Calorie is the new cash

Over the past few days/weeks/months I've come to realize that my entire understanding of calories has evolved into a new life-form. No, really! No longer is a calorie a unit of measure to provide nutrients and sustenance for survival (I made up the definition all on my own - are you proud of me?!?!?), but calories are now cash. Each calorie represents a currency of sorts whereby, the more I burn, the more I can eat. Just like, the more you work, the more money you make (theoretically - although still not proven in my case). That being said… I'm now recognizing that the more exercise I do, whereby burning more calories, the more food I can eat. I like this theory. I like food.

The reality is that I will always be a foodie. I like to cook, I like to eat, and I love to dine! I cannot image that at any point in my life will I not follow each and every savory meal with a balance of sweet. I know it sounds really weird but my mouth always feels unbalanced after I eat something savory and the only way to get the Ph level back to normal is to have a bit of sweet yummy goodness. 

I love chocolate and while I haven't necessarily deprived myself of it over the last 5 months, I haven't consumed as much as I feel I my body needs. That's right - I said NEEDS!!! I can't "do the healthy thing" and switch over to dark chocolate, it's just not sweet enough. I live, love, need, yearn, desire, and lust after smooth, creamy, rich, milky chocolate, and if you add a little peanut butter to the mix, I'm in heaven. This is just a reality of life, and if it means that I'll be a size 6 instead of a size 4 - SO BE IT!!! I NEED CHOCOLATE.

Yes, that is me, at my wedding, attempting to drink from the chocolate fountain!!!

The good news is that the 500-600 calories I potentially burn in bootcamp (or any other form of exercise) allows a healthy consumption of chocolate. I'm not all crazy nuts about it, in fact, if I get a package of reese's peanut butter cups I can discipline myself to eat only one. But no longer and I going to deny myself the insatiable need for chocolate. My life just won't allow it. 

Oh lord… Stacy, I can already hear you… "Liz, those are just empty calories… how about you put some peanut butter on a chocolate graham cracker or something" NOT GUNNA HAPPEN - SORRY!!! (Still love you though!) There is no substitute and it's just how it's going to have to be. I can however guarantee that even with my 105 calorie Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, I will still stay within my allotted calories, I'll just have to make adjustments elsewhere. 

Time for my confession… I've really sucked at keeping track of all of my foods. I'm not really eating anything out of the ordinary, which is why I don't necessarily feel like I have to write everything down, but I feel like I'm getting into some bad habits. I seriously eat the same dang thing (or variation of the same thing) every day or week. So the reality is that I'm pretty much taking in the same amount of calories every day. Only issue comes into play is on the days when I haven't exercised. But that's usually the weekend and by the time I have my weigh-in on Friday, those calories are long gone - that cash has been spent!!!