Life is like a Diet

It is truly amazing to me, as I continue to change my eating habits to fit one of a healthy lifestyle, how similar a "diet" relates to life! I have been doing so well at eating better and getting regular exercise and people say it's starting to show (plus I feel better). By eating a healthy diet I exercise willpower, stay focused on my goals, and build confidence in myself. So me and the people around me see positive changes. Just like in life! When we are exercising our willpower to do the things we need to do instead of want to do, achieving the goals we set for ourselves, and choosing to do what's right over what's easy we start to feel a greater confidence in ourselves and other people start to feel that way towards us too! I really feel like if I start to lose control of my diet I start to lose control of my life. And visa versa. Sad, huh?

Take today for example. I had all my food planned out as usual and had packed it all the bring with me to work. It wasn't much but I was going to fill my growling belly with water and chew gum (gum is quickly becoming my new best weight-loss friend). I was doing pretty well. About mid-day some joker brings in raspberry and blueberry sweet rolls and all the skinny chicks with the metabolisms like burning fiery furnaces from hell are in the back room enjoying themselves (love you guys!) without any risk of consequences. I told myself "No, Carrie, you do not need to have one. You can be strong. Now chew your gum....HURRY STICK A PIECE IN YOUR MOUTH NOW!!!" Instead of stuffing my face with soft delicious smorsels of sweet dough smothered in raspberry and vanilla frosting I got to choke down some chicken and veggies! Just kidding! Well about the choking down part, anyway. I did in fact choose to eat my lunch instead of the sweet roll. And I actually make a delicious teriyaki chicken stirfry (I even got to add some margarine because, according to my calculations my fat intake "was" a little low today). Well, the skinny people did not eat all the rolls on account of their stomachs being the size of a walnut, so everytime I went into the back room the sweet rolls continued to taunt me. At one point my brain even shut off and I was about to mindlessly cut one and "just eat half"......BUT I RESISTED! Yay me. "For now!" warns the rolls in a deep devilish voice. WHERE IS MY GUM?!?!?! About an hour before my shift was to end I was feeling munchy again. I swear my body was screaming for carbs today. SO....I ate a little package of graham crackers. Harmless, really, in comparison to a sweet roll! More water, okay everything is good. But those graham crackers taste so good sometimes and this was one of those times so I had another small package. "It's okay! I'm going to the gym tonight. I'll burn it off!" Surprise! Your cousin got married today and your family is coming to town to attend the reception and you must attend also! I knew there would be cake there, but I was strong, right? I had resisted a sweet roll for heaven's sake! So I logged the stupid graham crackers into my handy dandy nutrition tracker and proceded to prepare tonight's preplanned meal. It was delicious, by the way, and I really believed I would not eat anything at the reception. Two chocolate covered strawberries, two mini chocolate covered rice crispie treats, a handful of pineapple, a piece of cake, and a chicken salad croissant-wich later my best intentions were straight down the pooper. Oh! make that two pieces of cake and two chicken salad croissant-wiches later; I was feelin' fine and fancy free so bring on the seconds!!!! So much for the "estimated" low fat intake!

So I was feeling pretty bad after I left. I knew I wasn't going to make it to the gym tonight. And there is NO WAY I'm logging all that crap onto my food log. Well, okay I might. But I was really feeling like my body needed something and that's why it was craving things. I tried to stay strong, not just because it would be the right thing to do, but also because I am planning on eating at Cheesecake Factory tomorrow. :( like that's going to be good for my weight loss goals.

But do not despair fair readers! The EXTRAORDINARY thing about life, and diets I guess, is that every day is a new day. If we fall off the wagon one day we can jump right back on the next. But, if you are like me, you have to realize that mistakes are going to happen, forgive yourself, and remain confident that you will get back on track the next day! Life throws us many challenges and "tests" at times and many times it is not so much as whether we pass the test or not but what we do after our fall. I certainly don't want to be the kind of person who quits trying! So in the words of someone much wiser than me: "Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently." -Henry Ford