Oh well!

Sadly, I actually gained weight this week. I didn't go off plan, but since we're in the middle of a record breaking heat wave and my wedding rings are so tight I can't get them off, I'm going to attribute this one to water retention. I gained 0.7lbs this week. With luck (and a lot of water!) I'll hit that 50lb milestone next Sunday.

I wanted to talk a little about eating away from home again. Usually, I don't have a problem finding a meal at a restaurant that I can enjoy and that won't torpedo my weight loss. Sometimes, you even get lucky and find a whole menu to choose from! I love Applebee's 550 calorie or less menu. There are a number of delicious selections that sound like they couldn't possibly be healthy, but they are! Both times I've ordered one, the table agreed that my entree was the best even though they ordered the usual calorie and fat laden concoctions off the rest of the menu. So far, my favourite has been the Dijon chicken with Asiago cheese.

I have run into a few restaurants where they were absolutely unwilling to work with me though, and that was incredibly frustrating since three of them were last week. I was very unhappy but I made the decision to stick with my program and not to indulge just because there was pressure to do so. The first restaurant was out socially with friends (they chose the place) and there was only one entree on the entire menu that seemed suitable- a garden salad with grilled chicken or fish on top. I asked about salad dressing and they had ZERO options that were fat free. I just asked for vinegar and lemon to squeeze on top instead. Note to self: carry fat free dressing pouches! The second was a little breakfast place that made eggs. I asked them if they could give me egg whites and they said no. Then I asked if they could cook them with very little butter or oil, and they said no. Well, gee, thanks! I actually walked out and found something else. The last straw was going to visit my mother and some friends of hers and they wanted to go to a local place. I took one look at the menu and groaned inside. We were still waiting for some people so I just ordered dinner for my son- I requested steamed vegetables. When the server brought them out, they were drowned in butter. At that point, I just politely excused myself and said there was nothing to feed my baby and that I'd have to go home. I didn't really like leaving but I didn't want to eat there nor did I want to feed him that meal either, so it was better for us this way.

It's kind of frustrating that after sticking to my guns in three situations that I still gained weight, but I know it's normal to have little stalls along the way so hopefully I'll have a big loss next week.

But what I do have to keep me positive is knowing that I can get through temptation and social pressure and still do what is best for me!