Road Hard

I knew a quick turnaround visit to Jackson, Miss., would present some challenges to my eating and exercise routines, especially because I was riding with someone else.

First stop on the road: 2 p.m. lunch at McDonald's. Thank goodness for their salad menus, from which I ordered the Southwest Salad without the cheese or tortilla strips.

When we finally arrived to meet the family for dinner at 5:30, our casual meal had already been prepared - lasagne with extra cheese, green beans, French bread and a salad. (Hooray for salad and low-fat dressing!)

Because my family members are part of my support group, they understood when I passed on everything but the green beans and salad. My sweet sister-in-law pointed the way to the fridge, where she had stocked a good selection of fresh fruit and veggies. It actually worked out fine.

After my niece's play performance last night, we all gathered one more time for - you guessed it - pound cake and ice cream at 9 p.m.

Yep, it was a little uncomfortable being the "odd man out," but
1) that's part of accepting the responsibility for being overweight in the first place, and 2) knowing that small sacrifices along the way will be SOOOOO worth the results in the end.

Back at the hotel at 10 p.m., I teetered between going to work out or just taking a shower and hitting the sack...especially since the time would "spring forward" during the night.

Not wanting to record a day of no activity on my exercise log or to report a poor choice on this blog post was enough to motivate me to change clothes and head to the fitness center for a 30-minute treadmill session.

Hot and sweaty when I returned to the room, I slept soundly, proud of the day's effort and thankful for supportive friends and family.

Thanks, Team!!