Day 5 I decided to cut loose and reward my hard work. A foolish mistake in retrospect, but all part of the journey of discovering that the reward is not “cheating” with junkfood, but feeling good and looking good.
The day started out the same as always, my hunger was under control as were my cravings, but my body was still aching from the 12 hour work day the day before. I was mildly invigorated by the promise of a little leeway on my meal plan as the weekend had finally arrived, but I opted for a BluePrint Green Juice to start the day – it’s kind of become a welcome habit.
But by the time lunch hour rolled around I was itching for a number of unhealthy treats. Burritos, pork dumplings, sandwiches, barbecue; you wouldn’t believe what sort of tricks my mind was playing on me. I settled on what I thought was a reasonable compromise: a Caprese Panini (fresh mozzerella, tomato, basil, arugula, rosemary and olive oil on focaccia). I ended up eating just half of it and picking at the mushrooms and sausage in my sweetheart’s pasta dish. They were sauteed in butter and garlic and tasted divine. I was careful not to eat any pasta to stay somewhat on the right path, but then I washed it all down with a 100 calorie mini bottle of Coke – totally bad for me and completely un-flat belly friendly, but nothing beats the sweet carbonation of an ice cold Coca Cola.
I was pleased with myself for not eating to the point of extreme fullness and discomfort, so after a while I decided to further indulge on half a slice of chocolate chip Puddin’ Cake. Gluttonous to say the least.
It didn’t take long for the stomachache to set in, followed shortly thereafter by feelings of regret. I instantly wished I had never strayed from my meal plan; my stomach was finally starting to look good and I hadn’t suffered my usual nightly stomachache all week. As I chugged water hoping to sooth my upset stomach, I vowed not to stray again so foolishly. The cheese on my sandwich – while delicious – was surely at least partially responsible for my stomach issues and in retrospect was not quite as satisfying as I had remembered. I immediately decided to change my weekend plan of cutting loose with my meal plan, and happily set my mind to stick with it while allowing myseld reasonable exceptions that have no negative side effects, i.e. a serving of crackers with my soup, or even a couple cookies to satiate my sweet tooth. When I made those exceptions on Day 4 there were no negative side effects, and with a vigorous lifestyle and an intense workout to offset the extra calories my belly shouldn’t be too negatively affected long term.
I set off to the gym come evening feeling pudgy in the belly area from my splurge at lunch and eager to work it off. I started out with my usual ab workout, 600 crunches of varying sorts, and then ran four miles at a pretty nice pace. I stretched out well and then did weight training – leg day. Squats, leg lifts and various toning machines, then another 600 crunches to close out the night. I felt amazing afterwards, like the damage done at lunch was undone. I opted for sushi again for dinner, this time with brown rice, and felt good about the day despite my deviating from the meal plan. It turned out to be just what I needed to keep me on the right track longer term. Day 6 will be a real test as I’ll be joining friends for dinner at a delicious but not at all healthy restaurant, likely followed by drinks. We’ll see how well I manage to stick to my guns in the face of a menu boasting various grilled cheese and mac and cheese selections, many of them truffle related…
RyanWritesDaily 