Bubbey got back to Shanghai Friday night after a four-week stint in States. Perhaps you wondered how I was getting all my shit together… kinda helps when my buddy’s out of town. I have to keep myself super busy, otherwise I’ll just sit and sulk.

So I asked John to bring back just a few items– Airborne, dried berries, Cetaphil. Of course, he brought back what I requested and then some, including a whole lot of junk food: homemade rice crispies, chocolate chip meringue cookies, Dove chocolate cookies, key lime cookies, crackers… an entire stash. I’m not called a cookie monster for nothing. I chided him for thwarting my month-long run of healthier eating and then I proceeded to cram three squares of rice crispies treats into my mouth. Now, forty-eight hours later, the entire box of homemade treats is gone. I’m a piggie a heart. Still, in my defense (am I feeling guilty?), before Bubs came home, I had gone about a mouth without chocolate. (Not intentionally, but since I was playing my cheapie game, chocolate wasn’t on the list of essentials.) Oh well, that’s all in the past now. These last two days, my body has definitely made up for lost time. Unfortunately, it’s not just the junk food either. I’m feeling the need to come totally clean here: yesterday we went out with some friends to all-you-can-eat Brazilian BBQ. Yup, I’m back on the meat-eatin’ bandwagon, and it’s full speed ahead. Truthfully, the flavor of meat wasn’t quite as heavenly as I had remembered. Maybe now that meat isn’t a forbidden fruit, my mind doesn’t fool me into thinking I’m missing out. Something like that. Mind you, I packed it in regardless. In fact, I ate so much, my belly hurt. And this morning, I woke up with a ton of bricks in my stomach. Who knows how long that stuff will remain in there undigested. Ugh, gross. After last night, I think I could probably go without meat for another while. I know, I’m a control freak. I’m always trying to control some aspect of my life.

Speaking of which, I’ve been quite good about going to the gym a few times a week. I still strongly dislike the gym, but now that I’ve developed moderate endurance, the workout is no longer the 90 minutes of complete and utter misery it used to be. I’ve also made some changes to the routine, which I think help me squeeze it in and curtail the time. For one, I no longer shower at the gym. Too much work to pack the towel, toiletries, change of clothes, etc. I live just 10 minutes away anyhow… might as well just do all that stuff at home (without having to see the naked woman lounging on the lawn chair, eating her apple). Also, I’ve cut back on the weights. My arms were starting to beef up again, so I decided to just lay off on that stuff and concentrate on cardio. Finally, I’ve changed my schedule. Because of class, I no longer go in the morning. After trying a number of evening times, I found the sweet spot: one hour before closing. Whadya know? The gym actually follows the same trend as Carrefour. One hour before closing, the place is empty. Awesome. It’s all mine!