Hi, all.... I'm back from my business trip/visit with my daughter. The business part of it was the usual diet wrecker -- the cocktail parties, banquets, business dinners, wine-and-cheese receptions. Ugh. I won't even go there. But good did come of it. I learned a couple of things
1. Though I might not be able to avoid the above eating scenarios, I can control what I eat on my own time. Everything doesn't have to go to **** just because I'm on a business trip. The orgiastic eating I've allowed myself to do on these things is the equivalent of people going on business trips and "hooking up" with strangers or co-workers for no good reason. Sort of. LOL.
This time around, I discovered the joy of ordering a pot of herbal tea in my room in the evening, as opposed to ordering a second full meal just because I could
2. I also clearly defined a really bad habit that I had fallen in to as a result of my frequent trips. I have always loved being alone in hotels, partly because I could hole up in the room at night and pig out. Somewhere along the way, I discovered the joy of curling up in a hotel bed with the TV on, eating a $40 hambuger on an expense account and then following that up with various goodies from the gift shop
When I checked in in Atlanta, I had no sooner unpacked when I headed to the gift shop. I bought sugar wafers, two candy bars, a bag of Mike N Ikes, cheese curls and two bottles of soda
Once I was "in" for the night, I ordered my dinner and ate it. Then afterwards, I ate many of the snacks. A little later, I ordered the tea and had it with the sugar wafers. God, I felt awful after all that
The next day, I stocked up again. But that evening, I had a special dinner with members of our advisory board. It was lovely. Lasted hours and was very relaxed. I had a reasonable meal -- a points-buster of course, but not obscene. Had a few glasses of wine, and shared a small plate of mini fruit tarts with the entire table. It was nice. But when it was over, I went back to my room and, of course, started eating the snacks! Why? I certainly wasn't hungry.... [I]but they were there[/I
I was actaully stuffing myself, knowing I was making myself sick, simply because they were there. That's when the light bulb went off. I didn't have to eat them. I could leave them there. I could throw them away. ****, I didn't even have to buy them in the first place. The gift shop is open late, so I could go get something if I was actually hungry. Plus, there's room service if I really wanted it. I didn't have to follow through on a stupid habit that probably arose from boredom on a trip years ago.
The next night, dinner was less elaborate and there was no wine or dessert. Plus I hadn't gone to the gift shop. A few hours later, I was feeling a bit hungry -- actually, just craving something sweet, so I got a small pack of cookies from the gift shop, went back to my room and ordered a pot of herbal tea, which I drank with two small cookies. I was more than satisfied and I went to sleep feeling normal, not like a bloated piece of sausage stuffed into a casing three sizes to small
3. I was reminded of the importance of presentation, eating mindfully and enjoying the ritual of eating. The hot water in the lovely tea pot, the dainty tea cup, served on a platter with a fresh flower, a small container with sugar packets, a small container with fresh cinnamon sticks, a small jar of honey... it was satisfying in and of itself. I'm going to try to remember that when I have my meals or snacks. It about more than just what goes into my mouth
4. I also was reminded of the importance of exercise. Even though my hotel was connected to the convention center, it was roughly a mile walk from my room to the trade show floor. And I walked back and forth at least 3-4 times a day. So even with all that eating, I didn't gain anything during my trip. I think I actually lost a pound!
Sorry to have rambled, but I found these things to be quite a revelation. Maybe my insights can help someone else?
I mean a loss on a trip like that deserves many applause"s"!!
Have a great day!
on not buying the Oreos. I know you had some help, but I know that when I want Oreos NO ONE can really stop me unless I want them to. You let your sister stop you. And I say 
Anyone else have some huggies for Jeanne? (Oops... I guess that sounds wrong, but at least I didn't use a capital H
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