Challenge Temptations and Tests

Zumba on Wednesday night was awesome!  I got to the class after they had started warming up, and my friend told me to get to the front so that I could see the moves better, so I did--not front row, but second row.  I was very self-conscious--I've never done a group fitness class before, excepting an aerobics class my college roommate and I took together (for credit!) our first year of school.  I'm not one to make a fool out of myself in front of other people...and I'm SO out of shape.  My friend is a really amazing instructor--I was in awe watching her up there, and just so impressed!  She was rocking it, and having a lot of fun--it rubbed off, because even though I didn't have a clue what I was supposed to be doing, I was having fun watching her and trying my best.  About 30 minutes into the class, I looked at the clock and thought that she might possibly be trying to kill me, but I survived--I didn't go as all-out as some of the folks there because I was awkward and definitely exhausted as the class neared the end, but I was pretty proud of myself for the effort.  Now I want to get some Zumba DVDs to do at home--if working out can be fun like that, I want to keep doing it that way!  I wish I could make her class all the time, but it took me almost an hour in traffic to get there, and I would have to join the gym--it wouldn't be feasible on a regular basis.  But it was a great time, and I'm really glad I went.  I thought I would be super sore, but so far, no major aches and pains...I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, though.  Maybe it will hit me tomorrow--I promise, I really was working hard and sweating like crazy!  Dan and I were supposed to get up early this morning to work out, but that didn't happen (it's really hard to start the early-morning workout habit, especially when our garage is so cold in the mornings!)...so we'll have to fit in some fitness this weekend.

I broke my no-eating-after-the-kids-go-to-bed rule last night...not because I was hungry, but because I was really low on my calorie count.  I underestimated the amount of calories I burned folding and putting away laundry for an hour, and I also underestimated how many calories were in those pieces of cake I was eating on previous days!  The cake is now gone, so I don't have that as a temptation anymore.  I didn't have any dessert after dinner last night, so after we got the kids down, I made myself a large bowl of fresh fruit!  I sliced a whole banana, and then had half a cup each of sliced strawberries, blueberries, honeydew, and cantaloupe.  It was a huge bowl, and it was only 232 calories!  I always knew fruit was good for me, but I thought a big bowl like that would be way more calories.  We always have a lot of fruit in the house because I'm determined to make sure my kids eat healthily, but sometimes that means that I don't eat the fruit...because I want to save it for the kids.  This philosophy of putting my kids' needs above my own is part of how I got myself into this mess--I don't make time (or fruit salad, apparently) for myself, to focus on what I need to do and what is good for me.  I love fruit salad, so I need to be better about making sure I get to have some, too!  I didn't feel great about eating after my 8pm deadline, but I thought it was necessary to bump my calorie intake to a healthier level.  That's something I'll have to investigate--do I hurt myself more by eating later in the evening, or by not taking in enough calories?  I was mostly just proud of myself for the big bowl of fruit instead of a big bowl of ice cream!

delicious fruit salad!

As some sort of cruel trick of nature, my kids are really into chocolate-covered pretzels right now.  In case you couldn't guess, chocolate-covered pretzels are one of my very most favorite treats in the world--such a wonderful combination of salty and sweet!  My parents gave me two bags of chocolate-covered pretzels in my stocking at Christmas, and the kids all wanted some...but this was my pre-Challenge gluttony, so I ate them all after they went to bed...seriously.  Where was that putting-my-kids-before-myself philosophy when I needed it?  Apparently it doesn't apply to chocolate!  Jake saw the bags in the trash can the next day and was a bit distraught that I didn't share with him--I was talking to my mom on the phone at the time, so she heard him getting upset about it, and she felt bad.  So, like a good Grandma, when we got to her house this past weekend for Jake's birthday party, she had 4 bags of chocolate-covered pretzels waiting for him to take home!  Now those bags are in my pantry, screaming at me to eat them.  The kids asked for chocolate-covered pretzels for dessert after dinner every night, so I have to dole them out and try not to eat a few in the process.  This is a MASSIVE temptation, and even saying that is an understatement.  I almost sneaked one last night (I mean, c'mon--it's just one little chocolate-covered pretzel...), but I managed to hold myself off, because I knew one would lead to twenty in a heartbeat.  I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with my willpower this past week--I haven't been perfect (ahem, cake), but I've been way better than I was pre-Challenge.

the dangerous treat spread at Jake's party

I'm really going to put myself to the test tomorrow, though--we're going to a birthday party.  Should I have cake?  Will I stand by the table and eat a whole bowl of chips like I did at Jake's party?  I just don't know how I'm going to be able to handle all the ready-made temptation in bowls out in front of me.  I have a habit of not being able to stop myself, so this will be a true test of my newfound willpower.  It's also going to be hard because I'm a little addicted to my WebMD food log--I've been typing in food before I eat it to see how many calories, and I check my log all the time to see how many calories I have left for the day.  Without that, I'll be flying blind on the calorie count...who knows what my daily log will look like when it's all done.  That's a little scary for me, but I'm going to do my best--this is the real world, and I can't stay cooped up in the safety of my own house and my WebMD food log all the time.  I also can't cut out every treat from my diet, because that's setting myself up for failure--it's not possible to live my life without the fun stuff every once in a while.  I just need to figure out how to treat myself in moderation.  We are going out to dinner tonight as well, so I get a little practice eating notoriously huge restaurant portions without the help of my trusty food log telling me what's good!  Maybe I'll be better at portion control now that I know what I'm looking at?  And this will be my first weekend on the Challenge--we are a big restaurant eating family on the weekends, to include stops at our favorite ice cream places after dinner...stay tuned next week to see how this all pans out for me, and send some willpower, healthy-food vibes my way!