I had a very rushed morning today. Three kids, who are the absolute reasons I try everyday, are sometimes, believe it or not, difficult to motivate in the mornings! We all have to be out the door by 8am sharp to get the oldest (11) to middle school and then the middle (8) to the bus stop and the youngest(4) to his mom’s house for preschool. Showers, breakfast, clothing battles and teeth brushing can be quite a show. Thinking about anything healthy to put in my mouth at this point in the day is at the very least, difficult.
I opted to not put anything in my mouth this day, not a good decision. As I made breakfast and kept up a drill sergeant like banter to keep the boys moving, I was tempted several times to just eat something convenient. Snack cake, bowl of raisin bran, cinnamon toast or pop-tarts all seemed momentarily reasonable.
Hold on, I know what you are thinking. FV has these products in his kitchen?? Yes, I do. I am on a journey after all. I also share a home with my father and three young boys.
Now let me make a point here.
There are a zillion excuses for bad eating. If I started a new blog and just listed each day a handful of bad eating excuses, I would be writing through eternity. I am not a high and mighty good nutrition guru. My point is that I, and you, need to eliminate our excuses. I’m slowly, but surely, eliminating all poor nutritional choices in my home. It’s amazing how delicious an apple looks to a kid who can’t find a single morsel of processed, sugar laden snack cake in the kitchen. It’s equally amazing how much friction is caused when you are changing and others around you aren’t. I feel like my family are addicts and I am denying them their fix! During the time of my own evolution I plan to come to a point where bad eating choices are not readily available to myself or my family. Stay tuned for my rants about my son’s schools’ lunch programs!
I digress. The temptation to fill my stomach at the expense of my sensibility became overwhelming at times. Thankfully, I resisted. After I dropped off all the boys, I headed toward the ‘Burgh. I passed Wendy’s, Burger King, McCrap and the toughest one to resist, Dunkin Donuts. Even mild hunger can become a voice in your head. Eat. Eat. Eat!
I needed some gas in my car so I pulled over at a local GetGo convenience store. This was the last place I expected to pull me from the brink of nutritional destruction. Lo and behold at the register they offered bananas, oranges, apples and hard boiled eggs. Vitamins, minerals and protein right at my fingertips. The start to the day was saved. Observe the rest of my consumption…
Breakfast: Banana, Orange, 2 hard boiled eggs. 2 cups coffee
Lunch: 2 slice muenster cheese, one slice ham, 2 leftover pig ribs, 6 brazil nuts, 5 prunes.
Dinner: 4 oz pig butt roast, 1 baked potato, 1 roasted carrot.
I am proud of resisting temptation this morning. It may seem like a small accomplishment, but it means a lot to stay on course.
Holding steady,
FV