Don't feel guilty!

One of the things that I really love about this program is that it helps teach you a lifestyle vs being a traditional diet. However, one of the things I keep hearing (from other participants and from my internal voice) is that they feel bad eating something that isn't purely a health food, or listed in the pages of the 21 Day Eating Plan. For goodness sake, the book includes allowances for things like potato chips and chocolate chips. No, you shouldn't have them every day, but as the guide says on page 8, "...life's too short not to indulge occasionally."

I've been having this internal conversation, so when people in my challenge group started discussing the "bad" things that they'd eaten, and some feeling guilty (although many felt proud that they were doing MUCH better than they would have in the past - and rightfully so!), these are the thoughts I shared:

I think we need to remember that part of the point of this program is that you can still indulge and not feel bad as long as we are practicing portion control. Unless you ate an entire ___________ (insert food here - cake, pan of brownies, bag of chips...), I don't think you have a reason to feel bad. Potato chips and chocolate chips are part of the plan. It's no that you can't have a piece of ___________ (insert food here), but have ONE slice/piece/portion, as part of a well-balanced week. The problem with "diets" is people constantly deny themselves and then binge.

Just something to think about for all of us as we keep working toward living a healthy life!

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Oh my gosh, this week has been so tough. Between being on the road early and late, and being stressed about work, I've been struggling a bit to stay focused, eat early enough in the day, workout, etc.

I had a few obstacles over comes and wins this week, though!

1. I had 2 days this week (Monday and Thursday) that I was on the road at 7am or earlier and home after 9pm. But I still got my work in both nights after I got back!

2. I packed my lunch for work yesterday, but the district I was working with provided lunch for us instead. So I was able to make a good choice based on my options (chef salad, low fat ranch). I still calculated out all my containers, and I even did the trick where you dip your fork in dressing and THEN stab the salad so that you don't eat nearly as much dressing as if you had poured it over the top. I ate just a tiny portion of my cup of dressing, but still had the added flavor rather than plain lettuce. The only bad part was that it was iceberg lettuce, so not the greatest there. I also ate the oranges I brought.

3. We ordered take-out from one of my favorite restaurants last night, but after my weird day I only had 2 colors left (and a spoon), and my favorite dishes at this place include things like deep-fried, breaded tenderloins, hashbrowns with cheese, potato skins with nacho cheese, cheeseburgers, etc. The food is amazing, but I really had to think about what I would/could order, and also had to resist all of my favorite foods. I ordered a unbreaded tenderloin and a baked potato. I split the baked potato with my mom, and then had a little butter and pepper. It was delicious, and fit right within my requirements for the day. This was the 2nd time this week I ate out and made a really healthy choice! A picture of my lunch out with a friend on Thursday:

4. Added Ab Fix to 2 workouts so far this week (Lower Body Fix and Cardio Fix). Hoping to get one more in.

I am still so frustrated with my inability to get my yellows in before 6pm. I'm also struggling to eat at a decent time on the nights I'm on a road. I've been packing my meals, but it's still tough.

Last night was a lot of fun because my sister came home, and she's doing the program, too. We did our Cardio Fix and Ab Fix and discussed how the meal plans were working for us both. It's really nice to have someone in it with you. And my step-sister just signed up, too!

Today's Biggest: 
Challenge(s): I haven't meal planned for my weekend yet, so I've been avoiding grabbing breakfast so I don't set my day off on the wrong foot.

I'm taking my kids to a movie tonight, so I am going to have to avoid one of my FAVORITE foods - MOVIE THEATER POPCORN. I know that in light of my little rant above, I shouldn't be "avoiding" favorite foods, however, tomorrow is my check-in and I want to stay focused. Just because it's the weekend doesn't mean I can do whatever I want!

Success(es): Listed my successes above! Had lots this week, but since it's 9am I don't necessarily have any for the day - unless you count being up before 8am on a Saturday. But I don't know that that is really a success... It mostly makes me sad. ;)

Tomorrow I will try to:

• Keep drinking more water! I've been slipping again a little bit lately. 
• Go harder during my workout - need to remember to push myself as I get better at them
• Prep my lunches for the week so I can hit my last week hard! I'm planning to do the 3 Day Quick Fix