Well, I guess I should have seen that coming.  It was bound to catch up with me.  I had been running a calorie deficit for days because I just wasn’t hungry, probably still packed with all that holiday food. But I’ve lost those few pounds added recently, and now I’m down to the ones that have been hanging around my belly, butt, and thighs for far-too-long.

Inevitably, I started to feel hunger, and that showed up today, at the worst possible time.  As luck would have it, I was on the road, in a hotel concierge lounge, with all kinds of free goodies spread out for the taking. I had some of the Cajun mix, which is mostly spiced rice crackers, peanuts, pepitas, and sesame sticks.. Not great, because of the rice and the sesame sticks which are really more flour than sesame, unfortunately. But I gave myself a pat on the back for avoiding the chocolate-covered espresso beans, the salty roasted cashews, and the chocolate-covered peanuts. That set me up for a problem later in the say, as you shall see:

BREAKFAST:  (10:30)

Leaf tea of dandelion, raspberry, and nettles. Fit protein shake with collagen, prepared before I left and downed on the road.

SNACK:  (NOON)

Cajun mix: (spiced rice crackers, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame sticks)

LUNCH: (2:30)

cup “chicken soup”. (chicken breast chunks, bone broth, celery, onion powder, garlic salt, cracked black pepper)

DINNER: (6:45)

Came off the road, icy, hazardous conditions, ate in a restaurant. I have a history of eating when I’m stressed. This was no exception. The restaurant was Turkey chili and small Southwest salad with romaine, corn, sunflower seeds, pepitas, and avocado. It doesn’t sound too bad, but something in the food wasn’t good for me.

Soon my body was reacting with terrible, smelly flatulence, as if it was saying, “You’ve come so far, now what is this junk?” Probably, since it was a partially fast-food restaurant, prepared quickly and sent right out, some of the ingredients were not of the highest caliber. The chicken was likely not hormone-free, the dressing probably prepared with canola oil, and who-knows-what-else.  I now know why so many people who make an art of eating clean carry their own dressing with them at all times.

SNACK:

When I got home, the devil on my shoulder told me I blew the day so I should eat the things I’ve been avoiding in the house? I can start fresh tomorrow, right?  Tonight, I listened. Fresh from a harrowing drive home, I rewarded myself with an old-fashioned drink with extra cherries, half an orange, 1 chocolate square of 88% cacao.  But that wasn’t enough…oh, no.  I had several fingertips full of 72% cacao chocolate chunks, the kind you put in cookies, and I didn’t stop there.

The debacle continued as I made a mocha drink with decaf coffee, a heaping scoop of cacao, stevia, almond milk, and bourbon.  It tasted terrible; I drank a third and threw the rest out. I know I will regret my transgressions tomorrow when I step on the scales.  Can I find comfort from getting this out of my system so I can go back to clean eating tomorrow?