Redemption

With the sting of last week's eggroll-fueled weight gain fresh in my mind, I had a really good week of healthy living. I'm still working on finding a way of making this a realistic lifestyle, rather than just a crash diet, but over the last seven days I found a pretty good balance. We had two not-entirely-healthy meals: one delivery pizza, and one night out. The pizza happened on a night when the family was flustered and pressured for time, so we ordered Papa John's. They were running a special with every large pizza on sale for ten bucks, with as many toppings as you like. I remember reading in one of the "Eat This, Not That" articles that the thin crust with veggie toppings was a solid option at Papa John's, so that is basically what I opted for. I got their thin crust for the first time ever, and I was happy with it--crunchy and tasty. We had tried their whole wheat crust once before and it was pretty dreadful, so I was cautious but ended up very happy. I got a bunch of vegetables and grilled chicken. Yes, it pained me to stray from my customary sausage or meat bonanza, but I knew it was the right way to go. Apparently Papa has decided to cut back on the quantity of the meat toppings along with the new sale--either that, or there is some statewide poultry shortage I'm unaware of, because our chicken consisted of what looked like a tiny strip or two diced and scattered around the pie. But that was fine.

Beth got a great bonus at work so one night we wanted to go out for a mild celebratory dinner. We went to Corky's, one of our favorite local BBQ joints. I got a pulled pork sandwich. I skipped their rolls, which are great. I passed on their french fries, which are also fantastic. And I didn't even consider their pecan pie, which is delicious. I had a sandwich with a side of beans, and I didn't even finish those. I have discovered that I will not, in fact, get struck by a lightning bolt if I finish a meal and leave some food on my plate.

My final culinary success choice of the week came on Tuesday evening, when I had to head to Oaklawn in Hot Springs for a poker tournament. I had the, umm, experience of eating there once before, at their sumptuous buffet, where even attempting to be a healthy person is a notion you should check at the door. Even their vegetable side items were all soaked in oil, drenched in butter, or, quite possibly, both. So what did I do this time, you might ask? Did I just deal with the buffet and make do with something? Did I go somewhere else from some quick fast food?

Nope. I brought a turkey sandwich on whole wheat. That's right. I am now a guy that goes to a CASINO and brings a healthy sandwich to eat in the car. What am I, 80? No, no I'm not. I'm someone trying to make the right choices. I went there for the poker, not for the food. I couldn't have been more proud of doing that. It was a small moment...and yet, kind of a big one.

Wednesday morning was weigh-in day. I got a few workouts in last week, including one really good weight lifting session where I doubled my usual upper body work. Would it show up on the scale? Or would I get a discouraging one or two pound loss, representing only what I gained last week?

Seven and a half pounds shed. Boom. It felt like I had a decent loss this week--I can actually feel it in my gut sometimes. And I'm talking about literally, as in, "Hey, my big, fat gut feels a little smaller this week," and not the kind of gut feeling people usually talk about. I thought there was potential for a four or five pound drop. But seven and a half is a great reward for doing things the right way. With another good week I can cross one of those lovely ten-pound thresholds next week, which would set me up for the chance to possibly cross another one before I head out to Arizona to see the boys in March. But until then, I'll just keep trying to do the right thing, because so far, that is working.