Week 1 update

Update:

Down 2 lbs from last week. 2 lbs is great, but I’m not shocked as this is pretty normal for simply exercising and eating healthier. I’m not on a crazy diet, so 2lbs is about right, right?

What I’ve been doing this week:

I’ve been eating really healthy. I had a salad every day for lunch last week except for Friday (had pho), and breakfasts have mostly been either whole grain cheerios with almond milk or a fruit smoothie. All of last week we ate what I had planned, except again for Friday (ok, Saturday too). I kind of dropped the ball on healthy eating on Friday and Saturday, although when we had Arby’s for lunch on Saturday, I skipped the fries (it’s something, right?).

Also happy to report, that aside from an industry event on Thursday evening, I only enjoyed one glass of wine on Saturday and one on Sunday. This is probably one of the hardest things for me to give up, because when I think of my happy place, I think of sitting in my living room (favourite room of the house) or on our newly built and furnished deck, with dim lights and something to read or someone to chat with and a sipping on a big ‘ol glass of wine…nom.

On the exercise front:

I can proudly say that I went to booty camp both times this week (Monday and Wednesday) and then did the shred on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I’m really trying to SMILE as I exercise because I’ve heard if you smile, you’ll “teach” yourself to enjoy it…here’s hoping…

A few things that surprised me from last week:

I didn’t actually get tired of the salads for lunch, as has been the case in the past, although I am trying to change the way I think about food, and not necessarily eat because it’s an enjoyable thing to do, but rather fueling my body with things my body needs to work efficiently. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy (ok, love) food, but I don’t need to love every meal I have…I guess…

This week:

I’ll be doing pretty much the same this week as I did last week, and already off to a good start with booty camp last night and the shred this morning, and healthy meals all around. I’m already looking forward to the end of booty camp to see my difference in measurements (and no, not because I want it over and done with J ).

Keep cheering me on in the background – I swear I can hear it!

Food for thought on food.

For the most part, I eat healthy, but like mostly everyone I have my bad habits too. I’m putting my bad habits and downfalls out there so I can see them in black and white:

• I don’t eat “junk” food often at all, but when I do, it’s the worst of the worst - McDonalds and ice cream and cookies and chips. My biggest problem with junk food is that I can’t eat just one cookie or a couple of spoons of ice cream…it’s  5 cookies, or a cereal bowl full of ice cream. I binge. It’s bad.
• I love wine and beer. A lot. And I go through phases of having a couple of glasses of wine in a week, to a glass of wine a night, and sometimes, just on Friday and Saturday. I also thoroughly enjoy a pint whenever we’re at a pub (again, not often). I need to find a good balance for this area.
• Unbalanced meals. I have a hard time getting enough veggies into my meals. It’s hard for me to get excited about eating vegetables, and I find I get bored easily. Feels like veggies are constantly on re-run. Broccoli, asparagus, grilled peppers, repeat. Clearly there are waaay more veggies out there, but I lack creativity and what to do with them exactly. Having just a bowl of pasta is much easier and tastier than adding a side of veggies.
• Portion sizes. This goes along with the bit on junk food, but I don’t measure my meals at all, I usually eat until I’m full (or beyond full). Not good.
• Mat. Sorry hunny… you’re not exactly a bad influence on my meal choices, but you certainly don’t advocate that we cook something healthy when we’re stuck for ideas. For the most part I try not to ask Mat what he feels like for dinner because his answers are usually one of the following: Pizza? Chicken fingers? Perogies? Hamburgers? Hot dogs? Breakfast? Take out? The problem with this is that all of his suggestions are tempting, and then it’s hard to get it out of my head, and anything else I try to come up with for dinner is nowhere near as delicious-sounding as his suggestions (Note to self: stop asking Mat if has any ideas for dinner).
• Finally, probably my biggest downfall is that I barely exercise. It’s So. Hard. for me to drag myself out of bed in the mornings and workout. I’m committing to exercising regularly now, but a bit hesitant to put a label on how much. Should I? My current plan is to do something every week day whether it’s an exercise class, shred video, baseball or yoga.

Think that’s it. What’s the hardest part of eating healthy for you? Any tricks of the trade you care to share?

It's Time

Forever saying I need to lose weight, I’ve committed myself to losing 30 lbs before I turn 30 this year, which gives me 6 months and a bit to do it.

At this point I don’t have much of a strategy except committing to exercising and trying to eat healthier without going on an official diet. We’ll see how this goes and make adjustments if necessary down the road.

I’m hoping that this is a place where I’m held accountable, as well as somewhere I can come for some cheerleading and encouragement. I want to know what’s worked for you and what hasn’t, what I should try and what I shouldn’t even bother with.

What I don’t want to hear is that I don’t need to do it, because I do. The doctor has said so, and so has the mirror. It’s time.