Denver challenge: day three

I posted on Wednesday that I was going to the Denver area with my husband for Christmas, to spend the week with his family. I talked about the challenge of eating healthy when my mother-in-law thinks cream and butter are food groups. I re-read my post about 24 hours later and decided it was whiny and bitchy. I deleted it.

So here I am, going into day three. So far, so good. I went to Ballys yesterday for an hour workout. A very fancy Ballys too, much nicer than the one I go to at home, with fancier equipment and a lot of it (I'm in Broomfield, CO). 

I don't know if it's because of the altitude here or staying up too late the night before, but I noticed I had trouble breathing when I was running. I got through my 30-minute treadmill routine of interval training, but it was a struggle. Then I did 30 minutes of weights. They had so many weights and weight equipment that I felt like a kid in a candy store. Some of the stuff I'd never seen before and was too intimated to try it. Maybe today. 

My eating has been on plan. I carry a little notebook with me and write down everything I eat or drink. I don't know some of the point values but I can make an educated guess. My new devotion to journaling my food came about from last Monday's Weight Watcher meeting. There's a gal in my group, Cara, that has lost 130 pounds and has kept it off for thirteen months (by the way, she is absolutely stunningly beautiful, looks like a model). 

Our leader asked Cara for her tip of the day and she said journaling. She stills journals all her food. She said she stopped for a few weeks recently, and gained a couple pounds. She started journaling again and stayed within her points and the weight came right off. I thought this was a really good tip and since journaling hasn't been a priority for me for several weeks, I'm back on it. Helps keep me honest.

Wish me luck on my day three. My mother-in-law is making dinner tonight. Oh, and guess what her specialty dessert is? Pecan pie which she's making for Christmas dinner. Yesterday the Today Show had the worst food/beverages to eat during the holidays. Pecan pie is the worst dessert - 1070 calories and 78 grams of fat per slice!!! Worst entree is Prime Rib, 750 calories and 45 grams of fat per serving. Yup, you guessed right, that's what's for Christmas dinner. Check out this link, it's very interesting.

I was somewhat surprised just how terrible some of my favorite holiday foods are for me. Okay, not totally surprised. I knew that stuff was bad, but that pecan pie nutritional value absolutely shocked me. I remember easily eating two pieces of pecan pie after Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner (with ice cream). Never again!

A non-health note - my niece and I saw Yes Man last night with Jim Carrey. If you like Jim Carrey you'll love this movie. It was Carrey at his best. Very funny. We were cracking up all during the movie and afterwards, as was most of the audience. Loved it. A must see.