Believe it or not, I actually made it through every single challenge this weekend, thanks to sticking to my focus on conscious choice-making. Saturday lunch (on the road trip) with my fried-food-loving friends went well: they had burgers and fries, but I thought about my long-term goals and went with a salmon salade nicoise. They stopped for cookies, but I resisted. They stopped for ice cream, but I resisted. Saturday dinner (at a tapas restaurant) I talked my friend (we were sharing plates) out of ordering the Manchego cheese and into ordering something healthier, and then I resisted the delicious-looking fresh bread to dip in the leftover sauces, making it out of dinner with a total food intake of 507 calories.

Today I went to an out-of-town funeral, so in the car I ate some healthy snacks which I had brought with me. When I got there and was hit with all the emotion, I went straight for the bar...but then thought about my goals, realized that it was emotional eating/drinking rearing its ugly head, and had diet coke instead. After several hours I was hungry again, but the food consisted almost entirely of cheese and crackers, NOT a good choice for me, and not something I can easily limit once I start nibbling. Instead, I had some cherry tomatos and baby carrots, then had dinner the second I got home, even though it was only 16h15. (I still have more than enough calories for another mini-meal as an evening snack.)

So YAY for me...the first time in recent memory that I can remember making it through an entire weekend without choosing short-term gratification over my long-term goals, thus sabotaging my efforts in the process. This weekend proved to me that it may not be easy, but that I can in fact do it. Note to self: reread this post every Friday afternoon to help prepare myself mentally for future weekends!