being good in the buffet line

Let me start with the exciting news: I lost another two pounds last week and my weight was 176 this morning. Only eight more pounds to go. I’ve changed things up quite a bit in the last few weeks and wanted to share a few observations…

1. I haven’t abandoned the notion completely, but have discovered that I seem to care more about the comfort and well-being of my daughter than I do my desire to run a 5K in less than 30 minutes. I was getting my “training” in at the YMCA while my two-year old stayed in the child care room. However, she was not adjusting well to being without me. I think she was being “overstimulated” in that environment. Whatever the reason, I wussed out and “rescued” her. I keep telling myself that it is not an excuse to forego the 5K goal, but I haven’t even substituted running on the treadmill at home after she is in bed at night or while she is napping in the afternoon. More on that in the coming weeks… as I really don’t intend to let this one get away — I just haven’t been diligent in the recent past.
2. I find it interesting that as soon as I began concentrating most heavily on the sodium column in my “Daily Plate” (livestrong.com) web app that the weight just happened to fall off. The last 1.5 weeks have been very easy to lose weight! Sure, perhaps it is mostly water weight (in that I am not retaining) but heck, it feels great nonetheless!
3. My new favorite snack is frozen blueberries! Eating them frozen means I have to eat them more slowly. They are like eating a dessert! They are high in fiber and low in both calories and sodium.
4. I had two family parties last week and two additional opportunities to eat from a dinner buffet. At Pizza Hut, I had the equivalent of one slice of pizza (it was actually two microscopic slices because they are cut smaller for the pizzas placed on the buffet) and lots and lots of salad. The downside? The little packet of dressing I spread across two huge mounds of salad greens actually contained 770 mg of sodium. Yikes! Who knew something that contained so few calories (only 20) would be so high in sodium? Anyway, the second buffet opportunity was at a place called Machine Shed. It is kind of like Cracker Barrel. My siblings and I took my Dad there to celebrate his birthday. Although the buffet looked fantasticly yummy, I decided on something much more reasonable. My brunch still came to 770 calories, but it was so well-rounded carb/protein/fat -wise that I was pleased with my choices and it was more than enough food. My plate was clean at the end of the meal but I didn’t have to eat much for the rest of the day and I certainly saved myself the hefty buffet price and the desire to sample everything under the sky. One of the family events was a pig roast and potluck picnic. Although there were dozens of favorite family recipes in attendance, I concentrated more on the “family” part than I did the food part. It was a beautiful day and I ate well in moderation. I’m so proud of myself. At the pig roast, I did not feel like a pig!

Tags: 5K, counting calories, Cracker Barrel, eating at a buffet, frozen blueberries, Machine Shed, Pizza Hut, sodium intake, weekly weigh-in