My Journey

I started this journey on December 31st. I picked this day because it was a Sunday and I wanted to weigh in on the same day every week. To me Sunday is the start of my week. I don’t work on Sundays and I can relax and unwind. I like to start my week on a good note. I  weighed in at 142.2 lbs.  I decided not to make drastic hard to keep habits off the bat. I made a small list of the things I thought I could stick with and turn in to everyday habits.

• Eat smaller portions
• Eat better breakfasts
• Plan snack times
• Plan what to eat on my snack times
• Cut down the amount of junk food I eat
• Drink more water
• Exercise for at least 10 minutes a day

I pretty much stuck to these rules. I did ok with the junk food until I got stressed out. I stress eat for comfort and I know it will take awhile to get over that.  I did very well with cutting my portions, drinking more water, and doing the 10 minutes of exercise a day. I took smaller portions when I prepared my plate for dinner. I didn’t go for the second helpings of my favorite part of dinner: the starchy sides!

I was still a little hungry after dinner but after a few days I was getting used to the smaller portions and started to feel satisfied with the smaller amounts I was eating.

Next was planning snack times. This is very important because I am a grazer. I can snack all day long. So to combat being hungry before lunch I decided that I needed a good healthy breakfast. This would hopefully cut out the before lunch hunger pains.  I have trouble eating the same things all the time so i planned several breakfasts.

• A whole grain cereal with almond milk, yogurt, a piece of fruit
• Oatmeal, yogurt, a piece of fruit
• Whole grain toast with a little butter and honey, yogurt, a piece of fruit.

Some days I would only eat yogurt and a piece of fruit when I wasn’t working a full 9 hour shift at work. When I work or am off work I plan to eat a snack around 4pm which would consist of:

• Cheese and crackers
• Nuts
• Peanut butter and celery
• Grapes

Since it was too cold to walk in the mornings I did some exercises  which concentrated on my core, arms, and legs. I’m not a big fan of exercising ( I hate aerobics). Once I get this exercise routine down I plan on sharing it with you. It has a little bit of yoga, small weights, and of course the dreaded plank!

Last but not least I committed to drinking more water. I bought several 16 ounce cups with straws for home and work. It really helped because the water I needed to drink was right at my finger tips. All I needed to do was pick up the cup and sip!

Week 2 started on Sunday, January 7th.  I weighed first thing after I woke up. I weighed 140.4! I had lost one pound and 8 ounces. I was so excited and proud of myself. I had kept to the small habits that I had set for myself and they had worked! I did beat myself up a little because I did eat a small bag of chips and several candy bars and I wondered how much I could have lost if I hadn’t eaten them. I decided I wasn’t going to guilt trip myself. I had eaten the candy bars and chips and there was no changing it so I moved on and said I will do better next week.

Week 3 started Sunday, January 14th. I got up excited to see a smaller number on the scale. Unfortunately I weighed in at 141.0. I was really bummed out, then it dawned on me that it was only six ounces and that might be attributed to the fact that I was exercising and was hopefully replacing fat with muscle. I stuck  to my new habits. I also realized that I had actually eaten very little sweets other than the small squares of chocolate that I eat after lunch and dinner. I have found that if I eat just a small piece of something sweet it tames my sweet tooth and I crave sweets less often.

Week 4 started on sunday January 21st. I didn’t weigh in because on January 18th I had major dental surgery. I was in pain and mostly stayed in bed. I was on a strict liquid diet. My meals consisted mainly of a chocolate flavored nutritional drink mixed with unsweetened almond milk, small amounts of yogurt, and tomato soup. However I did weigh on Tuesday January 23rd and weighed 139.4 pounds. I don’t consider this part of my weight loss,more like a unavoidable cleanse. At the same time I can’t help to be a little happy that I am finally under 140 pounds. At this point I will take what I can get!

Week 5 started Sunday January 28th. I weighed as soon as I woke up. I weighed 142.8. I had gained back the three pounds I had lost in week four from the dental surgery. To be honest I was glad I gained it back because I want to lose weight from my own hard work.  This week I have done a pretty good job controlling my portion sizes. I have been putting less food on my plate than I usually do and I am not going back for seconds. Which means I can have that piece of chocolate after dinner! I also walked four miles this week. On Saturday which is the last day of my first month we made one of my favorite meals, Homemade Gnocchi with Meat Sauce. I also wanted a salad because I am trying to get at least 1 cup of greens a day. I mixed baby spinach, beets, and goat cheese together and dressed the salad with my homemade honey mustard vinaigrette. I am excited to start Month Two. I haven’t lost a lot of weight but I am learning new habits that will get me to where I want to be!