The weekend in St Louis was a success.
I ended up not going out Friday night with some of our coaches because I knew I would be tempted to eat crap and drink. For the first time, probably ever, I thought to myself that I would get more enjoyment out of seeing the scale go down than going out and eating wings and drinking beer. I ended up getting a salad through room service and going down to listen to the Friday night speaker (something I've never done before because we always went out on Friday nights).
Saturday was some more firsts - I went down to the gym early and did the treadmill for 5,000 steps. Never would have done that before. The weather was so great (74*) that during the afternoon I went and walked around Busch Stadium and got another 5,000 steps in. That evening I met up with my wife and we hit Ruth's Chris Steakhouse with another couple. Ended up splitting stuffed mushrooms, got a caesar salad (a 500 calorie caesar salad!), and a filet. I also had a couple of Ultra's with my meal and my day totals were just over 2,000 calories. That's more than I usually have and I was a little nervous, but my weigh in Sunday morning resulted in a 3/4 lb loss! I'm now down 26 1/2 pounds since Jan 1.
On to some of the questions:
Question of the Weekend - February 20-21
Let's talk... EPCOT's Flower and Garden Festival
On weekends we take a break from the weight-loss chat and focus on an aspect of Disney Parks. This week's focus is on the
Flower and Garden Festival held annually at EPCOT. If you've ever been to EPCOT in the Spring time, you should be familiar
with the themed topiaries and yummy treats in the World Showcase, plus concerts and other programs through the months.
Share with us your experience(s) with the Flower and Garden Festival.
Favorite topiary? Favorite food? Favorite part?
If you haven't been, do you plan on going?
If you've been and hated it, what didn't you like?
Never been to F&G before, but our next stay is scheduled after our cruise in 2017 - March 16th through the 19th, so I really hope we get the chance to go then.
Question of the Day -- February 22
Let's talk... Guessing Games & Food Portions
Serving sizes and food portions can be a pain. Ever try going to the movies and realizing that a portion of
M&M's is equivalent to a "fun size" bag? (And let's be real - that's not fun! You want to eat more of those M&Ms!)
Losing weight and maintaining it is a guessing game. How you choose to participate is key to your success.
How do you manage portion control? Are there any tips or tricks to share?
How have your eating habits improved as a result?
What challenges are you having with portion control and resisting eating more than you should?
The only way I really manage it is by not eating it. Now, I'm fine with some foods and snacks - kind of like my B list. Sure they are good, but they are not my absolute favorites. We have Oreos in the house all the time for my kids, and I'm never really tempted to grab one. I like them, but I'm able to control myself on those.
When it comes to my A list, like cookie dough, peanut butter cups, or doughnuts, I just can't do it. I can't control myself on those things. If I eat one, I'm going to eat 30. Those are the things I really struggle with. A few nights ago we went to Chili's for dinner after getting our taxes done. We normally don't order deserts, but the skillet chocolate chip cookie looked incredible, I wanted to get one to share... but I knew I wouldn’t be able to control myself, so we ended up not getting it and just grabbing the kids some McDonalds ice cream on the way home. I guess I just know that with some things, I can't resist eating more than I should.
and 
for all who need it.
