonight.  (which is a huge victory for me - I am a HUGE late night snacker).  Normally, I save some calories for the night snack, and keep it smaller than it used to be.  But, tonight was the first time where I said "I know I'm full, that's enough".  I didn't want to eat *just to eat* when I know I probably went over my calorie intake for today.  Because I ate a large meal, which I haven't been doing lately, with a lot of sodium in it, I know the scale may be ugly in the morning.  But, I also know it's just temporary...it's not a white flag saying "I can't do this"....it's a chance to say "today is a new day, what better choices can I make?"  Like taking the leftover grilled chicken and throwing it over some veggies or a salad....  :)  Bottom line is that it is what it is...and we had a great day!   I wish I could be an all or nothing kind of person, but it's not who I am....life is too short to not have the occasional glazed donut.... as long as you can find balance.

And right now, for me, balance = sleep!!