A proud moment

This has been the kind of day that normally would send me over the edge. And I've been close a couple of times. I'm feeling calmer now, but I'm still thinking about all the "bad" foods I want to eat -- pizza, mac and cheese, Chinese, etc. But I'm not going to do it.

I was really close to giving in to temptation when I ended up at Walmart for a second time in the same day. Aside from a few work issues (which I won't go into detail about), it turns out that putting up my Christmas tree this afternoon was more stressful than I anticipated.

It was supposed to be a relaxing afternoon. I put "Love Actually," one of my all-time favorite movies, in the DVD player and started putting together my fake pre-lit tree. I spent about an hour straightening branches. Then, I plugged it in. The entire bottom row of branches weren't lit. I vaguely remember having a problem last year. I spent another 20 minutes jiggling bulbs. Nothing!

So I decided it was time to get a new tree. I went to three stores then Walmart. Walmart!!!!! My least favorite store. I got a tree for $39, which I thought seemed like a good deal. Back at home, I fielded several calls from my family. Then I opened the box ... to find a black tree. Seriously. Who buys a black Christmas tree?

That was almost the breaking point. Feeling defeated, I considered just going to bed and trying again tomorrow. But, no, I'm not really the sort to give up. I headed back to Walmart. Every bad food I could think of passed through my mind. I really wanted to just get something in the deli area -- they have mac and cheese, fried chicken tenders, potato wedges.

But I resisted. Back at home ... again ... I almost ordered Chinese. Almost six hours after I first set out to put up my tree, it's done and it looks beautiful. And I'm so proud that I didn't give in to temptation. I did splurge on a little wine while decorating the tree, but I'm about to eat my healthy chicken, spinach, mushrooms and pasta leftovers.

Dealing with stressful situations without turning to fattening foods is a big part of how I was so successful last year. And I'm proud to say I'm once again making progress.