Days 6 and 7 - You Are What You Eat

Since Friday's set back, I did not had a single craving for chocolate. My coach reminded me that I am doing this for myself. No one cares if I eat the whole cake, except myself when I look at the results in the mirror.

On Saturday, we were invited to for lunch in Houston. I promised myself 20 minutes of sprints in the morning to make up for the extra calories, but we took off right after breakfast. It goes to show you can negotiate with yourself all you want but it won't make a difference once the damage is done.

I grabbed a protein bar for the 3 hour drive and ate it 3 hours after breakfast. I was not hungry but I wanted to be armed and ready for lunch at my cousin in law's home. We picked up a rich chocolate cake from Whole Foods, which is a risk considering my condition.

To my surprise, we were greeted with warm hugs, iced tea, cucumbers and carrots; best appetizers ever! For lunch, they served 4 types of protein (shrimp, chicken breast, sirloin kebabs, and ground beef skewers) as well as 4 salads (tabbouleh, quinoa, tomato and onion, and beans with tomato sauce). They offered richer options as well, such as Mediterranean pizza, but I was thrilled with the healthy options. For dessert they served coffee and tea, as well as the chocolate cake we brought, chocolate truffles, and watermelon. I was content sipping on my cappuccino and nibbling on the fruit. This meal was absolutely delicious. It would be a miracle if I could eat this well everywhere I went.

Colored veggies in ranch

There are so many ways to display healthy foods in an elegant way. Do a little research and don't worry about what your guests think; they will feel better in the long run and hopefully learn from your example.

On the way back, there was a massive wildfire which forced us to detour, and forced me to go another 7 hours without food. By dinner I was starving. We went to sushi where I ordered my sugar-free, virgin Mojito; miso soup; seaweed salad; and calamari. We ordered a truckload more, but the service  was so slow that after an hour of waiting for our food, we canceled the full order and went home. It was probably for the best.

On Sunday, it was time to fly home. This was probably my worst day of eating. The hotel promised us a full breakfast as part of our stay. I will never eat free food again. The eggs were over cooked and greasy, the fruit was so stale you could smell it, and the oatmeal was sweetened. I ate peanut butter and whole wheat bread with coffee. Not really the best option. At the airport, I ate half a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with avocado and mustard which I regretted it immediately. It wasn't the calories, I could feel my stomach bloating as I ate it. I grabbed a protein bar for the flight.

I arrived home exhausted, fat, and hating life in general.  What you eat not only affects yourself physically, but emotionally as well. Many studies show that lack of certain micronutrients leads to depressions, paranoia, addiction, and worst. It becomes a downward spiral; you ate poorly so you feel bad, because you felt bad you didn't workout, you felt guilty that you didn't workout so you ate to deal with the guilt. Who's been there?

Movie to Check out: FOOD MATTERS 
 

My new mission in life is to design nutrition programs for people who travel, starting with myself. Working out was easy for me, however I need to be ready the next. If anyone has tips that don't include traveling with a jug of protein, please let me know. I can't skip meals and I need fresh clean food.