Weekend Update: June 7th & 8th, 2014

I was pretty proud of this weekend's activities!  There were a number of social events but I worked very hard to be cognizant of my daily food budget despite all the offerings in front of me - that meant lots of delicious salad!  I also worked to incorporate exercise into my transporation - things like bicycling instead of driving or taking the T - made a huge difference in my activity levels.  But more on that below!

Saturday, June 7th, 2014: Today I was working the weekend shift, which meant 5 hours of my day were dedicated to sitting/standing at my desk.  Fortunately I commuted to work by bike, so I planned on biking in between all the places I went after I got out of work.  My eating schedule was a bit wonky today, but fortunately I ate pretty conservatively despite being thrown out of whack.  Here's the stats below - all green, yay!!

Activity: I biked to and from work, so I was on my bicycle for most of today.  I miked the 15 minutes to work, then biked another 10 to my facial appointment in the afternoon, biked another 10 to go see a roller derby game, and then biked 10 minutes to get home.

This was one of the first really warm, sunny days of the season here in Boston.  So later in the evening I took 30 mintutes to go for a run.  I'm really glad that I did, because it allowed me to catch up with all the inactivity I had accumulated throughout the day.  After my run (which left me feeling EXHAUSTED.  I think because it was very warm and I hadn't hydrated very much throughout the day) we went out for drinks at a nearby bar.

Calories: Again, weird schedule today.  I had breakfast before I left the house (overnight oats - such an easy way to keep your morning eating habits on track).  Because I was working, I didn't have much time for a really lunch.  I had a handful of almonds, a string cheese, and later ended up having two Fiber One bars as midday food.  Needless to say, by 5pm I was feeling pretty peckish.

At the roller derby game, there was a food truck parked outside so I decided to grab a bite there.  What a welcome treat this food truck was! All vegetarian/vegan tacos!  So I ordered two buffalo cauliflower tacos - so tasty and full of veggies! An awesome low-calorie way to satiate my cravings.  Believe me, I was in a position to go H.A.M. on whatever crossed my path.  I didn't eat again after that, save for when we went out drinking.  I had a total of three beers (2 Newcastles and 1 Yuengling) and two cocktails (both scotch-based).  At the last bar we hit up, we order some appetizers to graze on (we were all feeling pretty hungry).  I've been gravitationg towards anything on a menu that has lots of veggies in it, so I picked a veggie + hummus plate that was really good, and we also got some sweet potato tater tots.  Not the MOST balanced meal I could have eaten, but at least I didn't go over my calorie limit.

Takeaway: While this was a weird day schedule-wise, fortunately I was able to balance my calorie intake with my calorie output.  So I feel good overall about how this day worked out.  One thing I could improve upon is perhaps ordering fewer drinks.  Honestly I didn't need more than 3, so 5 was a bit excessive ther e(and likely the source of Sunday's hangover)

Sunday, June 7th, 2014: I had a lot on my calendar today - so it was definitely going to be a calorie struggle!  I met up for brunch with my friend Hannah in the morning, then headed over to a BBQ at my friend Miles' place around 2pm.  So - a lot of food-based plans right at the beginning on my day!  It was going to be a challenge to figure out how to intake fewer calories and also squeeze in a light workout

Activity: Like yesterday, I biked everywhere I went.  So I biked the 8 minute ride to meet Hannah for brunch (total of ~16 minutes), and then biked the 30 minutes to Miles' house later in the afternoon for his BBQ (for a total of ~60 minutes).  So a good amount of bicycling was squeezed in today!  Hard to think about how I could accomplish a similar sort of calorie burn in the winter months.  Towards the end of my day I definitely felt exhausted.  

As an aside, I was also able to put on my bicycle rack that afternoon.  It wasn't necessarily a calorie-intensive activity, but it felt good to use my hands and accomplish something.

Calories: Seems I never have a "normal" day, huh?  At brunch, I made an attempt to order something "light" from the menu.  That turned out to be scrambled eggs served with toast and potatoes.  I ate all of the scrambled eggs and didn't make a huge dent in the toast or the potatoes.  I did eat some of them, thought.  I also made a point not to order alcohol at brunch - only an iced coffee.  Man - what a difference that made!  Not just in terms of calories but also for the check at the end of our meal.

At the barbecue, I wasn't starving (as I had eaten 3 hours before).  So I made a point to load up my plate with salad and vegetables before putting any meat on my plate.  This worked out rather well - we stayed at the BBQ for ~3 hours, and I didn't feel like I had totally gorged myself.  Very good takeaway for a food-centric event.

I also made a point of drinking wine and avoiding beer. While the calorie difference between wine and beer isn't hugely different, wine is overall a leaner drink if you're going to be drinking a bit (i.e. more than one drink).  I ended up having three half-glasses and lots of water in between.

Because of all the food I'd eaten earlier in the day, I took it pretty light in the evening.  We went over to a friend's house to watch the Spurs game, and mostly snacked on tortilla chips and salsa.  I was supposed to bring celery (my bad for forgetting), so this could have been a tad healthier, but we didn't go crazy.  I also had one small (6 oz.) glass of a belgian beer.

Takeaway: again, weird schedule today, so my meals didn't get split into three quare meals.  Instead, I ate a lot of food earlier in the day, then tapered off.  I never felt extemely hungry at any point, which I think is a good thing.  If I were to do it over again, I might not have eaten brunch (instead, just something light. maybe fruit and yogurt) or I might not have arrived at the BBQ as early as I did.  Overall though, I would call this weekend a success!