139: The Day After

I have a parenting tip for you all. If your children don't sleep through the night, you probably shouldn't go to bed at 2:30am. It is not helpful. The day after the game is always a tough one, because you are fighting a sleep deficit so you never quite have the 'get up and go' that you have on most days. This reminds me that one of my most difficult areas of discipline is getting to bed on time. I rarely want to 'get to bed.' I have always been something of a night owl and as a parent, it's one of the few times when the house is quiet and you can focus on things for yourself. Then I realized another cliche, 'early to bed, early to rise' is also true. Another strike against my way of living.

Breakfast
1 slice Mastemacher Bread
1 Tsp Peanut Butter
Tea

Snack
1/4 cup mixed unsalted nuts
6 oz yoplait strawberry yogurt
1 cup strawberries
1/4 cup almonds
2 oz jalapeno lite cheddar

Lunch
Romaine Salad
1 Joy Stick

Dinner
Stir-fry cabbage with steak

I've been thinking also about my friends just hopping on the SoBe diet. It made me think of three things (aside from writing down what you eat) that have helped me immeasurably since starting the diet.

1. Shop often. The diet won't work if you don't look forward to eating all the time. I found that diets where you felt like you were being cheated never worked for me. That's why when I found something I liked, I bought a lot of it (turkey bacon, cheese sticks). For vegetables, fresher is better, so that's why Emily and I are always at the market.

2. Plan Your Eating Day Ahead of Time. Though you never know EXACTLY how your day is going to go, the more you think about where you're going to be and what you're going to eat the better off you are. For me, eating is not just a biological requirement but a vastly enjoyable and important facet of every day. When you're watching what you eat you can't afford to have a shitty meal, so I often think not just about the day but about the week. How often will I eat yogurt, carbs, salads, etc.

3.Carry Friendly Snacks with You—If I'm getting on the road for God knows where, I always bring a bag of nuts (you can pickup Salted 1 oz packs of Planters at Costco if you're not the measuring-out type) or a joy stick or an apple with me. Being on SoBe and finding yourself with cascading blood sugar can lead to eating crappy stuff, or worse, making you feel sorry for yourself because there's nothing for you to eat and you're starving. Since being on the diet, I have unapologetically torn into my snacks or lunch whenever I have to, because I getting that hungry is just not good.