Owning Your Own Situation

One of the women I'm with on this trip is pregnant. She & her hubby were caught off guard by the pregnancy and, while ultimately very excited, she didn't have any time to mentally prepare for all the lifestyle changes she had to make. One thing she is particularly struggling with is not being able to have a beer or a glass of wine at the end of a long day. Well, last night was the epitome of the end to a very long day and boy did she wish she was having a beer with the rest of us. She was struggling on her side of the table and expressed about feeling jipped.

Well, on my side of the table, I was battling every factor that contributes to my overeating all at once. 1) I was totally exhausted 2) I was overly hungry and had run out of my healthy snack stash 3) Hadn't been able to have solid Catherine time in days & instead was flooded with social interaction after social interaction 4) I've been away from my husband so I haven't had a good hug in a while 5) I was half way done with my beer before the enormous basket of chips and queso was placed right in front of me. I was doomed. And when I'm tired like that and I already have alcohol in my system before I start eating, it's like I've flushed all will power down the toilet. So I went for it. I ate WAY past my full point and left the restaurant feeling very uncomfortable.

When I got back to my hotel room and tried to go to sleep I was smacked in the face with how miserable I felt. There was absolutely nothing I could do to get comfortable. Hit with a serious carb load that my body hardly ever gets, my heart was racing and I was so irritated in my own skin. I was miserable. My pregnant buddy, on the other hand, was sleeping peacefully. I kept thinking she was so lucky she didn't drink too many beers and had a perfectly proportioned chicken salad. What I had forgotten was she fell asleep feeling jipped out of the experience of the evening.

The point is, when you transition from eating foods that don't support your health to foods that do, you can have moments where you feel like your missing out. Coach Megan expressed it well, when she stated that many people focus on what they CAN'T eat as opposed to what they CAN (which turns out to be a much longer list!). Watching people eat what you used to eat can cause some jealousy. But that way of thinking is not worth it and a waste of your time. You can always join them, but your not for a reason. You are making healthy choices for yourself and instead of feeling jealous, focus on how much better you are treating your body and feel good about it. You never know, they could be totally inspired by your will power and it's what they needed the whole time. Sit in your own power, sit in your own choices, own it and feel good about it!

My pregnant buddy and I laughed this morning about our jealousy exchange. And she came out the winner because I still feel full and bloated and she is facing the day with great energy.

Here's to hoping that all my readers are facing the day with great energy and happiness.