Well, week one is officially over. I have to admit, the first three days were the hardest by far. All I could think about were the things I wasn’t allowed to eat and drink. I kept looking in the mirror and getting on the scale several times a day in the hopes that my effort was paying off--as if eating right and exercising for just one or two days would suddenly bring about major change. Delusional, I know, but lack of caffeine can make you do funny things. I was so cranky without my daily dose that I snapped at anybody who spoke above a whisper and glared at certain members of my family who had the gall to drink caffeinated beverages in front of me.
It even occurred to me to run to the store with the sole purpose of buying a coke, and I may have done it if it weren’t for the support of my two loving daughters. Support is probably not quite the right word--let me explain. Before children, if I wanted to get a coke from the store I would simply grab my wallet and my keys and leave. Now, if I want to get something from the store I must first wait for Nicole to wake up from her nap. Then I need to change her diaper, feed her and find something for her to do while I chase Allison with her pants, shirt, socks and shoes (she is a bit of a pj junky, so no matter the hour she is indubitably lounging in footie pajamas or her Tinkerbell nightgown). I then spend a good fifteen minutes threatening to leave Allie behind if she does not put on her clothes. When that doesn’t work, I strap Nicole into her car-seat and pretend to leave, so that Allison will come running down the stairs saying she’s ready to cooperate. After I’ve coaxed her into clothing, I tell her she needs to go potty before we leave. She smiles politely and says “no, thank-you.” I insist that she ‘just try,’ and she finally does, but then she needs a potty treat and a snack for the road, and all the while Nicole is screaming at the injustice of having been put in her seat thirty minutes before we actually leave. And we haven’t even made it to the car yet. I could go on, but I think you see my point. Because of my kids, resisting tempting treats is not much of an issue. If the foods and drinks aren’t at my house, I definitely won’t partake in them.
This means that the most challenging part of my new lifestyle was my weekly trip to the grocery store. One evening a week, Chris tries to get home early enough for me to go to the store sans children. I don’t think it quite qualifies as ‘mom’s night out’, but it definitely gives me some down time to relax and be on my own. Last week I was so relaxed that I was caught completely off guard when I walked into the store and my senses were accosted with donuts, freshly baked white breads, cookies and cupcakes. I’m sure there must have been some fresh produce and a couple cans of vegetables and beans somewhere in those aisles, but I only had eyes for the refined sugars and flours. I’m still not quite sure how I made it out of there with just the items on my list (okay, and an impulse package of beef jerky).
If I had a penny for every time I thought, “it’s just for six months!” during the first three days of my program, I’d probably have enough money for a personal trainer and a chef. Unfortunately, when they said, “a penny for your thoughts,” they didn’t mean my thoughts. The closest thing I had to a personal trainer was Allison coming in every five minutes while I was walking on the treadmill and asking if I was done yet. “This is taking so long,” she whined. Inspiring, eh? I did try a couple of new recipes this week, including an Asian Glazed Salmon which I thought was delicious, Allison thought was gross, and that Chris said wasn’t too bad (he’s not a fan of seafood). We also imitated mongolian grill stir-fry that was better received by my entire family.
I am happy to report that by the second half of the week, things got a lot easier. I don’t crave sugary foods as often, and it is getting easier to eat only when I’m hungry, not when I think it sounds fun to watch an episode of Friday Night Lights with a coke and a handful of animal crackers. I don’t feel like I have any more energy than before, and I may even be more tired. But it’s probably not fair to blame that on lack of caffeine and sugar--Allie and Nicole have been getting up several times at night to see me. It makes me feel loved that they miss me so much, but mostly, it just makes me feel sleep deprived. My clothes don’t feel any looser yet, but they definitely aren’t any tighter. I see pants with a button in my future--maybe even pre-pregnancy jeans! But let’s not get too carried away--I’ll see if I can make it through week 2 first.
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