June 30th

WOW! The last day of June-where the heck has Summer 2011 gone? I mean, I've been home for almost 2 months. How does that happen?! But, I'm past the halfway point, so only a couple more months and I'll be back to colleges-YES! :) As much as I love being home, I miss all my friends SO much, and I want to see them all again :)

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk, 1/4 banana, and 1 cup of Extra Bold coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. It was good, but by 10:30, my stomach was growling (I ate at 8).

Snack 1: I had an Activa Strawberries & Cereal yogurt around 1, because I had been feeling nauseous earlier, and then later tonight.

Snack 2: Around 4, I had 10 Apple Slices because I really wanted fruit, but still didn't think I could eat any real meal.

Snack 3: I ate a Luna Bar-Smores. I ate this after my workout, and because I knew I needed to add in some calories today.

Exercise: I went to the gym after work, and planned to go to the tennis courts after, so I only went for 30 minutes. I got on the treadmill, and ran for about half the time, and in 10 minutes, I went .84 miles and burned 141 calories, YAY! I can't wait until I can run at 6.5 mph the entire time, but I'm working up to it. Yes-I alternate running and brisk walking, but I get half of the time done while running :) I also got on some machines after that, and I was able to lift more and push myself more with my leg exercises-yay NSV :)

Pros: I'm glad I got some kind of workout in today, and that I tried to eat well :)

Cons: I really should have eaten more food today, and I didn't drink a lot of water, but oh well.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better-my best guy friend is coming home tomorrow, and I'm grabbing Starbucks with two of my best friends, so I'm pretty excited about that :)

June 29th

So, today could have gone better, and should have, but unforeseen circumstances kind of ruin any good plans you have :)

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk, 1 banana, and 1 cup extra bold coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas.

Lunch: Because the little girl I nanny chipped her tooth at the pool this morning, we met her mom at the dentist, got the tooth fixed, and then her mom took us to lunch at Chepe's Mexican Grill. I was a little apprehensive about the place, just because it's Mexican food, and it usually has a lot of calories, but I ordered the Fajita Bowl Salad, which is a fried bowl with beans, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese, flank steak or chicken, and some random mango sauce on the side. I got the salad with no sour cream or cheese, got the flank steak, and didn't touch the mango sauce or the fried bowl. Instead, I put some of the salsa in the bowl, and mixed everything up and it tasted AMAZING. It definitely filled me up :)

Snack: I had 1 Activa Strawberry & Cereal yogurt-SO GOOD, and around 4:30, had my 22 Trader Joe's crackers with 1 Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb Cheese. Not as good as the other crackers, and you waste more calories on less crackers, so I won't buy those again unless I can't get the others.

Dinner: I had the other 1/2 of last night's Butter Chicken-SO GOOD. I'm definitely going to have to buy more of these this weekend :)

Snack: I had a Luna Bar-Iced Oatmeal Raisin, which was good, but I'm sure would be better if I ate it in the morning. Oh well... :)

Exercise: I swam 17 laps in the pool today. I constitute a lap as swimming there AND back, so I feel like I got quite a bit of exercise in :)

Pros: I didn't touch any of the chips at lunch today, which I was quite pleased about, and I didn't eat anything extra, even though I was a bit hungry after swimming.

Cons: I should have had more water, but with today being so hectic, I wasn't concentrating on it. I really need to make that a priority.

Well, I'm off to read and pass out. Hopefully tomorrow's a better day :)

June 28th

So, today was pretty good-not as awesome as yesterday's fabulous day, but pretty good :)

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk and 1 cup of Extra Bold Coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I've been trying to find the light caffeine coffees, but they also don't keep me motivated to keep drinking, but this one did :)

Snack: I had an Activa Vanilla & Cereal yogurt. I'm getting bored with this one, so I'll be sure to pack a Strawberries & Cereal one tomorrow for snack :)

Lunch: I pulled out the lettuce I had ready for lunch and realized that it didn't smell right, so I erred on the side of caution and threw it out. So I had a turkey burger with mustard and 1/4 cucumber, sliced, drizzled with some light Italian dressing-great idea! :)

Snack: I had my 24 Special K Multi-Grain crackers with 1 Laughing Cow Queso Fresco & Chipotle wedge. It was pretty good, but I'm only a fan of the Garlic & Herb and the French Onion wedges. I'm planning to get the Creamy Swiss in a couple of weeks when I'm out of all the others.

Dinner: I actually had dinner tonight! This shouldn't be exciting but it is-haha :) I had 1/2 of a Trader Joe's Butter Chicken, which is one of my FAVORITE indian dishes. I know it's not good for you, but when 1/2 the container of chicken and rice is 205 calories, and it's Trader Joe's, how can you go wrong? :) It was SO good and reminded me of the food at this place called Mehran's in DC. One of my guy friends loved the place, and so he took me there last semester, and I fell in love, so we went there quite often. If you haven't heard about it, it's this Indian restaurant-you can choose to get the buffet, or go with the menu (we always go to the buffet), but they have AMAZING tandoori chicken, and some lentil mixture which is great, and of course, the Naan. I'm a sucker for some good Indian food, if you didn't notice :)

Snack: I had a Luna Bar-Nuts over Chocolate, which was really good. It wasn't my favorite, but I will definitely get it again :)

Exercise: I went to the gym for an hour, and definitely burned off quite a few calories :) I got on the treadmill, and in 10 minutes, burned 136 calories and went .79 miles. Pretty good for alternating running and walking super slow :) Then I did a bunch of the machines and whatnot, and was able to push myself to handle more weight on some of the machines-yay! Then I got on the elliptical for 20 minutes and burned 253 calories and I don't remember how many miles I went, but it was a good amount :)

Pros: I'm glad I got my exercise in, even though I wasn't able to get in some time at the tennis courts tonight. I'm also happy that I looked in the refrigerator where all my food is, saw the 4 Arnold Palmers I bought a week ago, and didn't feel an urge to drink one. I feel like the sugar craving that I thought would never go away is finally going away! HECK YES :)

Cons: I don't feel like I needed that Luna Bar after dinner, and could have done without it.

Tomorrow's going to be SUPER busy (I'm waking up at 6AM to exercise, then go right to nannying, then go right to babysitting, and getting home around 12). Hopefully I'll be able to post tomorrow, but if not, I'll definitely post for Wednesday when I'm back/alive :)

June 27th

So, today was actually super freaking fabulous! It could have been better I'm sure, but honestly, I don't regret a thing :)

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1 banana and 1/2 cup skim milk with 1 cup of Coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I think this coffee tasted a little better than the hazelnut, but I really want to work towards actually enjoying it now.

Snack: I had an Activa Vanilla & Cereal yogurt-so good, but I think I may prefer the Strawberry flavor over the Vanilla now.

Lunch: It took me forever to make, but it was SO worth it! I had a cooked chicken breast with 1 cup of steamed whole grain brown rice, 10 raw baby carrots, and 10 slices of apples. This filled me up, and I think I enjoyed the carrots better today :)

Snack: I wasn't really hungry, but I knew I would regret it if I didn't eat before I worked out. I had 24 Special K Multi-Grain Crackers with 1 Laughing Cow French Onion cheese. It's a great snack, but I was still full from lunch.

Dinner: So, I had a Luna Bar-White Chocolate Macadamia for dinner. I'll explain more in the exercise section.

Exercise: So, I went to the gym for an hour, first going on the treadmill for 10 minutes and burning 121 calories. Then I got on a bunch of the different machines and stretched my legs and arms, and then got on the elliptical-level 10, which I was on for 20 minutes and burned 255 calories and went 1.76 miles. Then, I came home, changed back into my workout clothes, and headed to the tennis courts, where I went around the courts 14 times, alternating running and walking, and then did my 1/2 court lines 30 times. I was sweating SO much at the end of it and it felt SO good :)

Pros: I drank more than 12 cups of water today! I'm up to my 14th cup-I'll probably stop here because I'm going to bed soon, but still, it's an accomplishment. Also, NSV again-the girl I'm nannying for wanted to make cupcakes today, and so along with two of her friends, we made cupcakes, and then went to buy some chocolate frosting for them. Now, I did most of the baking, and all of the frosting, and I can proudly say that I didn't have a cupcake, a bite, a lick, nothing. YES! I also think that I'm done with getting mad at myself for not eating dinner-a Luna Bar may not fill every nutritional requirement, but it has some good vitamins and whatnot in it, and it's all I want :)

Cons: I guess my only con is that I'm in the middle of questioning everything in my life, especially my relationship with this guy. No, we're not dating, but I honestly have no idea what we are and if I mean as much to him as he does to me. But, he comes home this weekend, and I'm kind of nervous about everything-including whether we're going to see each other or not. Yeah, totally unrelated to health, but whatever. I hope that whatever this is sorts itself out soon :)

Hoping for another great day tomorrow! :)

June 26th

So, today was a great day overall-I wish everyday could be like today :)

Weigh-in went GREAT! I lost 3.1 pounds in the last week, so I'm up to 19.5 pounds total! That's absolutely wonderful :) I added a tracker to my blog to slow my changes. I don't know if my end goal is completely realistic, but I figure that if I put that as my end goal, I'll strive towards that :) Now on to the food/exercise part of the day :)

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk and a banana and 1 cup of Hazelnut Coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I've realized that I drink the coffee more because it means I won't get a caffeine withdrawal headache then because I enjoy it. I think I'm going to try next week to get myself off this caffeine addiction, and have some caffeine pills nearby just in case I REALLY need it. Hopefully this'll go well-I'm really over drinking coffee every day, especially when I find it routine now, and not enjoyable.

Lunch: I had two light hot dogs with mustard, with 10 carrots (about 1 serving), and 1 bag of apple slices (about 10 pieces). I discovered that I'm not a fan of raw carrots, but that I prefer cooked ones MUCH more. Even though the raw ones filled me up, I really didn't enjoy them, and I want to enjoy what I'm eating. So, I was filled up until about 4, and it was nice :)

Snack: I had 1 serving of Special K Multi-Grain crackers (24 crackers) with 1 Laughing Cow French Onion cheese. It was really good and it filled me up after :)

Dinner: Haha, so, funny story here. I didn't eat dinner-again. It's not that I'm trying to deprive myself of dinner, but that when it was dinner time for the family, I felt nauseous, and then I drove to pick up Starbucks for my family, including a Venti Unsweetened Green Tea with 2 Splendas for myself (0 calories, FOR THE WIN!), and went to the Fresh Market to get dessert for my family and a magazine for myself. I wasn't using the magazine to replace a dessert, but I wanted to get some new recipes, and I love it, so it's a splurge. Just in case you were wondering, it's the Food Network Magazine :) But, later I had a Luna Bar-Chocolate Dipped Coconut. My verdict? ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. It tasted like an Almond Joy, without the almond, and SO worth it :)

Exercise: I went to the Tennis Courts while it was raining, and had planned to go around the courts 20 times and do my 1/2 court line workout 20 times, but I was only able to go around the courts 16 times before other people came up and started to watch me, which is when I felt SUPER awkward and left. I'd be fine if they were walking by and saw me, but just staring at me hits the uncomfortable mark for me.

Pros: I'm SO happy about the weigh-in, and about my determination to workout today. I also like how I wouldn't even try a little bit of what everyone else was eating, and drank lots of water-maybe not 8 glasses, but a lot. Also, my dad's been seeing how happy I've been with losing weight, and what I've been doing, and he's going to start Weight Watchers tomorrow. I'm happy that I won't be the only one in the family being extra careful about what I'm eating, even if it may be a bit easier for him, but still, it'll be nice :)

Also, I don't usually give these out, because I don't like giving them to myself, which is the point, but I totally had a NSV tonight-just now actually! I've been reading people's blogs where they take pictures with the same outfits on to see how much they've changed, and that got me wanting to compare how my body looks, almost 20 pounds lighter. So, I took a dress that I bought in January, a dress you'd only wear to the club, and when I tried it on, I noticed that it didn't look so great on me. In fact, you could see a couple of rolls-but I bought it anyways. I remembered that dress tonight and tried it on and it looks FABULOUS! Sure, I could definitely lose some more weight, but if I walked out of the house right now wearing that, I'd feel sexy and confident! I can't wait to go clubbing when I get back to college with my "new" dress! :)

Cons: I really need to work on eating dinner, and I felt absolutely horrible while working out today. It wasn't anything with unmotivation or anything, but that my lower back was ABSOLUTELY killing me, and I'm not sure why. Add that with my right heel killing me and I think I'm starting a list of stuff to talk to my doctor about when I go in in a couple of weeks.

All in all, today was pretty fabulous, and I can only hope tomorrow is JUST as good :)

June 25th

So, today wasn't as great as I wanted it to be, but it also wasn't as bad as it could have been. I feel like I'm getting back to my habits of trying some of everything, but I'm going to work on that.

Breakfast: I woke up around 10 and didn't get out of bed until 12, and had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk and 1 cup of Hazelnut coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I really should have had some fruit with it, but I'll try to improve tomorrow.

Lunch: I ate around 4, since I wasn't very hungry, and we went to Burger King, where I had an Original Chicken Sandwich with no mayo, which was a good decision on my part. I also had their apple fries-which I love. I've become obsessed with apples lately, which I'm happy about because they're SO good!

Dinner: We went to Boston Market for carry-out, and I had about 1/3 cup of roasted chicken with about 1/2 cup of steamed vegetables (squash, broccoli, and carrots) and 4 pieces of roasted red potato. It was all SO good, and SO down to earth, which is what I've been going for. I really like to eat food without all the sauces and coatings because it makes me feel healthier. I also had about 1/2 cup of skim milk later at night, and a small piece of meatloaf.

Exercise: I spent two hours working outside cleaning up the garage and outside, which made me sweat a LOT, and that felt good. I was going to go to the tennis courts, but people have been there all day. Oh well, there's always tomorrow :)

Pros: I'm glad I got some sort of workout in today, and that I ate well, even when I went out. I also made sure to go to Trader Joe's today for my groceries, and not only did I walk around each aisle in the store twice, but I found some really good things that I'm excited to eat next week :)

Cons: I really need to reduce the amount of food that I eat out, and increase the foods that I cook. I need to cook all my food tomorrow so it's all ready for the week :)

Hoping for a better tomorrow (and a good WI!) :)

June 24th

So, today was much better than I expected, but I'm sure it could have been better. I think I'm getting better with not having any regrets about stuff that I do, which I'm pleased about :)

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk and 4 banana slices with 1 cup Hazelnut coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I would have had the rest of the banana, but it was overripe, and was a bit mushy-which I wasn't a fan of.

Snack: I had an Activa Vanilla & Cereal yogurt for snack. I absolutely love these snacks because they fill me up. I'll have to pick up some more this weekend :)

Lunch: I ate the other half of my Original Chopped salad at CPK. It wasn't as good as it was last night, but it was still pretty good and filled me up until snack.

Snack: For snack, I had a serving of Special K Multi-Grain crackers with 1 Laughing Cow French Onion cheese. I really like this snack too, but I think I need to get some more fruits into my diet.

Dinner: My family and I went out to dinner again at a Greek place, and I got a Chef Salad, which was HUGE! It was this huge bowl of lettuce, 3 slices of turkey, 3 slices of ham, 1 hard boiled egg, 1 medium tomato, some cucumber slices and shredded cheese and honey mustard on the side. I used my fork and used that to eat some of my salad. I only ate half of it, which was really good :)

Snack: I had a small piece of lamb with yogurt sauce and 3 apple slices after to fill me up a little.

Exercise: I did my tennis workout, and an extra 8 1/2 court lines-alternating walking and jogging. I felt SO good after doing this, and I feel like I'm getting a little faster with my running, which is great :)

Pros: I am SO glad that I didn't give up my diet tonight! I was going to eat a piece of dessert or a couple of bites at dinner with my friend Sarah, but unfortunately she didn't make it tonight, so that was avoided. I feel like at this point, I have enough control to only eat a couple of bites, but it's nice to not have to explain my diet to everyone, especially when it's kind of difficult to explain to myself. I'm also so happy that I have so much enthusiasm to workout. I was actually kind of upset that I didn't get to workout again tonight, because it was pouring outside and thundering.

Cons: I wish I could have gotten my 12 cups of water in today, and could have not had the post-dinner snacks, but I can't really complain since it would have been cheesecake instead.

Hopefully tomorrow (and Sunday's WI) are just as good, if not better! :)

June 23rd

So, today was better than yesterday, both personally and food/exercise wise-yay :)

Breakfast: I had my usual 1 cup Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk and a banana, with 1 cup of Hazelnut Coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I love this breakfast because it's easy to eat/take on the go and it's very filling.

Snack: For snack, I had an Activa Strawberry & Cereal yogurt, which, as always, is SO good. I definitely need to pick up some more of those at the grocery store this coming weekend :)

Lunch: So, I was babysitting at someone's house, and didn't have time to pack my lunch, so I figured I'd just find something there. I found 2 pieces of Turkey (40 calories) with some organic mustard and 22 whole wheat crackers from Trader Joe's. This filled me up a LOT and I was quite pleased :)

Snack: When I got home, I had 8 Chicken & Garlic Organic Mini Wontons (120 calories), 2 Special K Multi-Grain crackers, and 1/4 cup skim milk. My goal is to not drink anything but water after my morning coffee, but the wontons were fairly spicy and I needed something to cool my tongue down.

Dinner: My family and I went to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner. I had looked online and saw the small cravings and wanted the Korean BBQ Beef Tacos, or something like that, because they looked tasty and small and it was a low price, calorie wise. However, when I got there, I couldn't find the small cravings on the menu, and decided to get a 1/2 Original Chopped salad, which is like 478 calories, and only ate half of it :) My parents also got an appetizer (California Club Egg Rolls), which I proudly turned down-yay for an NSV! They also got dessert (Strawberry Shortcake), and knowing that I may be splurging a little tomorrow night at dinner with some friends, I didn't have any of that either.

Exercise: We got home around 9, and I was determined to get some exercise in, even if it was dark and even if the gym was closing. So I did my tennis workout, and a couple extra sprints around 1/2 of 1 tennis court to make up for the 10 I missed the other day. I would have done more but it was really dark and I didn't know who/what was outside haha

Pros: I honestly love how I can go to a restaurant and not worry about splurging and making bad choices. I feel that when I go to these places now, I have an idea of what I'm eating, or what I'm eating later/the next day, and work around that. Like, I'm going to dinner with friends tomorrow at a place that has HUGE portions, and knowing that, I made sure to eat smaller meals today and get a smaller dinner. These choices make me feel good. I also like how I honestly wanted to go exercise, and was determined to do so :)

Cons: I think my only cons are that I probably should have had some fruit or something instead of the crackers/wontons for snack, but they were organic so I don't mind too much.

Hopefully tomorrow's great as well :)

June 22nd

So, today was a pretty alright day food wise, but personal issues wise, it was horrible. This last week has been SUPER stressful, with my grandparents here and all, and I feel that now that my parents are here, I'm getting blamed for things that aren't my fault. It's pretty ridiculous, but I'm getting over it, slowly :)

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk, with 1 banana and 1 cup of hazelnut coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I put my banana in my cereal this morning-such a good idea :)

Snack: I had my Activa Strawberries & Cereal yogurt, which is SO good. I love it :)

Lunch: I'm still having my lady troubles and didn't feel in the mood to eat lunch.

Snack: I had my 24 Special K Multi-Grain Crackers with 1 Laughing Cow French Onion Cheese. I love this snack, but I probably should have had some fruit here.

Dinner: I had 4 Mini Wontons (Organic Pork and Ginger), 1 banana, 1 Luna Bar-Smores, and a small bite of zucchini bread. I really love the wontons, and only 4 of them are 100 calories-SO worth it!

Exercise: I did half of my tennis workout-doing the 10 laps around the courts, alternating jogging and walking. Then I went to the gym, went on the elliptical for 10 minutes and burned over 100 calories, and got on some of the machines and lifted some weights and felt really good about it :)

Pros: I'm glad I got my exercise in, especially before it started raining, and even though I had craps, I didn't overeat or get off the path. I also am glad I got 12 cups of water in today, since I've been working on drinking a lot of it :)

Cons: I really should have eaten lunch, and should have planned out dinner better. I was still a little hungry after the wontons and wasn't sure if I should eat more or eat something else.

Hopefully tomorrow's a better day-food and personal wise :)

June 21st

So, today's not even over yet (there's 4 1/2 hours left in the day), but I don't see myself moving from this room, thanks to the wonderful lady problems I've been handed today. But other than that issue, everything's been great today :)

Breakfast: I was running a little late so I took my breakfast to-go. I had my 1 cup of cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk and 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I was going to have a banana, but when I opened it, parts of it were red. I don't exactly understand WHY parts of it were red, but I wasn't going to eat it, so I was kinda bummed about that.

Snack: I ate an Activa Vanilla & Cereal yogurt, which, as always, is SO good. I'm glad I found this yogurt, because even though it's more expensive than the others, it's got a lot of fiber in it and I absolutely love it.

Lunch: I was pretty done with bread, which is good because reducing carbs is probably a good thing. So, instead, I had 1 cup of organic Butternut Squash soup and 3.5 pieces of Turkey with Mustard, to make turkey roll-ups. This wasn't the most amazing lunch I've ever had, but it tasted pretty good. I'm not really a fan of the Butternut Squash soup-it tasted too sweet, but I'm going to keep trying it, in hopes that it's going to get better :)

Snack: I had 4 Strawberries and 1 serving of Special K Multi-Grain crackers with 1 Laughing Cow French Onion Cheese. I really liked this snack, and I was able to get some fruit into my diet, so I'm pleased :)

Dinner: Wasn't entirely hungry tonight, probably due to the fruit I had at lunch which filled me up :) So, I had a Luna Bar-Chocolate Peppermint Stick, which was probably the BEST one I've had thus far :)

Exercise: After work, I headed to the tennis courts, when nobody was there and the sun was beating down, and did my tennis workout again. I sweated so much and my face was super red afterward-good indication of a good workout :) Then, around 6:30ish, I headed to the gym, and got on the elliptical for about 10 minutes and burned 109 calories, and then got on various machines and did some weights-it was really good :)

Pros: I'm so glad that even though I feel like crap, I found the ability to go to the gym, which makes me feel better. What's better is that I worked out for an hour and still feel like I could do some more :) I also like how I've already consumed 11 cups of water today, and am still drinking more to get rid of the cramps :)

Cons: Even though I didn't eat dinner, I don't consider that a con today, especially because I don't feel well, and don't know if I can eat anything without feeling nauseous. Hopefully this goes away before tomorrow morning tomorrow, because I need to work out in the morning since my parents are coming here tomorrow night :)

Hoping for a better day tomorrow :)

June 20th

So, today went pretty well. It's not over yet, but I'll update the part that I haven't finished yet when it happens. Though, I figured I should post this now, rather than later, so I have time to do what I need to do later.

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup of skim milk, 1 banana, and 1 cup of hazelnut coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I really liked having the banana in my breakfast because it filled me until snack, and cheerios-well, you can never go wrong with them :)

Snack: I had my Activa Strawberries & Cereal yogurt-still amazing, though not as great as yesterday because I got a couple of fruit pieces in my yogurt, but I ignored that :)

Lunch: I had 3/4 cup of Organic Potato Leek Soup, 1/2 Turkey Sandwich with lettuce, whole wheat bread, and mustard, and 10 apple slices :) I'm kind of glad that the soup is gone, because I've had better Leek and Potato soup, and this really didn't compare, but it was still good :)

Snack: I ate my 24 Special K Multi-Grain Crackers with a Laughing Cow French Onion Cheese. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this snack because it's so good and filling and not a lot of calories :)

Dinner: I had 2 Light Hot Dogs with Mustard before heading to the gym, which really filled me up. I feel like I'm getting really filled with hot dogs, and it's such a good meal, but I need to work on adding vegetables with this meal, or at least fruit.

Snack: I had a Luna Bar-Vanilla Almond, which was ABSOLUTELY amazing. I love this Luna Bar so much and I cannot wait to buy more of these after I finish my current bag of bars.

Exercise: I went to the gym and got on the elliptical and turned it to level 8 for 25 minutes and burned over 300 calories, and felt SO good afterward :) The part I was referring to at the top of this post is that I'm waiting until people leave the tennis courts at the bottom of the street so I can do my tennis workout that I did last night. It sucks because I wasn't able to get down there when nobody else was there-I seriously went back and forth until 10, and then it was pitch black, so I'm hopefully just going to start heading down there around 6ish in the morning :)

Pros: I'm glad I'm getting more excited about working out-the motivation is definitely there for the time being :) The fact that I'm considering changing one of my goal rewards to a new pair of workout shoes makes me feel really good :)

Cons: I just looked at what I've been eating and I've clearly not been getting all my fruits and vegetables that I should be eating-so I really need to work on getting all of those in each day, but other than that, it's all good :)

June 19th

So, today was WI day, and left me on a GREAT note for the rest of the day. I'm kinda scared that when I don't see a number I like on the scale, I'll get upset and start losing motivation, but for the time being, I'm good :) So, since last week, I'm done 12.4 pounds. So, I can officially say I'm below 260 pounds, at 258.7. YES! So, now, I've earned my first reward-a new phone. Total, so far, I've lost 16.4 pounds in two weeks-what an accomplishment! But anyways, now onto the usual stuff :)

Breakfast: I had 1 Multi-Grain English Muffin with 2 Pieces of Canadian Bacon and 1/4 cup of scrambled egg beaters. I only ate 1/2 of the Multi-Grain English Muffin because I got coffee on the one part. I also had a cup of hazelnut coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. It was pretty good because it filled me up until lunch :)

Lunch: I had 2 light hot dogs with mustard and a banana for lunch. This was really good and really filling-I like having hot dogs because they're simple and easy.

Snack: I had an Activa Strawberry & Cereal yogurt. I was a little apprehensive about this because I don't like fruit pieces in my yogurt, but this one had no fruit and was SO good :) It tasted just as good as the La Creme yogurts that I loved so much, and wasn't as calorie-filled :) I can't wait to have this for snack tomorrow.

Dinner: I had one cooked chicken breast, shredded up, and 3 cooked carrots. I strangely ate the entire thing, even though I didn't think I was going to. The carrots were so good though, especially because they were in a can.

Snack: I ate a Luna Bar-White Macadamia Nut for a post-workout treat. I really like treating myself to these only if I work out at night :)

Exercise: My gym is closed on Sunday, so I wasn't sure what I was going to do, workout-wise. I went down to the tennis courts (there's 2 courts) and decided I'd do a little bit of exercise. So I went around the two courts 10 times, 5 times running and 5 times walking, alternating each time. Then, I went on to half of one court, and alternated running and walking the lines. It's hard to explain, but it was exhausting, and I was sweating all 20 minutes I worked out on the courts. It was really nice-I'm glad I now have a workout for Sundays, and I think I might continue said short workout at nights in addition to my gym workout :)

Pros: I'm SO glad I got a great workout in today. It was really short but I definitely was sweating and was exhausted, so it was good. I'm also glad that I had a great WI this week-I've been reading blogs about people and their weight goes up on WI day, and so I'm thankful I'm still losing :)

Cons: To be honest, I really don't have any bad moments today, and for that, I'm thankful :)

Hopefully tomorrow is just as great :)

June 18th

So, today went pretty well. I feel like it could have gone a bit better, but c'est la vie :)

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk and 1/3 cup coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas.

Snack: I ate an Activa Vanilla & Cereal yogurt. I really like these, so I decided to pick up the Strawberry & Cereal ones to see if they were just as good :)

Lunch: I ate 2 Light Hot Dogs with Mustard. They're really filling and I love these, so it's a good lunch :) I also had 2/3 can of Arnold Palmer Half and Half Sweet Tea and Pink Lemonade.

Dinner: I didn't have snack because I took a nap instead :) So, for dinner, I had 1 serving of Special K Multi-Grain crackers with 1 Laughing Cow French Onion Cheese and 1 Luna Bar-Blueberry Bliss.

Exercise: I went to the gym for about 30 minutes, and got on the elliptical and burned 250 calories in 20 minutes, so I was pleased about that.

Pros: I'm glad I made some time to work out today, even thought it was pouring and hailing and I didn't want to leave the house. I'm also glad I was able to drink only a certain amount of the drink I wanted, and not the entire thing :)

Cons: I really need to work on eating an actual dinner, and hopefully working out longer instead of taking a nap :) I also need to stop rewarding myself with food/drinks.

June 17th

So, today went pretty well. A couple of things went wrong around the house and electronic wise, but eating and health-wise, all is good :)

Breakfast: I had my 1 cup of cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk and 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I was full until snack time, which was good :)

Snack: I had an Activa Vanilla & Cereal yogurt, which kept me satisfied until lunch.

Lunch: I had a 1/2 turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with lettuce and mustard with 1 cup of organic Potato Leek soup. This originally kept me really full, until around 1:30, when I got really hungry.

Snack: I had 1 serving of Special K Multi-Grain crackers with 1 Laughing Cow 'French Onion' Cheese. I love this snack because it keeps me full and because there's SO many crackers in a serving :)

Dinner: I spent the normal dinner time working on fixing the dishwasher-my grandmother messed it up, so I was trying to figure out how she did whatever she did, and never ate dinner. I ended up eating a Luna Bar-Chocolate Raspberry, that I guess you could count as dinner. Not the best choice, but I really wasn't hungry.

Exercise: I went bowling with the girl I watch and we bowled two games, so that was good :) After I worked on the dishwasher, I went to the gym to blow off some steam and got on the elliptical and went a little less than 3 miles and burned over 400 calories. Not bad for a quick workout to release some stress :)

Pros: I liked how I made sure to eat something for every meal, even when I wasn't hungry. I also liked how I saw chocolate and little bites and didn't give them a second glance. I also liked how I pushed myself to go to the gym today. I really love going, but some days I need that extra push.

Cons: I wish I had made a better point to eat an actual dinner tonight. I'm really bad at eating dinner whenever I workout, and I know I need to work on that.

Hopefully tomorrow brings a good day :)

June 16th

So, today went a LOT better than yesterday, at least, I felt like it did.

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 skim milk, an Activa Vanilla & Cereal yogurt, and 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I really like this breakfast, because it keeps me full until at least lunch time, with the occasional snack in the middle.

Lunch: I ate 2 Light Hot Dogs with Mustard and 1/4 cup of peas with water. I would have eaten more peas but I wasn't really hungry and so I decided it'd be better to put them away instead of overdoing it.

Snack: I ate my 24 Special K Multi-Grain Crackers with 1 Laughing Cow French Onion Cheese wedge. I really love this snack and I'm liking the two together more and more. I also like this snack because it really fills me up.

Dinner: I ate 3/4-1 cup (not sure about amount) of the Trader Joe's Mushroom Ravioli with 3 large strawberries and water. I'm trying to incorporate more fruits and veggies into my eating instead of just plain foods and lots of fiber.

Snack: Because I went to the gym at night, I rewarded myself with a Luna Smores Bar. I only allow myself to have a Luna bar after I go to the gym at night, and if i've eaten well all day, and it was well worth it.

Exercise: I went to the gym and got on the elliptical and ran 3.1 miles in 35 minutes, burning over 400 calories. I really like the elliptical and how friendly people are at the gym, making me want to go more. It's a really nice support system and even though I don't always feel super motivated to go, when I do, I'm glad I went.

Pros: I'm SO glad I went to work out, and that I didn't go for a more calorie-filled meal that everyone else was eating tonight (Chicken Parmesan with breaded cutlets and all). I will admit that part of me wanted a bite, but I had the self-restraint and didn't. I also realized that my little mistake yesterday didn't stop me from losing weight-it's not an official weight, but I lost 1.4 pounds as of this morning from Tuesday afternoon. yay!

Cons: I wish I drank more water throughout the day, but I didn't drink anything else instead, so that's not so bad. I think it's because I want to drink 12 cups a day, and today, so far, I've only had 7, which is still good, but yeah. Oh well, I can try harder tomorrow :)

June 15th

So, today could have definitely gone better than expected, but it also could have gone worse than expected.

Breakfast: I had my 1 cup of Cheerios (thought 3/4 cup was the serving size) and 1/2 cup of skim milk with 1 cup of pumpkin spice coffee and 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I was really full after this and was happy about that.

Snack: I ate an Activa Vanilla & Cereal yogurt, which, as always, is SO good. I love it and the fact it has fiber in it makes me feel good :)

Lunch: We suddenly changed our plans so that we were going to the movies with three other people, and everyone, but me, wanted to go to Jersey Mike's for lunch beforehand. I had never been, but figured I'd go along anyways-after all, it couldn't be that bad, could it? I stuck with the Grilled Veggie wrap for lunch, after seeing the huge pieces of meat they were shaving pieces off of and felt sick to my stomach. But the wrap had grilled peppers and onions, provolone, lettuce, tomato, and some homestyle ranch on a tomato basil tortilla. Not bad you think, right? I finally got my phone to load up the nutrition, after eating it, and realized that I just ate 910 calories. I felt sick to my stomach, not believing I had just eaten THAT much.

Snack/Dinner: After thinking about it a lot, I decided that it'd be better for me to skip snack because I was still full and dinner because I wanted to even out the calories for today a little better.

Exercise: I went to the gym before work today and burned about 200 calories in 25 minutes on the exercise bike, so that was really good for me. Can't wait to work out for even longer tomorrow!

Pros: I like how I didn't give up after eating so many calories, but instead tried to fix my mistakes. Yes, my fixing may not be approved by everyone, but it made me feel better, so I'll stick with it. I also like how I exercised even though I was exhausted and wanted to sleep longer.

Cons: The Guilt. It sounds really bad but I felt so guilty after eating that wrap, especially after knowing the calories it contained. I need to learn that mistakes, while they set you back, are not the end of the world, and that changing up plans for the rest of the day to accommodate for a mistake is a good idea.

Hopefully tomorrow goes a LOT better :)

June 14th

So, today went pretty well :) The best part being, even though it's not an official WI, I went down 7.4 pounds. I thought it was a joke, since it's only been three days since my last WI, but apparently because it's the beginning and it's the water weight, it's totally fine. I was SO excited when I saw that number. I also sat at the pool this morning and started a notebook, which has a chart of how much I want to weigh at all my check-ins, with a space next to each date for how much I actually weighed, a reward chart, and a summer to-do list. I'm going to hopefully figure out how to have a tracker on my blog for my weight loss and to create a sidebar for my rewards. I can't figure out what to make the final reward-I've been thinking about keeping it blank until I decide :)

Breakfast: I had my 3/4 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk, a container of Activa Vanilla & Cereal yogurt, and my 1 cup coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I really enjoy this breakfast, although next week, I may substitute the yogurt for a banana or something and get my fruit in.

Snack: I ate my 24 Special K Multi-Grain Crackers (1 serving) with my Laughing Cow French Onion cheese. I liked this a LOT better than yesterday :)

Lunch: I had my 1 cup of Organic Potato Leek Soup with a 1/2 Turkey Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread with Lettuce and Mustard, and 6 Raspberries and a Small Piece of Canteloupe.

Dinner: I had 1/2 cooked chicken breast with 1 tbsp sauteed mushrooms and 2 tbsp barbecue sauce with an Activa Vanilla & Cereal yogurt. I really enjoyed this, but realize I need to put a vegetable and/or fruit with it next time.

Exercise: I went this morning to the gym and got on the elliptical, on level 10 again, and burned 462 calories, so I was pleased :)

Pros: I was SO happy with the weight I lost, and the fact that I continued to keep drinking lots of water. My new tumbler is very helpful with that :) I also liked my workout playlist I made with my current songs so I could focus more on working out.

Cons: I wish I had eaten a snack, as I started feeling pretty hungry around dinner time, and thus ate the yogurt, but I made a good choice for an addition, so it wasn't too bad :)

Until next time :)

June 13th

So, I feel like today was really good, both nutrition and exercise wise. I could have done a little better, but honestly, I love days like today.

Breakfast: I had 3/4 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk, an Activa Vanilla & Cereal yogurt, and 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 skim milk and 2 splendas. Even though I was in a hurry, I made sure to eat breakfast, and this filled me up until snack a few hours later, which I was pleased about :)

Snack: I had 24 Special K Multi-Grain crackers (1 serving) with 1 Laughing Cow French Onion Cheese wedge. It was really good. I do like the Queso Fresco & Chipotle better with the crackers, but they're all good :)

Lunch: I heated up a bowl of my organic Potato Leek soup and made myself half a Turkey sandwich with whole grain bread, some turkey, a piece of lettuce, and some mustard. I was really full after this, and the meal was fairly low-cal, so I was so pleased.

Snack: I ate my piece of zucchini bread and with the water I was drinking, I was fine and full :)

Dinner: I ate a Chocolate Raspberry Luna Bar for dinner. I went to the gym and wasn't feeling hungry and knew I needed something-plus I hadn't had time to cook the chicken breasts yet so that was out of the question. I've realized I need to put more emphasis on actually eating dinner, which I will work on.

Exercise: I went to the gym and got on the elliptical, and my personal trainer came by and increased the level I was on, which ended up making me sweat a LOT and feel SO good after. I'm definitely going to have to schedule another session with him soon :) But I burned 464 calories, and another 100ish during my warmup, so that's almost 600 calories right there, not counting the weight lifting and machines I was using :)

Pros: I'm really happy that I was able to drink a LOT of water today :) I drank at least 14 glasses, and I feel really good knowing that I did. I also like how I'm fine with just my one cup of coffee/caffeine in the morning, and am fine with water for the rest of the day. I also like how I saw my 2 cans of Pink Lemonade/Sweet Tea in the car and didn't feel the urge to drink one :)

Cons: I really need to work on focusing attention to eating dinner. I know it's not always intentional to substitute a Luna Bar for dinner, but it's not the best way to be healthy, and that's what I'm striving for. So, hopefully I can break that habit before it becomes too ingrained :)

Well, that's all for today. I'm heading to the gym before work tomorrow, so I'm off to bed early :)

June 12th

So, today I had my first official weigh-in, or WI, which I was very excited about. Turns out, I lost 4.0 lbs in the last week, and let me tell you, I was SO excited! :) I know that is probably water weight, and that losses like that don't happen too often, but starting off with one like that was absolutely great, and definitely motivates me to keep working at it, because results do come :)

Breakfast: I had a multi-grain english muffin with 2 pieces of canadian bacon and 1/4 cup of egg beaters, scrambled with a little bit of spices. I had this with my usual 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. This breakfast sandwich was SO easy to make and SO fast and I can't wait to pick up some more english muffins next week and make more :)

Lunch: My family and I went to a local bagel shop/deli for lunch, and I briefly checked the menu before going, and figured I'd have to eat eggs, again. I wasn't too thrilled about that, but I checked the menu when we got there and found a sandwich that could be good. It was a grilled chicken sandwich with monterey jack cheese and honey mustard. I ordered it with the sauce on the side, and took most of the cheese off and gave it to my brother. Then, I put the tomatoes and onions on the chicken, got rid of the lettuce, top bun, and 1/2 of the bottom bun, and put some dijon mustard on it and ate happily. I also had a small bowl of fruit with it. Very good and it got me very full fast :)

Snack: I met up with a friend at Starbucks and decided to have a tall unsweetened Green Tea, putting 2 Splendas in it myself. I'm trying to reduce the amount of caffeine I have each day, but I figured this would be better than coffee :) I also ate 1 serving of Special K Multi-Grain Crackers.

Dinner: So, I had been planning to go out to dinner with some different friends at a mall food court, and took the time to figure out what I could eat there without messing up. Finally, I decided on Subway. However, turns out, we didn't eat there, so around 7:30, on my drive home, I ate the apple slices I had packed for a snack (about 1 small-medium apple), and then when I got home, I ate the rest of my lunch from yesterday. It sure filled me up :)

Pros: I was happy that I had such a positive weight loss this week, and that I was able to control myself in restaurants/in public. It would be so easy for me to eat whatever I want, but that doesn't make me feel good about myself, so I'm glad I'm changing everything.

Cons: I really wanted to put in some sort of exercise today, but unfortunately the gym was closed and I didn't have time to get on the bike and walk around the neighborhood. Instead, when I was cleaning, I made sure to listen to music and dance around while doing so and constantly move, going up and down, vacuuming everywhere and whatnot.

Hopefully tomorrow keeps me on this same healthy track :)

June 11th

So, here's my first post from the day of. It's actually kind of exciting to switch up how I'm doing this blog, and since I've been doing a better job of posting everyday than I expected, I'm hoping this works :)

Breakfast: For breakfast, I made a batch of whole-wheat pancakes with diced apples and cinnamon, and ate 1 and gave the other to my brother. They were really good! I separated the remaining pancakes into two bags and froze them to eat later. I also had a cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas.

Lunch: I had a late breakfast, so I didn't eat before we went out, and then I got super hungry, so we ended up stopping at Applebee's, because I had my Eat This, Not That book and there was a really good sounding sandwich for 360 calories. Unfortunately, when we got there, that sandwich wasn't on the menu, so I had to find something else. So, I got the Grilled Dijon Chicken & Portobellos because it was under 550 calories on the menu. When I checked online, it was 470 calories, so I ate half of it.

Snack: After my workout, I had a Luna Blueberry Bliss Bar, which I absolutely loved. I also drank an Arnold Palmer Half and Half Sweet Tea and Pink Lemonade.

Dinner: We went to Waffle House and I had a Grilled Chicken Sandwich with a water, and felt really healthy about it.

Exercise: After spending almost all day working on my meal plan for next week, I made time to run to the gym to get a bit of exercise in. I got on the elliptical for 25 minutes and felt so good after doing so.

Pros: I was SO happy that I cut my lunch into half to enjoy later! I was also pleased about my dinner selection, and this shows that I can eat out, but I need to be conscious of what I choose to eat.

Cons: I honestly don't have any today. I know it may not have been the best thing to drink the Sweet Tea/Pink Lemonade, but it was a treat for me, and I burned more than those calories at the gym, and I only ate half of my lunch.

I hope that tomorrow's an even better day :)

June 10th

Hey y'all!

I don't think anyone's reading this, but just in case anyone is, I just wanted to say that I'm changing up the format of the blog. Instead of doing the post the day after, I'm going to do it at night for the day of. Since most of my posts are late at night, I figured this would work better :) So here's the one for yesterday, and expect one tonight for today :)

Breakfast: So, today was a little busy, in that once I got to the girl's house that I'm nannying for, we left the house for 2.5 hours, so I never had time to eat my breakfast. So when we got back around 11, I had finished my 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup milk and 2 splendas, since that's all I had with me.

Snack: I ate my Special K Multi-Grain Crackers with the Laughing Cow Queso Fresco & Chipotle Cheese.

Lunch: I took a cup of shredded lettuce and a cooked chicken breast, added in my 2 tbsp of Miso dressing and made a pretty good salad. I was pleased :)

Snack: I ate my piece of zucchini bread and my container of cottage cheese.

Dinner: Funny story about dinner. I went to the gym and left around 5:30, and was feeling hungry so I had one of my Luna Bars (the Chocolate Raspberry kind), and when I got home, I took a 2 hour nap, and wasn't hungry when I got up. So that was basically my dinner :)

Exercise: I went to the gym for about 1.5 hours this afternoon. I realized that I don't go as fast/burn as many calories on the stationary bike because I'm very bored with it, and shortly after, I got off and got on the elliptical. My trainer said I should change up my workout, but I didn't feel like it was a workout at all, so I'm glad I switched :)

Pros: I ate when I wanted to and what I was supposed to and didn't give in to any temptations.

Cons: I really should have put more focus on eating dinner, and not just sticking with my Luna Bar.

June 9th

So, today was still good, but my schedule was a little bit off. Today, I didn't watch the little girl I usually watch (I watch her every day but Thursday), but I babysat at night.

Breakfast: 1 cup coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas with 1/2 cup egg beaters and 3 diced mushrooms and 1 Activa Vanilla & Cereal Yogurt.

Snack: I didn't have a snack today since I had breakfast around 10.

Lunch: I heated up two light hot dogs and ate them with mustard. I planned to eat a banana with lunch, but I really full after the hot dogs.

Snack: I had a Luna Bar (Peanut Butter Cookie)-after the gym, and 24 Special K Multi-Grain Crackers.

Dinner: I had a chicken breast with 2/3 cup of peas and carrots.

Dessert: I had a piece of zucchini bread.

Exercise: I went to the gym and worked out for an hour and a half, and felt really good while doing so. Then I was in the pool later for about an hour, swimming back and forth for the majority of the time.

Pros: I resisted the temptation of eating pizza instead of my planned dinner. When it came out of the oven (I was making it for the kids), I saw the gooey cheese and pepperoni, and wanted to give in, but I knew that not only would I be upset if I did, but that it honestly wasn't worth it, and I didn't :) Same with the ice cream, but not as bad :)

Cons: I wish I had eaten more fruit, since I'm starting to see that that's what I'm lacking.

Overall though, it was a great day, and I can't wait to see what happens during WI on Sunday :)

June 8th

So, it's day 4, and I'm pleased to say that I'm still doing great! :)

I've discovered that it's a LOT easier to wake up 5-10 minutes earlier and pack all the food for breakfast/lunch/snacks and take it with me when I go work.

Breakfast: I've stuck with my usual: 1 English Muffin with 1/2 Laughing Cow 'Queso Fresco & Chipotle' Cheese Wedge, Activa Vanilla & Cereal Yogurt, and a cup of coffee with 1/4 skim milk and 2 splendas. I think, for next week's list, I'm going to get rid of the English Muffins and replace with something else, because I really don't enjoy them as much as I should for breakfast.

Snack: I ate my Special K Multi-Grain Crackers with the rest of my laughing cow cheese. I really like these crackers and will definitely put them on my shopping list every week. They also pair really nicely with the cheese, so I may just combine the cheese with the crackers on some days.

Lunch: I ate the other half of my Zaxby's Salad: 1 cup lettuce, diced up chicken breast, some parmesan cheese, and 2 tbsp Miso dressing. I also had my piece of zucchini bread with it. I really like the Miso dressing, and while I'm trying to phase all the dressings and dippings out, that and the laughing cow cheese may be the only ones that get to stay, because they're that good :)

Snack: I had a cottage cheese container, which was very filling, as always.

Dinner: I cooked the bag of peas and carrots that were in the freezer, so I could just grab some and go on future days. I also cooked the packet of Trader Joe's (Giotto's) Mushroom Ravioli, and had a serving of that with 2/3 cup of peas and carrots, for a very filling dinner. I really liked how everything was so easy to cook and it looked somewhat classy.

Exercise: I went to the gym and got on the elliptical for my first 10 minutes, then went to do some weights, and then got on the elliptical for 35 minutes, while listening to The Script. I'm recording the time, calories, and distance on my phone when I get into the locker room each day, and it's really cool to compare how I did each day, and how I'm improving. A little bit goes a long way :)

Pros: I really liked how I stayed on schedule, and haven't found any temptations today.

Cons: I need to work on minimizing my uses of salt and pepper, since I used a little bit on my vegetables.

Overall, however, it was a good day :)

June 7th

So, I've been extremely pleased with how I've been doing thus far. I've heard the saying that it takes 21 days to make/change a habit, and I can honestly hope that the next 2 1/2 weeks go as well as the last couple days have been.

Breakfast: I got up a little earlier this morning and packed all my breakfast/lunch/snacks into a lunch bag and brought it with me when I babysat. I have had the same thing almost every day for breakfast, just because it tastes pretty good and hits the spot. So once again, I had a multigrain english muffin with a Laughing Cow 'Queso Fresco & Chipotle' Cheese wedge, an Activa Vanilla & Cereal yogurt, and my cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas.

Snack: I had my serving of the Special K Multi-grain crackers with the rest of my Laughing Cow cheese from breakfast and a boxed Silk Chocolate Soy Milk, which kept me full until lunch.

Lunch: I had half of the salad I bought the night before at Zaxby's, which didn't have the bacon and croutons that come with it on top. It was about 1 cup of lettuce, some grilled chicken pieces, and some parmesan cheese with 2 tbsp. Miso dressing. I also ate my piece of zucchini bread with this.

Snack: I had my container of cottage cheese.

Dinner: When I got home from the gym, I was too tired to make anything really, so I pulled out a grilled chicken breast and some of the squash that I cooked the other night and heated that up, and it was really good. I wish I could have spent more time on it, but it hit the spot and was exactly what I was looking for.

Snack: I ate my Cookies and Cream Luna Bar after my workout, which I liked, but it wasn't my favorite flavor. I'm in the process of trying them all out, and they're very good and filling.

Exercise: I headed to the gym today after getting off work a little late, and was ready to get going. I did my warmup on the elliptical for 10 minutes, and then I got on the machines for about 35-40 minutes, and the headed to the treadmill and walked briskly for 35 minutes. After about 1.5-2 hours, I was done, and so I headed home.

Pros: I really like how good I've been with sticking to good foods. I know it's really hard, but I've been able to choose those foods, or say no to others,without any problem. I also found it really productive when I put my phone in my locker when I work out, after shutting it off. I used to depend on it as a clock, but with the watch I bought in March, I now look forward to getting away from my phone while I'm in the gym and not letting anyone distract me.

Cons: I felt that I could have done more at the gym, even with the lactic acid that I'm currently feeling in my knee. I also need to find a way to record my calories/distance/time when i'm working out. It's a little difficult to memorize all the numbers and then run to my phone and put them on my notepad when I get back to the locker room.

Overall, I felt really good about my day, and I have no regrets, so let's hope that I can continue all these good patterns :)

June 6th

So, yesterday was actually really good. I was proud of myself for almost everything I did :)

Breakfast: I had an English Muffin with a Laughing Cow 'Queso Fresco & Chipotle' Cheese Wedge and an Activia Vanilla & Cereal Yogurt. I wasn't a big fan of the Laughing Cow on the English Muffin and will have to remember that for next week's meal plan, but I enjoy both separately. Pretty strange, but it's how I do :) I accidentally left my coffee at home, so I picked that up around 11.

Snack: I had four strawberries with the little girl I nanny, and then we stopped by my house to get my bottled Hazelnut Latte (I got it last week at the grocery store and needed to get it out of the house).

Lunch: We went to the Bowling Alley and I was proud of myself for not getting a coke and/or food, because I knew that I wanted to lose weight/get in shape. So, I ate my zucchini bread slice and drank my latte until we got back to the house. Then, I made a sandwich with turkey, whole honey wheat bread, shredded lettuce, and mustard. It was quite filling.

Snack: I ate my cottage cheese container for snack, which apparently is good for your digestive tract, so I feel like I'm clearing out my system while I'm making all these changes, and that idea makes me happy.

Dinner: So, I'll be the first to admit it, my dinner was not the best choice. I ate a Luna Smores Bar. I know what you're thinking-either A) Why the heck did she only eat that? or B) She's trying to get healthy and is trying to starve herself? I promise I'm not trying to starve myself (it would never work anyways) and I'll explain my reasons in the exercise section.

Exercise: I bowled two games with the girl I nanny and then swam (raced her) for about 30 minutes. Also, because I re-joined the gym last week (I join during the summer months because I'm not around at any other time), I got a free personal trainer appointment, and scheduled it from 5-6. I usually get off work at 4:30, but today I got off at 4, so I was able to run home, hang out for a bit, and then head over to the gym, where I worked with weights for a good hour, and then got on the elliptical for 35 minutes. When I was done working out, I felt exhausted and sweaty, but those were my indications of a productive workout. So when I finished, around 6:45, I really didn't feel like eating anything, so I just had the bar.

Pros: I really liked how I didn't eat anything that wasn't good for me, and was pushed to my limits at the gym. I also liked how instead of panicking that I left my coffee at home and going to Starbucks or grabbing a coke (I have a caffeine addiction and have to have caffeine every morning), I just went home later and picked up my coffee. I also liked how I did a lot of various exercises and was still energized.

Cons: I wish I had pushed myself to have a better dinner, because while the Luna bar filled me up, I feel that I could have had a salad or something instead.

We'll see what tomorrow brings :)

June 5th

I'm just going to start off with a few points, just in case anyone comes across this and starts reading.

1. This is why I guess you could call my journey. Not specifically a weight-loss journey, but just a journey in general. It's summer, and there's so many things that I want to do, and this is the perfect time to start working on those.

2. I say I want to post everyday, and every post is for the day before (which is why they're posted by the date that they actually occur). Will I actually post everyday? Probably Not. Would I like to? Yes

3. When I work towards improving my health, I'm not following any particular fad diets or whatnot; what I'm doing is what I've devised that is suitable for me. I know everyday won't be perfect-but I can strive to be the best that I can, for me, not anyone else. I'm also not counting calories, but stating what I'm eating. I feel that while I'm keeping an eye on calories, that's not my main focus, which is currently eating better; just a warning :)

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So, on Saturday Night/Sunday Morning, I devised a plan with everything I planned to eat/exercise throughout the week, by day, and for the food-by meal, and made a shopping list based on that. I had realized it was a lot easier with a sheet that told me what to eat, so I didn't have to ponder and make bad choices.

Breakfast: 1/2 Cup Egg Beaters with 1/4 Cup Sauteed Spinach and 1/4 Tomato, diced up. Had 1 Cup of Coffee with 2 Splendas and 1/4 Cup of Milk with that. Felt very full after that, even though I had wished there was more flavor to the omelet. I'll probably experiment with different herbs and whatnot to see what tastes best in the coming days/weeks.

Lunch: I went to the grocery store around 1 (I spent a lot of time that morning perfecting my plan), and picked up a lot of good food. I'm very excited to see how the rest of the week turns out. So, when I finally ate, I ate at 2:30. I had a grilled chicken breast with some seasoning, and 1 cup of spinach leaves with 1/4 tomato, diced, and 2 tbsp. of Miso dressing, which I love. It was SO good and left me very filled, so I enjoyed that.

Dinner: After lunch, I made some zucchini bread and then headed to a friend's pool, where they had pizza for dinner. After thinking about it, I realized that pizza wasn't a good idea and I didn't eat any, choosing to wait until I got home to eat some of the food I bought. I had wanted to make spinach and mushroom manicotti, but I came home at like 8, and didn't feel like waiting an hour. So I had 3/4 cup of shredded pork with 2 tbsp. barbecue sauce with 1/2 cup Macaroni and Cheese. With that I had my 24 Special K crackers (which were SO good), and a very small taste of flan. I also had a container of Soy Milk-one of the kid size ones.

Exercise: I swam for about an hour in the pool, leisurely. I was planning on doing different exercises but going to the pool messed up my schedule a bit.

Pros: I was happy that I was able to say no to things I craved, such as Starbucks, Pizza, and some chocolate covered strawberries. I'm trying to take some things out completely currently, before incorporating some of them back in. Starbucks isn't too bad because I can make my own coffee at home, and I can make pizza healthier by making it myself, but things like chocolate covered strawberries, I've realized that I don't really need to eat to be happy.

Cons: I wish I could have stuck more to my schedule, but I know I can improve tomorrow, and cook food earlier so I can just heat it up.

Hopefully tomorrow goes just as well :)