Food poisoning makes a fabulous (or not) diet!

Ok, before I have anyone jumping all over me screaming ED…ED…I am totally 100% kidding about food poisoning being a good diet (sort of…whatever…it did shed a few pounds remarkably quickly, but it sure is HELL). In case you missed it, I got a terrible case of food poisoning the day after moving to Michael’s and I was sick for about 4 days. I spent a lot of time bonding with this bad boy…

Too bad our bathroom isn’t quite as Pottery Barn chic as that one in the picture above. It might have made the hours that I spent on the floor more bearable. Note – it’s funny how when you’re totally fine (and sober) the thought of laying on or around a toilet is the most disgusting thing ever. However, when you’re terribly sick (or possibly intoxicated) nothing feels better than laying on that cold bathroom floor…so gross!!!

Anywho, I’ll save you the especially gory details, but needless to say I may never eat crappy Chinese food again. And I know for a FACT that I’ll never ever eat sweet and sour chicken again. Gag…

Being horribly sick for 12 hours and eating not much other than ice chips, saltines, and plain toast for almost three days really did a wonder on me. First, I developed a migraine three days after “the incident” and again had to miss work. See…that’s why not eating is NOT a decent weight-loss idea. However, during the entire horrible ordeal I did lose 6 lbs. 3 of which I gained right back when I could actually eat again (stupid water weight), but the other 3 I’ve managed to keep off!

Ok, I’m rambling, so where am I going with this you’re asking?! Well, for one, I took food poisoning as a sign that maybe it was time to start treating my body a little better. I had been eating like total and complete CRAP and was eating out A LOT. The chaos of the move was partly to blame, but I was also just being really lazy and careless about my health.

Cheesesteaks, though delicious, do not need to be a regular staple in my diet!

Therefore, since recovering from the “poison” I’ve really been focusing on eating more balanced meals, eating out less, and making better choices when I do actually go out. And I am feeling really great!! I know it’s only been a week, but I can already tell a huge difference in how I look and feel. My “skinny” pants are fitting again and I have a lot more energy. I’ve also been focusing on not being so rigid with my expectations. Right now, I think it’s reasonable to stay 100% on track during the weeks because when I’m in my work routine it’s easy to eat well. And on the weekends, I’ve decided to not be as strict with eating, but to also continue to make good choices instead of going all crazy like I have in the past. For instance, this weekend Michael and I spent all day Saturday in Dallas and we popped into one of my fav chain restaurants Gordon Biersch for lunch (I hadn’t had GB since leaving Ohio and was SO excited to learn there is one in Dallas). Instead of inhaling both of these oh-so-amazing soft pretzels the size of my head as an appetizer, I split them with Michael. And we took most of the second one home! It was nice to actually be able to enjoy my entree salad without feeling like I was going to explode.

These puppies were Ah-mah-zing...and even better when I took the time to actually taste them instead of shoving them down my throat

So yea, I basically took this entire long rambling post to say that I’ve reconnected with the “healthier” side of living again. And I feel great! I even took the time to workout last night (previously I figured packing/moving my stuff down 3 flights of steps made up for months of not getting my butt off the couch) and I’m loving the slight burn in my muscles today. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I really think eating/working out/living is more enjoyable when you are being good to your body and not indulging in every single sinful item on the menu. So here’s to a more healthy and happy fall (or extension of summer because it’s still 90 down here!).