Taking the Reins

So, after all that bragging about being a responsible eater this past week, I went to a Mexican restaurant with my husband and boss last night and I don’t think I picked the very best item on the menu. Ugh! I had 8 points left for my dinner, but I couldn’t find a salad that looked appetizing. (And I have a cut on my tongue– light dressings would KILL to eat at this point) I ended up with a blackened chicken burrito that had a sprinkling of cojita cheese inside and mostly grilled chicken and fresh onions & tomatoes. It was in a flour tortilla, though, and it came smothered in some red sauce. I am almost certain that it far exceeded my points for the day, even though I only ate 1/2 of it and there was no rice to be seen. (And no chips for me, I might add!) Anyway, suffice it to say I feel gross today and am a little upset with myself. I tried to do Roni’s veggie burrito standbye, but they didn’t offer a veggie burrito. (And talk about cilantro-happy….it was my worst nightmare)

I really need to get to the gym and get in the pool sometime before I leave on my trip. Miss Diva Coach says that I need to get on a bike to get spinning (not a problem!) and in the water to get the feel back. What I need is a swift kick in the rear to get me out of this house right now. I’ve just been reading the paper, drinking my coffee, and phoning my family, all the while still in my pj’s and not getting anything material accomplished! I’ve blown through 7 points already and I haven’t even gotten to lunch….must find me some veggies at the store for dinner tonight.
Anyways, will add the food journal later. I just wanted to get on here and thank everyone (wow, Dr. Drill even came on and wrote– I was so excited!) for their ongoing support and encouragement. THIS is what it takes to accomplish your goals and get to where you want to be. Everyone’s comments are so helpful and motivational. I promise to get more active on here and sprinkle a few of my own around in the future!

Not for bootcamp. But for the triathlon.

Jynell of 31 More Days! fame responded to my “Am I Crazy” post about doing a sprint triathlon again in September. I came up with a million and one reasons NOT to do it, but Jynell encouraged me to keep it in mind despite all those reasons. It took me a few days, but she was right to question me. My reasons weren’t justified– they were excuses. So today, I got in contact with the training group and now all I need to do is pick a race! I’m just bouncing off the walls with excitement at this point– there is absolutely nothing in the world that’s as invigorating as finishing a triathlon. When everyone has said you’d never stick with it and doubts you can finish….there you are, and everyone is cheering and you’ve pushed yourself to your limits! I absolute cannot wait to feel it again.

So, which one do I do? The Santa Barbara Super Sprint is in mid-August: 500 yard swim (open ocean), 6 mile bike, and 2 mile run. It’s 2 hours away from me and I’d probably have to make a weekend out of it, since packet pickup is on Friday and the race is on Sunday. My 10-Year high school reunion is the week before, which may also be a factor. Choice number two is the Pacific Coast Triathlon: 1/2 mile swim (open ocean — 850 yards), 12 mile bike, and 3 mile run, over a very hilly course. It’s the 2nd week in September, with a longer training session. It’s close to my house, though, so I’ll be able to practice over the course.

The good thing is my training group provides coaching for BOTH triathlons, and I can train for the Pacific and also do the Santa Barbara as a warmup. So, what should I do? Do I push myself to do a longer swim than I’ve ever done in open water? Do I do Santa Barbara, even though it’s far away? Will I feel like a copout because I’ve chosen to do the weeny triathlon and not the full-blown sprint? Will my husband kill me when he finds out I need new running shoes and probably a wetsuit so I don’t drown?

Good eating day, if I can stay away from food tonight. I have a 5am wake-up tomorrow for a flight to San Fran, so at least that’ll serve as a sufficient appetite suppressant. Of course no exercise, but I’ll be taking care of that in short order!

You know what’s funny is that I was thinking about the irony of my not being able to have it all. If I am in awesome shape, my body clings to it’s current weight and sometimes gains weight. If I stop exercising, my body allows me to lose weight. When I was asking myself today if I’d feel better about myself if I was training for a triathlon or back down to the 140’s, I whole-heartedly chose the triathlon training. I COULD be comfortable with my weight if I felt like I was in solid shape and my body looked it. Maybe that is what I finally need to be happy with myself?
Food Points
Coffeemate creamer with coffee 2
1 small apple 1
2 small bananas 2
(4 hour separation — I refuse to call them 2 pts each, they were small!)
1 Light n’ Fit yogurt with handful raspberries and 1/2 cup Fiber One 2
1 cup ground beef with lettuce and 1 taco shell 5
Hostess 100 calorie pack 1
2 Wasa Crisps with a laughing cow light wedge 2
2 cups brown rice with ICBINB 6
1 Thomas’ Light English muffin with ICBINB spray 1

Totals 22

Nothing new to write about today. Just another day, another crappy restaurant. Hit some fancy steakhouse with a potential general contractor and ordered seared scallops, light on the butter. Well, I ended up with 4 practically raw, COLD seared scallops on a bed of white rice. It was really disappointing and I ended up going back to the office and snacking on fruit all afternoon. Anyways, here’s the day:
Food Points
Coffeemate creamer with coffee 2
1 small apple 1
Fiberful bar 1
Seared scallops with 1/2 cup white rice 6
1 small banana 1
Hostess 100 calorie pack 1
Quaker 100 calorie granola bites 2
Thomas’ Light English muffin with 1 wedge light Laughing Cow 2
TJ’s mini marguerita pizza 3
1 Light n’ Fit yogurt with 1/2 cup Fiber One and raspberries 2

Totals 21

The bloat is gone! TMI, I know. But it’s the craziest thing. If I go grocery shopping and eat most of my points in things like yogurt, fruit, veggies, and whole grains, my stomach seems to shrink. As soon as I grab a frozen meal or a granola bar, poof! Big tummy again.
Anyway, it’s motivation to keep heading to the store for mini shops every 3-4 days to make sure I don’t run out of fruit and vegetables. I was reading a triathlon training guide and one of their articles was devoted to a healthy diet. They said that for desert, if you are craving sweets, eat a few apples. Eventually, the craving goes away. Now, who am I kidding to think that I’ll actually try this??! Well, I might. We shall see. I have 2 Golden Delicious sitting in my fruitbasket with my name all over ‘em.

Jynell got me to thinking about my reasons for not doing the Triathlon training. I mean, who cares if I miss a few of the sessions I paid for because of work or vacation? It happens! I went on their website tonight and read about all the women who are a part of the training team, and you know what? They are all sorts of ages, and all of them are professionals with busy careers. Surely if these women can find the time, so can I. And I may actually make some friends, too! Anyways, there is a shorter distance triathlon up in Santa Barbara in August that might be a bit more realistic for me to try if I’m scared of the one in Newport. Oh, what to do?! I’ve e-mailed the owner of the training group and asked her what she thought of me joining when I miss out on the first session. Fingers crossed I can work it out!!!

So, here’s the day so far. I know red meat isn’t the best for you, but what can a girl do when she’s got a difficult man at home who will sulk if he sees another bowl of Boca chili?!
Food Points
Coffeemate creamer with coffee 2
1 small apple 1
Fiberful bar 1
Quaker instant apple cinnamon oatmeal 2
Leftover spaghetti 3
Wasa crackers and laughing cow light wedge 2
Sugar free hot cocoa 1
100 calorie pack 2
2 beef tacos with cheese 7
1 Mango 1

Totals 22

The other day I had this crazy idea that I was going to join an expensive triathlon training team and do another tri in September. Crazy! Anyway, I’ve since talked myself out of it. First off, in this time of company takeover, I need to make an impression on my new bosses as they come in and start working with me and my group. I’m doing lots of trips back and forth to San Jose and San Francisco, and who knows where else I’ll be traveling. It’d just be a huge waste of money to sign up for this training session and then I wouldn’t be able to do it. Or I’d do it, whilst sacrificing my work performance. So, I’m going to skip it. However, I am interested in doing another triathlon again and am thinking that maybe I’ll find one next spring that I can aim towards without hurting myself? A nice pool swim as opposed to open water? Yes, that’d be much better. And I can build up the training so that I’m not totally occupied every spare second. I’m disappointed, but I’m only trying to be realistic here. Living in CA is all about working on my career, so I can’t let anything derail that.

On a positive note, guess who is firmly back on program? Oh, yeah…that would be moi. I’m at 21 points and I’m pretty much full. One small apple and I’ll be ready for bed! Woohoo! This is very exciting for me considering all the crud I’ve been through these past few weeks. I’m a stress eater, so it’s been pretty tough to stay on track.

Hit the grocery store tonight intent on scoring pay dirt with the Grocery Game. Unfortunately, healthy food is NEVER on sale. I swear!! These crazy coupon ladies are stocking up on Suddenly Salad, refried beans, and cheese— I can’t buy all that stuff. I’m pretty brand-specific and focus a lot on fruits and veggies. It was so difficult to actually find coupons to use in the grocery store today. I guess I’ll be cancelling my Grocery Game subscription next week…..

At any rate, next week is my company’s annual meeting, followed by a vacation! My hubby is flying out to meet me, and we are going to spend 3 days in a cabin in Estes Park, CO. We got engaged in Rocky Mountain National Park and married just outside of Estes, so this area is near and dear to our hearts. This time around, we are planning on scaling our first mountain top…..Hallet Peak and Flattop Mountain. It’s around 10 miles round trip, but it’s not particularly difficult as far as actual mountains are concerned, so Im psyched. Really, there is nothing better than hiking in Colorado. I’m excited just thinking about it right now!
Anyway, with that, here is the damage for the day:
Food Points
Coffeemate creamer with coffee 2
String cheese 1
Fiberful bar 1
Quaker instant apple cinnamon oatmeal 2
Smart Ones spaghetti with zuchini 4
Wasa crackers and laughing cow light wedge 2
Sugar free hot cocoa 1
100 calorie granola bites 2
Barilla plus pasta with marinara 3
Salad with 25-calorie light dressing 1
100 calorie Hostess cupcakes 1
Apple 2
Totals 22

Allow me to preface this by saying I’m not a drinker. In fact, aside from toasts at Thanksgiving and 1/2 a bottle of champagne the night of my wedding, I can’t think of a time where I’ve had anything to drink. So why I chose to order a sour apple martini tonight to go with my steak is absolutely beyond me.

Yeah, I had a few points leftover. Until I ate the whole steak. Oops. But it’s my birthday! Was my birthday. Yesterday, was my birthday. I just get so excited thinking about it. I had cake, because it was my birthday, and I got a grill. Yes!!! At any rate, tonight was the celebratory dinner, since we spent all of last night eating cake and assembling my grill. (But let me say that dear husband was brilliant and bought one of those mini cakes that’s only 2 servings— have I told you all how much I adore this man?)

Back to the booze. BAD idea. So bad. I started feeling like my arms and legs were lighter than they should be, and then my peripheral vision seemed to go on me. Naturally, this gets me pretty panicky. What could possibly be in such a small glass to make me feel so weird and horrible? Anyway, I felt on the verge of blacking out and was NOT comfortable driving my car home. We had to walk around for an hour before I finally felt like I wasn’t ready to lose all consciousness. Yowzers!

So that’s my word to the wise today. Eat your points. Don’t drink them. It’s infinitely more satisfying that way.

What a week it’s been. My company is being taken over. It’s my birthday. One of my good friends is in the ICU recovering from a cyst removal surgery that is going to take 1-2 years to fully recover from. What an emotional roller coaster. And to top it off, it’s my one year wedding anniversary on Sunday. Wow! I’m just glad the site of the American Idol ice cream now makes me want to ralph. Something to be said for binging there…..