Over the weekend Dwaine and I went out to see the Bee Hive musical at the local art center with friends. It was a fun musical and a great night out. Especially after being in the house for almost a week solid -lol.
I tend to do that, given I work from home, so a night out is good for the “cabin fever” now and then. 😉
Anyway, it was a couple towns over. And if you think *I* live in the middle of nowhere here in TN – this place has it beat by a country mile.
The art center had a restaurant inside of it, and so with limited time and not many other options we decided to eat there. It’s what you call a “meat and three”. Which basically means your choice of a meat and three vegetables. On this particular night your choice of carbs with a side of three carbs.
We grabbed a tray and went through the line and I looked through the glass panes at the options like this: 😯 LOL. Um, what to do?
I’m usually a little more prepared for these situations. I eat at home before I go out, have low carb snacks on hand, or usually I can just find something low carb just about anywhere we go.
Not here. And with half hour before the show started, I finally shook myself out of my stare and stopped holding up the line – and just chose my meat and three. *sigh*
In my last post I mentioned I haven’t been feeling that well this past week. Just tired and edgy mostly. So at that point I was just like “whatever” and didn’t really even care.
Obviously:
I hate to even tell you what was on that plate. But I will. Meatloaf, complete with ketchup/tomato topping. Beans & cornbread (ouch!), with corn and lima beans on the side (I left the stewed tomatoes).
Don’t even bother counting the carbs. I didn’t. LOL.
That’s the first “off course” meal I’ve had since I started the low carb diet back in April (just over 4 months ago). I didn’t view it as “falling off the wagon” – though I’ll confess that I enjoyed the meal very much.
Instead of letting it be the trigger that did me in, I got up from that table resolved to go back to my low carb daily journal – of keeping tabs of my intake and keeping it at 20 net carbs a day or below.
There comes a point where you just have to make a choice, and let it be your excuse – or let it be just what it was: one meal. Obviously you can’t use THAT as an excuse to yo-yo on ANY diet. Especially if your goal is a long-term lifestyle change.
And so today I spent a good hour+ in Kroger stocking up on meat, eggs, veggies, greens and all that good stuff. To the tune of just over $300 (another ouch! lol). I’ll be eating at home this week, keeping a count on my carbs, and getting back on track. I’m ready for those scales to start moving again. 😉
I needed to hear this! I’ve been fighting temptation ever since I got back from Atlanta with a -2 lb. loss (yahhoo!). I am not sure what it is — I seem to always reach a point in my weightloss where I sabotage myself. Like I’m back in my comfort zone and don’t feel the same urgency to lose more.
So out come the Peanut MnM’s, the roll with dinner, the pizza crust the kids hand me. And the weight gain is almost immediate!
I know what I need to do. I just don’t know why I resist!
The kids go back to school tomorrow, and I’m determined to get back on the wagon. Thanks for the reminder that this is a long journey, and one meal (or one day or even one week) doesn’t have to derail us completely.
So glad to hear you say this, lol! There are times when I go off track, not really falling off the wagon – like if I go to someone else’s house for dinner, and kinda have to eat whatever they serve, and it’s usually not low in carbs, so I just eat, enjoy, and go back to my low carb eating at home π
After losing my first 10lbs, I think my scale stopped working cause it’s not budging either π
You’re not alone. See empty plate above – LOL π
I refuse to let it derail me. That meal, or feeling bad for the last week or so. I seem to be fighting coming down with something – chills, exhaustion, etc. But fortunately whatever it is hasn’t really taken hold.
For me, the thing that works is a long term vision. I know what I want to look like, and how I want to feel – and I’m not there yet. Ten more pounds is only part of the journey – health and fitness play a bigger part from this point forward.
Anyway. No excuses. That plate is behind me (literally, I feel it back there -haha) and I’m ready to move on and count my carbs from here forward.
I call these moments “defining” moments.
If you draw the conclusion that everything is ruined after you’ve gone off track for one meal (or for one week), then you’ve hard time getting back to your usual routine. If you don’t you’ll be ok, even if you gained a little weight. π
I love Melissa’s attitude on this! π
True! And as for “defining moments” I had to laugh – “beans and cornbread” defines me quite well. haha! π
For me the best thing about trying the low-carb diet was finally understanding what it actually is and seeing results. So when I fall off the wagon, which has happened several times this summer, I now know that I can just go back to the low carb eating and that eventually it’ll show results again. So I’m not a perfect dieter, but am definitely a healthier, more aware eater, which is good for the long term. (I just wish my husband would stop tempting me with cereal in the morning and bread at dinner. I have to buy it for him, since he’s not willing to change.)
I can relate. I have carb eaters in the house too. In fact, my daughter just came home from school and made “pigs in a blanket”. Those crescent rolls smell so good coming out of the oven I could almost gain weight off the scent alone! π LOL
Fortunately I had already eaten a low carb grilled chicken tortilla before she came in, so I wasn’t even hungry – which helps.
Seeing results is HUGE for me too. And like you, I’m eating healthier than I ever have in my life – and I’m feeling great!! One thing that helps the most, every time I’m tempted, is to consciously make the choice between eating *that* (whatever it is) and being thinner.
We’re faced with so many choices every day – even every hour. Over time, all those little choices shape who we are, how we feel, and what we look like. I try to keep that in mind – choice by choice.
Obviously I still make the wrong choices – and sometimes intentionally. But it’s not the end of the world. Unless we continue doing it. π
Way back when, about 10 years ago when the Atkins diet was really popular, a lady that I worked with 5 days per week, lost a lot of weight on the low carb plan. She felt great and was glad that she was dropping the pounds.
Around the 3 month mark, she started feeling poorly. Also, her weight loss basically plateaud, almost ceased.
The thing that I noticed about how she was eating. Way too much meat, dairy and eggs. Hardly any vegetables, etc. At least not enough to balance out the heavy meat and cheese intake. Also, her heart and cholesterol were feeling the impact. If she ate leafy greens like Spinach, it was as a side. Very little.
Also, she never once incorporated movement with the program. No walking, no stretching, no yoga or Pilates. Nothing. She never got up and moved. Diet can only go so far. I started walking because it is less impact, but very effective. I varied my speeds of walking as to keep my rate heart in the area that it needed to be. In other words, I wore a heart monitor to make sure that I was getting something out of my walks.
Within 2 months of my walking program, I dropped nearly 30 pounds and several inches. No special diet. Now, due to health reasons, I watch the carbs and the saturated fat intake and increased the leafy greens, etc. It helps me overall. I should have been doing both all along. But just the daily walks alone increased my energy 100 fold.
Sorry Typos-
Heart rate. Heart rate monitor.
You’re right – a combination of diet & fitness is best. It sounds like your friend stayed in “Induction Phase” entirely too long. That’s easy to do, given it’s such a comfort zone. But I’ve been eating greens from the beginning and counting them in my daily carb count.
The funny thing is, I never really liked spinach or romaine lettuce before I started eating low carb. I’ve always loved broccoli though. But now I crave and love them all three. It’s interesting how your tastes change.
I’m eating tons of good vegetables and lean meat, and now that I’m past my “bad week” with several carb splurges (lol) I have no doubt the scales will move again. I look forward to getting back into a regular exercise routine too. I’m ready to tone up π
Dear Lynn;
OMG, you are so real, and such a good trainer, if every one out there on the net were so honest as you are about your Carbs, and not letting one meal stuff you up from reaching your Goals; then more people would listen to them, you are my Inspiration, and God Bless you all the way, Man or Woman never Conquered anything, without Risk,so keep going Lynn I’m Barracking for you, and know you will win.
Garry.
Thanks Garry π