SweetNightshade’s BodyBlog

So, I’m going to start keeping a daily food log here. This will do several things for me. First, I’ve decided that I need more day-to-day accountability. If I know that I’ll have to tell someone I screwed up, I’ll be much less likely to do it. Plus, I’ve been seeking a more concrete method of tracking my progress. I figure if I can flip back through 50+ posts of making myself a priority, I can feel pretty good about where I’m headed. Not to mention, I get the feeling that there will be few days where all I post is my food log. Writing is what I do. It’s my geeky love and my funky little compulsion. Sitting down to post every day will give me one more excuse to play narcissist with a keyboard.

But on to the meat of the matter: yesterday’s food log. *Ba-dum-bum*

B: Protein Shake
S: Protein Mini Bar
L: Protein Meal Bar
S: Protein Drink & 1 Rice Cake
D: Chicken, Rice, 1/2 Pear, Lots of Veggies
S: Smart Pop Mini Bag
Liquid: 1 1/2 Gallons (and still thirsty!?)
Workout: 30min. Power Shred
I’m feeling pretty good at the moment. To make sure I don’t wreck things with my favorite holiday, I’ve concocted… a plan! I’m going to eat regularly all day (doing well so far) and then have a planned indulgence at tonight’s party. Controlled cheating rather than an all-day gorge fest; who knew? My planned treats are one high-end chocolate bar (instead of tons of cheap junk) and one or two of my favorite drinks.

We’ll see tomorrow how the plan held up. I’ll be making sure all of you stick to your guns as well!

I was going to write a nice post on what’s been sabotaging my efforts the past week and a half. I was going to start with the concept of emotional eating, and then make a clever shift from the idea of mental stress to physical stress. It was going to be witty. It was going to be good.

I am way too tired to be witty.

So instead I bring to you, my faithful readers, two articles that may help others in my boat.

This one explains the problem: http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20031121-000002.html
This one gives tips on dealing with it: http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/Curbing-Your-Appetite-for-Stress-Inspired-Eating.id-973.html

Enjoy. As for me, it’s only 8pm here… I am so going to bed.

Last night I was at a party. It didn’t go well. I knew in advance what the atmosphere was going to be like. It was the sort of party that people remember as having lots of dancing and good food. The invitations also read: bring a dessert to share.

I have plans built for this sort of situation. A massive MetRx protein bar would have kept me satisfied, even in the wake of Traci’s homemade chocolate cake. But I didn’t even bother. Why?

For one, this past week I’ve had to battle hormones. This brings Insomnia (yes, with a capital I), so I had approximately 3 hours of sleep under my belt. I was worried about a personal event that would not be resolved until today. I hadn’t gotten around to grocery shopping yet, so I was out of most of my on-plan reserves. Can you blame me for not feeling motivated?

I could. I could sit here and completely belittle myself for the dessert-sampler plate I wolfed-down last night. I could stare at the mirror and cry about the extra bulges that magically seem to appear after a single brownie. I could; but I won’t.

However, I’m not going to ignore it either. I’m not going to blame my actions on my circumstances. I did not really exercise or eat as well as I wanted to this week, and that was my decision. When I gave myself permission to ease-up during this hectic time, I included a caveat: if I allow myself to go off-plan, I am not allowed to berate myself for it later.

Everyone is going to mess-up. To think that you’re a failure after one slip-up is a very special, and rather masochistic, form of narcissism. What’s more, it’s a sure-fire way to send yourself down an emotional eating spiral. Don’t send yourself down that road.
I felt a little guilty when I woke-up this morning, but I didn’t let it get to me. Instead, I got-up, made myself an on-plan breakfast, and decided that I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s workout. The ability to bounce back so easily wasn’t something I always had. Realizing I can do it feels like an achievement in itself.

So if you messed up this weekend, don’t get down on yourself. Jump right back into your plan and accomplish something today. Turn your minor set-back into a major victory.