Water surrounds the lotus flower, but does not wet its petals

DAY 22
No gym, no run
Dog walk 45 min.

Recently I found some quotes by men that are way more knowledgeable than I am about healthy living. Word smith William Shakespeare said this: "our bodies are our gardens – our wills are our gardeners.”  Ahhh, so profound. Budda said "To keep the body in good health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to trim the lamp of wisdom, and keep our mind strong and clear. Water surrounds the lotus flower, but does not wet its petals." Huh? I got the first part but he lost me at "wet petals."  I liked this guy's quote better: "Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.”  ~Doug Larson.

Isn't that the truth?! Man, put a plate of broccoli in front me along with a plate of tasty (I seriously just licked my lips) bacon and admittedly I'll choose the bacon. Here is another honest quote from Gregg Avedon, one of Men's Health Magazines cover models "Sure I've cheated (speaking of his eating habits). How would I know what good eating is if I'd never eaten badly?" That's an honest answer from a guy that is clearly getting it right with respect to health & fitness as a lifestyle. What's tough about my diet is that I feel rigid. I spiced up lunch yesterday by eating 5 oz of tuna, tomato, low fat cheese and lettuce on a thin bagel. It was great and my brain was like "oh, that's new. I like that." I made a good choice by creating some variety. A couple of things are happening this weekend. There's a cookout my wife and I are going to and then we're having some friends over to hang out and have desert. There is some anxiety about this weekend. I should not feel anxious about having a good time and spending time with friends. How do I make healthy choices and still enjoy good food (that might not be on the diet) on this long-haul living plan? I'm beginning to feel a little diet fatigue. I'm not giving up but I'm feeling it. I'm trying to remember as well that I'm not just dieting to lose the weight. I'm trying to change my behaviors for the long term. I can't just diet for the rest of my life. In a sense I'm re-training my stomach, my brain and my body to make better choices overall. I'm finding it hard to do that when I'm on a rigid plan counting everything.

A few things I'm thinking through:
Planning is going to be essential for the long-haul - I need to work on getting up early and take it seriously. When my day is packed  (like today) it's the only time I can get my workouts in during the week. I may need to intentionally do workouts in the mornings again simply to manage the re-training of choices. I need to get a solid workout in on Saturday prior to the cookout and maybe even eat something prior to the cookout so that I don't over-eat.

Moderation will be key. As I have written before, instead of having that HUGE piece of cake, take a small piece of cake and don't regret it. I like chocolate & I also enjoy beer. I like "good" beer and "good" beer usually doesn't taste great when it's "lite". For example, there is a reason there is no such thing as a "Lite" Guinness. I have this goofy thing that I'm not touching beer till my birthday, but when I'm with friends or out on the town there is usually "good" beer. I think I might need to rethink this. Not for the sake of having a beer. That would be stupid. No, having a beer or a piece of cake might be essential to my "re-training".

Rigid is good for now but don't over do it. I'm on a diet for a reason. I need to loose some pounds for sure and to do that requires being rigid. If I eat the same thing a few days in a row that's probably ok. I guess what I'm trying to do is create balance, harmony, etc...

Find your balance

Thought for the day: "Happiness (or eating healthy in my case) is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony." Thomas Merton