July 28 2009 - Swam a few laps after many years

Today I went to the pool of the Westin Convention Center here in Pittsburgh, and swam a few laps in their not-so-official-size pool. Still, it was more than a workout for me. I found myself trying to catch my breath at the end of every lap, beginning with lap #5. It has been a while and I hope I can get back to my former physical condition.

I also realized today how much junk I eat. Travelling always does a number on me, as I tend to eat foods that are convenient, but not necessarily healthy. In terms of junk, today I downed 2 cans of softdrink, 1 bottle of softdrink, 2 Kit Kats, a Spumoni ice cream, and a lemon pound cake. Ok, the lemon pound cake was breakfast. Scratch that. Coupled with a heavy lunch and heavy dinner, however, I probably ate more calories than I actually needed.

Why do I do this to myself? Intellectually, I know it is because during grad school I turned to junk food for comfort and stress relief. It has become an addiction of mine, just as some people are addicted to alcohol and nicotine (to which thankfully I am not). During the heat of the moment, on a stressful work day, however, the endorphins to be had from consuming a bar of chocolate is simply too tempting to resist.

How does one get away from finding comfort in food?

PS - I did about 7,800 steps today, according to my pedometer.