Mind Over Matter

Welcome to my new readers!  It is great to meet like-minded people who are having a go at it.   Losing weight can be so hard, and so many attempts end in disappointment, it's inspiring to see so many people soldiering on, even through the struggles of life.
For those of you who are new to my blog, you will hear me talking a lot about Las Vegas, where I lived for 5 years, and desperately want to move back to.  This, our second winter back in the midwest, has been fairly tollerable, but I'm still dreaming of the desert.  I guess it's better I'm dreaming of the desert than dreaming of dessert.  Last week it was in the high 40's, the snow was melting so fast that streams of melted snow flowed into the sewers with enough force to power a small village, and my favorite part; the sidewalks were crystal clear and dry.  Today I woke up to a foot of snow that was blowing all over and for a minute my heart sank a bit.  But this is a new me, so I quickly changed my attitude.  It's just snow, and since the kids have a snow day, I don't have to drive anywhere in it, so I get to just be cozy in my house.  Sometimes changes happen so quickly that we just revert to a learned or habitual response to things instead of thinking them through. 
Struggles with food are the same.  A lot of the times I am wanting to eat something unconstructive are times when I am getting an outside cue from something I've done in the past.  Friday night, for instance, I wanted to have a special dinner, go out to eat or order in.  It wasn't because I mentally needed a cheat meal, but it was the habitual cue that the week was done, my husband was home and I wanted to have a cool, family meal.  We didn't have a special meal that night, and I was a bit disappointed, but I got over it.  Part of the reason I have been able to stay on track this time is because I actually like the food I'm eating.  We did go out to one of my favorite restaurants on Saturday, and I thoroughly enjoyed some Mahi Steak fajitas.  YUM!  I had my cheat meal and got right back on track.  For me, eating in a restaurant with my family is a really warm, inviting experience, and the atmosphere is just as satisfying as the food.  It was actually a fairly clean meal, but I did eat some tortillas and a few chips with salsa.  Eating out at least once on the weekend has become a habit for me, and even though I keep my food choices pretty clean, it would disappoint me if we didn't eat out at least once on the weekend.  Moreso for the habit and the feelings involved than the actual food. 
Lately I have been dreading my weight workout days and I know why, because since I have been doing the last set to failure, it is truly kicking my butt.  I actually push myself outside my comfort zone, and I really hate the weak, shakey feeling I get once I'm done with a hard weight session.  I know that it is good, and means I actually did something for myself, but the feeling bugs me a little.  Thankfully, it passes quickly.  If I let my feelings rule my actions, I would never weight train, and that would be so destructive.  So, even though I don't love it, I love the results it produces, and I like the dream of what it will bring as I press on.  As long as I continue to think about things instead of allowing knee-jerk reactions to take over, I should be able to lick this thing.  It feels good to be on top, for once!  Happy Monday everyone!