Sticking to plan,

Is really hard this time of the year. It really is. It's not just all of the Christmas festivities, it also happens to be my birthday this week. In just a few short hours I will be 39 and around here, birthdays get a lot of attention.

It started on Saturday night when a friend who as going to the cookie exchange with me wanted to take me to dinner to celebrate my birthday. Now, when I go to restaurants, 99% of the time, I order salad. My friend made the stipulation that I couldn't have salad and I couldn't have a chicken burger. So I was very choosy with the menu and I picked a great points friendly meal. I'm very happy with that, including dinner out, the sampling of some cookies and the nibbles during the evening, I stayed on plan.

Yesterday was the family get together. Now, when we get together for some one's birthday, the deal is the birthday person gets to choose what they want for their birthday dinner. In previous years, I have asked for the triple cheese lasagna, or the knife and fork home made pizza. Not the best choices by any stretch of the imagination. Keeping my new eating plan in place, I asked my mom for either Cabbage rolls or a stir fry, choices that are good and I know that everyone else would like them as well. I also asked my mom not to get a cake. I didn't want it. I would end up eating more than my fair share of it. Instead, I brought over the cookies from the cookie exchange that we all nibbled on through out the day. Family birthday dinner, and I stayed on plan, I actually didn't use all of my points yesterday. Not bad at all.

I'm off work this week, using up the last of my holiday time for the year, so I spent the day helping my mom with her decorating and Christmas shopping. While we were out and about we ended up at Swiss Chalet for lunch. Now, my most favorite thing to order there is the Hot Chicken sandwich,(the one smothered in gravy) with a double order of fries. So...what did I order today? Go ahead guess, I dare you!

I was good, I was very good and ordered the minestrone soup and the Chicken on a Kaiser. NOW, I know what you're thinking, that's still really high in points, especially with that huge kaiser roll they use. Here's the thing, I picked the chicken off of the bun and only ate 1/4 of the bun, with my soup. Yep, I did great!

Add to this great eating plan, I also got a lot of activity in today! Despite the sub zero weather we're having right now (that I'm really not used to, we don't get it this cold here very often) I took the dog on not one, but two walks.

So without further ado...here is today's Activity Accountability Charts. Yes, Charts! I also went to the gym tonight.

Date Dec 7th
Activity Dog walk 3.5km
Duration 28min 57sec
Time in Zone 26min 33 sec
Avg Heart Rate 133bpm
Max Heart Rate 145bpm
Calories 332

Date Dec 7th
Activity Dog walk 2km
Duration 22min 18 sec
Time in Zone 16min 10sec
Avg Heart Rate 121 bpm
Max Heart Rate 132 bpm
Calories 178

Date Dec 7th
Activity Gym, Cardio
Duration 1hr 4min 52swc
Time in Zone 55min 30 sec
Avg Heart Rate 125bpm
Max Heart Rate 139 bpm
Calories 788