Indulgence

I'm realizing that there are two kinds of indulgence. The kind that makes you feel spoiled and pampered (indulgence), and the kind that makes you feel bad, mentally and/or physically (overindulgence).

Getting to go on vacation after a long, difficult summer is the former kind.

Eating food that makes you feel bad is the latter.

Sunday was Husband's birthday, so we went out to a nice lunch at our favorite restaurant, and took along a good friend. It was lovely, as always. Last time we had brunch there, we were as good as possible about sticking to The McCombs Plan. I had the Tenderloin Eggs Benedict, with no English muffin, sauteed spinach substituted for the creamed spinach, and no bearnaise sauce, just salt & pepper. The roasted potatoes and fruit that come with it are fine on The Plan, and we felt fine at the end of our meal. Yesterday, we didn't eat the bread and we didn't eat dessert except to share two strawberries with a drizzle of chocolate between the three of us, because they brought it to wish Husband a Happy Birthday. I ordered the Benedict again, with no muffin, but I allowed them to use the creamed spinach and the bernaise sauce. I was full halfway through the meal, but finished it anyway. Afterward, I was quite uncomfortable, and felt a little bit queasy.

Later that evening, we cooked a good meal for family and friends to celebrate. We started out with two bottles of champagne shared among the 6 of us. The meal consisted of steak, a little salad made of cucumbers & radishes & homemade dressing, sauteed spinach, roasted asparagus, oven fried potatoes, and roasted squash & onions. After the meal, we had the gluten-free chocolate-chocolate cupcakes I made on Saturday, and also an "Arnold Palmer Cake" that The Daughter made. We had decaf coffee with it, and some of us had English Single Cream in our coffee and/or over our cupcakes. That night, I was absolutely *miserable*. I was overstuffed, bloated, uncomfortable, and *angry*. I felt that way frequently before we started The McCombs Plan, and this just reaffirmed my determination to never feel that way again!

It got me thinking; why is it that to "celebrate" we eat a whole lot of garbage that makes us feel like crap? It's not much of a celebration if we go away from it feeling like angry garbage.

This week we are on vacation, but I am determined to stick as close to The McCombs Plan as I can, and not overindulge, so that I can actually *enjoy* the vacation and not spend it feeling bloated and miserable. I have spent too many vacations feeling that way, and it takes away from the whole trip.

Last night we ate dinner at Cowboys Stadium before the U2 concert - over the course of the evening, I had a Nathan's hot dog with mustard & no bun, plentiful french fries, 2 beers, and a bottle of water. You know what? I felt just fine! I didn't overeat (I could have used a second hot dog, but at $5.50 a pop, I abstained!) and none of the things I did eat made me feel bad. I was pleased that the beers didn't disagree with me and make me feel bloated. Also before bed last night we each had one of  John's birthday cupcakes, which also didn't disagree with me. Although they contain plenty of sugar, it's agave nectar, which is supposed to be "low-glycemic", and they are gluten-free, made with lots of egg and a little coconut flour, so they contain a good amount of protein. So once again, it looks like it's the wheat and the dairy that are not my friends. I'm sure this will get reconfirmed at some point in the future as I start trying things, but for now I will avoid those as much as I can. That way, I can truly enjoy the GOOD indulgence of our much-needed vacation!