that moment when...

...you step on a scale and you didn't gain as much as you thought you would!

Last night was our Valentines day dinner, and I knew I wouldn't be able to count the calories very well (I estimated in my diary as best as possible though, and preferred to overestimate rather than choose some of the database options that were lower calorie). I gave myself free reign to enjoy the night because these occasions are not very often. I had bacon wrapped scallops, a buttery-garlic scampi with linguine, scallops, shrimp and rock lobster, and a piece of chocolate torte. I only drank water, and lots of it (I felt bad for our waitress, she was always filling my water every time she walked by!).

I thought I'd be up about 3-4 lbs simply from water retention (I could tell there was a lot of salt in the food), but I woke up this morning only 1.6 lbs heavier, and I'm back to my normal schedule today! I expect the weight to come off in a couple days, and I will probably try to work in a bit more exercise/be a bit more tight with my calorie intake to help balance it out.

Although I gained, I still consider this a victory. Not just because I didn't gain as much as I thought I would, but because of how easy it was to get back in the calorie deficit mindset. I am actually looking forward to prepping all my meals for the week, looking forward to seeing the scale go down. In the past I would have felt like "returning to jail" so-to-speak. I would maybe have another cheat meal, or whine and dig my heels in, or fall off the wagon completely. Now it's kind of like getting back to my routine.

I hope everyone has a great week this week!