Live and Learn

I'm back!  From my last post, you know I had my first real challenge.  I left Wednesday at noon for a 3 day crafting retreat in Rocky Hill, KY.  The challenge was not having 100% control of my environment.  We stayed in a wonderful bed and breakfast which was owned and operated by the folks who organized the retreat.  I knew they would be providing our meals, but I didn't know what those would be.  What I did know was that crafting and snacking go hand to hand and that I would need to reach way down into my reserved resolution.


One thing I did well was record what I ate.  What I could have done better is record it before eating it.  That would have definitely kept me from going over my calories on Wednesday.  I ended up going over my calories that day by 214.  That could have easily been avoided if I had recorded things before dinner.  If I had, I would have forgone the bread with my dinner at Cracker Barrel.

Thursday was a HUGE lesson day.  Not eating the two cookies that came in my boxed lunch (156 calories), taking off the top part of my croissant sandwich (150 calories), and passing on the ice cream sundae (686 calories) would have been smart.  Yep, that would have done it.  I overate my calories by 911, and those items add up to 992.

Still, I learned from Thursday.  When Friday rolled around, I ate just 1 pancake with sugar free syrup at breakfast.  I passed on the chocolate cake at lunch.  I declined the cookies as they came around the craft room.  Instead of eating the candy in my goody bag, I ate the Fiber One granola bar.  At dinner, I loaded up on turkey and green beans and stuck to just a couple bites of sweet potato casserole and a couple bites of stuffing.  Then for dessert, I enjoyed the most incredible cake I've ever had.  At the end of the day, I came in under calories!

Saturday, I did end up going over my calories; but I did it knowingly.  I had recorded everything and knew how many calories I could have.  While I could have had a salad at Red Robin, I really wanted the fries.  I did substitute a turkey patty for the beef and a whole grain bun for the regular.  In the end, I only went over by 200 calories.

The lesson learned?  I won't always be perfect.  There will be days when I will fall off the horse.  The key is to get back on the horse - not eat the horse!  No regrets - no looking back - just look forward and learn!