A Full Plate

I know. I know. It's been awhile since I've posted... I've already heard it from a few of my friends. "When are you going to post again? I'm bored at work," and, "It's been "x" days since you've written anything. Get to work!" But you know, just like anyone else, I have a lot on my plate. I work - and I've been working - 45 to 50 hours a week at my full-time job, training 1-2 times a day, 5-6 days a week at the gym, working with my greeting card publisher to get another contract, getting my car fixed, trying to have a social life, etc, etc, etc. And, on top of that, I landed a meeting with the Editor of the Indianapolis Monthly to pitch some freelance ideas, I'm starting my first-ever writing contest about health/fitness (I'll touch more on that tomorrow) and I just got cast to be in a golf commercial next week! So, needless to say, I needed a break - and I'm glad I had one. Now, more than ever, I feel motivated to keep doing what I've been doing... and then some!

So, I haven't been the greatest eater this week. I actually decided last week to wait until March to compete again, so that IS one thing I don't have to worry about immediately. However, that does NOT mean, in any way, I'm giving up. I just need to get my other "ducks" in a row before I can give that full focus. Not only can I breathe a little and check some smaller things off of my list, I truly feel I can do a better job if I don't rush the process. Anyway, back to my point: I haven't been the best eater. But you know, once you start eating healthy and you realize how good it makes you feel, you don't mess around as much with junk food and that's exactly what happened to me. I let myself have a few cookies yesterday, a croissant this morning... and now I'm over it. LOL. My goals haven't changed and I'm not weak by any means, I just needed a break.

Last night, I went to the store and got a lot of great things: pork loin, ground turkey (99% lean), sweet potatoes, vegetables, eggs, etc. and I'm excited to set aside a few moments tonight to get everything prepped for the weekend. I do have a new "friend" in my life and we've talked about getting pasta tomorrow night and one of his favorite restaurants, but other than that, it's all lean protein, fresh produce, etc, the rest of the weekend. And you know, this is how you get over the slump of being bored with food and wanting to binge, you fill up your plate with a wide variety of things, much like daily life. I know, myself, I would get bored if I only got up each day and went to work. Instead, I'd rather "get a taste" of everything I like. So, just like my current schedule, I'm going to try to include smaller portions of 4 or 5 different items at my larger meals, i.e. half a chicken breast, half a sweet potato, a few stalks of asparagus, a spoonful of peanut butter and so on.

Just like there's no rule book stating you have to only work, eat and sleep, there's nothing stating you can only have three big items on your plate at dinner. (You also don't have to finish everything on your plate, regardless of what your mom used to tell you!) Variety is the spice of life and sometimes it takes trying a lot of different things to see what you like and also, what will motivate you to keep up your good habits. Sometimes, yes, I wish for more hours in the day, but many times, the night closes in and I'm thankful I get to go to sleep and wake up the next day (hopefully) with a brand new start. Sure, I haven't been that great at my diet the last few days, but tomorrow is another day with a whole new list of interests and responsibilities. Trust me, instead of complaining about all I have to do, I'm thankful that I have a lot of options to choose from... and that I finally started using bigger plates. :)