I have reached the conclusion that the single hardest barrier to staying on a good diet and resolving to “stay healthy” (not just thin) – regardless of how “easy to follow” your diet and exercise plans are…is STRESS.  Someone told me a long time ago that good (and bad) things always happen in threes. Today was proof positive.

It all started when I opened up a letter from the hospital and nearly had a heart attack over the fact that my insurance company was refusing to pay for the birth of my daughter from November of last year!

Envision opening your mail over your morning tea, subconsciously planning out your semi-relaxing day when your mind is jerked full-throttle to the present after reading a legal threat over “nonpayment of your bill” (emphasis added). This 9:00AM  “wake-up call” demanded that I send the hospital over $7500 in two weeks. Thirty minutes later, one bag of crackers gone, and still on the phone with the so-called “help desk” (anything but), I finally resolved to wait for another claim submission (note to self:  don’t hold your breath).

By noon I had settled down and resolved to have a good day after all, by restricting myself to plain salad for the rest of the day….Remember that kid in grade school who was always chewing on the collar of his tee shirt? Well, by 2:30 my collar was looking pretty tasty! The mere thought of having yet another helping of PLAIN salad (I mean, let’s face it, we all know that the only reason we even EAT salad is so we have one more excuse to eat nuts, bacon bits, cheese and dressing) caused a complete physical revolt.  Well, sad but true, I lost control (again).  This time, I would add about 600 calories of leftover fried chicken (which, by the way, didn’t even taste good).  But the icing on the cake was the ice cream cone I added because I knew that my breast-feeding infant daughter would “want one” (good reason, right?).

The day had all but been ruined and I was just feeling awful, waiting for it to end.  So there I was, waiting, and waiting, and … waiting …

My husband was late coming home – so since the house was clean and a “healthy dinner” was already made…I agreed to let Mia watch her favorite “Veggie Tales” – which we can both recite word for word….so, despite yesterday’s efforts, I slipped back into “boring mode”. Yes. I got bored. I wasn’t really even aware that a stay-at-home mom could BE bored, but it happened anyway.  I didn’t want to read a story  -  I was too tired.  I didn’t want to get out anything that would take effort to put away – I was too tired.  I didn’t want to make a phone call – I was too tired.  How then, I ask myself now, was I “not too tired” to find the “energy” to snack on a couple handfuls of chocolate chips (that I was saving for baking cookies next week!)?  The answer?  I wasn’t really “Tired”, I was merely over-stressed and my healthy coping system had totally shut down for the day. When that happens, without fail it’s “off to the pantry/freezer/fridge/snack bar we go” My only saving grace is that tomorrow is a new day, and I DID make it through this one in one piece (even if the “pieces” are somewhat larger as a result).