The Temptation of Potlucks

First off, I'd like to start by saying that yesterday morning before I went to workout with Gina, I weighed myself. No kidding, the scale said 137...137! I haven't weighed under 140 for years!!! That number really lit a fire under my butt. Over the weekend I had a few times where I could've stayed clean, but chose not to (pizza, egg rolls...you know, stuff that is the opposite side of clean.) Afterward, I really felt the effects on my body, which was actually good for me to experience, like after the pizza night, I was so lethargic the entire following day I could hardly function. So when I saw the 137, I decided right then and there that the cheating was going to be kept to an absolute minimum. I want to be at 130 for Thanksgiving and at least 125 for Christmas, and if I'm going to reach those goals, I've got to keep my cravings and temptations in check.

So what better way to challenge myself than to be tempted by a church potluck last night. Could I hold onto my resolve when the counter was packed full of delicious but not so nutritious food? I knew it would be hard, so I made a game plan. For my main dish contribution I made a clean turkey sausage, chicken and rice dish which was delicious, then I made the apple-cranberry crumble found on www.eatcleandiet.com (though I ran out of honey and had to use molasses and a little bit of sugar in the crumble topping--which I think the molasses added a very tasty dimension!) I figured if all that I could eat was my two dishes, then at least I would be able to eat and be completely satisfied. So come potluck time, I was limited, but was able to eat from the fresh fruit tray, a broccoli and chicken dish, and my two dishes. I left felling very content and completely happy that I had stuck to the game plan (even though the chocolate cake was beckoning).

So after yesterday, I know that come Thanksgiving time and Christmas party time, I'll be ready to take the challenge. What a fun game to play, Buffet Table I Spy. Maybe I can convince others to play along!