Back on the Elliptical, Plus Cookie Baking

This morning, I did 3.41 miles in 46 minutes on the elliptical machine, with 30 minutes at a more intense pace. It was a pretty good workout, all in all. I finished with about 10 minutes of stretching.

Yesterday morning, I got a two mile walk in before the rain, thank goodness. At Brennan's suggestion, I walked outside instead of my usual treadmill walk. I could feel the hills, but I'm glad I did it.

Yesterday afternoon, George and I met our covenant group for lunch, then went to Nancy's house for cookie baking. I have been dreading the cookie baking for WEEKS, ever since I started the low-carb diet, because cookies have been a big downfall of mine! I *heart* cookies.

So, why didn't I bow out? Well, every year our covenant group works a dinner shift at a local homeless shelter. We meet early and cook dinner together for the folks who come through the homeless shelter on a Saturday night. Well, starting last year, our covenant group was asked to bake the cookies that we'd serve the people for dessert. Since we have our dinner shift coming up in a couple of weeks, we met yesterday to bake around 400 cookies! Of course, now that I'm eating low carb, and am more conscious of nutrition, I'm asking myself why we're handing out cookies for dessert at the shelter instead of something like granola or fruit. I imagine that cost is a factor, like it is for American families trying to stretch their food budgets stocking up on cheaper, empty-calorie foods. Maybe another mindset at work here is that the people who come to the shelter deserve a "treat" in the cookies we've baked. That's a trap I've fallen into soooo many times---rewarding myself with food that's full of refined flour and sugar, when I could be rewarding my body with something healthy instead.

I guess the answer to the question about why I stayed to help make and bake 400 cookies is that the experience itself was a bonding one with my covenant group. Part of me needs to remember that sometimes, it's not about the food. It's one thing to join people for a meal, though, and harder to make something I can't join the group in tasting. I didn't even lick my fingers! By most accounts, I worked by myself on one recipe and looked pretty intense while I was making 4 batches of Toll House bar cookies. I think I got into "the zone," eager to get 'em done and out of my sight! Everyone else was working in pairs pretty much, but I grabbed one of the recipes, found the ingredients and the bowls and utensils I needed, and just ran with it. Occasionally, I would ask for help in grabbing another two sticks of butter or a greased pan, but otherwise, I was pretty focused on getting the job done. I did enjoy the company and chatter of the people around me in the nice, big kitchen with two convection ovens, but I guess the introvert in me came out, too. I was able to think about whatever I wanted to, rather than having to TALK about the cookies while I was making them. I hope I didn't come across as unsocial or pouty, now that I think about it....Anyway, I'm glad I resisted temptation, as I was down again on the scales this morning! Now I'm down 16 pounds since I started the low carb diet in mid-January. Nicer feeling than even licking cookie dough off my fingers would've been yesterday!