Don't spoil dinner!!

The calorie tracking is going good. I've been spot on since about July 7th.

Until this last Wednesday. I'm not going to label it food poisoning, because the food at Gumbo Ya Ya's was really good. No one else got sick, and some people even had what I ordered. I can say though, without doubt, that my body rejected the seafood gumbo. By midnight, I was orally removing it all. Not pleasant.

This took me out of schedule for about a good 48 hours. No exercise, no calorie counting. Lot's of couch laying. As of yesterday I'm feeling much better. I went to the gym and did a swim workout, which was my first in about 10 months. It was really nice - so much so I'll be incorporating that into my cross training at least once a week for now.

The point of this blog though is that since the sickness I've noticed my inability to consume my normal caloric intake. Erin reminded me that my stomach probably shrunk from the heaving, which I never put together. This new restricted intake has been interesting; I feel full very quickly and am content. It was troubling the first few meals, as I tried to get it all in, but once I realized why, it became a pleasant surprise. Sooo, all this had me thinking of what I'm sure most of us heard growing up. "Don't spoil your dinner". This was often said in the late afternoon while dinner was just starting to be prepared. It's hardwired into me now to not eat within 4 hours of dinner, at least, and then have a BIG meal. This new stomach restriction has made me realize how detrimental this harwired code has been for me and possibly the nation at large!!!

It's ok to eat every few hours. In fact it's good for you, as long as you can contain yourself with regard to portion control. So, I will spend this next week re-wiring myself to try and go with this new intake limitation. Let's see if it sticks or if I slowly ramp back up my calories. It will be hard to get my caloric needs, but I'm up for the challenge.

It's definitely worth pondering though. We will have kids soon, and when we do so, we will be responsible for setting the patterns in their life. That's a big deal. Let's hope all this new found awareness will help our next generation avoid the diet related diseases (obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, etc.).