Well last Thursday I left off preparing myself to stray from the Diet, as a family emergency forced me to go out of town. I was sad because I was doing relatively well and knew that I could have made it to the end. But in light of a long round-trip car ride, hospital visits and the care of five children, I came to grips with the fact that the weekend meals would probably consist mostly of fast food. Shortly after my last post on Thursday night, I received a message from Mike Dolce He told me to rise to the challenge and find a way to stay on track by using strength from within. First and foremost, I was incredibly flattered that he took the time out of his busy day to contact me. Secondly and most importantly, in the short time it took him to send me a message, he restored my faith and confidence that I could follow this through despite a challenging circumstance.
I knew I was not going to be able to food shop and prepare a lot of special meals for myself while taking care of the kids and making my way back and forth to the hospital. So in the morning, as I was packing the kids some snacks for the ride up to Boston, I looked around the kitchen and grabbed what I could to help me stay on track. I got a bag, emptied the fruit bowl, grabbed my multi grain bread, a bag of spinach, a large handful of green tea bags, my package of cranberries and threw a case of water into the car. I was packing stuff for the kids, why couldn't I do the same for myself? We made the trip in record time and arrived at my sister's house without having stopped at a McDonald's or a Dunkin Donuts. The kids ran wild for a few hours and then dinner was upon us. How do you feed five children quickly? Pizza. However, I only ordered enough pizza to feed the kids and ordered a salad with grilled chicken for myself. When it arrive I started making plans for the morning. I grabbed a Ziploc bag and removed the raw onions and green peppers from the salad. My plan was to save them for the morning, as this would keep me from having to stop at the supermarket. Everyone had dinner, luckily there was no left over pizza to even tempt me and everyone was off to bed.
I managed to get through dinner and off to the hospital without a break in the Diet. The next morning I woke up early and got through my breakfast before the kids got up. My parents had eggs and dried spices in the house, so with that, plus the veggies I saved from the night before, I was able to make a Dolce breakfast. By the time the kids got up I had already eaten and was not hungry when the pancakes and sausage hit the table. I took the opportunity to go shower while the grandparents supervised breakfast. The day went on much the same and dinner consisted of a spinach salad with tuna. Tuna was not ideal, as I needed some mayo to eat it, but I swear I only used a little, plus it was the only fish available in my parents house. I had to improvise. Later that evening, after everyone was asleep and hospital visits were over, I settled down to watch Strikeforce. Normally this type of event would be watched with friends, beer and junk foods. But since I was in a house full of children and geriatrics, it was just me, showtime, a cup of green tea and some dried cranberries. Not the same, but at least I was relaxing and didn't miss Strikeforce. This morning Dunkin Donuts was on the menu for breakfast as we had to get on the road early to get back to NJ. It was not problem, as I already figured out how to avoid breakfast with the kids the day before.
I did not manage to fit in any exercise while in Boston - how could I? But I did workout this evening now that I am home. No exercise, but also no happy meals, no pizza, no donuts, no chicken nuggets and no Chinese food. Not bad. I didn't have any major weight loss, as exercise is key, but I am down 1 more pound. That totals 13 lbs in 18 days. Three days left and my plan is to see it to the end.
Thank you Mike Dolce for keeping me on tract. I have been critical of the plan for average people due to my assumption of professional athletes being supported by trainers and chefs. Whereas I am left on my own to make it through. I was wrong. I found support where I never expected to find it. It came in the form of a tweet. It was short and to the point, but it carried the strength of Mike Dolce with it, which was exactly the motivation I needed to make it work.
Lesson learned Days 16-18: The Diet can work despite a changing environment. If your situation changes - change with it. Use what you have learned about portion size and nutrition and adjust your course. Don't make excuses to fail!
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