...but I get up again....

This weekend has been a whirlwind of activity. Yesterday was a busy day from sunup to sundown.

I started my Saturday morning in the usual way, then headed home to grab a very short nap, pick Doug up from his Saturday class and get some coffee.

I love Starbucks. I think it's an excellent company that treats its employees well and has a positive impact on the communities it serves.

I was having an issue, though. Up to about six weeks ago, I would buy iced coffee, accumulate reward stars and have a Frappucino as a reward. The problem now is that I have cut sugar out of my diet. There is so much sugar in a Frappucino! I know it won't serve me well to have one, even if it's just one a month.

So instead, I have started frequenting a coffee shop in Crystal Lake called Conscious Cup. I have started to enjoy the flavor of the coffee (versus the flavor of the creamer). Drinking one cup of full-flavored coffee versus half a pot of crappy coffee. I also stopped buying the big containers of flavored creamer. Coscto sells a box of single-serving French Vanilla creamer. There are 180 in the box. I use one of those and then two tablespoons of whole milk (the only milk we drink) per cup of coffee (keeping in mind that the mug I use is larger than a standard coffee mug.

After coffee on Saturday, I came home, put Brooklyn down for her nap and got ready for my haircut and style. I had a gala to attend that is a fundraiser for my daughter's dance company.

Shockingly, I'm not typically a gala person. I didn't attend last year, so we made sure I was able to attend this year. I am hoping to have Brian attend with me next year.

I had some anxiety going into the evening. I am an extrovert, but it's easier for me to walk into a huge room of strangers when I have a wingperson. As it turns out, one of the other moms brought her parents and her mother-in-law. I hit it off with them and we had a really lovely evening.

Meanwhile, I had posted some pictures on FB asking for people's opinion about what dress I should wear. The one option definitely screamed gala, but it was a little snug. Hesitantly, I tried it on yesterday and discovered that it fit me perfectly.

I felt silly having people take my picture, but I opted for a couple of shots because it's so seldom that I look so nice.

I had some major victories while at the gala. I stayed away from any kind of bread, be it the dinner rolls or melba toast in the appetizers. I turned down the dessert tray and gave away my truffles.

And you know what? It wasn't even a thing. Aside from needing more water (I could have gone for a carafe of it being on the table), I felt no jealousy about others eating desserts or enjoying their potatoes. For me, the desserts were not so much off limits to me (which means I'm fighting against the urge to eat them--this will eventually lead to me caving in to them) as they didn't serve me (this gives no value to the food, it's neither good or bad, so I'm not wasting energy "resisting" it.).

This was a huge accomplishment for me. I followed that up with a walk and some strength training today (even though I really wanted to take a nap).

To top it off, I ate my lunch in today. That is to say, rather than eating, I skipped a meal and let my body use the energy from my fat stores. I got to dinner feeling hungry but not starving (which always makes me shake my head in surprise. I am eating less food less frequently but am half as hungry as I used to feel all the time.

I feel like there's more to say, but I am very sleepy and need some rest! I've written my protocol down and am ready to start another week.