Bellies and Waterfalls

It's been a few days since I've posted.  My partner's best friend, Che, came to town from Atlanta, so things were very busy.  On Saturday, I cooked brunch for the two of them (waffles and eggs with fruit salad)...I had cottage cheese and fruit. 

Che wanted to check out Portland's nightlife, so I arranged dinner at my favorite Morrocan restaurant (complete with sitting on the floor on pillows, eating with our hands and belly dancing!)  After dinner, we walked around downtown and ended up at a Drag Show.

On Sunday, Che and I had a morning dance session before heading to the waterfalls.  I absolutely love nature, so am excited everytime we're able to visit the falls. 

 

After the falls, we got pedicures and I planned to go home and cook, but it was late so we decided to go to Red Lobster instead.  The entire weekend, I did a good job of planning my meals and staying on target, but I got off-track at Red Lobster (I blame it on the biscuits!).  I ordered grilled tilapia with broccoli (no rice, no butter), so I was pretty good about ordering light; however, with the salad and biscuits, I was already satisfied before the entree came.  The food monster took over and I finished my whole entree, though I certainly didn't need it.  I always order a Mega Mama when I go, so out of habit, I ordered the oversized cocktail--because I haven't been eating a lot of sugar, it was way too syrupy and I ended up giving the rest to Che and Monica, but it forced me to evaluate how I got completely off track simply because it was what I normally did at Red Lobster.  I am learning that certain places are too much of a trigger for me to eat right at this point in my journey...that's like sending a crackhead onto Skid Row.

I woke up Monday feeling sick to my stomach from the overload of carbs and fat.  I did a fruit fast for breakfast and lunch yesterday to try to get back on track.  Thankfully, I only gained 2 pounds this weekend, which I lost again as of this morning.

I'm very proud of myself because normally I would be extermely hard on myself for being side-tracked which would only lead to more bad eating.  This time, however, I realized that things happen...it was a busy weekend, a lot going on...this is life.  The real question is what we do when life happens.  I refuse to give up on myself!

I went charm-shopping, but wasn't able to find anything that I loved in the store so I had to buy online.  These are the charms I bought:

I bought the baby blocks for a few reasons: first...one of my biggest inspirations for losing weight is so that I can have children.  I also love that it says "I love you" because it is a constant reminder that I must love myself enough to do what's healthy for me.  I bought the bike because cycling has served as a great motivation to exercise.  I love the idea of the charms...working hard to lose another ten!

How do you stay on track on the weekends or when something unexpected happens?  What reward system do you have in place to stay motivated?