Saturday, 1/10/09

Kim's notes:

So, last night was a huge test. My team wanted to go out to dinner in Hoboken (great place if you’ve never been there!) and I couldn’t really say no. I had a Bok Choy/Cabbage salad with grilled chicken and sesame vinaigrette. I also had (gasp) two small sips of red wine. Of course, after I sipped the wine I immediately regretted it, but whatever. It is what it is. The salad was delicious…it was so nice to have hot food (the chicken was grilled) for the first time in 5 days. I was very satisfied. The portion was small, as the restaurant was a fine-dining establishment, so I didn’t leave feeling horrible over what I ate. I know all of the blogs and message boards see dining out during the first 21 days a huge “sin”, but frankly, my lifestyle and job makes this impossible. I am opening a hotel, living in an UNOPENED hotel for a month with nothing but a mini-fridge. While I can (and will) get by with cold meats and veggies, my job is one where I will be expected to dine out with co-workers once in a while. Needless to say, there was no need for the third protein shake last night…I went to bed satisfied and full.

This morning, the scale reported that I’m down 7.6 lbs. Apparently, the restaurant food did not slow down or stop the process. I guess the responsible thing to say at this point is that my experience is probably unique because I am getting A LOT of exercise right now. I probably climb, on average, about 10 floors per day at least twice per day (sometimes more). This combined with the constant running around the property, lifting heavy equipment, you name it…makes for some serious calorie burning activity. I’m attributing the excess loss of weight (more than 1lb a day) in spite of the restaurant meal, the wine sips and the occasional dreaded pretzel, to all of my activity.

Of course, my co-workers think I’m a crazy person. They all survive on multiple cups of Starbucks and very yummy looking meals as I used to. Being in the upscale hospitality industry turns you into somewhat of a “foodie” and mentally, it has been a little rough being in NYC and not being able to indulge in all of the deliciousness around me. I know it’s for the best though…and that salad last night was a real treat.

Now that I have officially completed a week, I can say that it can only get easier from here. My headaches are gone, the lethargic feelings are gone, I’m getting a lot more sleep and I’m full of energy. I don’t have anything bad to say about the diet, other than mentally, when I’m not running around (like right now), my mind starts to wander into the dangerous “I want to eat” zone. That’s MY problem, though, not the diet’s. I don’t even think I’m “hungry”…I think that I’m just so used to eating bad foods when I’m stressed that my mind is having a hard time with it. I’m a firm believe that most who are overweight have more of a mental problem than a physical one. We’re fat because we eat too much- plain and simple.