I cheated.

There. I said it. :)
Made it through Thanksgiving dinner, dessert, and eating out twice while Black Friday shopping like a boss! (Post to come on that.) I was beyond excited/happy/proud at how well I ate and the great choices I made.
And then there was Julio's. :/ lol For the three peeps who actually might read this, my family goes to Pennsylvania for most holidays. While there, it is a necessity to stop by Julio's (a cheesesteak place near my grandparents house) for a "steak-in-a-pouch."
Steak-in-a-pouch: a little piece of heaven consisting of REAL steak (steak-ems has NOTHING on this bad boy) lots of cheesy goodness, green peppers, and onions, wrapped in REAL Philly bread.
It is GIGANTIC. Couple that with a side of cheese fries with that bright orange cheese sauce that probably doesn't even HAVE real cheese in it... holy cow it's just fatty heaven.
Sorry...got side tracked for a minute. :)
So anywho, I was totally kickin holiday dieting's buns when it happened- my dad suggested Julio's for dinner. As soon as he mentioned it, I knew I was a goner. This was going to happen.
I honestly fought myself internally for a good 45 minutes over it.
"I've been doing SO GOOD!! I can't ruin it now!"
"There is no way I can watch everyone eat Julio's and not have some."
"You've stuck to every 'rule' of this diet to the T for five weeks. This is the longest you have ever stuck to a diet. One slip, and all of this could be over. Do you REALLY want to risk all that hard work?!"
"I'll just work out harder and go right back to the diet after this. This one cheat does not define me. It does not mean I've failed. I will regret not getting it and feel deprived, resenting the diet. I don't want that to happen. I'll have a steak-in-a-pouch with green peppers and onions and cheese fries, please. :D"
And you know what? I don't regret a thing. :) When I woke up this morning, I jumped right back into my usual healthy eating, I'm planning on going to the gym and running a bit when I get home, and I won't let this make me feel guilty or like I've failed. :) And that, my friends, is growth.
I didn't use this as an excuse to blow all of the hard work I've done out of the water. I didn't wallow in my "failure"- or even consider it a failure. No guilt or shame. I made a choice, I enjoyed it (I'm not even gonna lie- it was everything I had hoped for. lol) and I'm gonna keep it moving.
I have a goal. And I will reach it. :)
Baby steps. ;)