Well, it's been a little over a month since I posted my first entry! And I'm so happy to say I'm down to 230.8! What an exciting feeling!

Most of my loss has come from the basic diet change. Instead of late night pizzas, ice cream, cookies, and other terrible food, I have tweaked my brain to ensure I eat throughout the day instead of starving myself all day and then binging on bad food. I eat a healthy breakfast, then typically a small lunch, and then a low carb, low protein dinner. I definitely sneak some snacks in there.

A typical breakfast:
Trader Joe's Low Fat Multigrain English Muffin with their Superfruit preserves, scrambled egg substitute with asparagus, red peppers, onions, green peppers, and a little hot sauce. (however, I have strep this week, so no hot sauce for me!) Then, I typically finish the meal off with some sort of fruit-either an apple, banana, grapes, or kiwi.

A typical lunch:
Baby carrots, tuna salad (made with mustard, sea salt, pepper, red onions, and sweet pickle relish), cottage cheese (2%...i don't skimp on flavor.)

A typical dinner:
Some sort of sauteed vegetable mixture (stir fry, fajita veggies), with either black beans, brown whole grain rice, whole wheat pasta (very small portion..last night I limited it to about a 1/4 cup.), and then some sort of leaner protein...salmon, chicken, etc. Trying to stay away from red meat, which isn't hard at all because I don't really tend to crave it like I do fish and chicken.

I am averaging out about 1100-1500 calories a day. Some days I have less if I just don't have the time to eat, some days I have more if I'm having dinner and drinks with friends. I have definitely limited my alcohol consumption, but I haven't given it up completely. I enjoy wine and beer too much to give them up. I just enjoy them sparingly.

Other than the day before my period, I have been really good about sweets. We did make cupcakes for Valentine's day, and I couldn't resist them before my period started. I did notice a spike in my weight during my period, which I found was normal due to water retention.

As far as my calorie counting goes, I have had the easiest time with my Calorie Counter on my phone. I installed it about a month ago, and I have entered my log every day. All I have to say is, thank goodness for smart phones and app markets. When I have tried in the past to keep track of my food, it has been an almost impossible feat because I would have to enter it online. So inconvenient. Since I always have my phone on me, I can easily enter my food into the app. It breaks everything down for me too. Carbs, proteins, fats. That way, I know I how much I've had of each and what I can have the rest of the day to balance out my diet.

As far as exercising goes, my goal is to do something active for 20-30 minutes every day. Some nights, I run up and down the stairs or jog around our bedroom. Yesterday, I danced around our bedroom to some pretty beat and bass heavy dance music. Definitely got my heart rate up. We have taken a couple family walks around the neighborhood. I played basketball the other night. Anything to be more active. Just baby steps. When the weather gets consistently nicer, I would like to maybe try jogging. I keep feeling like running is what I'm missing. I have never been a runner, and I have always hated it. But the idea of just running sounds kind of nice. I would also like to start hiking. Unfortunately, our region is not the most hilly or adventurous part of the country. However, I'm sure there are some nice places to hike. I'll just have to find them!

Last but not least, I have been taking a b12 supplement. I heard b12 can help with your metabolism and speeding it up. So, I've been on it for about a week. We shall see if anything really changes, so far I haven't really noticed anything.

Alrighty, well, I'm going to sign off here. But here's to another month of successful weight loss! My goal is another 15 pounds. If I can get down to 215, I will be a happy camper!

See ya!!!

So, today is my first post. This reminds me so much of Xanga. Ha, who would have thunk it! Here I am, 10 years later, spilling my beans to the random people of the internet. Anyway, this blog (if it lasts) will chronicle my journey to a better and healthier me. I have tried these types of "diets" before, but this time, something feels different. I am 26, and obviously I am not getting younger.

How did this journey come into play, you may be thinking. Well, it's been a long process in the making. I have a wonderful boyfriend, who loves me no matter what. But together we are destructive to our health. We eat big fattening meals late at night. We overindulge way too often. I have seen both of us gain quite a bit of weight since we have been together. Though I have yo-yoed back and forth, since we have been together I have gained at the most about an additional 30 pounds. This will kill me, and I know it.

Earlier this month, I spent some time in Israel on a Taglit Birthright trip. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. One of the greatest lessons I took with me though was fresh food is so much better than overly processed, high fat crap that we Americans LOVE. While I was abroad, I ate some of the freshest and most delicious fruits and vegetables I have ever tasted. Because Israel is a Kosher state, I also found I ate much less dairy than I normally would. I have honestly never felt better! I think I may be lactose intolerant. The night after I returned from my voyage, Adam and I ordered a dominos pizza with ham, sausage, pepperoni, and extra cheese. Wow, talk about disgusting. Granted, the salty taste was good, but I went to bed feeling absolutely terrible. My stomach was so full and honestly felt ill. When I woke up the next morning, I realized what I needed to do. I have had this thought in my head for some time, but action is always much more difficult. (sidenote: when I was in Israel, our tour guide made a comment about intention vs. action. It stuck with me.) My new approach to eating is one of discovery.

I have always loved fresh ingredients, but as a restaurant worker, it has always been difficult to eat "normally." My journey begins with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, little dairy, and lean, low-sodium meats. So far, I have done superbly. I haven't had too many cravings of the bad stuff. I have heard that humans that are used to high fat, high sodium, greasy foods become somewhat addicted to them. Those people tend to have a much harder time sticking to a healthy lifestyle. If I find that I fit into that category, my goal is to say FUCK you to the addiction. I care more about my life and my future than I do a cheeseburger with fries.

Honestly, my brain has actually become used to the idea that fried foods, sugary foods, high fat foods, and everything in between are VERY VERY destructive to my health goal. I am actually surprised at how turned off by junk food I really am. I have become quite the foodie lately, and I am excited to try new delicious ways to enjoy food. (Without adding the pounds :))

Ok, so enough blahblahblahing...

Today's weight: 246.4

My goal weight as of right now is 160.

This means I want to lose 86.4 pounds.

Can I do it? Yes! Everybody around me has been able to lose weight. I just have to try!!

Here's to the first few steps :)