That is until I had to go out of town for a research meeting. I learned this weekend that it is hard, nay, IMPOSSIBLE to log my every bite when

1. Others are cooking for me
2. I don’t have a scale and measuring instruments to weigh my portions

Dangit, I tried my best to log the meals I was being forced to eat served at our meeting, but have you ever tried to guess the amount and composition of ingredients in a perfunctorily titled dish like “Sauteed Chicken with Vegetables”? I gave up halfway through the second day at the conference and just relied on my judgment to steer me away from the bad stuff. I chose the vegetarian option when it was available and hunted the snack tables for dried fruit and nuts.

A greasy lunch at The Woodlawn Tap, similar to mine today

And then I flew to Chicago to visit my boyfriend, and all those good intentions have melted away, much like tonight’s Bryers Cherry Vanilla ice cream on my tongue. EATING WELL WHILE ON THE ROAD IS HARD FOR ME. I turn into a toddler when I’m traveling, just grabbing at what looks good and shoving it in my mouth. My biggest hurdle? Especially when I visit Chicago, every meal feels like a celebration and I give myself a free pass to eat what I want. Couple that with my ambitious sightseeing goals when I come here, and I have little time to prepare and eat the food I would eat at home. That said, there is no excuse for the beer and french fries I had for lunch today.

Does anyone have some advice they’d like to impart on how to eat well on the road? How do you guys make your selves “behave” while traveling?

Photo credit Jasmined

damnit.

Since I left the free-cake-and-baked-good mine field of MD Anderson (they like their parties), I’ve been so proud of my ability to resist the lesser temptations presented at my new gig. Bowl of M&Ms? Nice try. Half eaten box of donuts? Psssh! I’m practically invincible!

This morning the email that would remind me of my mortality popped into my mailbox. In celebration of the grand opening of our new cafeteria the chef had prepared FREE CAKE. I’m not exaggerating, I couldn’t concentrate for the next hour. I kept bugging my team mate, trying to convince him to go down there with me. Furtively sneaking off by myself to grab a piece of free cake seemed so…pathetic. Finally I found my accomplice. A few minutes later I was forking into my mouth chunks of yellow sheet cake covered in half inch thick icing. Holy shit, was I happy.

Where am I going with this?

Guilt. It’s an ugly thing to deal with when it comes to food, and for most of us struggling with staying healthy, it’s par for the course. After I polished off a modestly-sized piece of cake, I immediately felt the pangs of guilt ruining my sugar high. But why? I can’t even remember the last time I had a piece of cake. I had to remind myself that most days, as I stated above, I make great choices about snacking. So one time when there was free cake in the entire 6 months I’ve been at this job, I indulged. Big deal.

This brings me to my second point: barring any major health issues like diabetes, for God’s sake, don’t make anything off limits completely. If you love cake, by all means eat some cake now and then. ESPECIALLY IF IT’S FREE. When you put severe restrictions on your diet you set yourself up for failure, guilt, and many other nasty negative feelings. Instead, try doing what I did. I caught myself, realized I was being a tad ridiculous, and vowed to exercise and eat a modest dinner this evening. Perfection is not the goal for me, nor should it be for anyone. Balance is what I’m aiming for. After finishing my yoga routine and polishing off a soup and salad dinner, I feel pretty darn balanced.

Cake once in a while is not bad. Sitting on your ass everyday eating cake is. Obsessing about every morsel that passes your lips is even worse.

Photo credit: John Ong