Mind Games

Hi y’all! I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday weekend.  I had a wonderful time.  I got to enjoy time with my family on the fourth, do a whole lot of lying around and TV watching on the fifth and yesterday, I went with my brother and his girlfriend to Chattanooga to see some family.  Overall, it was a fantastic long weekend and it is making it a bit difficult to get back to the normal routine of things.  You gotta do what you gotta do sometimes though I guess.  I didn’t weigh this weekend due to the ribs I had on Friday and of course all the yummy food I had after that this weekend.  I’m feeling down on myself right now.  I can’t quite seem to keep it together at this time in my life.  It’s so unlike me.  I’ve hit a wall and I’m frustrated.  However, I’m back at it today in hopes I can have a perfect week.  If I could just make myself go more than 4-5 days where I’m perfect, I would feel more confident in myself.  It’s weird how things can change.  In the beginning, I was so motivated.  I haven’t seen my lowest weight in over two years.  Granted, I’ve never given up but the weight creeps in, little by little.  Also, in March, I ran 13 miles without stopping.  I haven’t run 1 mile without stopping in several weeks.  I wouldn’t consider myself an avid runner anymore.  It can all dissipate so quickly.  I still exercise but it’s not with the same fervor.  I need goals and motivation.  Part of the problem is my schedule.  I don’t have time to cook or exercise so I’m waking up early or doing a short workout at lunch.  I’m burned out.  Hopefully my schedule won’t be quite as limited soon and I can get back to my roots.  Otherwise, I’m going to have to do something drastic.  All I really want is to hit that goal weight.  Part of the problem is, I’m happy.  This is a silly thing to say I’m sure but the saying is “eat, drink and be merry.”  Well, I’m merry so all I want to do is eat and drink.  I convince myself I’m missing out if I don’t indulge.  It’s all a mental game as usual.

In the spirit of realizing that this game of the diet life is most often a “mind over matter” tug-of-war, there are ways to convince your mind that you are full or that you don’t need to eat anything else.  I think I might have shared this tip before but since I’m struggling with being a whiny pants about how much food I’m eating lately, I thought I’d share it again.  A lot of times, when we don’t have the time or energy to cook, we resort to frozen foods.  More specifically, us dieters (especially those on Weight Watchers or those counting calories) resort to Lean Cuisines.  Nothing makes you feel more like you’re on a diet than having your dinner within the confines of a tiny plastic container.  The plate of food pictured above has a total of 280 calories on it.  All I did was take a meatloaf dinner and after I cooked it, I put it on a plate.  I also added a side of green beans so I turned my small portion of food into a plate of food.  Somehow, I swear it makes it taste better too.  I know people complain about the preservatives in these.  Obviously, it’s for convenience.  Another complaint is that the containers give off some harsh and potentially damaging chemicals from the plastic but as an FYI, SmartOnes, the Weight Watchers brand, has started making BPA free containers.  So, maybe the rest of the frozen food brands will follow suit.

I wanted to share a new snack with you all as well.  This Creamy Coconut bar is delicious! It doesn’t have a diet taste to it and it’s only 120 calories.  Evidently, there is also a strawberry version that Cassandra says is good too and it’s even lower in calories. 

Jordan and I were able to enjoy Mary J. Blige at the Amp in Tuscaloosa on Thursday.  I was happy to see him and had fun! My Dad had a nice birthday as well so the whole weekend was great.  I have other exciting stuff happening this week.  I’m going to see moe. with Ian on Thursday and Miranda Lambert with Cassandra on Friday.  I love all the concerts in the summer.  I may be broke and constantly tempted but the lure of live music will always win me over. 

I hope you all have a great week.

I know I’m not the only one that struggles so I hope all of us get it together!

Bye!

“We were going along with what was going on

Saying I think I love you

And I think about us now every time that I go out

Smokin’ and drinkin’

Smokin’ and drinkin’ on the weekend like

We did back in the day

Smokin’ and drinkin’ getcha thinkin about the

One that got away

So here’s to all those nights all we felt was life

Smokin’ and drinkin’…” Smokin’ and Drinkin’-Miranda Lambert