We need to all be realistic about this journey. If you think I'm NEVER going to have another glass of wine, or I will NEVER eat a piece of cake, well that is just not going to happen on my part! Period!! We need to learn about portion sizes, about having the occasional glass of wine. That's what we need to take from this - How to enjoy the things we love in moderation. You are so right - tomorrow is another day so tell that little devil to take a hike!!

grmshelle wrote: »

I just don't know why I get off track sometimes and with no warning. Yesterday we went out to eat because we were out of town and while I thought I made good choices...I didn't. It was like I started to crumble right at that point. I came home and later ate my NS dinner but also had some wine. It's so hard sometimes not to throw up your arms and say "I give up", it has happened to me many times. I am going to forget yesterday and move back into my groove hoping that the little devil on my shoulder never comes back!

Swati and I share your pain. We've been so good (especially Swati) for the past 9 weeks but both of us fell down on Sunday night. Swat's birthday was a couple of weeks ago and I got her tickets to see Pat Benatar and we went on Sunday. Boy, Pat still has it and her husband, Neil Giraldo, is awesome on guitar. True to his Sicilian roots, he even played the theme for The Godfather which was really cool.

The concert was in Lancaster PA (about two hours from home) and we spent the night at a pretty cool hotel that is modeled after a steamboat. Let's just say we had a nice dinner and enjoyed a few adult beverages and that our impaired judgment definitely didn't help us stick to our goals. In the morning, we both felt great and stopped for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I'm pretty sure we ate a whole days worth of calories during breakfast.

About four hours after breakfast, we both felt like crap. Like horrible hangover kind of crap. But it wasn't from the alcohol, it was from the food! We each gained some weight and probably set ourselves back 5-6 days on our journeys. I have had little "cheat" items here and there but it really hasn't affected me as I continue to average over 3 lbs per week. I actually believe mixing it up keeps me moving in the right direction but I am not proud of how far I went this weekend. Neither is Swati. Do I regret it? Not really - we had a wonderful and romantic night out. Should I regret it? I am not sure. Would I recommend any of my NS friends to do the same? Not likely. Will this be a regular occurrence? Heck no. Is this the worst thing in the world? Far from it - ultimately what's a minor setback in a lifetime of becoming and remaining healthy? Would I do it again? We should not be having nights like that until after we reach and are able to maintain our weight loss goals.

Since we got back, we have been focused on drinking lots of water to help flush the sodium. We are doing a second exercise session today as well as on Thursday. We should be right back on track in a few days.

I always worry about posting stories like this because I don't want to be responsible for tempting anyone but I find sharing my experiences is beneficial to my journey. And I hope sharing my experiences lets you know you are not alone. We are in this together and everybody is going to face challenges whether it is now or even after they reach their goals. We're only human. Now clean the dust out of that workout room and get to work.

PS: If you read this P, I still have every intention of catching up to you.

Oh, grmshelle, you're not alone! (Guilty here as charged! )