I went away on business this week. A lot of the time was spent in the car, so I thought ahead and packed snacks. I packed celery, string cheese, Laughing Cow cheese, some Edamame... I was proud of myself because I stuck to those snacks while on the road.

When we ate out I made smart choices like salad, sauteed veggies and such, and coffee at Starbucks made with skim milk. I was pleased because even when my co-worker ate nachos and had creme brule (my favorite!), I stuck to my choices and ate smart. WooHoo!

However: I learned that you have to be careful what the foods are cooked in, and you have to be just as careful about ingredients within the foods as you would be about cooking the foods yourself.

I gained a pound on this trip and I am pretty upset about it.

I didn't realized that Starbucks syrups were loaded with sugar and calories (I started getting the sugar free syrup half-way through the trip). The veggies I had at the cafeteria (there were only 3 choices of meals there) had corn and peas in them. The sloppy joe (which I ate without the bun) was, I'm sure, loaded with sugar. The sauteed spinach and mushrooms I had were drenched in oil. The salad dressings probably had a lot of sugar in them as well.

I am annoyed that I was "so good" only to discover that I really hadn't been. I cheated without knowing it, and now I've slid backward. This has made me more mindful though, so I'm very aware of the food around me now. :-)

I am so happy to be home! We drove 1,000 miles since Monday evening and only got 5 hours of sleep the first night and 6 the next. I was in some pretty depressing places, talked to some people who's lives wore me out, and even had to deal with some crisis situations back here while doing it all. I do have the next two days off though, so it was worth it!