Cheat Day Update and the LONG run!!!

C'mon, self.  You knew you couldn't do it.  You knew you couldn't cheat in moderation!

So I told you about my decision to have a "revised" cheat day yesterday, and I guess it was SORT OF revised.  I still went overboard  a little, but no harm done. I had my breakfast paired with chocolate, then got ready to go to court for work. I am in court every Friday from 12-3, so no eating goes on then, unless I am very discreet about it.  I was FULL after breakfast, and stayed that way for six hours.

When I got out of court at 3 though, I was ravenous and my mind was firmly focused on food. I drove directly to the gas station and bought a big grab bag of Cheetos Puffs. Mmmmm.  Then I went home and baked my shrimp in the oven. I could hardly wait for it to cook, so I had some Doritos while I was waiting. LOL

After I finished the shrimp, I had more Easter basket candy and some of those Klondike bars. Some= 3. Hey, they were small!

After that, I told myself, NO MORE. Cheat day is officially over.  It was 4:30 p.m. Instead of eating and eating into the evening, I decided to cut myself off then. 

It's funny how when you're eating (or overeating, in my case) and not really thinking about it, your stomach doesn't get a chance to send that message to your brain that you're full. I'm sure you've all heard the old saying "it takes 20 minutes after you STOP eating for your brain to catch up with your stomach." I believe this is certainly true. I was feeling fine and comfortably full when I STOPPED at 4:30, but about a half hour later, I was downright uncomfortable. And no, I am pretty sure I didn't need that third Klondike bar!

A little trick I often use when I am eating my favorite foods, is to allow myself a small amount (say, one slice of pizza). Oftentimes, the taste is so good that my MOUTH always wants more, even though I don't "need" it.  So I will say to myself, "you can have another piece if you REALLY want more, but first you have to wait 20 minutes. If, after 20 minutes, you seriously and honestly feel you NEED another piece, then you can have one." 

This tactic prevents me from engaging in impulsive, runaway eating behaviors and also shows me I CAN BE SATISFIED with LESS.  That was a profound realization for me, that I could control my intake of food. I have to tell you, when I have this little dialogue with myself, 90% of the time when the 20 minutes have passed, I don't WANT more.

As for cheat day, yeah, I felt a little ill from about 5-8 as my stomach tried to settle down from being shocked by chocolate and carbs.  It's funny, when I eat like that, I get EXHAUSTED!  It's like my body is working overtime to rid me of all the salt, preservatives and other yucky stuff. I was gulping water like there was no tomorrow.  I went to bed at 11 and DID NOT get up to pee... (I do EVERY night, 1-2 times usually) which tells me I was mega-dehydrated from all the sodium.

I guess I still like cheat day, and will probably do it once a month. It's funny though, I don't know what is worse... the torture of deprivation I sometimes feel when I get fixated on a certain food and feel I HAVE to have it (i.e. Cheetos, peanut butter eggs, breaded shrimp) OR the nasty feeling of way overeating and feeling like garbage.  I do know that it kickstarts my program every time I do it and I wake up the next day more commited and motivated than ever to work hard at my health and fitness. It also keeps me from feeling like I can "never" have this or that, and seriously I see no REAL harm in doing it once a month.  I always go right straight back to my strict plan the next day. I think my next cheat day will be 5/9/10, that is one month from yesterday and Mother's Day... we always go out to eat - maybe I will get a big piece of Key Lime Pie!

I woke up at 8 this morning, later than I have gotten up in weeks! I'm serious, I was sleeping off the food hangover!  I rolled out of bed with a grim and gritty determination. I knew I had some serious running to do today and was feeling nervous about it (and also a lot like a fat slug. LOL). I made myself my standard protein drink with no frills - (sometimes I throw a tbs. of peanut butter in there but NOT TODAY) got my iPod charged up and dressed up in my running gear. It's a beautiful day today - sunny and 65... was about 50 when I left but still I warmed up so much after about the first 2 miles I had to take one of my shirts off.

This is the longest run I've done probably since last season - 10 miles, and it went extremely well!  I ran 5 to my turnaround point and then had to stop for the bathroom (that's one annoying thing about pregnancy - you feel like you have to pee all the time even when you don't, lol) hurried up at the bathroom, did not lollygag and got back on the road. I ran all the way home without stopping and DID NOT WALK AT ALL! I was so proud! Oh wait, I did walk up one steep hill on the way home, but that was it.

My legs are really sore right now.  Mike asked me yesterday what I had planned for today and I told him "run 10 miles and then be useless for the rest of the day." LOL  It's so nice out though I'm going to try to resist the urge to lodge myself on the couch with Lifetime. haha.  Macy is taking a nap, so I think I will rest a bit now and then go back outside when she wakes up.

Well, I'm almost 21 weeks pregnant and I can still run 10 miles... I think I will be in pretty good shape for the half marathon, it's only a little over two months away!  There will probably be a lot of potty breaks and no record times, but I am going to do it come hell or high water!