The new baby has been sick with a terrible cold. She is barely able to breath through her nose. It is frightening even for experienced parents. My toddler has had her own issues recently as well. She’s enjoyed a middle-of-the-night fever and has had trouble sleeping through the night. Needless to say, the last 6 days have been a struggle. My eating has been atrocious, which is aiding my drowsy mental state. I have really been out of control, snacking constantly, picking up candy bars at the grocery store checkout lane, buying a ½ gallon of Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream and bringing it into the house – a big no-no for me. We never store those kinds of treats in the house, preferring to make ice cream an event by visiting a local gelato shop or dairy farm to enjoy those chilly summertime treats.
On Friday morning, I was reminded of just how hard losing weight is. I woke up early had a toasted bagel with low-sodium Simply Jif peanut butter and a tall glass of Apple Juice then went to work. I decided to give up butter, as a condiment, once again – I want to get to a point where I am only using it to cook. I got to work and became very hungry, very quickly. I walked down to the cafeteria and eyed a chocolate glazed donut. It looked so good I could almost taste it! Then I stopped and pictured my beautiful family and how I promised myself that I would be alive to see my girls grow up and be healthy enough to play with them forever. I tossed the donut back and went for an ice water and soft pretzel. I felt really good about the decision, of course, but I was once again face to face with the most difficult part of losing weight – the hour by hour choices that shape my day and my stomach. It is so hard to get it right all the time. One slip can cause me to slide into a junk-eating frenzy. All momentum (even a mornings-worth) can be wasted courtesy of a lone donut or Take Five candy bar.
Dad’s Losing It articles are published every Saturday and Tuesday. Follow Jeff’s journey during the rest of the week in the Dad’s Losing It Forum. In the Forum, Jeff discusses his individual workout routines and soundtracks, among other tidbits and musings from the week.
Jeff is a Family Fun blogger. Read more of his posts here.