Alligators & Talking Sandwiches

I can be really hard on myself. Sometimes the result is that I give up because if I'm not trying, I can't get upset at myself for failing. I know it's totally screwy and I'm in therapy for it, ok?! Anyway, my point is I messed up a little yesterday but I'm not going to give up.

Yesterday was a little out of the ordinary. The temperature got up to 104 degrees, prompting the Weather Channel to warn citizens to stay indoors, in air-conditioned environments, and avoid exposure to the heat especially for at-risk groups such as children and the elderly. So what did I do? I took my two-year-old to the zoo. It was a poorly planned, last-minute decision. But once you tell a child he's going to see an alligator, you'd better take that kid to see an alligator. We stayed in the rainforest for the most part, then went to the Primates, Cats & Aquatics building. Although we weren't in the direct heat for very long, we did do a lot of walking and I really, really needed a snack. Seeing as it was only Day 2 of calorie-counting, I just couldn't allow myself a hot dog or a soft-serve pretzel (and most tragically, not both).

Long story short, by the time we left I was absolutely starving and quite crabby. I knew I had frozen chicken breasts at home, but there was no time for all that thawing and cooking business. Once home I threw a skillet on the stove, turned the heat up high, and reheated a piece of salmon from the day before. There was no more quinoa so I had half of a pita slathered with hummus, and the remainder of the arugula, pepper and grape salad. It was pretty satisfying, but my mood wasn't grand. Nothing a movie-night-with-my-favorite-person-in-the-world couldn't fix! We rented Wall-E and cuddled. Alex hadn't had dinner, just snacks (lucky!) so I made him a salami and mayonnaise sandwich to eat while we watched. This was my moment of weakness.

There's just something really special about a salami and mayonnaise sandwich.

My excuses were:

"Even if I weigh the same tomorrow as I did this morning, I'm ahead of the game."

"I must have burned at least as many calories as 1/2 this sandwich at the zoo today."

"If I crave it, my body must need whatever is in this delicacy."

But the real reason I ate 1/2 of that sandwich is because it actually looked me in the eyes and threatened to kill me if I didn't. It was terrifying. So I ate it.

In all seriousness, yesterday was full of teaching moments. The value of preparation cannot be overlooked. Prepare, prepare, prepare! Here are some things I will be keeping in mind from now on.

Lessons Learned

When leaving the house, have a healthy snack on hand to avoid extreme hunger.

Keep healthy snacks/meals prepared at home.

Eating small meals throughout the day delivers the most satisfaction.

Serve Alex salami and mayonnaise sandwiches only on days when my strength and willpower are at extremely high levels.

I almost forgot to mention my progress for the day! After all my struggling and crabbiness and self-defeating talk (especially after negotiating with that terrorist sandwich) -- I lost 1.4 pounds!!! This initial quick progress is very motivating, and I'm grateful because it is helping me develop methods and routines that can last a lifetime. Surely I'll eventually have to put in a bit more work to keep dropping the pounds but for now, I'm loving it :)