Tuesday, August 28, 2007

the good, the bread, the ugly

Ok, about this summer shed program.
I had some good experiences with it personally. And a couple embarrassing ones.

About a month ago I flew to DC to meet with my boss (I've decided that a boss 1,000 miles away is a real boost to career success -- but that's another discussion). I taught the 5:45am Wed yoga class, flew thru the bathroom and traded my yoga top for a t-shirt and put on a jacket. Mr Right was waiting to whisk me to the airport to catch a 7:50 flight. Got on the plane armed with my travel necessities: a banana, an energy bar, a book and my iPod. Easy flight. Landed, did the airport thing with the luggage and cab and went right to my DC office. My boss was waiting, then immediately after him my colleagues. Back to back meetings until 6pm. Now I'd like to tell you I snuck away for healthy snacks, and I can tell you I got my water in. But by 6:30 I was absolutely ravenous. A workout, a flight and a 12-hour workday on a couple hundred calories. Sounds like the ultimate get-skinny plan, doesn't it?
I wish.
I walked over to King Street and decided Greek food sounded good. Sat down and ordered a lemon-garlic Chicken dish, light on the sauce, with steamed vegetables. Life is good.
Except the waiter came around the corner with a basket of bread. Not a problem for me, I don't even like bread. But then he showed me this little flask full of dark green olive oil with little swishes of pureed parsley and garlic. He put it in a saucer and tells me I have to try it. It smells divine.
The bread had the "I look whole grain but I'm probably starchy-white flour with food coloring thrown in" appearance. One piece I decide. Well, my hunger turned into a freakin' monster. Does that ever happen to you after the first bite? I know I'm hungry, but my taste buds are suddenly the Angela-pilot instead of my brain.
That garlicky-parsley oil was amazing. I had three pieces of that bread. Yes, there were only three pieces in the basket. And when my yummy chicken and veggies arrived I couldn't eat 1/4 of it.
Darn waiter. He had me at the parsley-garlic scent.
Lessons? You already know, don't you?
Eat, for crying out loud. Don't wait until the end of the day to wait the appetite monster. And plan for your whole day. Planning for a flight is automatic for me; I have snacks in my bag before I've packed my suitcase. But I didn't think past noon. When I got off that plane I didn't think to go eat because I wasn't going to have time to breathe the rest of the day.
And tell the waiter "NO BREAD!" when he/she takes your order. Heck, tell them the minute you sit down.
Last week I mentioned that Green Acres is bringing in Lorna Vanderhaeghe for a seminar on Tuesday night, September 11th. A timely and important women's health topic: "The Hormone Triangle: Adrenals, Liver & Thyroid." Click here to download the flyer; it's also on www.PhitChicks.com (see "Resources).
Plan your meals and have a healthy week
In fitness & in health,
Angela
http://www.angelabroderick.com/
http://www.phitchicks.com/
www.phitchicks.blogspot.com