Celebrating after the Competition

I look forward to the weeks after a competition, I can eat and drink like a regular person. I am dreaming of it now, even during the daytime. You have heard the saying "When you want something so badly you can taste it"? I am tasting a lot right now...in my head.

Tradition has it that David and I go to the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Market on the Saturday following a competition. We get there early and have fish tacos and red wine out in the sun, sitting at the waters edge. We go to Mijita, a wonderful little restaurant. 

We then wander around the farmers market and buy oysters, meats, cheeses, breads, vegetables and fruits. We stop and have a glass of REAL champagne at the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant and watch all the tourists walk by.

Then lunch at the Zuni Cafe, further in the city. 

But not this time, tradition is about to be broken, David is busy. In fact, David is busy every Saturday until the last weekend in October. I am on my own.

I was making reservations and discovered that David and Cooper will be attending a lacrosse game in San Francisco on the 8th, Harvard is playing Denver. It should be an exciting game. The game is at 3:00 so they need to leave early to go to their favorite Irish pup and eat fish and chips, then get a good seat.

The following Saturday they have a  car race, Porsche Rennsport Reunion IV where they will drive around the track or something like that.

Then the next Saturday he has to work.

He looked at me when I started complaining and said "Kristy - the whole world doesn't stop when you are finally ready to eat!"

It was a slap in the face, the words stung. But he was right. David has been waiting a long time for me to be ready, now I need to wait for him. I guess the shoe is on the other foot now huh?

So another saying we have all heard: "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade"

I made lunch reservations for ONE on Saturday the 8th. Yes all by myself. I am having lunch at McCormick and Schmicks restaurant. I have never been there and hear they have stunning food. I will order a glass of champagne and then a glass of red wine to go with lunch. Pursuing the menu, I am thinking I might enjoy the tenderloin steak sandwich on Navajo fry bread with garlic aioli. Or, if I am not super hungry I might start with the ahi tuna tartare then the Caesar salad, you see, I can have whatever I please!

Then, I have made a reservation at Tova Day Spa located in the Fairmont Hotel (where the restaurant is too), for a day at the spa. My day will include a 50 minute Swedish massage, then a 40 minute rejuvenation facial, followed by a 15 minute hand and foot pomegranate scrub. I will have access to the lounge, sauna, steam room, whirlpool, slippers and plush robe and two-hour valet parking! (Gotta love Living Social where I grabbed this great package!)


If I were male there could only be one thing you could add to make me say I have died and gone to heaven.


Then I shall hit the store and make something fabulous for dinner, the boys will be hungry when they get home from the lacrosse game and I am sure I will have a mean hunger brewing yet again.

Dinner Out Back to Normal!

Lest you think I am always on a diet, here's a picture to prove I can eat with the best of them and hold my own too!

I had to go exchange some pants at Santana Row, so there happened to be a wine tasting at Vintage Wine Merchants, and then we had to eat too, so we ended up at Left Bank.

What did I eat? Steak Frites with Bordelaise Sauce and Aioli.  

It is important to learn to balance things like this. Some people eat like this all the time, and they look like they do too.

I know other people who are afraid to eat like this once in a while. I think that is really unfortunate, but if they are happy living like that, then that is totally their business.

People will look at me and say "well you adhere to a totally strict diet for months! What's the difference?" The key word there was "for months", then I am not obsessed with it. I have to stick to a rigid diet to get my body fat abnormally low, for a competition, not for life.

I will then choose my meals carefully, I don't eat garbage on a regular basis, I don't suck down alcohol all weekend long, then clean up my diet on Monday morning, that doesn't work, you have got to live fairly clean 90% of the time. 

Think about it, if there are 7 days in a week, and you drink alcohol 3 days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) you are drinking 42% of the time! That is hardly even close to 90% compliance. 

The same goes for the food you eat, if you aim for 90% compliance, then don't beat yourself up when you "fall off the wagon" or better yet, you get to a point where you allow yourself meals like this once in a while, not only will you feel better emotionally but you will probably adhere to the clean diet better in the long run.

By the way, Left Bank does an amazing job with their skirt steak. Did I tell you I had a Sapphire Gibson too? And my alarm went off Saturday morning and I got to the gym when they opened at 6:00 am for my Quadzilla workout.