Achieving Equilibrium: So far, so good

The last couple days have been really good for me in terms of balance. I am no longer seeing my choices as a means to an end, but rather as a permanent lifestyle. I've been eating well - making healthy choices but not depriving myself of things I want. And I've continued to make time for the gym. Here is a quick recap of my last couple days:

Thursday
Breakfast - Oatmeal with nectarine jam and almond milk
Snack - Scone (that I made this past weekend)
Lunch - Salad, Butternut Squash Soup, 1 slice chicken pizza
Snack - Yogurt, mini oranges, cookie
Dinner - Turkey sausages, sweet potato, asparagus
Dessert - Prunes, Chocolate Mousse (cool whip and sugar-free pudding)
Gym Workout: 25 min treadmill, 20 min elliptical, upper body weights

Friday
Breakfast - Mini-bowl of chocolate rice krispies + almond milk (I wanted to try them), Yogurt
Lunch - Salad with goat cheese, Butternut Squash Soup, Melba toast with turkey breast
Dinner - Sushi and edamame
Dessert - Fibre One brownie, fat-free frozen yogurt
Gym Workout: 27 min treadmill, weights

My weight has remained the same for the last 3 days so it looks like this version of maintenance is working for me (so far, so good). Basically, I am eating lots of filling, satisfying, healthy foods (the same foods I eat to lose weight) and not worrying if there is the occasional extra. The biggest shift is just realizing that this is my new normal. This is how I will eat for the rest of my life. It's taken me a while to come to terms with this. I remember the night after I became a Lifetime Member I went to the grocery store to buy myself a "treat". I think I chose frozen yogurt. The frozen yogurt itself was fine - it was the idea that I deserved a food treat now that I was at goal that was not ideal. I now realize that I can never go back to eating the way I used to, or else I will gain all the weight back. Happily, I've picked up habits along the way that I can and will practice long-term.

One of the biggest things that's changed for me is now I ask myself "Is it worth it?" before I indulge in something. It used to be that high calorie food and drinks were a part of my daily life so I had them without thinking too much about it. I still have these things in my life, but now they're a special treat, not the norm. That means, they have to be really good to warrant me eating them. So now, if I feel like a burger I will go to my favourite burger place and enjoy every bite.

I'm going to use this method to help me survive conference eating next week. I leave for Banff on Sunday and the conference lasts until Friday morning. So 5 full days of hotel and restaurant food. My plan is to load up on what healthy food I can find and keep the other stuff to a minimum. I will only eat the food that is REALLY good (worth it!) and will leave the other stuff. I will waste food if I have to - I'll take one bite and decide if it's worth it. And if it is, I'll practice portion control. My goal is to get through those 5 days without losing my hip bones (at this weight I can really tell how I'm doing without a scale, just by feeling my waist and hips). There is also a great fitness center in the hotel so I'm going to bring my work-out gear and try to do some exercise. The only problem might be is it's at high elevation and last time I tried to work out in Banff I got pretty sick. But, I'm more fit now so it's worth another try!

Then Friday morning I am taking a Greyhound bus from Banff to Edmonton (about a 5 or 6 hour ride) to visit my sister!! My sister, Alison, moved to Edmonton 3 years ago and I try to visit her whenever I can. We are very different but also very close. I'll write more about her soon :) Then I'll spend a long weekend with her and fly back Monday night.

Here are some pictures from the last time I visited Alison (over Halloween):