Every morning, I start my day by drinking a glass of warm water and lemon, with which I wash down a probiotic capsule. Although my digestion is pretty good these days, that wasn’t always the case.
After feeding the cat, I light a candle and sit down at my desk to look at what I call my mantras and goals. On the top of the list is, “I don’t seek pleasure from food at the expense of my health.” That has been one of my mantras for a while, and it is how I live my life most of the time. Unfortunately, last night wasn’t one of those times. Let me back up for a minute.
During the long Maine winters, I join some of my friends on Thursday nights at a local brew pub for trivia games. Our team, the Astrotrivicists, often wins. Last winter, we won prizes every week consisting of gift cards to the pub. Recently, the team met at the pub to spend those cards and celebrate our victory.
I started out with a blueberry cosmo on an empty stomach. I don’t drink much, and the drinks at this pub are strong, so on an empty stomach, it went right to my head. The team decided to order a ton of hors d’oeuvres: fried mushrooms, fried calamari, nachos, and a rich spinach artichoke dip, among others. I had planned to eat shrimp tacos or a salad, but decided to not be a stick in the mud. I’d go along with the team and eat the starters, and also ordered a salad to share with my husband to make sure I got something healthy in my body. I was hungry and a little buzzed, so when the starters arrived, I was primed to eat them.
Nowadays, not overeating is my habit, and I didn’t go crazy the way I would have years ago. Still, after eating these heavy foods and my salad to the point of being sated, the blueberry pie and ice cream arrived. I’ll blame the cosmo for whispering “WTF” in my head as I had a few bites.
When I got home, I felt like I would have been just fine without the pie. During the night, my body rebelled with indigestion. Bleh. It interfered with my sleep and I woke up still feeling pretty crappy.
Why am I telling you this story? First, to show you that even a weight coach messes up from time to time. We too hear and follow that “WTF” voice every now and then. Fortunately, an occasional WTF won’t do a lot of damage, as long as we get right back on track and don’t use it as an excuse to return to our old overeating habits.
Second, it was a learning experience. Remember the mantra? I don’t seek pleasure from food at the expense of my health? Although I didn’t do more than some very temporary damage to my health, it reminded me that indulging in that stuff the way I did just isn’t worth it. I’m not saying that we should never eat these foods, but I would have been much better off having just a few bites and following them with a better food choice. This will stay in my memory as a lesson to remind me when I’m next in such a situation, whether it is at a reception, party, or restaurant, to limit myself to a few bites of the heavy, greasy stuff, but balance it with food my body wants, rather than what my brain sometimes tells me to eat.
Another lesson is the alcohol. My guess is that, had I been drinking iced tea, and my brain said, “WTF,” I would have been in a better place to think, “really?” when the desserts arrived. Alcohol is very good at saying WTF. I’m not preaching against drinking, but in addition to all of those calories, it can eliminate your ability to make intelligent choices. I think of booze the same way as I think of dessert: as a treat that I enjoy but don’t overindulge in.
When I was ballet dancer in my teens and twenties, my ballet master was a delightful British man who used to say dramatically at times, “Oh, the abandon of it all!” What I’m telling you is that the abandon of it all carries a price when it applied to food and booze. You might want to consider abandoning abandon, or if it is possible, moderate your abandon.
If you have trouble abandoning abandon, but want to learn how, I’d love to work with you! Click HERE to learn about my programs. If you have questions or would like a free sample of how coaching works, schedule a consult HERE.
