Confessions from a Carboholic

This past week has been a slow one in terms of progress on the scale. As of today, I am down 0.6lbs.

And I know precisely why that is too.

Right here, right now, I am stepping up and owning my shit. I am holding myself accountable for my indiscretions… I can honestly say that I allowed too many carbs to pass my lips in the past week. I could’ve made a more diligent effort with my consumption of vegetables. I think that my food choices were ok, but not great. I know I can do better.

For example, I spent most of the week getting all of my protein in during my first 3 meals. Then by the time evening had come around, I had already met my protein goals so I allowed myself to eat carbs. 

I heart Raisin Toast...

By carbs I mean; raison toast, rye bread, diet snack crackers, high fibre cereal, etc. While I didn’t eat really bad things, I still over-indulged on carbs at night…which didn’t really sustain me for very long, which led to eating even more food later in the evening. Now, if I had spaced out my proteins throughout all of my meals, I wouldn’t have had that problem. You gotta save room for a little protein at night too, because it keeps you from over eating at night.

5 Days of Throbbing ain't easy!

So why the less-than-my-best week? First of all, I had a headache that lasted 5 full days. Unlike the migraines that I usually get, this headache was less powerful in terms pain but more consistent with the throbbing and duration. I am never at my best when I am dealing with a pounding head. It makes me irritable and sucky. I want what I want when I want it, and my discipline takes a hit as a result. I am glad that I didn’t make any wickedly bad food choices that would cause a dumping session, but I did take advantage of my dietician’s advice to incorporate more carbs into my diet… and therein lies the slippery slope my friends.

Ya ya, who doesn't!?!

I love carbs. Always have, always will. I don’t ever plan to live a life without them…because that is not healthy and not realistic…but I do plan to live a life with more restraint when it comes to them. In the past few months I have really started to enjoy the fruits, veggies and lean proteins that I eat regularly and I can honestly say I value a well-balanced selection on my plate. But when it comes to carbs, specifically breads and sweet treats, there is a monster within that always seems to want more.

I think it is really important to acknowledge this….to own this. This here is a food issue my friends.

Remember when I said that WLS is a tool, not magic solution. This is exactly what I am talking about. If you have issues with food before you have WLS, (and let’s be honest folks – 99.9% of us do because that’s how we end up considering WLS in the first place), these issues will rise up after surgery too. You can run, but you can’t hide!

Harry - my inner Carb-Monster

That said, a carb-monster within us or not, it is possible to get control of your issues and simply live with them. Tread carefully and be cognizant of the slippery slope that is your issue, and then find a way to address it or rise above it. And most importantly, when you have a bad day or even a bad week like I just did – OWN IT! Hold yourself accountable, acknowledge where you can do better, and then start over the next day making better choices. Don’t beat yourself up, or give up… don’t cry, don’t make excuses for yourself… just forgive yourself and make a promise to yourself to do better the next day. I promise you, this is the best thing, and the most productive thing you can do move forward.

Now on a much more positive note, I totally amped up my exercise this week and I am proud of that fact. It must be the reason I actually lost weight this week! Lol. I plan to amp it up a little more this week too. I hope to kick start some more weight loss as I count down the days to my vacation that starts this Friday afternoon! Yay! Can't wait!!!!

Also, since party season has started (summer) and I am almost at my 6 month post-op mark, which means I will be allowed to resume periodic consumption of alcohol, I am looking into what kind of post-op possibilities are out there for me. Obviously I want to keep the calories down. A friend shared this link with me, the title of the site is pretty funny, but it does have a lot of useful info if you too are interested: http://getdrunknotfat.com/.

Well my Sunday wouldn't feel complete if I didn't squeeze out a blogpost! Confessions are good for the soul. I feel better confessing my shortcomings to you.

I have a very busy work week ahead of me, which includes travelling out-of-town for training, and last minute packing for our big trip. I have plans in place to incorporate my exercise throughout this busy week, and I have committed to myself to make this a better and more productive weight loss week.

So until next time, when I am blogging on location from our secret getaway hideaway from the world retreat, I bid you adieu.

Have a great week folks!