Weekend update:
As I'd mentioned earlier, this weekend I was kept busy entertaining my friend visiting me from out of town. Hence no time to journal, and my regular schedule was thrown off a bit, but to the extent possible, I tried to stay on track, make good choices, and get in some activity...So here's the breakdown:
Saturday: I was up late after my party on Friday night, so woke up Saturday morning just in time to grab a quick breakfast (cereal) and rush off to pick up my friend from the airport (hence no time for morning workout). Instead of taking her out for lunch, I decided to make a nice lunch at home. Thus, I made meatless lettuce wraps and a Tofu stir fry with veggies (total points less than 3!!!). I did have a piece of chocolate for dessert (1 pt).
After lunch, I dragged her to a "tourist attraction", i.e., the local farmers' market where I was able to get my produce-shopping done. We came home well equipped with all sorts of veggies and salad fixings, grilling veggies, fruits inclunding a beautiful red watermelon, plums, grapes etc. I even found some MOJITO MINT!!! Great discovery! So, instead of going for a mid-afternnon drink in a bar, we came home and I made us a tasty caprese salad and some mojito mint & lemon tea, and we sat out on my balcony overlooking the lake---summer vacations don't get better than that! :)
Later, in lieu of my gym workout, we went for a LONG walk, alongside the lake, down to a park, through a small beach, and around the marina and back....discovering little hidden nooks and detours that I hadn't noticed before!! My fitness level felt so improved---I was able to do this 3-4 mile walk up the little hill and over the beachy sands without getting winded...only my feet felt a little tired towards the end. We caught the beautiful pink midwestern sunset on our way back. Came home and it was already after 9 pm, so we got ready and went out to dinner (by this time it was already 11 pm!!). We went to a local resturant owned by an Iron chef and LOVED the food there! I did have two strips of the bread (sans butter or oil), and shared a couple of appetizers (fabulous roasted beets with ricotta, honey and almonds and a Salad with erie goat cheese and a very light dressing). We also shared a wild mushroom, telegio, and arugula pizza (I had 2 pieces out of 4). I skipped dessert except for a spoonful of the irrestibl pot du creme she was having (decadent, thick mousse and ultralight cream!). After dinner, we met up some friends and went dancing (well, danced only for 5-10 mins, but since I wasn't really feeling the techno music, ended up chatting the rest of the time!)
So that's how Saturday went...I can't account for the points, but I did pretty good by making good choices (oh! And all through this long weekend festivities I have avoided alcohol---a pretty big deal, I'd say!!!).
Sunday: We slept in late and woke up in time for lunch, but instead, cut up half of the HUGE watermelon and I had about 5 slices. I drank about a liter of water too. Then we went to a museum for a couple of hours and got some walking done there. I drank an additional 1.5 liters of water and yet kept feeling thirsty! Finally I started to get a headache, so I had an advil, but I was realizing it might not be water-deficit so much as food-deficit! It was 5.30 pm then and all I had were those 5 watermelon slices until then. So, then we headed straight to an early dinner at 6 pm (had a little bit of a snack mix on the way to the restaurant to tide me over---I think my blood sugar must have dropped by now!). We had Cambodian food, and I ordered a steamed tofu with veggies curry dish (real yummy and apparently not too greasy), and finished it all with white rice. I did have an iced french coffee (with condensed milk and sugar pre-added).
After dinner, we skipped the plan of getting some local beer and hanging out at the patio bar. Instead, I took her for a drive around the museum area and we walked around a large pond. Then went for an independent movie (I highly recommend it "Roman Du Gare"), and then came home and had some herbal tea (again, in lieu of the post-movie cocktails/wine at the usual bar across the street).
So, that's how my Sunday went. I didn't get my usual workout, but did not forget the PLAN. I didn't feel like I was sacrificing the usual pleasures of rich foods and drinks; instead, I had a great time, and did get to eat and drink---but good, healthy stuff, and felt in control of the situation. Oh! And I should mention, everyone was complimenting me on how great i looked this weekend---I was able to wear more of my old clothes that I haven't fitted in for a while, and it was great to be able to wear the short skirts, capris, halter neck tops etc. I can totally see that my legs have toned up well and as have my shoulders and arms....man! that's the best kind of high you can get!!!!
Now, I'm back on track as of this morning on Monday. I did get in my early workout and am tracking my points well. However, I did gain 1.5 pds, despite the good choices etc.,--maybe it was the sodium from the Cambodian food...my workout this mornign was pretty good, so I'm hoping to shed this water/sodium weight by tomorrow.
P.S: One more thing: my friend was very impressed and enthused about the large lifestyle changes I've made in the last few months...she could totally tell it was working! And she even said she was inspired to learn to cook after seeing all that healthy eating can be sooo good and tasty!
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