I would love it a lot more if I just liked to eat – not so obsessed with planning my next meal, day in the kitchen or figuring out how I am going to cut calories during the week so I can PIG OUT on the weekend.
I do love my weekends. My permission slip to get completely out of control and eat as many calories as I want. I get lost in what I call heavenly food moments.To me there is nothing better than savoring every bite of a blue cheese wedge salad, a goose liver pate or a Osso Bucco Milanese and swear I’ll do it all over again tomorrow because tomorrow happens to be Sunday…and I still have an official pardon to do it for another day. It’s simply in the moment food orgasms but when I wake up on Monday…well, I do have to pay the consequences. Unfortunately, there’s always a price to pay for excess.
Not that long ago, I never considered the health aspects of the foods I was consuming. I loved to cook but most of all I lived to eat. And by the way I was fat. My boyfriend didn’t care…he liked to eat as much as I did. We both lived in food heaven…until he relocated to Florida and I woke up one Saturday fat, alone, unhappy and not feeling much like cooking at all. I had a severe food hangover at 150 pounds and it took me awhile to come out of it.
About that time, I started a new job and there was a gym in the building. We loved the manager. She was a passionate physical fitness expert who taught a class if there were 10 people there or just one. She was patient and nurturing. She was young and so inspiring. Rose turned me on to the power of exercise.
Yes, like food, I discovered that exercise had power, too. I started to work out every morning and before I knew it, I was hooked. It wasn’t so much that I liked exercise for the physical benefits… although I will admit that losing 40 pounds did a lot for my self esteem. I loved exercise for the mental benefits. It was great that I could have a bad day, come home, run 5 miles and feel like I had just renewed myself. Exercise was my way of controlling the demons.
Now, after exercising consistently for almost 15 years, I use exercise not only to control my weight but to also curb an ever so strong addiction to the weekend splurge.
I have to tell you that the weekend splurge is a positive thing for me. It makes me feel like I am not so deprived and that I can enjoy food. This simple formula has worked for me.
During the month of May, I’m going to do a lot of posts on eating healthy during the week and living right on the weekends. I believe that the balance is a winning combination and it may be something you want to try.
As for the question do I really like healthy or do I just live for the weekends? I pretty much still live for the weekends but after a weekend of eating what I want to, I look forward to getting back on track Monday morning.
I have a Slim Fast for breakfast because it works for me. I get 30% of my daily nutrition and it holds me until noon.
Lunch, I always eat out and I try to make it a Subway Veggie Sandwich or a Potbelly Turkey w/o the cheese. I’ll admit that I have never been great about packing a lunch.
Dinner…when I get off the train, I head for the Daily Grind and pick out a piece of fish or meat and go home and grill it. I have that with a salad and a whole lot of vegetables and fruit.
The routine sounds boring I know but I have really learned to love eating healthy during the week and the more you do it, the easier it becomes.
The Game Plan: You just have to find a routine that works for you and go with it!
And don’t feel bad about falling off the wagon. Jump right back on and know that sooner or later this wagon is one you like being on…at least from Monday through Friday.
Bon Appetit!