Veggie Wrap-up and Meeting Recap

So veggie week draws to a close! I can't say I am sorry - I will definitely not miss the breakfast salad. I did get a tasty sounding recipe from my friend Ellen and I will try to make it this weekend!

I went to the meeting yesterday with some reasonable expectations. I had eaten more than usual beforehand - the meeting is at noon, and I normally have a banana or some other piece of fruit ... At any rate, I woke up realllly early and so had a banana and some toast with peanut butter on it later, because I was starving. I still felt really full, so I was thinking I would maybe lost half a pound to a pound on account of the breakfast in my stomach.

However, a week of salads at every meal netted a .2 weight GAIN. Now, I sort of refuse to acknowledge that piddly amount. That is a 0.2 so it really means staying the same because I think I could exhale and lose .2 pounds. But nonetheless, I went into the meeting feeling surly and sat, arms crossed, as Lisa extolled the virtues of this veggie challenge. Someone lost 3 lbs. Someone else 2. Someone got out of their plateau! I wasn't about to kill their buzz by sharing "I gagged down salad thrice a day and I gained a fingernail's worth of weight." Can't you just hear the sad trumpet sound effect in your head? That would have been mean. However, Lisa later brought up that part of dieting is not only LOSING weight, but also maintaining a weight loss. And I thought about some of the positives of the veggie challenge:

Felt healthier
Less likely to snack because tummy full of vegetables
Renewed appreciation for the deliciousness of fruit (I fell upon a nectarine like a savage one day after work. LIKE A SAVAGE.)
Increased desire to branch out, veggie-wise, as a I grew so weary of salad.

Plus, I could have gained MORE weight, or had an allergic reaction to a tomato. So I got over my surliness.

Then Lisa brought up the challenge for this week "Play." She urged everyone to go outside and do things that were fun, like skipping, jumping rope, etc.

I sat there, thinking "Oh Lisa, are you INSIDE MY HEAD?" Because she had basically outlined my plans for the afternoon. I met a bunch of friends at the lake to play games and enjoy the sunshine. We had three-legged races, egg races (which I won!) and just in general had a lot of fun. We also walked a bit.

One of the things I need to be better about is simply moving more and enjoying it. I am lucky enough to be in good health and able to move around easily - no old sports injuries or illnesses - and I live in a great city with tons to do outdoors. I need to take advantage of that!

I would also recommend making sure that the people you invite to play are super awesome and fun!

On a previous nice Saturday, I may have gone for a brief walk. On this Saturday, I spent several hours playing, lazing and walking in glorious sunshine!

It was delightful, and has put me in the perfect frame of mind for this week's challenge - working out every day!