Getting Away Was A Good Thing

We just got back from a really nice visit with my in-laws. I know that a lot of people don't get along with their spouse's parents, but we have a great relationship. They recently moved into a new apartment, so we came up yesterday, took them out to dinner and then stayed over. They only live about an hour from the city, but I feel so relaxed having been away for a day.

I did pretty well with eating, too. For dinner, we just went to the diner, so I had an egg white omelet with broccoli, spinach and cheese, chicken noodle soup and whole wheat toast. I ended up only eating about 2/3rds of the meal. Then for breakfast today, I had a bagel, a banana and orange juice. They had my favorite cereal, Cheerios, but it was in box form, so I stayed away from it. I'll eat Cheerios if it's served in an individual portion-sized bowl, like the kinds they sell at the deli, but I can't be near an entire box of it because I will eat it all. I was proud of myself for steering clear of a trigger food when it was right there in front of me.

After, we hung out in the living room and I ended up taking a nap in the rocking chair. But once I woke up, I felt happy and energized, not groggy and deflated. During the week, I get soooo tired -- even when I go to sleep early -- and I feel zapped of all energy. But being away from home and work, and with my family, I felt a lot more alive.

Speaking of which, my birthday is in three weeks, so I've made a mini goal for myself: I'd like to lose 10 pounds by then. For someone my size, that's actually quite doable. I'll continue to eat healthy foods and a lot of vegetables, and want to get back into using the BowFlex, too. I need to do something if I want to enjoy life the way I'd like to.

That doesn't mean that I can't enjoy it in the meantime, though. I'm looking forward to a year filled with more visits with family and friends, which to me, is the most important thing. I'm glad I've made some more close friends in the past couple of years. I still don't always trust my relationships. I've been burned before, where I gave my all in a friendship and the person didn't reciprocate. Happily, more people in my life are reciprocating so I'm feeling a little more secure.