Six Pack Abs - Obstacles (Week 8)

Hello Everyone;

So, today marks the beginning of week 8 of my journey to achieve six-pack abs. I'm not there YET. Well, the abs are there, but they are still covered by a layer of stubborn adipose tissue (a.k.a. fat).

This week I wanted to talk about obstacles. They are EVERYWHERE!!! My Dad and his girlfriend arrived last Saturday which means that my normal routine has changed, including my nutrition plan. My Dad's girlfriend happens to work for a company that sells chocolate (in case you forgot, I decided to give up chocolate for the rest of this journey). Annette, being the sweet and generous person that I am learning she is, brought along a "few" samples of the chocolate she sells (now the picture makes sense). Here is where the obstacles begin. Not wanting my guest to feel slighted, I decide to sample some of the chocolate. I got to thinking about that. Did I really not want to offend my guest by not trying it, because I'm sure that she would have understood if I told her that, for right now, I had to pass on sampling the chocolate, or did I just want to eat the chocolate and using the "Don't want to offend" excuse worked really well to allow me to do just that?

YES, I really wanted to eat the chocolate, therefore, I used the "Don't want to offend" excuse to my advantage, or would that be to my disadvantage?? If Annette had brought Vegemite with her, would I have been so eager to "not offend"? Probably not.

So, I enjoyed (almost without guilt) a delicious dark chocolate bar infused with lemon bits over the course of two days. A few days later, when David opened up another bar in front of me (to my shock and horror) I decided to resist the temptation. The bar has been sitting there since, quietly calling out to me, but I have not answered it's call.

Yesterday, Annette showed me how to make cabbage rolls. I looked forward to eating them all day! They did not disappoint, nor did the apple crisp with vanilla ice cream that we enjoyed for dessert.

It's really hard (at least for me) to stick to eating perfectly clean when I have guests. Eating is such a social activity. It's fun to sit around enjoying a nice meal together, sharing time, stories and memories. You get caught up in that. On a positive note (because I am a positive person), it has not been a total disaster. When I know that I am going to eat a scruptuous meal, I am careful about my other food choices throughout the day. For instance, tonight we are going out to eat so I will keep it relatively light for the day and enjoy a great meal out with my family tonight. It's all about enjoying life!

I have four weeks left to go on this journey that I started in September. I am pretty sure that I won't be where I wanted to be, but I know that there will be a visible improvement. At this point, I intend to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, then get right back to it until Christmas. I WILL achieve my goal of a six-pack, it just might take me a little longer to get there.

What are you working on this week and what are the obstacles getting in your way?