Week 3, Day 1 – Uh oh.
Uh-oh. Here it comes. Yesterday’s unusual meal (unusual for me, lately, that is) is starting to have an effect on me. I don’t use table salt, haven’t for years. I use little to no salt in cooking, too. So, when I eat at a restaurant, or at someone’s house who uses what I consider “a lot” of salt in their cooking, my body eventually rebels in one way or another.
Sometimes, the rebellion is in the form of “I want more of that yummy salt!” This is part of what I’m feeling today. I’m also getting a reaction to the higher-than-I’m-used-to amount of sugar that I had yesterday, in the pie, the wine, and the packaged crackers and other nibblers that I had. My body wants more of the same today. I’m not surprised.
My daughter does a second Thanksgiving at her home the weekend after Thanksgiving. She does this because Thanksgiving leftovers are so good, and she wants leftovers of her own. I can’t blame her. I, too, look forward to her “Thanksgiving, Part Deux” because I know that she will give me lots of leftovers to take home with me, and especially because I get to spend another day with her.
Of course, this second indulgence will wreak havoc with my eating plan, since I’ve already begun to lose some of the momentum I’ve built up. That’s OK. I have every intention of living my life as a normal (for me) human being. This includes a bit of overindulging during the holidays. I will pay for it eventually, but I know the routine, I know what to expect, and I know how to get back on the wagon once it’s all over. (Think oatmeal with peanut butter for breakfast. It’s a very strong restart.)
During the next few weeks, it’s quite likely that I will wind up going off program quite a bit. Again, it’s OK. I’m allowing myself this time of imperfection. We are none of us perfect, and I will not hold myself up to an impossible standard. Why do that? It’s only a recipe for failure.
In expectation of what’s to come, I will say now that it is very likely that this blog will suffer a bit during the hiaitus. I hope that you will be patient with me during the lull. I promise that I will be back after the New Year, if not sooner. I may even stop in now and then, in the weeks to come, but it’s quite likely that I will be less consistent than I’ve been so far. (I know this game so well.)
In the meantime, enjoy your holidays. Don’t over-discipline yourself. Eat the holiday foods, in moderation if you can. If you indulge in alcohol, have that glass of wine, that beer, or that mixed drink, unless it’s a problem for you. What I’m trying to say is, don’t set yourself up for failure by expecting superhuman strength in the face of that bowl of stuffing or that slice of pumpkin pie, or whatever it is that calls to you. Have some fun. Together, we will come back stronger than ever after these weeks have gone by.
In case I’m not around to say it, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy All-the-others-I-missed. Happy New Year, too! See you in 2010, if not sooner!