Thanksgiving while trying to lose weight is a challenge on its own, but when you add a pandemic to the mix things can get a little weird. I normally visit family during Christmas, though with launching my six-month challenge at the beginning of December, I knew I did not want to travel or put myself in a position I wouldn’t be able to eat the way I needed to eat. So, I planned to make the two-day trek back to visit my family for Thanksgiving.
I was so busy getting everything ready to head out on the journey that I didn’t plan food for the two days that I would be on the road coming or going… this was a mistake. I ended up stopping for breakfast at a gas station where I picked up an egg and sausage biscuit… this was also a mistake. It tasted like cardboard. It was horrible. Then I was hungry so quickly after. I ended up eating again at McDonald’s.
I was trying to drive for 16 hours, but I only made it 11 hours and ended up finding a hotel in a small little town in Texas. Once I get settled in I ate dinner at Sonic. I had a double cheeseburger, tots, and a cherry limeade. OMG. It was a lot of food. I have not eaten like that in six months. I didn’t like one bit of it but I didn’t let it get into my head. I knew it was better to eat than to not.
The second day I got up and knew that it was what it was and I just needed to make a few stops and grab food and be done with it. I left about 4:30 am and headed back out on the road. After a few hours of driving, I stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast and then ate at Hardee’s for lunch. It wasn’t great but I did it to just make it to my family’s home.
Once I got to my destination, the food got a lot better. Everything was home-cooked and very much focused on lean proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats. We ate a variety of food most of which was pulled from their own garden. This is something I would love to do but I definitely don’t have the time to take care of a garden.
Each morning I started out with my 3 whole eggs, my 3 egg whites, and 200g of apple juice. Just starting my day consistently each day helped make the inability to control my lunch and dinner options more manageable. My mom also fed my mushrooms which I am allergic to… I broke out in a small rash on my hands but it cleared up overnight… it was a running joke all weekend that she was trying to kill me. She honestly didn’t remember that I was allergic to mushrooms.
For Thanksgiving, we decided to not go to the big family gathering. With COVID and all the things going on, we decided to make our own turkey and sides. The sides included broccoli, mashed potatoes with gravy, cranberries, and stuffing. Sam, my nutritionist sent me a text and told me not to worry about eating things on Thanksgiving and to just enjoy the day. Normally, I would freak out and it would make me crazy that I would either overeat or deprive myself and be miserable for the whole day. But being able to talk with Sam about it really helped me just fucking relax.
I also secured a spot with a local gym so that I could work out while I was there. The gym was a bodybuilding gym under the freeway downtown, but it was open 24-hours and had pretty much all the things I needed to get my CrossFit workout in for the week. I was really excited. I showed up Monday through Friday and got in my entire workout. I was so incredibly proud of myself. The workout on Thanksgiving was brutal. It was a 5000m row followed by 100 burpees. I normally just do up-downs at the gym, but today I was by myself and I wanted to do it all and do real burpees. I was so sweaty but I did it.
I’m now headed back home and just finished driving the first of my two-day journey. I ate my eggs for breakfast, then had McDonald’s for lunch, a turkey sandwich for a snack, and Wendy’s for dinner. A bit more food than I should have eaten, but I’m just trying to get home. I’m planning on leaving at 4:30 am again to get a good head start on the road. It’s been snowing for the last few hours so I’m hoping it stops before I get up to go in the morning.
Once I get home, I need to get this week’s food prepped and ready to go, do some laundry, and then relax before heading back to work on Monday.
