In which it's a weekend of good decisions

The past few days have been filled with hard-fought good decisions and good results:

Good Results

On Saturday, I got the blood test results from my recent checkup. The upshot: My cholesterol numbers, etc. are awesome. The doctor is thrilled. Gold star. I can't imagine what it would have been just 6 months ago.

Good Decisions

Our schedule this weekend was crazy. A lot of on-the-run, which did not leave me much time to eat at home and, most importantly, plan what I was going to eat.

However, I rolled with it and made good choices, but man, was it hard Saturday night. I was at Foxwoods Casino with my two best friends to see a show. We decided to grab dinner beforehand, and since I arrived before they did I walked around to find a good place to eat.

Healthy eating options are few and far between at that joint. And it seemed as if every time I turned around, there was a bakery (the hardest place for me), an ice cream shop, a candy shop, you name it.

I was walking around, alone in a sea of thousands, and I thought, You could stop and have whatever you want and no one would ever know..

This is where it gets so, so dangerous.

Were I not on Weight Watchers getting something to eat would automatically be one of the first things I would do. Something big and something sweet. I spied display cases full of towers of fudge, huge baked goods. Ugh, I had to keep walking, fast, and in the opposite direction.

I knew that were I to give in, it would have led to "In for a penny, in for a pound." Since I had already "blown" the day, it would have led to a high-Point, off-plan dinner, drinks and dessert. Then I would have been really mad at myself until WI on Tuesday, if I even went.

For me, this is how downward spirals begin and how good momentum comes to a screeching halt.

So instead, I sucked it up, booked the other way and waited for my friends. Now, yes, some day when I'm below Goal and I have more leeway in terms of a monthly weigh-in vs a weekly one, I can enjoy an off-plan meal and dessert. Just not then.

It was too close to my weigh-in and those are just sacrosanct in my life. I've been out to eat while on plan and I've eaten all my Weekly Points Allowance and had a great time. But those days are early in my WW week - Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays, maybe a Friday. But Saturday and Sunday are just too close for comfort.

When my friends arrived our best options was at a sit-down deli, which actually had a huge grilled chicken salad. It was perfect. A gigantic salad and plain grilled chicken. Couldn't have asked for anything more.

Cut to this morning, a gym morning. I decide to sleep in because I was out late (for me, that is). I managed to squeeze my run in later this morning and I was so glad I did. I would have loved to skip it, but I didn't. I had a good run and near the end I hear my Nike +iPod say, "2 minutes remaining. 2 minutes remaining."

I'm not sure what it was, other than a perfect union of mood + music. I felt great. I was proud of myself for not skipping my workout, for making good decisions the night before. My legs felt strong and powerful, and I could feel every stride and every kickback.

I was sweaty and warm from the run and when a favorite part of one of my favorite workout songs kicked in (just before the last verse of the Night Version of Duran Duran's Girls on Film, if you're curious), I thought, Let's crank this up.

I kicked the the speed on the treadmill faster than I've ever gone before and sprinted for the last 2 minutes.

It was awesome, runner's high-type stuff. I was running fast, but in control and, amazingly, really, really loving it. It was a great end to a great two days.