Freedom!

Shortly after I hit publish on my last post, I received a text from a friend:

Your replacement just had her car break down on the highway.  Do you still want to go?

I’d planned on meeting my running group for foot massages and dinner but canceled because I thought my husband was headed out of town to deal with a family emergency and I didn’t want to get a sitter for the second time this week;  once I realized he wasn’t going to be gone, I felt so horribly sick that I decided staying home was for the best and didn’t bother to ask if they had room for me to join. Consequently, I planned my meals for the day, entered them into MyFitnessPal and set about with my day, eating what I planned.  A late dinner with friends was NOT part of that plan.

When I got the text, I had many of the thoughts I’ve had previously when doing “healthy eating” programs (Will there be any food I *can* eat? This is going to blow my whole day!  Why do I even bother – this will never work!)  I started to feel that twinge of depression: of having to choose between “healthy eating” and time with friends (aka “messing up”).  But I remembered my rules:  I won’t let this (or any other “healthy eating” plan) put me in that space or take away from me living my life.  So I accepted.  I had a much-needed hour of foot massage relaxation, ate a bowl of delicious, hand-pulled ramen noodles and laughed heartily as I enjoyed my night with friends.

(And guess what?  I still hit my macros for the day.  Moderation and flexibility are beautiful, wonderful things.)

Up tomorrow?  My trip to Trader Joe’s and my menu for next week.