Monday, March 18, 2013

Choices


    We have choices within our lives.  So many choices.  We make choices each and every minute and every hour.  The choices that we make show our character and commitment.  I am making choices that will propel me down a path of healthy lifestyle.                                                             Part of my system that I have adopted for this journey is that I sit down (usually in the evening) and plan out my eating for the following day.  That way when I wake up there is little or no confusion about what I am eating or what I am to put into my lunch box.  I know the plan.  That is not saying that there is no room for change.  There is.  But for the most part I have it all planned.  Yesterday was no different. I sat down and planned out my food for today in the evening.  I planned what I would be eating.  I was on top of it. I knew that I would be about 50-100 calories over, but I wasn't bothered.  Monday nights are a zumba night and I earn a ton of calories in an average zumba hour.  NO PROBLEM.






So this morning I woke up and I went into the kitchen.  I made the planned breakfast for Todd and I.  I packed his lunch, I prepped a bit for dinner (it's a zumba night so that means I'll be back late and it's nice to have some of the prep work completed before hand) and I put my lunch together.  As I was doing all this I realized that I had forgotten to put a huge component from one of my meals into myfitnesspal.  A 150 calorie mistake.  that would put me 250 plus calories over my daily budget. (I try to not use too many of my earned calories.  I eat no more than 100 of my earned calories.  I just don't lose if I do....that's the way my body works.)  I pondered what I wanted to do.  Each meal was halfway made so it would be somewhat difficult to switch directions in mid stream. I carried on with the preparations as planned, including that all so important component.  I had made my choice.


What choices did I have?  
I had the choice to scrap the food totally (thereby wasting money and food)

I had the choice to throw up my hands and eat the additional calories and act like nothing was out of line.

I had the choice to add a bit more exercise into my day to EARN the additional calories. 

Choices.  So important in life.

Yes, I got on the exercise bike and rode 30 minutes which netted me enough calories to just barely cover my over expenditure for the day.  

The crazy thing??????  I got to work and realized almost immediately (don't even ask why I realized it it just hit me like a ton of bricks) that I forgot the cheese on my salad...which actually dropped me down 80 calories.  All my stressin' was for naught!     It's all good, an additional spurt of exercise will NOT hurt me!  :-)






3 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi MaryFran! I agree with your planning that makes so much difference. I often take a few minutes in the morning to think about my calorie amount for the day (which varies a bit for me depending upon the day of the week). When I'm not expecting more calories, I typically do not get hungry for calories that I know I'm not going to get. It is the opposite of a Pavlov dog. :D

:-) Marion

Enyonam said...

Planning ahead makes a great difference. Definitely following your footsteps. :-)

WWSuzi said...

Planning is definitely what helps me stay on track. It also saves a lot of time at the grocery store.
I've always said getting healthier is one good choice at a time and you're making great choices.