Beset on all sides!
Some days, it just isn’t fair. You try to do your best, but temptation creeps in everywhere no matter what you do. But I shall be strong and stand firm. Brave, stalwart, yadda yadda…
Yesterday was the first day I was really back to paying attention to my calories and cardio. I went to the store and got good salad fixings, I took a 2-mile walk, trying to get back in the swing of things. I even made fizzy lemonade1 to get through my snacky moments and had — for the most part — a healthy-ish cocktail2 before bed!
I wake up, was rewarded with not-so-much pain in my ankle, and a slightly lower number on the scale. I have dinner plans with family later, so I know I have to be modest for breakfast and lunch, no big deal, right? It’s going to be a challenge to build a good lunch at the office as our cafeteria doesn’t really have much in the way of scales or measuring devices and we’re surrounded by restaurants that don’t post approximate calorie counts online, but again: stand firm, stalwart, resolve, strength, iron will, etc.
And of course when I finally go to make my morning coffee, I see this in the pantry.
COME ON, SON!
Upon closer examination of the photo, I see that the “Best By” date is over a month ago, which could explain why some kind and generous soul saw fit to give them away to co-workers, but still.
I also signed a birthday card this morning, which means there will be cake later. If I can get a nice walk in — doubtful as it’s rainy — I might indulge myself with a piece.
Not to get all fitness evangelist3, but man, watching calories really is hard outside the home. At home, there’s no one to look at you funny because you’re weighing your food, or counting out Cheez-Its or blueberries, or only adding precisely one tablespoon of half and half to your coffee. But at work, there ends up being a surprising number of people constantly offering me food, or suggesting places to go out to eat — when it isn’t even lunch time yet. I mean today is Thursday, so it must mean bulgogi for lunch, right?
But no, I’ll stay here patting myself on the back for not succumbing to eating free Entenmann’s cherry pies left by an unknown stranger or agreeing to delicious marinated beef for lunch. Oof, that last one is gonna be tough.
It’s kinda gross out, weather-wise, so I won’t have a lot of activity to buffer my calories, which means behaving… well, not badly. At least that’s what I’m saying for now. 
1 1 tbsp lemon juice, 6 oz carbonated water, 1 packet artificial sweetener: 8 calories. (or use real sugar equivalent if you don’t get down like that, but do your own calorie math)
2 10 blueberries, 5 raspberries, muddled with 2 tbsp lemon juice, add 2 oz honey bourbon, shake or stir with ice: 150 calories
3 Because I’m absolutely not one of those. However… come see me when I’ve lost another 10 pounds. I may have converted to the faith by then.
