Small Victories

YESTERDAY

The last couple days have been busy and wonderful! To be honest, I don't even remember what I had for breakfast and lunch yesterday. It seems like such a long time ago. Early in the morning I got a text from my brother who lives in Austin saying that he and his wife were in town. I don't think they've ever come to the Houston area for anything other than holidays at my parents' house, so it was a really wonderful surprise. They invited us to dinner at Maggiano's Little Italy in the Galleria area. I immediately looked up the restaurant to see what I could find on the menu that might be the slightest bit healthy. Of course it was extremely difficult...it's an Italian place, so everything is covered in sauce and cheese and wonderful, yummy, bad-for-you things. I decided not to worry about it too much. It's not often that I get to see my brother, so I just told myself that I would eat as healthy as I could without obsessing about it and ruining the time with my family.

My other brother and his girlfriend came to dinner as well. It was really wonderful to have both of my brothers and our significant others all together...Its never happened before. Its rare that I see both of my brothers at the same time, so I really enjoyed the time I got with them.

The food was wonderful! Unfortunately, I was so excited to see everyone that I forgot to take any pictures. There was bread on the table when we got there, and I had some, but I didn't eat a whole loaf like I may have in the past. Joel ordered bruschetta as an appetizer, and I limited myself to just one piece, even though it was excellent. For dinner, I ordered Chicken Saltimbocca, which is chicken topped with proscuitto and provolone cheese in what I think was a white wine, onion, and sage sauce. It was wonderful! The serving was huge though. THREE chicken breasts! I just ate one, and I ate it slowly so I would get full and not be tempted to continue eating. I brought the rest home and Joel had my leftovers for lunch today. We didn't order dessert....although I did take a few bites of everyone else's. I only drank one cocktail and had one glass of wine instead of downing drinks all night and wasting calories. It really was a lot of food, but I feel like I made much better choices and didn't stuff myself like I would have in the past. I left the restaurant feeling full, but not like I was about to pop. The dinner was wonderful and it was so great to see my family.

My sister-in-law mentioned that she has been reading my blog, and was very positive and motivational. She and my brother are very health conscious and have found a good balance between indulging in what they love and keeping things healthy. A while back, they were on a vegan diet for many months(I think it was almost a year) so she had a lot of tips and ideas about healthy eating and vegetarian meals. I am going to try a vegetarian diet again and see how long I can do it. Maybe just a couple days at a time every now and then, but I still want to attempt to make vegetarian meals a part of my life. Just in two days, I felt the positive effects of that diet, and I want to incorporate it into my life. It was great to have some positive feedback, and I can tell that she's routing for me, which is a wonderful feeling.


TODAY

This morning, I had a doctor appointment, so I got to sleep in until 8:00 (which was much needed after being out late last night). I made a big breakfast for me and Joel because I knew I wouldn't be able to eat again until lunch, and I anticipated that it would be a late one. Joel actually had the day off, which was wonderful timing! He went to my appointment with me. It was nice to have the time together...even if it was spent at a doctor's office.

For breakfast I made my very favorite egg sandwich. I made it on a Bagel Thin this time instead of bread. The Bagel Thin toasted nicely and gave a little bit of a different flavor and a crunch to the sandwich. We also had yogurt with banana slices on the side.

My favorite bowl!

After my appointment (which lasted until after lunch time, like I knew it would) I had to go back to work. The girls at the office wanted me to bring Panera Bread back with me. I LOVE Panera, but I normally get the Broccoli Cheddar soup and a Chicken Salad sandwich...both very fattening choices, so I was a little worried about finding something healthy. I ended up getting a half of a Cuban Chicken Panini, which had grilled chicken, lean ham, swiss cheese, and sundried tomato aole, and a cup of the Vegetarian Black Bean soup. Black Bean soup is something I would never get normally, but I decided to try it, and I'm glad I did! It was delicious, and much better for me than my normal Broccoli Cheddar. The whole meal was really great, and a much healthier option than I ever would have tried before. I also had an apple and some unsweetened tea instead of my normal side of baguette and sweet tea. It's these little changes that I am incredibly proud of. It's easy to eat healthy at home and only keep fresh food in my pantry instead of junk, but it's when I am put into situations like this that I can really blow it. I am set in my fast food ways, and to get a healthier option at a place like that feels like a huge victory for me. I feel like these little victories will be what leads to my being able to completely make over my lifestyle. I am finding that the healthier options are often just as satisfying (if not more) than the more fattening, high-calorie choices I would have had before. It kind of amazes me that I never realized this before, but I'm glad that I'm getting it now.

It's easy to get down on myself about not losing weight fast enough or making a slip here or there with my diet, but when I am put in such tempting situations (like an Italian restaurant or a cafe with high-fat options everywhere) and I still manage to make healthier choices than I would have before, it makes me feel like I can really do this. It may take a long time (and it will), but it's something that doesn't seem impossible anymore. A hundred small victories will certainly lead to one huge victory. Before I know it, this will all be behind me. I just have to keep trying and never give up.