Metdown Survival

Wouldn't it be nice if by "meltdown" I was talking about some fancy, gourmet tuna melt with fat-free cheddar, some great tuna mixture, tomato, lettuce, and a grainy bread? I may need to look into creating that, but right now, this is not the subject. My husband and I are in the middle of the adoption process. There are times when my emotions are all over the place waiting for the phone to ring. In turn, everything else become a MAJOR ordeal, and the meltdown ensues. Really, this has only happened three times over the past 2 1/2 years of this process...BUT, I've never been trying to also watch my food intake during it. Emotional chaos usually lasts several days, as I sort through what I logically know is an overreaction based on one event, not EVERYTHING going on around me.

It turns out that the little things are needed to survive while trying to eat well during and emotional meltdown week.

Survival Tip #1: Miraculously, have food already cooked!

Obviously, this is hard to actually plan. Fortunately, this week, I had already cooked a bunch of food when this happened. Usually, I shut down and don't want to cook, I want to eat..LOL! So, I would say half of what I ate this week was planned out, and the other half, well...let's see. I was mindful to not eat greasy foods. I didn't seek out comfort foods. I did, however eat out several more times than usual, so there was more salt than planned for this week. And...there may have been a lunch with cheesy lasagna and buttery garlic bread catered in at work. Possibly, a beef nacho "salad" from Bueno for dinner one night (it's really just very loaded nachos...who do they think they are kidding calling it salad?)

Survival Tip #2: Talk it out with Kevin

I was able to not take anything out on him, but to do that I had to verbally vomit it all in his direction :-) He was great, supportive, and that helps calm me down enough to think through my food choices. This may sounds a bit trite, but it seems to work. When you know you have the support of your hubby, other things just fall into place, and this is what happened here.

Survival Tip #3: Get Enough Sleep at Night

Kevin also gave me one of the best gifts ever this week. He may snore a bit excessively, and he knows this may cause me to lose quite a bit of sleep. He moved to the other bedroom for a couple of days, so I could get some solid sleep. He knows I focus better when I'm rested, and I don't remember the last time I slept so hard. I feel GREAT and have had energy at the end of the day. I can't explain how much this helps in caring about making good decisions when I eat.

Survival Tip #4: Have the Meltdown During the ALDS/NLDS...GO YANKEES!!! GET 'EM GIANTS!!!!

This week there is a bunch of GREAT baseball. The Rangers are duking it out with the Yankees, so we have a divided house. The Giants are duking it out with the Phillies...BOO Phillies! My man, Lance Berkman, is on the Yankees team, and it has been an absolute privilege to watch him play as a Yankee. He's not the best on the team, but he contributes and has earned a spot/chance at a World Series ring! I am so proud of the fact that an Astro has made it to the Yankees (as if I really know the guy...NOT THE POINT!), and I'm loving every minute of every game!

Survival Tip #5: "Crawl up in there and FIX---IT!!!" SNL quote

Take Control!! There are so many uncontrollable factors, that if you can sift through it all, find what you can control, you can take charge. Our gutters came off the house about a month ago during a weird, crazy, windy storm. This was included in the "EVERYTHING IS WRONG" category. So, the "gutter guy" is coming out today to take a look and give us a quote. See...control :-) It helped calm me down!

Obviously, I can control what I eat as well. This like a nagging mom in my head all week. Drove me absolutely NUTS!! Got it about half right this week.

I still have my "vacation weight" to lose, but I was able to come out even for the week. As, I've said before, I just have to keep going. Keep my eyes focused on December and keep the cholesterol down. What a ride this week has been. On some level, I'm glad it's over. Movin' on.