Yesterday was a non-fasting day, and, due to a series of unfortunate events, I gained over four pounds. Yes, some of that gain is due to fiber and water (which will eventually be “eliminated”), but most of it is the result of simply consuming too many calories and carbohydrates.

My first mistake was taking a detour at the grocery store. I was there to get blueberries, yogurt, and some packages of broccoli with cheese sauce but impulsively decided to check out the salty snacks. The result was adding some sort of new pizza-flavored cheese puffs and key lime-flavored cashews to my purchases. Of course, I intended to spread their consumption across a few days, but it’s not really my nature to save snacks in the cupboard. Anyway, I arrived home with two snacks when I shouldn’t be snacking at all.

The second unforeseen event was a spectacular thunderstorm that included torrential rainfall. It just happened to occur right before my lunch break, when I typically go to my company’s onsite gym. I hadn’t thought to bring an umbrella, and when I went outside with my gym clothes ready in my backpack, it was obvious that I wouldn’t make it to the gym and back without getting absolutely drenched. Not wanting to spend the rest of my workday soaking wet, I abandoned my usual afternoon workout, so the calories that would have been burned by exercise stayed with me.

The third error was actually planned, although I didn’t intend for it to result in weight gain. I have had the previous good fortune to visit P. Terry’s burger stand in the past, pick up a cheeseburger and fries, and manage not to gain any weight as a result. However, on those days, the only thing I ate other than that carlorie and carbohydrate-laden meal was my breakfast of yogurt and blueberries. Because I also had some of the ill-considered snacks in the morning and unexpectedly finished them off after dinner, I exceeded both my calorie and carbohydrate limits. I did also eat some steamed broccoli with cheese sauce so I’d get some fiber, but the whole evening was essentially a dietary disaster.

I need to eliminate impulsive actions at the grocery store. No more detours. I need to keep my head down, make a beeline for the things on my list, and get out of there without picking up anything more. It only takes a second to slip up when I’ve gone off-track, so I need to avoid doing that entirely.

Today is a fasting day, and I’ll obviously lose some weight, but I’m pretty sure I won’t get down to 240 pounds by tomorrow. The weekend is a concern because of the plans to indulge in a little pizza, but since I haven’t had any for over two months, I think I deserve at least a little taste of the forbidden food. I doubt that I’ll lose any weight over the weekend, but hopefully I can avoid gaining any. We’ll see…