Now that I’m on my own and not “officially” on Lindora (e.g. no more clinic visits), I can already sense the freedom. That isn’t necessarily a good thing.
I went into the Labor Day weekend fully intending to stay on track. Friday was a protein day. I had lunch with a friend, and instead of eating out, I suggested we meet in a park. We chatted while I ate my ZonePerfect protein bar. She ate a sandwich. We saved money and calories. I talked and talked about the Lindora program, all excited about it. For dinner, I ate a salad and pico di gallo at El Pollo Loco instead of just eating the chicken breast (no skin). Because of that, it wasn’t a perfect protein day.
Saturday was going great until a stressful incident threw me off kilter… a tiff resulting in anger and frustration. After that, I had a great workout at the gym. There’s nothing like being pissed off to make you want to kick some butt on the treadmill, the crossramp, and the weights. In the car, I downed my Lindora protein drink. When I got home, I remembered that I hadn’t had my “free” meal for over a week. So I decided to end my extremely great workout session with a big bowl of popcorn with butter and parmesan. Odd choice. (Not so odd. It was emotional eating. Plain and simple. See how I tried to justify it?)

Chili Cheese Fries at The Hat
Sunday afternoon, my husband asked me if I was ready for my weekly free meal. I said, it depends on where. I didn’t tell him I’d already had popcorn the night before. (Interesting, missy.) He parked at The Hat. I ate a small hamburger with mayo, mustard and ketchup. And a bunch of chili cheese fries. They were good, but I didn’t stop when I was feeling full. We didn’t finish all of them. (See how I try to make it okay? Small burger? We didn’t finish all the fries?) I was uncomfortably stuffed afterwards.
And by the way… there were a lot of fat people at The Hat. Maybe I’m just noticing my people more. Seeing what I don’t want to be anymore.
We spent the next few hours at the movies. (We saw The Debt. Quite good. I liked it.)

Lemoncello Cream Torte™ Layers of Vanilla Cake and Lemon Mascarpone Cream Topped with Streusel and Served with Strawberries and Whipped Cream.
After the movie, where did we go? Cheesecake Factory. For appetizers, dessert and coffee. I had the Lemoncello Cream Torte. I didn’t finish all of it. (There I go again, trying to make it sound better.) But I was so full it hurt.
This morning I woke up feeling like I had a hangover. I had to take an antacid. My stomach roiled.
Thinking it through… Physically, my body now knows it’s not starving, so knows it can let go of the fat. Mentally this is a reminder of how it feels to eat crap. Eating crap makes you feel like crap. Emotionally, I know that trying to be perfect will only set me up for failure. I need a relief valve; I just need to shut it off sooner. Moderation isn’t just about having a “free” meal—it’s how much you eat during your “free” meal. And let’s not forget it means having only one “free” meal, not three!!!
So I’m going to stop “crying,” pick myself up, shake it off, and go back and play.
Today I had a perfect protein day and another kick-butt workout at the gym. And I will continue to stay on track every day. Until my birthday, which is coming up in a few weeks. Then I will, once again, get back on track the very next day.
I do want to continue with the “free” meals—but only once a week, not three times in a row. And that meal shouldn’t be gluttonous. This was not a good example of how to use the weekly “free” meal. Live and learn.
Here’s my menu for the past few days. It includes a new-to-me discovery: MorningStar Farms Grillers Original veggie burgers. Incredibly good, especially with a little mustard on top. From now on, these will always be in my freezer. They are Lindora authorized because they are under 5 carbs per serving (3 useable carbs) and include 15 grams of protein.
Saturday, September 3, 2011 – “Free Meal(s)” Part I |
|
Pedometer: 12,871 |
|
Exercise: 30 min treadmill, 10 min crossramp, 45 min upper body strength training, abs |
Time |
Serving Size |
Food |
Carbs |
8am |
1 c |
Skim milk |
12 |
|
3/4 c |
Cheerios |
12 |
|
1 mug |
Coffee |
0 |
|
2 Tbsp |
Sugar free Coffee-mate vanilla creamer |
2 |
|
1 tsp |
Sugar free Metamucil |
0 |
|
2 |
Adult chewable vitamins |
3 |
11am |
1 |
ZonePerfect bar |
13 |
12:45pm |
0.5 oz |
String cheese |
0.5 |
|
1.25 oz |
Deli turkey breast |
0.5 |
3pm |
1 |
Lindora chocolate protein shake |
1 |
5pm |
1 |
Lindora orange protein drink |
3 |
7pm |
Approx 10 cups |
Air popped popcorn |
48 |
|
4 Tbsp |
Butter (44 grams of fat, 400 calories) |
0 |
|
Approx 2 Tbsp |
Parmesan cheese (3 grams of fat) |
0 |
|
|
Total Carbs (Approx) |
95 |
Note: Pretty amazing that my carb count was reasonable after that popcorn!
Now if I could just eat it without the butter and parmesan. : ) |
|
|
|
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Sunday, September 4, 2011 – “Free Meal(s)” Part II |
|
Pedometer: Didn’t wear today. |
|
Exercise: None. Day off today. |
Time |
Serving Size |
Food |
Carbs |
9am |
1 slice |
Whole wheat bread – toast |
11 |
|
1 |
Egg |
1 |
|
6 squirts |
I can’t believe it’s not butter spray |
0 |
|
1 mug |
Coffee |
0 |
|
2 Tbsp |
Sugar free Coffee-mate vanilla creamer |
2 |
|
1 tsp |
Sugar free Metamucil |
0 |
|
2 |
Adult chewable vitamins |
3 |
11:30am |
0.5 oz |
String cheese |
0.5 |
|
1.25 oz |
Deli turkey breast |
0.5 |
1pm |
1 |
Morningstar Veggie Burger |
3 |
|
1 tsp |
Mustard |
0 |
|
2 c |
Romaine lettuce |
3 |
|
1 c |
Cucumber |
3 |
|
Half |
Small Grapefruit |
10 |
|
1 slice |
Lemon |
1.5 |
|
1 tsp |
Olive oil |
0 |
|
12 oz |
Diet Squirt |
0 |
5:15pm |
1 |
ZonePerfect bar |
13 |
6:30pm |
1 |
The Hat hamburger with bun, ketchup, mustard, mayo |
? |
|
Lots |
The Hat chili cheese fries |
? |
|
Lots |
Water |
0 |
10:30pm |
? |
The Cheesecake Factory appetizers: shrimp, fried cheese |
? |
|
? |
The Cheesecake Factory Lemoncello Torte Cake |
? |
|
|
Total Carbs |
Unknown |
|
|
|
|
Monday, September 5, 2011 |
|
Pedometer: 13,905 |
|
Exercise: 30 min treadmill, 15 min crossramp, 15 min rowing machine,
1 hr upper body strength training |
Time |
Serving Size |
Food |
Carbs |
9am |
1 c |
Skim milk |
12 |
|
1 mug |
Coffee |
0 |
|
2 Tbsp |
Sugar free Coffee-mate vanilla creamer |
2 |
|
1 tsp |
Sugar free Metamucil |
0 |
|
2 |
Adult chewable vitamins |
3 |
11am |
1 |
ZonePerfect bar – Trail Mix |
13 |
1pm |
0.5 oz |
String cheese |
0.5 |
|
1.25 oz |
Deli turkey breast |
0.5 |
2:30pm |
1 |
Lindora Mocha protein shake |
1 |
6:30pm |
1 |
Lindora Wildberry Punch protein drink |
3 |
8:30pm |
1 |
ZonePerfect bar – Chocolate Caramel Cluster |
13 |
|
|
Total Carbs |
48 |