Retreats are tough

I just got back from a wonderful weekend with several friends attending a Christian Conference called "Women of Faith" From a faith perspective it was a home run! From a healthy living perspective... well, a struggle.

I meant well. Just like I tell you to, I planned it out. I had my little pink insulated bag with oatmeal bran muffins, grapes, triscits, apple, fig newtons & water.

Started well: driving up, I passed on the cookies everyone brought to share. For dinner had grilled chicken, dry baked potato and brocolli, although I'll confess the portions might have been too big. Strike one... I ate that ginormous cookie the hotel gives you at check in. I may have to send an email suggestion to the hotel: please do not to hand free hot cookies to hungry women just before dinner. So technically, I was only partially to blame??? you're right, I shouldn't have taken possession
Breakfast I did eat my little muffins, ok...plus one piece of Betty's special poppyseed bread, only minor infraction, but, as you can tell, the slippery slope had begun.

Lunch was at the coliseum, the box lunch prepared by the event organizers- I think I may send another email suggestion to those women who organize box lunches for 13,000 women: What were you thinking, Ladies????: I about freaked when I opened it! (mayonnaise based) chicken salad on white roll, full fat potato chips, and orange and a cookie?? About all I can say for myself is that I did forgo the chips completely and was certainly glad I had my grapes and muffins with me. I thought about what other options were at the concession stand, and seeing hamburgers, fries and pizza, thought perhaps the chicken salad and orange may still be the best of the options available to me. Even so, the calories still count full value.

I will give myself extra credit that for the rest of the day I did NOT indulge the popcorn, ice cream, french fries, etc etc etc that were all around me. My little bag of goodies got me out the door with some reasonable sense of accomplishment.

But by then I was hungry, and hungry people are vulnerable people

We ate at Panera, I did order a salad and I did use half the dressing.
but I was not satisfied and when the group opened up the cookies on the way home:trouble!

I was having one of those out of body experiences- It's like you are watching tv, you see yourself eating cookies while another part of you says :No! No!! don't do it!! --- too late.

So when I counsel people here's what I tell them

• Plan in advance how you are going to be successful in the situation
• Don't let yourself get hungry
• Make as good a decision as possible in situations where best is not available.
• Expect every now and then to fall off the wagon but get back on ASAP.

As you can see, I do understand what you are going through as you struggle to make those principles work for you.
Sometimes you have good choices,
sometimes you have better choices,
sometimes you have best choices.
Sometimes you have no choices, the success plan is playing makeup for a couple days afterward.

Like I said, Retreats are tough.