Day 29: Fair Food--Not

TODAY'S INSPIRATION
"Nothing rekindles my spirits, gives comfort to my heart and mind,
more than a visit to Mississippi...
and to be regaled as I often have been,
with a platter of fried chicken,
field peas, collard greens, fresh corn on the cob,
sliced tomatoes with French dressing...
and to top it all off with
a wedge of freshly baked pecan pie."
~ Craig Claiborne, in Southern Food

Inspirational Song
Summertime Blues
Eddie Cochran

At the Sonoma County Fair
What food do you associate most with going to the fair? For me, it's corn dogs with mustard, candy apples with nuts, and cotton candy. I also wouldn't say no to a roasted ear of corn or a funnel cake.

We went to the fair on Tuesday evening. Thankfully we decided not to eat there. We did look at quite a few cows, some sheep, and some quaint crafts--and watched our sweet youngest granddaughter take her first carousel ride.

It's funny how I stopped riding on rides at the fair because of the reports of people getting injured. . .odd that my my mind hasn't said that the food likely has a higher probability of killing me!

I couldn't resist taking pictures of some of the over-the-top ways they highlight that fair food. . . .and frankly. . .they didn't make it seem very tempting. . .

The Dirty Truth Revealed

Don't get me wrong, though. While I didn't eat fair food. . . I haven't been perfect in the vacation eating category. In fact, during the last 3 days I haven't had computer or phone access so it was a challenge to calculate calories (I rely on Sparkpeople). But I know that is just an excuse. I could have tried much harder and didn't.

I haven't been TERRIBLE. .. I mean I did make and stick with the decision that if I was going to eat something that would be hard to allot calories for, it had to be something better and more exotic than a corn dog! (And it was . . . . pasta with tomato sauce and seafood!) But I've gone over my calories at least a bit and some days more basically every day. I could have tried harder, but I didn't, and now it's done, and I can only look forward. (That doesn't mean I'm not going to thrown for a loop with a weight gain. . . so beware).

I did dig up 2 of my triggers for "fuck it" eating (I'll try to think of a more kosher term for this. . .it's more than just overeating. . ) . .

One of them is feeling like nobody cares or is supporting what I'm trying to do. And I can fabricate that. . . like if someone wants to settle on a restaurant that is going to be challenging for me to eat at. . .I take that as them (all of them) not caring about me. . .instead of like, duh, they are thinking about what THEY want to eat. (So shocking to realize it's really NOT all about me.)

And another trigger is (this one really sounds dumb) being faced with food that doesn't taste good or that in some way is unfulfilling or undesireable for me. Sometimes the crappier the food is, the more I will eat. . .out of some kind of weird anger frustration . . .

Actually maybe 1 & 2 aren't so far apart. . . they both kind of come down to having to really push (sometimes when I'm really hungry) to make a effort to eat healthfully for myself--and have the stamina to keep moving until I find the right option.

Right now I've only recognized these. . .I don't have a plan for identifying the feelings in the moment and taking action. . . any suggestions?