The Struggle to Balance

I've always struggled with balance... not necessarily the kind that keeps me upright, though that has never been great, but usually I have problems with mental and social balance. One reason I've struggled in long term relationships was balancing time at work, time with an SO, time to myself, time for hobbies- you get the idea. Trying to lose weight has further highlighted some balance issues that I have. It's still hard for me to have an indulgent meal (particularly breakfast) and not throw the whole day away. If I have a kolache or donut for breakfast, then I'm more likely to eat crap for lunch and dinner. I want to go out with friends, and food/alcohol has always been a key part of that, but it's hard for me to stick to one beer over the course of an evening, or not snacking while drinking, or eating a salad while everyone else has enchiladas. A day or two away from the gym can turn into a week in the blink of an eye. All the things that moderation and consistency depend on I really grapple with. Some things I'm trying:

Last week I started scheduling my gym times on my calendar just as I would with any other meeting, class, or important function. It has helped prevent me from pushing work outs to later or "tomorrow". I also plan my social engagements around my gym times. 

If I look up a restaurant menu ahead of time, and really make a detailed game plan on what I'm going to eat BEFORE my friends and I show up, I have been better about not going overboard when I go out. 

I put my dinner/drink calories into my Loseit.com app before I get there. That way I have a list of what I can have. I'm never hungry when I get to the end of my list, though without it, I walk away over-stuffed and over my calories.

I'm bad at balance, so I'm trying to eliminate any balancing on my part- particularly balancing on the fly. If I let my rational brain think through and provide the "correct" choices, then my irrational brain won't end up choosing the double bacon cheeseburger with fries instead of the grilled chicken sandwich and fruit cup. 

Today's meal: 

Sweet Italian Chicken with brown rice pilaf, and green beans. The chicken was... ok. Not my favorite, certainly not bad. The rice pilaf was the real winner here. I had some cherry tomatoes, onion, and green bell pepper that really needed to be used, and tossed them in with a little brown rice and voila! I think Alton Brown (my favorite celebrity chef) recommends roasting veggies before making pilaf, but I found it flavorful as is. 

Some runners up: 

You'll notice the brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes as left overs from last week's stuffed salmon meal. I took a chicken breast and stuffed it with fresh mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, feta, and frozen spinach. Very yummy with an extra dose of veggies. 

This was a fun one. Shrimp and broccoli scampi with spaghetti squash. Frozen shrimp and frozen broccoli thawed and cooked in an olive oil, butter, garlic scampi sauce tossed with baked and shredded spaghetti squash. YUM!