W2, Day 4: Indulgences

So yesterday I did end up splurging by 250 calories, which is half of the calories I'm supposed to save each day.  The idea is that MyFitnessPal estimates the number of calories you need each day to break even and then subtracts 500 a day from there.  If you stay within their calorie limit, you should be burning 500 calories a day times seven days to make 3,500 a week, or about one pound. Unlike Weight Watchers, there is no "allowance" that allows you to splurge for a day.  I suppose you can always take it upon yourself to eat less one day to give yourself more calories another day.  I have a hard time with that though because I'm such a rule follower and when I see that little daily total reminder at the bottom, I want to fall in right by it exactly.

Sometimes I do miss the Weight Watchers flexibility that allowed me to basically have a weekend off and grab a burger if I wanted it.  I can still have that burger now, but I'd better be prepared to work damn hard for it exercising, not eat much else during the day, or see my calories go in the red at the bottom of the screen.  So you see, I have to make a choice if I want that special food.  I suppose it's like real life for everyone else!  You might say, "Uh, that's just eating responsibly."  *Sigh*  I don't like the new Weight Watchers because it didn't work well for me, but I remember the old days when I would pick one food or meal that I had been craving all week like a milkshake or pizza and enjoy it with probably indecent abandon on a Saturday.  That actually helped me stay on track because I knew that like baggage at an airport, my favorite foods weren't lost forever, they had hopped on a delayed flight and were waiting for the moment when I chose to pick them up at the gate.

I don't have the cravings yet because it's still early in the weight loss process and I'm all jazzed up, and because it still hurts when I eat fatty foods (kind of puts a damper on that pizza), but I know they will return.  I've found that if I deny myself for too long, then all of a sudden I lose my control, fall off the wagon, and binge eat.  I wish I could say this isn't true of myself, but it is.  Yesterday's 250 calories (mostly sweets) is a small reminder of what happens when I try to stay strong and push myself to accept hunger.  Fortunately, I can deal with 250 calories, but later when it's 2500 extra calories?  Because food is comfort for me, I need to find a way to let in those "fun foods" into my life and still stay on track.  I'm looking for some foods that I can enjoy and still stay on track.  It's a challenge for everyone!  Do you have any lower calorie foods that you just adore?  You know, the type of snack that conjures the image of sitting by a warm fireside with a good book and a cat in your lap?  That small indulgence that in a quiet five minutes makes your day that much better?  Let me know!