Wow- two weekends in a row of wide-open eating windows. It's so easy to slip back into old habits.
But now it's also easy to get back into new habits!
We went to get my daughter from college this weekend. The college, during the pandemic, asked local families to host students that were out of state because they didn't want to keep the cafeterias open for extended periods, and some of the students wouldn't get meals during the shortened hours because of classes and finals (don't get me started on this subject...Ugh!)
My daughter was one of those students because we live about eight hours away. The host family is also where she met her new boyfriend, but that's another story. A good one, but we're talking food here.
The family is awesome and invited us to stay for an extended weekend because we had to arrive on Thursday to get her things at her dorm at the crack of dawn on Friday. Hotels are expensive, so we gladly accepted their offer- but only if they'd let us cook for them. The deal was struck, and off we went Thursday morning, looking forward to meeting the surrogate family (and boyfriend) that took care of our daughter.
I adjusted my eating windows because Thursdays are usually my up days. I ate a bit more on Wednesday and fasted on Thursday instead, having only one meal after arriving at the dorm to get our daughter and her boyfriend. We took the kids out to dinner to get to know him before going to his house. We settled in quite well with the family and went to bed.
The next three days were big homemade breakfasts, lunches dining out, and homemade dinners that we provided. Over the weekend, we prepared crockpot brisket, fresh spaghetti with homemade tomato and alfredo sauces (finding out they were awesome when mixed together), and grilled marinated chicken. We also made homemade cake with berry sauce and banana graham cracker pudding for dessert.
My husband did most of the cooking while the host mom and I prepped.
The family was astounded. We made enough to last them a few days after we left.
I ate at every meal and enjoyed every bite of it. I really missed all those family breakfasts!
I noticed a few changes, though. My injured leg hurt more. I was bloating again because I wasn't walking much, and the energy I'd had was waning fast. By the time we drove home, I felt like a slug. Maybe it was the long drive; maybe it wasn't. But I felt almost like my old, lazy self, which alarmed me.
I did not want to go back to living like that!
Having my daughter home is a blessing and a challenge because she's encouraging me to eat with her and has no problem eating when she wants. I see so much of my old self in her it's scary!
She's gained weight, and I'm trying to show her what I'm doing, but I don't think I'm getting through. On the way home, she kept asking us when we were stopping to eat, or if we wanted a snack, etc.-all the things I used to do for such a long trip.
I found myself surprised that I didn't want anything and even more surprised at how often she asked about eating.
Yesterday was my down fasting day. I ate a bit earlier than usual and more than usual because I took my daughter out shopping, and we made soup for dinner, so I had a small bowl of that, but nothing else. It wasn't a great down day, but I felt like I was getting back on track once more.
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
This morning, I feel so much better! My energy is up a bit, and even though this is an up day, I want to keep the portions smaller. Maybe two small meals and a snack today. Eating too much in one meal is definitely not worth it!
I have one week to get my metabolism in high gear. Next week is weigh-in time!
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