Happy Turkey Day!

I did not get anything done in the way of formal exercise prior to today’s turkey feast. I did however do a lot of housework, so at least I was active. My stomach is not upset like it was last night which means that I was able to complete a proper workout at the end of my day, complete with squeezing out a few regular push ups for the very first time. I am happy that I am not sitting here with another achy tummy like I had after yesterday’s big meal. Apparently my body doesn’t take much time to readjust to different eating habits.

I used the same techniques that I mentioned in yesterday’s post to help me get through this evening’s gathering without overdoing it. Once more, I felt very successful. The best part is that I never thought I was missing out on anything; I just had smaller portions and – since I allowed my body the time it needed to register as full – never went back for seconds. Right now, I feel like I can do this for all of my holidays, for the rest of my life. I would love for that to become my reality!

The one little hiccup that I had to deal with tonight was that as we sat down to eat I was already so engaged in conversation that I almost didn’t think about how I was approaching this differently than I have at other occasions. I caught myself right away and was able to regain my focus so the potential problem never amounted to anything. However, the point is that the good habits are not completely formed yet and I have to stay aware to avoid those prior pitfalls.

The need for me to be thoughtful around food is still very real and I have to continue to remind myself of that sometimes. Mindlessness is a big part of what got me to my highest weight. If I hadn’t snapped out of it tonight I probably would have dished myself out larger helpings and proceeded to shovel them down instead of chewing with intent. One meal won’t make a difference in the long run, but the new me is still competing with over three decades of deeply ingrained muscle memories and automatic reflexes. Only an inept fool would return to those bad habits now. And regardless of the fact that it may fit in nicely with the theme of Thanksgiving, I am no turkey.

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 12 glasses of water throughout the day
- 1 1/2 cup of strawberries
- 3 1/2 cups of Caesar salad with light dressing, croutons, and dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup of dark turkey with cranberry sauce and gravy
- 1/2 cup of stuffing
- 1/2 cup of corn
- 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes
- 1/2 cup of steamed broccoli
- 1 cheese perogy
- 1 brown bun with butter
- 1 small glass of Merlot ice wine
- 1 cup of strawberries with 1 tsp. sugar and 1/2 cup low fat Cool Whip
- 4 bites of pumpkin pie

EXERCISE:
- 45 minute step workout video (without the step)
- 2 sets of 5 push ups
- 3 sets of 50 stomach crunches (1 straight, 1 right, and 1 left)