Speed Racer and Food Grazer

I had such a good weekend! Saturday morning I got in my sweat session before the boyfriend I headed across town for a quick lunch before we had some plans. Lunch was at Pizzicato. I got a slice of the Puttenesca and a caesar salad. It was delicious and full of salt (something I was craving that day).

After lunch we headed over to Malibu Raceway to use a Groupon I bought for two people to take part in the race car track and arcade. It was a good deal for two people and a great way to kill an afternoon.

We started with the arcade. Most of the arcade games were free but some you had to pay for (bummer–I really wanted to try skeeball). It was fun but only held our attention for so long, you know, being adults and everything. But we did do a game together that was fun–a two person shooting zombies game. Not to brag or anything, but I was a pretty good shot!

Next up: Race car driving!

There were two different kinds of cars. One was the bigger, adult-type car (which we chose) or there were the smaller bumper car types that were for both adults or kids, but they didn’t go very fast. Luckily it was a nice day out, a bit overcast but warm. I was a tad skeeved out about the helmet situation but luckily they had disposable shower caps to wear underneath (yay! No head lice!).

There was a pretty long wait to get a race car, but it was really fun to watch. Some people were really timid drivers, driving super slow. Some were speed racers and some wiped out on the corners. We each got 6 tickets which meant six laps around the track. It was very well organized and a super fun place. Michael was in a car in front of me and he was a speed racer.

He was in the purple car seen in the above photo. My car was orange with flames on it! The first lap was really hard. I wasn’t used to the gas peddle yet and it was very jerky, like someone just learning how to drive. By the second lap I got better at it and by the third I was able to speed up and take the turns faster.

That’s me! It was so much fun! Michael went a lot faster than me, 58 seconds on the track and my best time was 69 seconds, but I still had a blast and trust me, it felt like I was going super fast in the little car. After we had done our laps, totally high from the adrenaline, we headed back to our side of town for my friend Sam’s big 40th birthday party.

The party was held at Sam’s friend’s house in the hills by Mount Tabor with gorgeous views below. The house was classy and elegant, complete with a pool and a small meditation house in the garden that looked like it was straight from Japan. There was bamboo around the perimeter to create a private little sanctuary in the garden.

Doesn’t that look like paradise? I could totally live in that bungalow. The party was so much fun. There was a big group of people that came to celebrate Sam’s special day and about half of them were my old coworkers from my last job. It was so much fun to catch up with them. Some of them I still see on a regular basis (a few are people I see almost every day on the bus leaving downtown) and the others I hadn’t seen in a few years.

The dinner was catered by Baja Fresh so there was TONS of food. And some of the guests also brought things to share. I kid you not, there was massive amounts of food to feed an army. There was a fruit platter, veggie tray, some various dips and crackers, a gorgeous fruit torte, lots of Mexican food and more beverages than could be drunk.

When Michael and I got there, we both grabbed a beer as we mingled and eventually we grabbed plates of dinner. I made sensible choices for dinner–one taco, some rice and beans, salad, a few chips and two taquitos (I only ate one).

At the party I faced one of my biggest challenges in my weight loss journey: the buffet. Buffets and potlucks are really hard for me to resist. There is so much temptation and really, really good food. It’s hard for me to resist eating it all. I did well by eating dinner on my plate, away from the buffet and the temptation. But later on when we were all mingling, I found myself back in the kitchen talking to friends and mindlessly grazing. Some of it was healthy stuff–the fruit and veggie trays. But some of it was the not so healthy parts (brownies, churros, onion dip with crackers…).

How did I do? I definitely ate way too much. My stomach was bordering on unpleasantly full, but not miserable yet. I skipped the cake and had another small cookie and a churro instead. Boy was it good! I stopped eating and told myself I’d had enough food. Even though I really wanted just a few more bites. At some point, I need to learn how to enjoy myself and not beat myself up for the occasional splurges and mess ups.

Sam’s party was fantastic and I had a great time. Some of the party moved inside to the stylish basement to dance under the disco ball to songs from our youth. It was such a fun night! I was happy to be able to help my friend celebrate her birthday.

QUESTION: What food challenges did you face this weekend? How did you do?