Week One

So, this week wasn't exactly stellar in regard to my new get healthy plan. As I mentioned yesterday, The Boyfriend's parents were here visiting, and in addition to doing fun stuff like sailing and museum hopping, we also ate. A lot.

Before I get into the details of my culinary tour with The Parents, I should explain my Eating Philosophy. I very strongly believe that you should eat what you want, when you want, as long as it's in moderation and not *that* bad for you. So, I occasionally have ice cream and cookies, but I know those things will not exactly help me reach my goals, so I try (key word here: try) not to indulge my sweet tooth too much. I'm an advocate of simply controlling how much you put in your mouth (that's what she said. Ok, I did that on purpose). If you eat smaller portions of food that is healthy, you'll eat less and be healthier, right? So, as I explore cooking for myself and The Boyfriend, I try to keep things healthy and try to eat just one serving. I'm not a calorie counter; in fact, I detest it. I personally thing people who do that aren't really aware of *what* they're eating; they're just attaching a number to the problem. I'm also not so desperate to lose weight; I just want to eat healthily and have a healthy, Jessica Alba-esque body. Sure, being aware of the calories helps, but I don't have the time to measure out all my food then figure out how many calories are in each bite. Kinda takes the fun away for me.

And I LOVE eating. As you've probably noticed, it's a bit of a problem. But it's true: it's not just that I didn't stop eating as if I were working out three hours a day, it's also that I love food. All kinds of food! Thai food, Italian food, American food, Mexican food...I love trying new things and new restaurants, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE having a bunch of different things at the table so everyone can try something new. Luckily, The Boyfriend and his parents are like that too (honestly, I don't think I could date someone who wouldn't be willing to share with me). So, while we were running around Boston, we stopped to refuel at good places. Legal Seafood, Kushboo Indian, 9 Tastes, just to name a few. And we always ordered some type of appetizer to share. My main problem is that choosing something that's healthy when you're out to eat is a lot harder than just cooking something healthy at home. There are so many options! And you don't have to cook it! Plus if you just order a boring salad, everyone looks at you funny and then starts to think you have an eating disorder. So, I do my best to resort to Portion Control, but even that is difficult when you're sharing and appetizer and it's hard to gauge how much you're eaten by then time your entree comes out. Usually, for me, it's too late and after the first few bits of my main dish, I feel the tightness of overeating setting in. Not pleasant. Less pleasant when you're actively trying to get in shape and healthy.

So, we ate a total of seven meals with The Parents. Seven meals out in a week. That's a lot. Not to mention the fact that the days we went into Boston with them were days on which I skipped my workout. Oops. So, needless to say, week one was not a huge success. Good thing that this week is normal and I won't have anyone to blame for any failures but myself...hang on...

weight change: +.7

ciao

p.s. I feel like I should put my weight "change" in because it's the only measurable evidence of my success (or, in this case, failure). As I've said, I'm not huge on losing the weight, just on getting healthy. I could put my waist size up, but that's a bit too mortifying, even for me. ;)