Day One of a new life.....a Journey in a new direction

Ok so I've spent some time online looking up weight loss tips and the biggest one I think is that this is NOT a diet. This is a LIFESTYLE change. Therefore, I'm not on a diet. Now when considering a lifestyle change where do you start. How do you make those changes life style changes? I know loosing weight is easy...simply watch what you eat and exercise to burn more calories then you eat...however, I don't find this easy. I think in starting this journey the first thing I need to do is look at my eating habits. Now I know these fairly well. I know your supposed to eat breakfast but I'm just not a morning person. My coffee is really all I want. I can possibly get down some fruit but if I eat too much then I feel sick. Perhaps breakfast just isn't for me...or my breakfast is that 10 am snack I sometimes want.

My other habits I need to break are snacking....I love snacking! It so easy to nibble here and nibble there. Now I don't think that snacking shouldn't occur, I just think I need to choose more healthy snacks and have them at set times. I'm thinking this afternoon I might try a fruit smoothie for my snack and I think I'll have it around 3 or 4 when I come home from shopping. this is good because our dinner is around 7 and this should hold me till dinner.

Lastly I need to start exercising more. I have a gym membership but with this nice weather I don't want to be there 4-5 times a week. Therefore, I'm going to make an agreement with myself. I need to go to the gym at least 3 times each week. even if only for a 15-20 min work out on a machine. (this is what I did today) I figure I need to start off small and work up to big goals. If I can get myself to go to the gym for a 20 minute work out then I figure that's more then I was doing last week. In addition to this I need to do some work out every day. The days I'm not going to the gym I figure I could take a walk. If it's leisurely paced then it needs to be long. If it's a brisk walk it can be 20-30 min. I also think Lindsey has some evil plan to get me on a bike this weekend and attempt to get to the bike paths...I told her we'll see how that goes...I can make it to the paths...just not sure if I'll make it down them and then all the way home...got to pace myself. Now these are my ideas...does anyone else have anything to add about how how I can make this a lifestyle?

Coming back.

Ok So I've been MIA for about 2 months but I just finished 3rd semester successfully so now I figure it's time to focus on myself. I tried to keep track of calories today but I think I went a little over. My goal for this week is to stay the same or go down, as I gained like 3 lbs last week... It was just a very long and stressful week. To prepare myself for this I think I might organize the kitchen tomorrow. When I was doing Weight Watchers we used to have a snack cabinet of healthy food. this has kinda disappeared so when i'm hungry I travel to the pantry and don't always choose wisely...then after I'm like OMG...how many calories was that! I also went online and printed out a food journal that I put into a binder...gonna try and bite and write, then I'll transfer it here each night. So onto todays food.

goal was 1800 calories

breakfast

chi tea late approx 200 calories

Lunch

Smart ones meal 330 calories

gram crackers 260

Dinner (this was a bit heavy but I knew this going in)

sweet and spicy chicken 433 calories

veggie stir fry 127

ginger fried rice (I think I might have had 2 servings of this so I doubled the calories...serving size was sketchy) 560

total 1910. (now this is the total if I actually had 2 servings of rice. if I didn't I stayed within my calorie range. Either way for a fresh start...not to bad)

Goals for tomorrow

water...I must restart this...I think it will help with the cravings

better tracking of food

30 min work out (I've worked out once this week so far. my goal is 3)

Just wanted to gt on here and let you know I've not given up or forgotten about this. My computer contracted a virus so i've not been able to get on. I'm currently at Jose's house using his computer. hopefully mine will be fixed soon...mainly b/c my resume is on my computer and I really need it to send for a job possiblity! Any way this week has been un eventful. I didn't loose or gain anything. This doesn't upset me mainly b/c with school it's so hard to loose weight. My professors said I should focus on maintaining and if I happen to loose too then it's all good. So I think i'm happy if i maintain and would be even happier if I lost. well, once I get my computer back and running I'll start posting again...till then

The weekend day 5 and 6

So this weekend I spent relaxing with Jose. It was a very nice weekend but most of what I ate was approximated but I think I did all right. We didn't do much this weekend but relax at home. I had clinical on Friday then left and went straight to his house. we came back to my house on sat after meeting my family for pizza at wood field and some time at game works.

day 5 clinical and Jose's House

well I got up this morning and only had coffee and didn't even finish all of it because we were out of creamer so I had to use milk and splenda....yuck! Then I had 1/2 a bowl of chili at the hospital and then pasta and a blue berry muffin for dessert. not a bad day

breakfast
coffee 60 cal

lunch
chili 400 (prob not that much but I'd rather aim high)

dinner
Friday's pasta from Jewel. the entire bag was about 810 and Jose ate about 1/2 of it so I'll estimate it at about 500

dessert
blueberry muffin 250

Jose's house only has regular pop so I did have a glass of regular pop at 150

I was very bad with my water today...only got 2 glasses in....I find it so hard to get this in during clincial and I find if I don't start early it upset the entire day

I only ate about 1350 but I'm sure i prob had another glass of pop or something else so I want to say i actually at around 1600-1700. Not bad for an unplanned day.

day six

breakfast
coffee 100
peaches 80

Lunch/dinner
2 pieces of uno's deep dish pizza. I know I could of ordered something lighter but that pizza is amazing and I was not eating like a salad while everyone else ate my favorite pizza. I think each slice was about 500 so a total of 1000

snack
some Mexican dish at Jose's house I'm approximating about 250
a granola bar 150
a little bit of appetizers 200

total for today approx 1780 again not a bad day for yummy pizza...but no water...I know i'm bad...

total for the day

Day 3 and 4

Ok so I can't give you day 3 calories as I can't seem to find my book that I keep my count in. However, I do know it was a good day and ate right around 1800 cal. So onto today. Today I had my final in cardiology. It went very very well and I ended up getting an A in the class so I was psyched. Other then that I spent the day lounging around and getting psyched for the weekend. Another wonderful weekend with Jose, what more can I ask for? Well no clinical tomorrow would be nice but who's asking lol. other then that pretty much a boring day.

break fast
coffee 60
cottage cheese 100

lunch
healthy choice 250

snack
cheese and crackers 200
fruit 140

dinner
1 small slice of pizza 200
salad with grilled chicken 600

desert
ice cream 250

total for the day 1800 sweet! but only got in 3 glasses of water...the night is still young.

day 2

Ok so today was another hard day and I think I went over my calories by a little and I did a lot of estimating which always makes me nervous. could be high coudl be low...both are bad. Today we had another test at school. I did very well on the exam but afterward costco was there with food...so I gave in and split an apple pastry with a friend. We also had heavier dishes today which is not normal so I'm not really sure I could of correct much. I didn't work out today becuase my muscles are sore from yesterday. I hope to get to the gym tomorrow but I'm studyign for a final in cardiology so we'll see if that happens

Breakfast
coffee 100
2 eggs 140

snack
apple pastry I estimated 200 b/c paneras whole pastry is 300 and I split it with a friend

lunch
healthy choice 300
fruit 200

afternoon snack
granola bar 280

dinner
1 1/4 cup mac and cheese from cooking light 500 cal
salad with cottage cheese 250
milk 100

total 1870

all in all not a bad day only 70 calories over and I did get in 6 glasses of water today!

my thoughts and starting over

So I stopped posting because I became very discouraged. It's so hard to loose weight in my house. My mom continuously buys fattening snacks because she wants my sisters to gain weight. the problem is I like those snacks too. She buys cookies, granola bars, chips, candy ect and puts them out on the counter where they are so easy to get to. I started this diet thing over again today and ran into the same problem. the cookies were on the counter and I was stressed and bored so I ate some. then was like omg...how many calories was that. I'd lost 3 lbs and currently have gained all 3 lbs back because of mistakes like that. I'm frustrated and very close to giving up. but, I know that's not the answer. So here I am today continuing this even though it depresses me because I know i ate an ungodly amount of calories today in freakin cookies! I guess all I can do is be truthful about what I ate today and try to correct it tomorrow. and I'm sure if I'd posted in the last 2 weeks I probably would of only gained back like 1.5 lbs and not the total 3. So time to try this again.

breakfast
coffee 60 cal

lunch
sandwich
bread 150
turkey and cheese 200
mayo 50
3 cookies 320

total for the day

dinner
home made chicken noodle soup 270
blt 350
3 cookies 320
milk 100

total for the day
snack at night fruit 160

total for the day 1920

so today wasn't too bad but those 6 cookies cost me 640 cal of mindless eating. however, I did work out today with my trainer for an hour and got in my full 8 glasses of water. If I hadn't given into the cookies I probably would of done fantastic today. I'll be back here tomorrow same time with hopefully a better story.