Day Three

Good Morning,

I checked my email early yesterday morning to find that my neighborhood Curves was going to be closed all day. Great. Just on the day that I wanted to start working out again.

I left the gym clothes at home, promising myself to get in some walking or other good cardio in place of my workout - a promise I intended to keep, for once.

My first day at work with the liquid diet was not without its challenges. First, I had to pack a double batch of hummus to submit to the office dip competition that applied to last month. That meant I had to go to Trader Joe's later in the morning to pick up pita chips and veggies. While I usually eat my hummus by the fistful, and spend money at Trader Joe's by the Hamiltons, I had to abstain. And I did.

But then the dip competition began. I had to set my dip up by 1:30 pm, and being in the presence of all the other creamy concoctions nearly brought me to my knees. Buffalo Chicken Dip. Baked Potato Dip. Asiago Dip. Chocolate Chip Dip. C'MON! Why did this have to come today? I promised my coworker Lyzz that I would try her hummus to "check out the competition," and I did, consuming only one teaspoon of dip on a small pita chip. No other dips got my blessing, and I left for "lunch."

Because I couldn't be in a place like our office cafeteria where the smells of reheated meals would send me into craving fits, I decided to take my book and my shake to a local hotel lobby to snuggle in a comfy chair and read for my allotted 45 minutes. My friend Justin commented that doing so makes it look like I'm having an illicit affair. I can handle that, the naughty mystique. And who knows, I might meet a swarthy businessman.

I went home and decided to rest for a couple of minutes in front of the tv. I started watching Food Network, my default channel, and Rachael Ray was making a Meximeal. I kept thinking, "yeah, I could go for black beans. Yeah, I could go for corn tortillas..." I was on dangerous grounds. After 5 minutes of this torture, I flipped on the Playstation for a rousing game of Dance Dance Revolution - purchased purely for its cardio workout. I played for an hour and a half, until my muscles started cramping. This was very good.

The doctor told me if I was ever famished (and I should never be starving, he said), I could eat some hardboiled eggs or a small piece of chicken. I didn't have either handy, so I ate a pouch of tuna mixed with some diced cornichons and dijon mustard. It was a treat.

Then I started feeling like a junkie. By this time it was only 7:30, and I was aching for a food fix. I kept flipping between Family Guy and Food Network, which was hosting The Secret Life of Bagels. C'MON! Little thoughts kept creeping into my head like, "Wednesday is Office Bagel Day. I can probably get away with a blueberry bagel and some light cream cheese. Ooooh, those look so good. I can get away with a crispy chewy treat." It was then I decided that Food Network had to be off-limits in my home.

To avoid further cravings, I tucked myself into bed and fell asleep to the sounds of Family Guy around 8:30 pm.

I'm young, single and disease-free. This is how I spend my nights. Momma needs a hobby.

So there's that,

Laura