Weigh-in Day, Diet struggles, and Summer woes.

Today was weigh-in. My official weight for this week is 230.2. I wish it was lower, but it's the effect of not working quite as hard on making good choices. My biggest issue right now is still trying to figure out quick, simple meals I can grab on the go. Realistically, I get home at 9:30 at night. I don't feel like spending more than 10 minutes with prep work. I also am picky about a lot of meat, because I grew up with one vegan sister, and one vegetarian sister. Realistically, I know low-carb would be very difficult if I cut meat out, but there is still this sense of guilt whenever I have some meat. I am grossed out by fish, which is very unfortunate because that would be an awesome source of protein and other vitamins for me, but I am not about to force myself to try something I don't want to. It's simply not worth it. I don't like touching raw meat either, so it's a bit of a struggle there.

The good news is I finally made low-carb bread. It is something that legitimately is satisfying and tastes like traditional bread. Luckily, it's an easy recipe and is super versatile with how one can use it. They're rolls, so I cut them in half and use them for small sandwiches and some toast with cream cheese. Last night, I had one cold as a snack. Michelle, my barn owner, has perfected the recipe a little better than I have. Mine is still a bit dense. It's possible I either over-baked or over-mixed. But tonight, I was able to make a sandwich from cold cuts, cheese, lettuce, and a roll cut in half. They're smaller than a slice of bread; approximately a fist sized. But it really did fill me up. I am excited to see what other things I can incorporate into my diet now that I have bread.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/the-low-carb-bread

Now, when I say 'diet', I mean that for the first time as something long-term. I don't mean a fad or something specifically to lose weight. To me, the word 'diet' simply means what I eat. Of course, I'm thrilled I'm losing weight and would be bummed if I were plateauing, but this time around, I want to be HEALTHY, not just lose weight the laziest possible way. Well, ok, if I can be lazy, I'm down for that.

I had a fabulous ride on Seamus yesterday that left my hips sore. Even my abs are a little tired. I gave him today off inadvertently. I just ran out of sunlight, so tomorrow I plan on getting him out there again. He came in a touch back sore, but I am hoping that it is due to using muscles he hasn't used in a while, like me. I know I have a saddle that fits and I am 12lb lighter than I was last month. I am trying not to feel guilty about riding, but plod along, knowing that every good decision I make in terms of what I consume will directly affect him. Sometimes, it's easy to forget that when you're craving sugar or carbs and "that one piece of chocolate won't hurt". It's literally your addiction talking. Yes, I went to Whole Foods and there was some chocolate in my trail mix. I ate out the white chocolate and left the rest. It was a mistake. Moving on.

Most of the time, I hate summer. There, I said it. Summer is NOT my season. It's humid, I sweat at the drop of a hat, and heat just doesn't affect me well. I am basically moving in slow motion most of the time. I literally have Vitamin D deficiency. In the summer. The dirt, hay and horse hair sticks to me like glue because I am never not damp. That's what I do in the summers: work at the barns, drink a ton of water, try not to pass out, and complain about the weather. Today was my first day not complaining that it was hot and sunny, because I spent the afternoon at my parents' house on Long Island Sound. I laid around outside for a half hour, then my dad and I swam, searched for skipping stones, and sat in the shallow water exploring the rocks on either side of us. Dare I say it, I liked summer today. I see why people who don't work outside and belong somewhere deep in Canada would enjoy it.  Tomorrow, I go back to despising the weather, but today, I felt like a kid on summer break.