Turning a Pity Party into a Cardio Party

This weekend I had a big disappointment. Life isn’t always fair. Hard work isn’t always recognized. I can’t control all of life’s speedbumps, but I can control my reaction to them.

My first reaction (beside tears) was that I wanted to curl up with some comfort food… a big bowl of ice cream or a king-size bag of peanut M&Ms. Fortunately, there aren’t any M&Ms in the house. Ice cream, however, is another story. There are two cartons in the fridge for the family members who don’t have to worry about losing weight. Visions of a super sundae with chocolate topping, nuts and whipped cream were dancing through my head.  There are several problems with that “solution”:

·        I would probably end up with a big stomach ache.

·        I have a weigh-in tomorrow, where I’m hoping to see a number that says I’m the lightest I’ve been in more than 20 years.

·        Giving in to old habits sets a dangerous precedent. I don’t want to go back to behaviors that caused me to get to more than 100 pounds overweight.

So, instead of turning to behavior that would only add to my problems, I picked out an exercise DVD. My daughter Connie suggested Caribbean Kickboxing, to remind me of the fact that in 17 weeks, I’ll be on my 25^th anniversary trip. I want to lose some more lumps & bumps before I wear a bathing suit in public! So I kicked and punched and did squats and jumping jacks and worked up a good sweat.

Now I’m having a cup of decaf Chocolate Hazelnut tea with Stevia – probably 500 calories less than the treat I would have consoled myself with if I had reverted to old habits.

Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of today, I’m going to try to focus on what went right… a good workout, on-plan eating, and a short-but-sweet compliment this morning. As I was walking through the church foyer this morning, a grandmother laid her hand on my arm to stop me. I thought she was going to ask me for something because of me being church secretary. Instead, she just gave me a big smile and said, “Hi, Skinny!”

I think I had a “skinny response” to an upset tonight. It makes me feel like this healthy lifestyle thing is going to work!