Holiday = challenge...

So I survived and that's pretty much what I should have expected. This was a week dedicated to eating (a lovely birthday dinner party at an amazing restaurant on Queen, Nota Bena, for a lovely lady, Hil + Good Friday dinner at mom's + Easter dinners on Saturday and Sunday)... most of the goals went down the drain. I didn't avoid meat, unless turkey and ham don't qualify as meat. I did not eat small portions and vegetables were not the main attraction. I had some chocolate eggs, which I'm pretty sure constitute as junk food. Despite good intentions, I only made it to one yoga class. And finally, I did NOT eat only from a plate - lunch for me, it seems, always equals eating at my desk.

BUT despite all of those 'failures', I am not beating myself up because this week I learned another part of my 80 year-old grandpa's secrets: balance. My grandfather is extremely healthy 90% of the time; 10% of the time, he goes all out. For his 80th, he treated his guests to a three hour meal of wild boar (don't ask), washed down with copious amounts wine, brandy, vodka, etc. This is the lesson he tried to impart when I was much younger - the molten chocolate cake will taste so much more amazing when you have it every couple of months with friends, for a special occasion, than it will eaten every few days. This is one of the lessons Michael Pollen presents in his book (more on the book later). This is the secret of the French, Greeks, Italians, and apparently even the Polish. Food is more than just a means of survival. It is about friends, family, celebration, and fun. This is the lesson I had to learn this week, and so it was.

ALL of that being said, this week it's back to business because after a month of this challenge, even despite last week, I feel noticeably different. I feel great.

 

mxo