4 Down, 2 To Go

So, I have been on this vegan quest for 4 months out of my 6 month quest. I will reflect on that at another time. I am very glad to have been at it this far so faithfully, and so successfully.

I was rather hungry this morning and mad that even though I got up early I never got out of my apartment to the gym before work. Fine, I'll go at lunch. Actually, the morning flew by and I realized I only had 1 hour to go to the gym, work-out, shower and get back before a meeting. I decided not to rush, I would go after work. But, I left work later than expected, and went to a colleague's going-away party. I planned to go after that, but it never happened.

Above is a diagram of failing to make exercise my priority. I had excuses, good ones, but in the end, going to the gym is something I do on average 2-3 times a week, though a few weeks I went every day. It is not consistent, it is not a priority. I really am better off if I go first thing in the morning because of my schedule, but, I really dislike getting up early and going to the gym - especially when I can't help but go to bed late.

Since I was hungry, I had a large plate of fruit, and then oatmeal. I had three cups of decaf coffee - too much!

Lunch was a large salad with iceberg, mesclun, and spinach lettuce. Cucumbers, carrot shavings, kidney beans, chickpeas, olives, tomatoes, broccoli, and no salad dressing. Instead I put hummus on top. It feels great eating to the point of fullness, and knowing how great the food is for you.

After the going away party I walked home, passing Grand Central Terminal. It was 8:30 and I was hungry. Never food shop when you are hungry. However, I viewed this as a challenge. Inside Grand Central is a great marketplace with multiple stands with different companies that sell fresh fish, and meat, and vegetables, and cheeses, and breads, and fruit, and desserts. It really is a great place to walk through.

So, my challenge. I was hungry. Typically, I crave everything I see when I am hungry. First stall, the fresh fish. It looked good, but no mouth-watering desire for scallops, or salmon, or shrimp. It would have been great to dig into a nice fresh dish, but I was not wagging my tongue. Next, red meat - no interest. Really, none at all. Some of the sausages looked interesting, but, zero desire to break my diet. Then there was the breads - never been a lover of breads...except Turkish bread dipped in hummus. Then cheese. Here, my iron-clad resistance to temptation started to melt. It just looked and smelled so good. I fantasized about a plate of water crackers and multiple French, Dutch and Belgian cheeses with some spicy mustard and a giant bottle of Chimay Trappist Ale. I still have that desire 3 hours later! But it was not debilitating!

I picked up a package of pineapple, and strawberries. For dinner I reheated my lentil puree soup, and had the fruit afterwards.

I go to bed satisfied. I go to bed knowing that I did not put one unhealthy thing in my body. I go to bed knowing that the food I ate was almost exclusively from plants, that it kept me full between meals, and it tasted great.

I go to bed without sacrifice or martyrdom. I ate well today, I ate plenty, and I took another step towards continued weight loss.

Assessing all things that I feel guilty about - missing the gym, not gathering my info for taxes, and not cleaning my apartment - I am choosing to focus on the thing that I feel great about today: another day of eating healthfully.