Finish Strong, Super Saturday!

lizadaze

Hey everybody. How's your weekend shaping up so far?

I've been reading everyone's posts on our other threads and I have to say, we've had an awesome start! So as your weekend kicks off, keep focused on your plans and goals so you can finish strong, too.

What's my day looking like? I have thoroughly enjoyed a lazy morning in my recliner sipping coffee and bingeing on some TV and social media updates. But as high noon in snowy New England rolls around, I gotta get my butt in gear. On the agenda for today is:

1. Clean up the house and do some laundry.

2. Shop for healthy food to prep for a Super Bowl party. I'm going to make some spicy grilled shrimp and scallops with dipping sauces. Then put together a great tray of mixed raw and grilled veggies with hummus and homemade whole grain fruit and nut crackers.

3. Treat myself to a manicure at the salon! Well deserved and desperately needed.

4. GYM! Yep, gotta get there today and keep my workout commitment too.

Found this great plan that I am thinking of starting next weekend. It looks well thought out.

For those who want to learn how to plan and cook healthier meals, this is a good primer and takes all the guess work out of what to buy and how to prepare things.

Check it out:

Clean Eating 2 Week Meal Plan
http://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/clean-eating-2015?bffb&utm_term=.kcEzkmPAD#.rc4r2YaXV

Make it a good weekend everybody! Monday will give us a chance to reflect on our first week achievements and set our goals for week 2.

tyboskates

My Saturday has been me on the couch with the remote control in hand. I am trying to get plenty of rest so that by Monday when I have to go back to work my cold will be hopefully gone. I am going to be dragging my butt to the grocery store tomorrow to stock up on healthy foods for my week.

lizadaze

My plan for today was a bit ambitious because I didn't count on taking a 5 hour nap! I've had a pretty rough week at work and with all the new exercise I have done, I guess my body needed some good rest and sleep. I actually feel much better for it. So don't discount the impact good sleep has on our health!

I still feel accomplished. Only thing I didn't get done was the grocery shopping but I can do that easily in the morning. I didn't get to the gym but I did work out at home with a walk in place video and some stretching.

Plus very happy with my clean house!

RREnterprises

Well....blew it today. Not horribly, but still. Back on track for Superbowl Sunday - not watching the game or going to parties.

kesslemg

My Saturday was crazy. It started of with my son's flag football game and then we raced to his cub scout pinewood derby. That took up the whole morning. Hubby and the boys wanted McD's for lunch so I relented but insisted we do the drive thru and bring it home. I had a double cheeseburger but paired it with carrot sticks and a cutie instead of fries. I also took the dog for 2 long walks and as a result got my steps in for the day. I am a bit worried about the super bowl today. My husband has all these aps planned: chicken wings, potato skins, and brats. I'm going to be struggling to maintain control. I plan on having a drink or 3. I'm going to have to think about what to eat so I don't blow it. I am heading to spinning at the Y this afternoon before the game. That should definitely give me a decent calorie burn. I've already been thinking about my goals for next week and have a few in mind. Hope everyone has a happy Sunday!

martinezkrauss

Thanks Elizabeth for emphasizing our need for sleep and it's value which prompts me to recognize my success: In a firm commitment to myself, I did not bring home any of my mother-in-law's home-made cake yesterday! I am surprised how much this was a conscious decision and the effort involved.

I had a family event in which I was asked to bring pizza from the family's favorite pizza place while my mother-in-law made my favorite cake. I enjoyed 2 slices of the pizza with water and put-off having the cake until it was nearly time to leave. I had a moderate slice of cake which I ate as slowly as possible - very hard to not just inhale it - and did not have a second piece although I swear the cake was telling me I deserved it! I left the table and forced myself to start another conversion with a family member in the living room to distract me from the cake "talking" to me.

The biggest deal and most important factor is that I made the decision to not bring home ANY cake although it was expected that I would. It's been a year and a half since I have made a cake which I love to do (the family loves the cake I make) and about six months or longer since having cake at all. Hard to not bring any home. How I did it: I reminded myself that I would not sleep well for two nights in a row; that I would drift off to sleep and think about the cake all night - I would then toss and turn until I got up and ATE IT ALL. I would then feel low self-esteem and a need to exercise to overcome it late at night and screw up my sleeping pattern as well for the next night. And all that sugar will screw up my digestion! Also, I have not had stomach pain in a long time and I associate that pain with sweets in general.

While I was at my in-laws I really focused on the emotional pain I would feel about taking the cake home and its impact on my sleep. Until I read Elizabeth's comments on the value of sleep I did not put value on the process that I had undertaken.

My wife asked me in the car on the way home, "You did not bring home any cake?" "I'm surprised esp. b/c Mom has not made you a cake in a long time." And I just said no, I did not want it, but I did not realize the internal discussion and avoidance strategy I had implemented to achieve that goal until now. It is interesting that I did not focus on the calories of the cake which surprises me - I focused on how my behavior would be impacted - how I would experience the cake in my home and how painful not being in control of my eating makes me feels and its impact on my immediate future - cake = poor sleep. - Jonathan

lizadaze

I truly enjoy reading your posts. Jonathan, your struggle is so familiar to me! What you did in overcoming the cake challenge and being mindful in general is a huge achievement! Truly! Congratulations.

Melissa, I also had a great workout at the gym and feel so much more in control with what's to come later. So far so good with food for today.

tyboskates

martinezkrauss wrote: »

Thanks Elizabeth for emphasizing our need for sleep and it's value which prompts me to recognize my success: In a firm commitment to myself, I did not bring home any of my mother-in-law's home-made cake yesterday! I am surprised how much this was a conscious decision and the effort involved.

I had a family event in which I was asked to bring pizza from the family's favorite pizza place while my mother-in-law made my favorite cake. I enjoyed 2 slices of the pizza with water and put-off having the cake until it was nearly time to leave. I had a moderate slice of cake which I ate as slowly as possible - very hard to not just inhale it - and did not have a second piece although I swear the cake was telling me I deserved it! I left the table and forced myself to start another conversion with a family member in the living room to distract me from the cake "talking" to me.

The biggest deal and most important factor is that I made the decision to not bring home ANY cake although it was expected that I would. It's been a year and a half since I have made a cake which I love to do (the family loves the cake I make) and about six months or longer since having cake at all. Hard to not bring any home. How I did it: I reminded myself that I would not sleep well for two nights in a row; that I would drift off to sleep and think about the cake all night - I would then toss and turn until I got up and ATE IT ALL. I would then feel low self-esteem and a need to exercise to overcome it late at night and screw up my sleeping pattern as well for the next night. And all that sugar will screw up my digestion! Also, I have not had stomach pain in a long time and I associate that pain with sweets in general.

While I was at my in-laws I really focused on the emotional pain I would feel about taking the cake home and its impact on my sleep. Until I read Elizabeth's comments on the value of sleep I did not put value on the process that I had undertaken.

My wife asked me in the car on the way home, "You did not bring home any cake?" "I'm surprised esp. b/c Mom has not made you a cake in a long time." And I just said no, I did not want it, but I did not realize the internal discussion and avoidance strategy I had implemented to achieve that goal until now. It is interesting that I did not focus on the calories of the cake which surprises me - I focused on how my behavior would be impacted - how I would experience the cake in my home and how painful not being in control of my eating makes me feels and its impact on my immediate future - cake = poor sleep. - Jonathan

Now I want your Mother in laws cake as it sounds good and you didn't even say what kind of cake it is. LOL. I realized after reading your post that all I was focusing on is the cake. I seriously have a sweets addiction. Awesome job on passing up taking cake home. I am sure it felt good to say no to bringing it home.

martinezkrauss

Thanks you guys for your nice comments. To admit that I feel controlled by food really sucks so I appreciate your support. I am laughing over here b/c my wife had the same response!! I read my post to my wife and she was really surprised to learn the process I went through to not bring any cake home. But just like you, she wanted to eat some cake after reading it: "I still have some coffee in my cup and Mom's strawberry cake with white icing would be so yummy right now." Too funny!!! Seriously, my wife is very supportive of my eating habits so fine not having any cake in the house. Thanks you guys! :0)