A little slack...A little structure

Well, I'm not used to cutting myself slack, but I did it yesterday. I got home, mentally prepared (but sluggish) to go for a bike ride. It was still cloudy, the time was okay, but I was still feeling blah and tired. I thought, "You know, no one is going to blame you if you don't ride today. In fact, it might be a good idea (given the lack of sleep and the extreme exhaustion) to skip it."

So, I did. I rarely listen to that voice, but it seemed to be wise last night. I made a good dinner, watched a movie, took a hot bath and went to bed prepared for a good night's rest. I got into bed, read some of my book and turned out the light at 10pm.

And waited. And waited some more.

11:20pm. I'm still awake. I finally marched myself to the bathroom and took two sleeping pills (the normal dosage). Went to bed. Finally, FINALLY slept.

Until 9 am this morning. Guh.

I've been thinking. I remember during Lent when I gave up everything nasty (all desserts basically) in a drastic way, that my sleeping patterns were like never before. I was sleeping 8, 9, or even 10 hours a night --like a BABY. I think it may be time to look into this again. See, because I don't really have the will power to just have a treat every now and then. And even when I do, I notice drastic changes. Irritability, more cravings (more often), sleeplessness, weight gain.

I've also noticed lately that my will power during the day is good. I pack a lunch, and I'm "allowed" to eat everything in that bag (it's almost all good: nuts, fruit, veggies, good sandwich, a little treat like yogurt covered raisins). But then I get home.... It's all over.

Why is this? Well a large amount of my time is taken with *working*, so I think less about food. (I also stock my desk with sugar free gum and healthy snacks for whenever I get cravings. I also make sure that I drink 48-64 oz of water while at work.) When I'm home, however, my time is less structured. Maybe it's time to rethink that. I've noticed the past few days that I will get to 5 or 6 o'clock with a very good eating day under my belt, only to completely ruin it when I get home. I eat everything (and I mean everything) and anything in site.

For the next few weeks or so, I'm going to come up with a structure to my (limited) time at home:

Arrive home.
Eat small snack.
Exercise: bike ride, run, weights, core (pilates, crunches), hiking
Make good dinner. Enjoy dinner with a lot of water.
Chores (cats, bills, clean)
Quilt, cross-stitch, read, watch part of movie, email, call friends/family or blog.
Shower/Bath.
In bed to read.
SLEEP.

So here we go:

1. Drink more water at home. At least 20 oz + whatever I need to exercise.
2. Drastically cut out sugar/desserts. Look for better alternatives for my body (fruit).
3. Create and follow a structured schedule while at home.
4. Ensure that I'm getting the calorie needs that I need during the day so that when I get home I'm not binging.
5. Consider eating a somewhat larger meal or meals at work and having a smaller meal at night. (giving that a shot today)