Kudos--Eli

So today I feel like I had a breakthrough. One of the things I struggle with the most is self control. I am very impulsive in all aspects of my life. I buy things I dont need but want (and maybe cant afford) on a whim, say things without thinking, and just eat whatever (thats what got me here). Today I went shopping and out to eat with one of my best friends, her boyfriend, and my daughter. We ended up going to a nicer seafood/pasta restaurant for dinner (think about 2 steps up from Red Lobster) and I was nervous.

[For those who dont know, I am sort of a vegan/vegetarian. See, my immediate family and I used to not any animal product at all, which is the definition of vegan. After about a year we laxed a bit and allowed fish and cheese back into the mix along with prepared foods that included dairy that we had no control over (such as salad dressing at a restaurant). We are going back to eliminating cheese and dairy, but for the time being allowing fish and shellfish. Yes this is all very bipolar and strange, but I thought some background might help]

I was nervous because I LOVE seafood, LOVE sushi, LOVE anything fried. I could seriously eat fried shrimp, fried calamari and sushi every day for the rest of my life and be happy as a clam (I know, that was lame). Whenever I go to Red Lobster or the like I always get some all fried platter and eat 4000 calories of junk. I dont want to, but I can never say no. Tonight's menu was a little higher end, but it was still filled with bad choices. I was incredibly tempted, let me tell you. I ended up going with something healthy and different than I would ever eat. I chose the fresh Idaho Trout that was covered in sweet potato shavings and baked over coconut brown rice with steamed asparagus. It was DELICIOUS, healthy, and I felt better for having some self control.

It is so easy to just blow off your plan and eat whatever and justify it with "Oh I will eat less tomorrow" or "I will just work out longer tomorrow." 99% of the time we dont make up those calories and just set ourselves up for failure. The girls and I made a commitment to ourselves and each other to work out every day a minimum of 30 minutes and eat right 6 days a week and have Saturday as our cheat day. Today was NOT saturday and I take the promise I made to my friends seriously. I am glad I didn't let them down and I am glad I didnt let myself down.