exercise update and meeting rundown.

sunday we didnt exercise. there was church and we decided a resting day once a week wouldnt be a bad thing, right? monday i biked 20 minutes on level 0. tuesday i biked 30 minutes on level 1. this morning i biked for 20 minutes on level 1 and tomorrow i plan to bump it up to level two and go for 30 minutes. slowly work myself up to awesome.
this week's meeting (on saturday) was about dining out and the struggles we face in doing so. our meeting leader told us that the average person eats out 5.8 times a week and in a given day 130 million people are dining out in America. wow. i know i contribute to that statistic and im working on it. i am a HUGE diet coke fan and i have a hard time without it. i dont know if im addicted to the caffeine or just really love the drink itself. either way, i should cut back on it.

Tips for dining out that were mentioned were:

budget for the foods you want to eat while out (meaning eat accordingly. if you'd like to eat a certain amount of calories, eat less calories before and after that trip)
avoid the breadbasket. or the chips...
drink a glass of water before you eat
decode the menu (look for the calorie/nutritition chart and choose something that will help you get what you want)
special order. if you dont want the mayo or the potato, TELL THEM. ask the restaurant for substitutions. find out what you want and switch to that.
skip extras. bottomless fries, "that comes with ...."
play favorites
savor the flavor
wrap it up!. ask for the take out box before your meal comes, put half of it aside if thats what you want to aim for. dont let what you dont want sit there and tempt you, and if you're feeling really strong, leave the box at the table with the food in it at the end of your meal.

remember.

That first bite tastes exactly like the last bite

things i will try and remember to tell myself next time i eat out:
i know how i got here. i dont want to do the things that put me here.
im trying to get somewhere different, so i have to do things i havent done yet.
dont eat it just because its there.
how do i want to feel when i walk out of here?
what will i feel like if i eat it? what will i feel like if i dont?