one hike a week does not warrant an eating free-for-all

have you ever overeaten just because you know you’re going to be doing a lot of exercise and then overeat some more because you did do the exercise?

i fall victim to this line of thought each time i do a strenuous workout…heck, it even happens if i do a little workout!

last week was bad because we had a birthday lunch for 2 co-workers, a potluck at work and dinner with the boyfriend’s dad and stepmom. i ate fairly well but not great at the birthday lunch, i ate horribly at the potluck (can you say TWO slices of cheesecake?!?!?) and chowed down on chips & bean dip at dinner with the ‘rents. and let’s not even talk about the alcohol i consumed during the week…

so what rationale did i use? a 6 mile hike with an elevation gain of 1,000 feet. yes, hiking can be tough and it burns a lot of calories but could it possibly burn the 4160 extra calories i consumed during my food-fest? no!! i’d say it burned closer to 800 of those calories. no wonder my weight and body fat % went up when i stepped on the scale today.

this is my life: lose a pound, gain 2; lose 4, gain 6. the activities involved in gaining are so much more pleasurable; eat, drink and be social. no wonder losing is hard, it’s not as fun.

i do try to make being healthier fun. i create interesting meals even though i’m usually the only one eating them (eat), i switched to 1 glass of red wine most evenings (drink) and i’ve started hiking with my friends on saturdays (be social). so i’ve got the eat, drink & be social steps covered; i should be successful, right? wrong. somehow i still fall short of my goals and it is beyond me as to how i fix it. well i do know how to fix it, have a little freakin’ self control!!! and THAT is my biggest area of weakness.

i don’t think anyone is reading this blog but if you are and you have any success stories or good ideas, i would love to hear them. thank you