Monday, October 01, 2007

Regression: a weekend of just too much food

I set myself up with a pretty regular workout routine the last couple of years, and was done to a decent weight for quite a while.  However, I noticed that despite my healthier local eating this summer, I was still adding a little too much junk to my diet, and perhaps being a little lax with the workouts.  I blame the heat – I’m not a summer runner.  So I hopped on the scale this morning…and it’s gone up 5 lbs!  This is not good.  A 1-2 lb fluctuation I could brush off as typically daily water intake, but 5 is a big number – too big to chalk up to excess H20.  Sigh…I’ve gotten lazy.  More so with the diet that the exercise, which is actually worse for me – I used to be able to eat whatever I want and just work it off, but alas my metabolism must have disappeared with my rapidly-fleeting youth!

So I am sitting here on this beautiful fall morning, vowing to start monitoring my food intake a little more closely – I will stop and think before I eat that ice cream sundae! 

Ice cream was only one of many things I indulged in during this fun-and-food-filled weekend…  On Friday, I skipped a few hours of work to help at the River City Roundup’s “Rough ‘N Ready Challenge”, a rodeo event for handicapped children.  It was an awesome event; a special rodeo just for these kids that normally wouldn’t get to participate in something so elaborate.  They could ride horses, pet goats, rope “steer”, ride the “bucking bronco”, get their faces painted and their pictures taken, all in the company of real cowboys.  There was even a gun duel performance to entertain us while we waited for lunch. (Major food event #1:  BBQ pork and cornbread). 

Friday night was the Junior League’s Toast to Omaha event, an annual fundraiser.  This year it benefitted the Ronald McDonald mobile dental service that brings dentists to kids at lower-income schools.  I got to wear my new dress and chow on hor d’uerves. (Major food event #2). 

My family was in town for the weekend; we all walked or ran in Saturday morning’s Cathedral Cup Run at the St. Cecilia Church.  OMG!  I had been warned about the “Mount St. Davenport”  (a large LONG hill) but I had no idea how bad it was…but my feet sure do now…  I’m due for a new pair of running shoes…actually far overdue, and it’s starting to show.  The past week, my right hip and knee have been completely out-of-whack, and now my feet are aching too. 

After the race, we headed to the Radial Café for breakfast (Major food event #3: Apricot-stuffed French toast and bacon).  Stuffed and exhausted, we headed to Lincoln to watch the Husker-Iowa State game.  It is much more pleasant to watch football when your team wins!   (Major food event #4: Pop, Runza, ice cream sundae).  My dad likes to find new restaurants to try by reading the reviews in the paper; after the game, we met up with my folks at the Europe Café, or as the free pen the owner gave us proclaimed, the Aurope Coffee.  The owners were a lovely European couple, but they had recently immigrated and werent quite caught up on the language yet.  Regardless, the food was great, as was the service, so I might convince the DH to go back there another time (Major food event #5: Mediteranean burger and fries).

We took it easy Saturday night after getting up at 5, running a hilly roadrace, and then sitting in the sun all day, we were both exhausted!  We watched a movie and I worked on my latest belly dance costume.  Sunday morning, the sweet DH made me breakfast (Major food event #6: fried eggs and dill rye toast).  We went our separate Sunday ways (me sewing, him watching football); after a rather lame belly dance rehearsal, I indulge in Major food event #7 (more ice cream) and then #8 after my second and third rehearsals of the day (leftover pizza).  Ugh, so much food!  No wonder my butt looks like a bag full of Jello!

So, another busy weekend (what else is new, huh?).  This week is full already too belly dance class tonight, two rehearsals on Wednesday, helping at the food co-op on Thursday (plus picking up my first order!) followed by the first official JLO Leadership Academy meeting.  On Friday the DH and I will meet up with some of my friends at Espana in Benson to watch La Tamara, a flamenco dancer from whom Ive taken a workshop.  Then Saturday is finally Yallahween