Day 3 Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This:

Mama said there'd be days like this, she just never told me how many there would actually be. This was the day from Hell. I seem to have a lot of "days like this." Start with one perfectly fine morning, throw in a teenager with an attitude and a running late car pool, add a school project left in the printer, toss in a handful of football practice, four loads of laundry crawling out of my son's cave, mix in bare cupboards and you end up with one ghoulish stew.
I'm certain you have days like this, too. It was a sprint from the second the Westclox shot off and it hasn't let up since. The good news is in the midst of the chaos, I managed to get my walking in. I even turned it up a notch by walking so hard the last quarter mile home that my Final Four ball cap blew off.
I didn't have the time to walk 45, or even 35 minutes today, but I did get out there for half an hour. Beats a blank. In the day (like last week), I would've blown the walk off completely, figuring that if I couldn't exercise for the amount of time I told myself I should exercise for, then, I wouldn't exercise at all. I'd show myself.
I felt a sense of victory; one small step for me, one giant step for my outlook. I headed for the pavement right when Oprah was coming on and right as she was signing off, my kids and I were sitting in McDonald's. Yep, you read that right, McDonald's.
I had no extra time to squeeze in a trip to the supermarket, let alone, drag the bags home and actually prepare something in 13 minutes that my kids would deem edible.
I knew what I wanted the second I pulled in front of those golden arches. I also knew what I should have. I played out the pros and cons in my mind, like the frat kid in Animal House. Glinda, the Good Diet Angel whispered, "Asian Salad with Crispy Chicken" while, the Wicked Witch of the Weigh crackled, "Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Supersize the whole mess all the way to the scale!" Neither of them won. I strolled to the counter and gave the Lindsay Lohan look-alike my order in a low, firm voice. "I'll have a Big Mac" and believe me, I had it in all its twoallbeefpattiesspecailsaucelettucecheesepickleoniononasesameseedbun glory. Was it delicious? Yes, it was. Was it worth it? Every morsel. Did I kick myself later, tear the fridge apart searching for freezer burnt Fudgesicles or the tub of oatmeal raisin cookie dough I bought from the Cub Scouts? No. Did I hit the drive thru on way out and order a hot caramel sundae and a dozen apple pies because I had blown it so I might as well just eat through the next four hours and then really truly start? No. As you know by now, this isn't what the 20/90 plan is all about. This is about the "count."
I went home Googled "McDonald's Nutritional Info" and plugged the cost of the Big Mac into my budget. You want to know the most incredible thing? Not only did I feel completely, utterly satiated and as happy as the Hamburglar, I came in at 1380.

Breakfast: 10 ounces coffee w/4 T. Half 'n Half (80 calories), 1 Quaker Weight Control Cinnamon Oatmeal (160), 1/2 of a large banana (50)
Lunch: PB&J (230), 1 ounce pretzels (110), Coke Zero (zilch)
Snack: Jolly Pop Mini Healthy Microwave Popcron 94% Fat Free (90 calories)
Dinner: Big Mac (560)
After Dinner Snack: 1/3 cup All Bran, sprinkled w/Equal, 1/2 cup skim milk (150 calories)
Day 3.