Hey kids! I'm back from vacation. As that last post details, I was intending to track food and possibly even weigh in while in Columbus for Origins, but it quickly became impractical due to time constraints, and also I am lazy. However, I made better choices than I would have without my two months of Plan experience, and far better choices than I did last year at the same event -- despite the fact that I kept getting windfall drinks bought for me, had tasty dessert several times, and am incapable of not eating all the pad thai that is placed in front of me. SO, I was happy to come home to only being up a pound or two, and am looking forward to getting back to being active (probably starting with the three-mile walk to work tomorrow).
A few things I did well:
-- Not bringing cookies or crackers for snacks. In fact, most of the snack food we brought didn't really appeal to me, which made it a lot easier to only eat when I was hungry. This also curbed my urge to snack while driving, other than a shared roll of Bottle Caps on the way home.
-- Limited candy/treats. Rather than buying a candy bar, I bought a roll of individually wrapped hard candy. I turned down a few proffered cookies and snacks, though I took several too.
-- Limiting desserts. I had lots, don't get me wrong, but I didn't fall into the something-sweet-with-every-meal habit I'm slowly kicking.
--Choosing salads. I was actually disappointed with the amount of vegetable-based food I could find, despite the awesome market nearby, so salads were my best options several times.
A few I can improve upon:
-- Eating only delicious food. I did ok on this, but I had some ice cream and cake that were social rather than desire-based choices, and due to time constraints I had a mediocre gyro, some meh mozzarella sticks, and the only chocolate croissant I've ever met that was honestly too buttery. My desire for superlative pastry, something which my town does not seem to contain, remains unabated.
-- Splitting restaurant portions. I didn't do this, but sort of on purpose -- it is much easier for me not to snack when I'm genuinely full, and getting to genuinely full takes me closer to 2/3 of a serving. Plus, carrying leftovers around at a gaming convention is piss-ass annoying.
-- Skipping fried food. I'm already giving myself a pass on carbs, and there's a ton of delicious non-fried options available. What I did have was fine, but for the most part I can eat just as happily without it.
--Moar fresh fruit and veggies. This is something I can pack for the road and the first few days, and I have at least one con-going friend who will totally be my fresh-food snack buddy. GenCon, in Indianapolis, is my next major challenge -- and convention-center-area Indianapolis is a freaking awful place to eat affordably -- but I'm planning to meet it head-on with a stockpile of berries and bananas and jicama.
Today's my last day of laziness, and I'll be tracking again starting tomorrow. I've decided to switch to the Saturday morning meetings for good, assuming that the new leader doesn't suck (the old one that I liked got promoted). I hope everyone reading this had a great week! I definitely did.
