Too Many Fours

So much has gone on since I last posted. Where oh where to start.

There was the unplanned day trip to the Corporate Office. Then a planned two-day trip to Corporate that expanded to three. The work crunch has been relentless and stressful, and it's not been positive to the exercise and healthy eating regimen.

This week's trip really threw me. In the middle of the week was my 44th birthday. I knew there was a chance that my Wednesday meetings would keep me late or even over to the next day, but the kids couldn't wait for me to get home. Gut wrenching, really. As the day wore on, I realized that I would not make it home on Wednesday and my mood truly soured. I didn't want to talk to anyone on the day my phone and email never stopped with best wishes for the big day. I got home a full day late and met the family for a belated birthday crab cake dinner, finally starting to feel the numb of the prior few days wearing off.

I diligently packed a couple sets of workout duds for the trip, unfortunately, leaving the office after 8 pm and back in at 6 am doesn't bode well for that which would have cleared my head. I brought home two sets of clean gym wear.

A bigger issue this week was at meal time. Some of that old fat Jeff was out and about. Looking back, it seems like every meal had me full half way through. I know I finished every meal -- good to the last drop. There was the awesome too big, too good Greek salad that I shoulda taken half back for a late afternoon snack. Birthday lunch included half a loaf of onion bread, dipped in goo -- olive oil, Parmesan cheese and spices. Birthday dinner started with two nice glasses of red wine, an order of my favorite roasted red peppers and mozzarella, bathed in olive oil, followed by a big bowl of seafood pasta -- worked to completion of course. At the family crab cake dinner, after I finished mine, I finished Matty's cake and then Zach's. Friday was a day of grazing on everything in sight.

I started to feel like I was in a competitive eating contest, with me as the only contestant. Four days of feasting. Four days without exercise. Happy 44th to me!

I got on the scale this morning knowing that the news would be bad. It was. But I was off to the gym for my Saturday double -- Body Pump followed by spin. While I was spinning, I was thinking -- when I start the day with exercise, it sets the tone for my eating. Yeah, sometimes I compensate with a little extra food on the big days, but nothing like this. I was totally out of control. Part of me enjoyed it, but most of me hated it.

Live and learn -- one of my toughest four day periods in the past 2 1/2 years and I failed in the diet and exercise departments, but if I learn how to deal with the next one, I'll bump that grade to a C.

L'Chaim!