Holiday Meals and Exercise

Merry Christmas! My day started entirely too early; but with excited kids and presents under the tree, what can you say? I started my morning off with a cup of coffee with creamer.....my guilty vice. And by guilty, I mean exactly that. Liquid creamer is the one thing I just can't seem to give up, and I do know how awful the stuff is for you. I drink 1-2 cups of coffee a day, and I swear that someday I'm going to give it up. It's a comfort thing for me. Very hard to give up.

I decided to do my running this morning before breakfast. I thought that the cup of coffee an hour before would help with the fasting-energy issues, but it did NOT. I made it 15 minutes and quit because I did not have an ounce of 'run' left in me, and I was starting to feel nauseous. Ah well. Better 15 minutes than nothing.

Okay so food journal. Honestly, I can't believe how much just knowing I was going to make what I ate public, helped me to avoid mindless eating. We were with Duane's family, who happens to have an insane number of fabulous cooks. There was literally a buffet full of food available ALL day long.

Our little family always does something a little special on holiday mornings that we don't usually do otherwise. This morning was oven-baked bacon and cinnamon rolls. I had a cinnamon roll and 2 strips of bacon.

Christmas lunch:

• A heaping serving of salad. I tried to fill a good quarter of my plate with it. It was pre-mixed and had small bits of deer summer sausage(?) and cheese already in it, which I definitely would have done without, but without it I didn't have salad. Had some light dressing of some kind, can't remember what.
• Small serving of corn. I'm sure it had butter on it.
• Small serving of a broccoli-cauliflower mix. It tasted like it had cheese sauce on it.
• 1 roll with butter
• Small slice of ham
• Small serving of ribbon jello
• Water

Dessert:

• 1 slice of pumpkin roll. They were small slices.

I know there were tons of calories in the food I chose but there were no low-fat options available, at all. Everything was so tasty and wonderful but definitely not how we normally eat. I had very small helpings of everything but salad. I wasn't the least bit full when I finished, just satisfied.

Snack (2 snacks, eaten over a 5 hour time period):

• 1 rum ball, dipped in white chocolate (about a tablespoon) 
• 1 cookie dough ball, dipped in dark chocolate (same size)
• Small amount of sausage/cheese dip, tortilla chips
• 1 cup black coffee

Dinner:

• Small dinner roll sandwich: ham, cheese, mayo
• Small serving of ribbon salad
• Water

I am not a calorie counter and generally I go by how hungry I feel rather than worrying about numbers, because I believe that when you eat clean and healthy, your body will let you know when you need more calories. Hunger is the body's request for fuel. I have no doubt that today probably exceeded my daily calorie needs, simply because all of the food was made with a LOT of extra calories. But I did not eat mindlessly, and because I don't have health/sugar/weight issues, I don't feel guilty about anything I ate. I believe that even in healthy diets, it's okay to allow yourself food pleasures from time to time. I'm not a fan of the whole season of holiday gluttony; but certainly don't have a problem with eating a few treats on Christmas.

It's been a good day. I'm very ready to get back to my normal diet tomorrow; but I never felt that sick over-stuffed feeling, in fact never felt anything more than mildly satisfied. I'm excited about beginning a fresh week and attaining new exercise goals!