Day 31

Breakfast:

Fiber One 90 calorie bar

Lunch:

Medium Banana and cookie (175 calories)

Dinner:

Grilled Chicken, 1 cup lettuce, fat free ranch, shredded cheese, salsa
*** I ate my left overs from last night- 3 steak fries, and about 2oz. of chicken tenders with munster cheese on them. (588 calories)***

Total calories: 853

GOOD NIGHT!

Day 30!!!!!!!!!

Wow. Juuuuuust wow. I cannot believe I've been doing this for 30 days already. I have to say that besides being sick (ear infection) and stressed with all the changes and happenings in my life, I feel fantastic! I'm doing great and I'm hoping that eventually, this will all become so easy for me as it gets to be something I'm just used to doing.

Here's what I ate/am eating today:

Breakfast:
Fiber One 90-calorie bar

Lunch:
Smart Ones Swedish Meatballs (270 calories)

Dinner:
Buffalo Chicken Sandwich with munster cheese and a few french fries (721 calories) (Probably going to be cutting this in half, waaay too much food.) (361 calories)

Total calories: 1,080 (or 720)
Exercise: Up the stairs, down the stairs, up the stairs, down the stairs... back and forth in the classroom, back and forth through the halls... ugh.

Day 29

Breakfast:
Fiber One 90-calorie bar

Lunch:
Smart Ones Three Cheese Baked Ziti (300 calories)

Dinner:
Celebrated Madison's birthday at Chili's tonight: Southwestern Egg Rolls (780 calories)

Total calories: 1,170
Exercise: Up and down the stairs like crazy today. Lots of walking around the classroom, walking around Target (twice!)

I went to the doctor today for my 3-month check-up. (I have to go every 3 months due to the blood pressure) and besides and ear infection which I apparently have, they were pleased with me. I told my doctor all about what I have been doing, with logging my food and keeping this journal. She said that she is very proud of me and would not be surprised if I am able to get off the medication for my blood pressure in the next 6 months to a year. Grand motivation to keep doing what I'm doing. :)

This week I'll be trying out the gym with Val. I'm hoping we'll be able to go about 3x's a week and that since we'll be going together, we'll keep each other on track about going! We shall see how this turns out!

Now, time to pass out in bed!

Day 28: New Scale!

New Digital Scale Day: Weight: 214

So apparently I started out at 230 instead of 225 and I'm still AWESOME! :)

Total weight lost: 16 Lbs

Breakfast:

Ikea $.99 breakfast: Eggs, potatoes, bacon, french toast sticks (didn't eat all of it)  (485 calories-maybe less)

Lunch:

Kelloggs Special K Cracker Crisps (110 calories)

Dinner:

Shake-n-Bake BBQ chicken with baked petite yellow potatoes (332 calories)

Total calories: 927

Exercise: Walked two levels of Ikea with a two-year old!

I'm starting to wear clothes that I haven't fit into since before I get pregnant with Alexis! (And some of them are getting big!) This is awesome!

Day 27

Breakfast:
1.75 Fiber One 90-calorie bar (158 calories)

Lunch:
Nature's Own sandwich round with chicken breast, salami, and munster cheese (354 calories)

Dinner:
Hometown Buffet with the whole family: Small piece of meatloaf, small amount of mashed potatoes, small amount of macaroni and cheese, a dinner roll, teensy fudge brownie, small piece of carrot cake and a small piece of chocolate cake. (even left little bits of each!) (770 calories)

Total calories: 1,282
Exercise: Cleaned the whole house... I suppose that counts as exercise! :)

Day 26

I have officially completed my first week as a 4th grade teacher. I still have a smile on my face and my kids seemed to have learned at least ONE THING this week, so I'm just going to mark this down as SUCCESS!

Breakfast:
Fiber One 90-calorie bar and Yoplait Light Strawberry yogurt (190 calories)

Lunch:
1.5 oz. grilled chicken breast with .25 cup of Rozzano Spinach and Mozz. ravioli, with 1/8 cup of 2% milk Cheddar Cheese. Jell-O Sugar Free Mint Chocolate Mousse (208 calories)

Dinner:
Left over Chili with small shell noodles and 2% milk Cheddar cheese (635 calories)

Snack:
Michelina's Lean Gourmet Buffalo Chicken Snack rolls-5 (91 calories)

Total calories: 1,124
Exercise: Up the stairs, down the stairs, up the stairs, down the stairs... laps and laps around the classroom and school... you get the idea :)

Day 25

Breakfast:
SMALL piece of casserole that my mom made: egg, bread, potatoes, cheese and bits of ham (146 calories)

Lunch:
Pita with roast beef, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, black olive, and pickles. Jell-O Temptations Sugar Free Mint Chocolate Mousse (279 calories)

Dinner:
Homemade Chili with small shell noodles and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese (665 calories)

Snack:
3 Hershey kisses (67 calories)

Total calories: 1,157

Day 24

Breakfast:
 Fiber One 90-calorie bar

Lunch:
1/2 pita with roast beef, provolone, lettuce, tomato, black olives, and pickle. (219 calories)

Dinner:
Chipotle: 3 tacos with barbacoa, lettuce, tomato salsa, and cheese (482 calories)

Snack:
Otis Spunkmeyer Chocolate Chunk cookie (150 calories)

Total calories: 941
Exercise: The usual daily up and down the stairs, I didn't sit down at all during the word day except for 25 minutes at lunch time, and I did a little extra walking in the evening at the hospital for a class on Infant Massage.

Day 23

Breakfast:
Fiber One 90-calorie bar

Lunch:
Smart Ones Ravioli Florentine (3/4 eaten) (203 calories)

Dinner:
Large "pita" bread with Roast Beef, Provolone, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and Black Olive.
Cup of Minestrone Soup and 4 french fries from Lexi's plate. (564 calories)

Total calories: 857
Exercise: I didn't sit down but for maybe a total of 35 minutes between the hours of 7AM and 3PM. Up and down the stairs (that's my life now that I teach 4th grade!) and all around the town with Alexis!

Goood Night! :)

Day 22

Today was the first day of school and it was hectic and exhausting to say the least! Tonight's post is going to be short and sweet!

Breakfast:
None (ran out of time this morning with everything I had to get done!)

Lunch:
Fiber One 90-calorie brownie (On the fly!)

Dinner:
Tijuana Flats: Regular Chimichanga- Beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, black olives, and a little sour cream on a wheat tortilla. 1oz. refried beans and 1.5oz rice. (893)

Total calories: 983
Exercise: Running around like a crazy person. Up and down the stairs at least 6 times today. Chased Alexis around the house this evening for about an hour. I'M TIRED!

GOOD NIGHT!

The Incredible Shrinking Jenn???

Day1: 225 Lbs

 Day 7: 221 Lbs

 Day 14: 217 Lbs

Day 21: 211 Lbs

Day 21: Progress???? :)

Current Weight: 211 Lbs!!!! (Plus a little Lexi on the side!)

I feel very accomplished in my progress towards meeting my goal! When I stepped on the scale this morning and looked down, I literally almost fainted in surprise! I immediately ran to the closet and found a shirt (pictured) that I haven't worn in over 2 years! It is still a little too snug for my liking, but it did at least look good on me. That's a start!

Breakfast:

Pepperidge Farm Multigrain Sandwich Round with a tablespoon of Jiff Peanut Butter and half a tablespoon of Smuckers Jelly. (220 calories)

Lunch:

I splurged and had a 6" Meatball Sub with provolone cheese on Whole Wheat roll and half a bag of Multigrain Sun Chips. (650 calories)

Dinner:

4oz. Grilled Chicken Breast with Rozzano Spinach and Mozz. Ravioli with a tablespoon of Olive Oil. (215 calories)

Snack:

Fiber One 90-calorie Chocolate Brownie

Total calories: 1,175

Exercise: 3 hours of mall-walking and up and down the stairs in the house getting stuff done!

Day 20

Alright, alright, I know I'm late posting since it is now really day 21, but I've been hard at work on lesson plans for the first week of school! 4th grade may be different in that there is less "physical" prep work, but there sure is a heck of a lot more "mental" prep work! Thankfully, I have everything done (I think!) for the first week. I'll have to make sure I do a little bit each day for the following week and I should be set!

I didn't get in as much exercise yesterday as I would have liked to because I was so busy, but I did sweep and mop the kitchen and run vigorously around the kitchen with Alexis for about 15 minutes (running from rug to rug pretending things were going to get us). 

Breakfast:

Fiber One 90-Calorie Chocolate Granola bar

Lunch:

Pepperidge Farm 100 calorie multigrain sandwich round with Market Pantry ultra thin sliced chicken breast, hard salami, and munster cheese with a side of about 15 Special K Cracker Chips. (484 calories)

Dinner:

Miller's Ale House Zinger Salad: BBQ Zingers, ranch dressing, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. (550 calories)

Total calories: 1,125

Day 19: Hot Dog and Hand Slapping Day!

Well everyone, I made it through the week without totally binging on food from the stress of starting back to school in a new grade with new team members. Yay me!

Breakfast:
Fiber One 90-calorie bar

We had our "Commitment Ceremony" at school today. For those of you who don't know, our school is a baseball theme so all of the teachers get in a kinda-circle shape and when our team and our names are called, we run around the circle and give high-fives. After our little ceremony, we get a "ballpark lunch" consisting of hot dogs, chips, sodas, and (usually) crackerjacks. (no crackerjacks this year, at least I didn't see them!)

Lunch:
I ate TWO hotdogs in buns with some ketchup on them. (517 calories)

Dinner:
Leftover Manwich, about 1/4 cup, mixed with 2% milk Velveeta Mac n Cheese. (435 calories)

Total calories: 1,042
Exercise: Pretty much the same as all week. Up and down the stairs, all around the school.


Two days until weigh-in... I'm hoping to see that I've officially lost at least 10 Lbs. If I've lost at least that much total, I'll consider it progress! I'm going to work really hard tomorrow to see how much exercise I can get in and go for the gusto on Sunday! Wish me luck!

Day 18

Breakfast:
Medium Banana (110 calories)

Lunch:
Chipotle with the lovely Sarah Parsons! Three tacos, two with Barbacoa, one with Chicken, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. Then a very small slice of Chocolate cake to celebrate someone's birthday. (690 calories)

Dinner:
Manwich with shredded 2% cheddar cheese on a multigrain sandwich round with a small side of skillet potatoes. (520 calories)

Total calories: 1,320
Exercise: Running around like a chicken with my head cut off all day. Up and down the stairs. Walked ALL of Target looking for a new scale, never to find one. I think I did my fair share of exercise for today!

Day 17

Today has been a crazy day to say the least. I can't really explain how I'm feeling right now, but to say I'm stressed out is an understatement. I have very mixed emotions about this upcoming year. I really like my new team, they are a cool group of girls and I know I can learn a lot from them. However, they've all been together teaching in the same grade and I'm the "newbie" and that is kind of difficult for me. I miss my Kindergarten team because they are just such an amazing group of people that I feel a bond with. I'm nervous for this year thinking about whether I'll be successful in teaching this new curriculum, will I fit in with my team members, will I grow apart from the people who I believe to be good friends?
All that being said, I'm determined to be optimistic about this year and I'm going to continue to treasure the friendships I've made. I'm also going to stay committed to myself and to the goal I have set forth to achieve- to get sexy-fied :)


Here's my food consumption for today:

Breakfast:
Fiber One 90-calorie bar

Lunch:
Totally forgot my lunch at home today, didn't feel like driving to get something, so I had a bag of SunChips. (140 calories)

Dinner:
Chipotle: 1/2 of a burrito bowl with rice, black beans, barbacoa, cheese, tomato salsa, and lettuce (715 calories)

Total calories: 945
Exercise: Like 50 times up the stairs today. Walked like 5 miles around my classroom and the school, and lifted and lugged textbooks from cabinets to desks.


Also, I'd like to say a special thank you to Judi. It means so much to me that you're taking the time to read my journal. You are an awesome friend and I'm thankful for you! (And if you see me eating ANY kind of junk food, slap my hand!) :)

And to everyone else who reads my journal (Mickie, I know you do!) THANK YOU. It is so heart-warming to know that I have your support in this adventure I've undertaken.  Please comment on the blog so I know just who's blog-stalking me! *hugs*

Day 16

Today was a better day today. For one, it was better because I remembered to pack a fork so I was able to actually eat lunch! Yay!

Breakfast:
None- didn't feel well

Lunch:
1 cup romaine lettuce with 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, cherry tomatoes, and two buffalo chicken tenders chopped up on top. 2 Tablespoons of Light Ranch dressing. (551 calories)

Snack:
Fiber One 90-calorie brownie

Dinner:
4oz. chicken breast, 4 Klondike yellow petite potatoes, and a Green Giant Single serving of Peas and Corn in a butter basil sauce (277 calories)

Total Calories: 918
Exercise: 20 minutes up the stairs, 120 minutes slow walking, 30 minutes moderate walking

Day 15

First day back to school for Teacher Planning week! Woohoo! I'm on the second floor this year and I'm all the way at the end of the building so its not convenient to use the elevator when I'm alone and I HAVE TO use the stairs when I have my kids. So, yay for exercise! I'm hoping to keep on my eating schedule at least somewhat. Today was difficult to eat breakfast because I was trying to eat at 5:45AM and my stomach was NOT prepared. I'll have to figure out a plan for eating something later in the morning if its possible.

Breakfast:
Fiber One 90-calorie bar and a large strawberry (96 calories)

Lunch:
Fiber One 90-calorie brownie (I forgot a fork for my original lunch and couldn't find one ANYWHERE)

Dinner:
Publix 6-inch Italian sub with lettuce, tomato, black olives, and pickles. Special K Cracker Chips (535 calories)

Total calories: 721 (Too low, I know!)
Exercise: about 25 minutes worth of up the stairs, at last 120 minutes of slow walking, and about 30 minutes of moderate walking. AND! I don't even know what I would write to explain all of the other manual labor I did!

Day 14's Weigh-in Picture

Current Weight: 217Lbs

Ugh. To me, it does not look like I've lost 8 Lbs. I'm guessing part of it has to do with clothing choice and the angle at which the picture was taken. I need to find someone my height to take the picture instead of the giants I was with that day. (Ryan and Jess) <3

Day 14

Weigh in day! (Picture posted tomorrow!)
Amount lost: 4Lbs!
Starting weight: 225Lbs.
Current weight: 217Lbs!!!
Total lost: 8Lbs


Breakfast:
Kashi Blueberry Frozen Waffles (2), with light butter and light syrup (250 calories)

Lunch:
1 cup romaine lettuce with 1/4 cup 2% milk Cheddar cheese, 2 slices bacon crumbled, 2 tablespoons light ranch (229 calories)

Dinner:
About 4oz. chili with beans, 1oz. cheddar cheese, and two buffalo chicken tenders with about an ounce of Ranch dressing (593 calories)

Total calories: 1,072
Exercise: Up the stairs, 60 minutes swift walking

Day 13

Tomorrow is Weigh-in and picture day! I'm excited to see what kind of progress I'm making. I think I'm doing pretty well in controlling my portions for the things I'm eating. Now I really just have to work harder on changing a little more of what I eat. It is difficult because a lot of the things I should be eating, I don't end up eating because I know that Ryan absolutely will not eat them. I don't really have the energy to cook for Alexis, Ryan, and myself and make three different meals for each of us. Since that's the case, what I am doing is what is going to be most realistic for our lives and situation. I'm going to cut the portions, make better choices when I can, and continue to cook things that are healthy AND things that I know Ryan will eat.

Breakfast:
Fiber One 90-calorie bar

Lunch:
1 cup romaine lettuce with 1/4 cup cheese, about 3oz. of 97% lean ground beef, a few cherry tomatoes, and Hidden Valley Ranch Light dressing, about 2.5 tablespoons. (379 calories)

Dinner:
Leftovers of whole grain pasta with sun dried tomato alfredo sauce, grilled chicken, and some cheese (492 calories)

Snack:
Fiber One 90 Calorie bar


Total calories: 1,051
Exercise: Up the stairs, chasing Alexis around on her new playground, getting Alexis to cooperate during her birthday pictures.

Day 12

Today started out well, but the evening was stressful. Through it all though, I think I managed to do pretty well in what I chose to eat. This morning Alexis and I ran around the house and then went to visit Kelly at her school. I perused her selection of "big kid" materials and pulled out some great posters to use in my classroom this year. After that, Alexis and I went to the mall for a few hours. We walked the entire track around the mall and went into several stores. We had lunch and then came home so Lexi could attempt to take a nap. This evening I attended a viewing for the daughter of one of my co-workers. This wonderful girl, Amber, was in a car accident and passed at the age of 22. It was so very sad to be there and not know what to say. I was thankful that I was able to be there to show my support for them in this horrible time. After that, I went to the Ale House to celebrate/say goodbye to a friend who is moving back to New Jersey. We had a great time, but it was bittersweet.

All things put into perspective for the day, here's what I ate:

Breakfast:
3/4 cup Fiber One cereal with 1/2 cup 2% milk (141 calories)

Lunch:
2 Chick-fil-A nuggets, 3/8 of a chargrilled cool wrap, like 2 french fries (389 calories)

Dinner:
Zinger salad (533 calories)

Total calories: 1,063
Exercise: Up the stairs, playing with Lexi in the house, and power-walking in the mall.

Day 11

Breakfast:
Fiber One 90-calorie bar

Lunch:
3oz. 97% lean ground Beef, 1 cup romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup shredded cheese, 2 tablespoons Light Ranch dressing (325 calories)

Dinner:
Grilled Chicken breast, 1/2 cup of Mueller's whole grain elbow macaroni, 1/4 cup of Classico Sun dried tomato Alfredo, 1 slice Texas Toast (572 calories)

Total calories: 987
Exercise: 120 minutes of medium walking, 20 minutes up the stairs, and a lot of moving bins in my classroom

Day 10

Breakfast:
Kellogg's Special K Fruit Crisp (50 calories)

Lunch:
Chick-fil-A with Lexi: 3 nuggets, ~2oz. French fries, 1 container Polynesian Sauce (343 calories)

Dinner:
Froots: 1/2 BBQ flyer, 1/2 Beefy Jack (655 calories)

Total Calories: 1,048
Exercise: 1 hour swift walking, 10 minutes total up the stairs.

Day 9

Breakfast:
Fiber One 90-calorie bar (90 calories)

Lunch:
2 slices of 15 grain bread with half a package of Tuna with a tablespoon of Mayo and a slice of Munster cheese.
Fiber One 90-calorie brownie (500 calories)

Dinner:
3 crescent rounds baked in the oven with 97% lean ground beef and 1/4 cup of mexican cheese (512 calories)

Total calories: 1,102
Daily exercise: UP and DOWN the stairs, 30 minutes walking during lunch


I've really got nothing to add for this day. Just hanging in there! :)

Day 8: wow... 8 days?!?!?

I can't believe my willpower has held for 8 days so far! Today was a difficult day for me though, I have to admit. I had to go to a Writing Workshop training today (and will go again tomorrow) and I had the urge several times to eat a snack (which I did not bring with me purposely so I wouldn't eat).  By the time lunch came, I was starving and unhappy. Tomorrow, more water or breakfast, or something!

Breakfast:
1 cup Special K with Strawberries with 1/2 cup 2% milk (171 calories)

Lunch:
1 cup Romaine lettuce, sliced cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup shredded mexican style cheese, 1/2 bbq chicken breast, and 1tbsp ranch dressing.
Fiber One 90-calorie brownie
(407 calories)

Dinner:
Smart Ones Slow Roasted Turkey Breast with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes and a Green Giant Single Serving of Corn and Peas in a Butter Basil Sauce
(280 calories)

Total calories: 858
Exercise: Up and down stairs at home, walked for 30 minutes during lunch at the training, and swam in the pool for 30 minutes this evening.


Tomorrow I'm going to try to do sort of the same thing, but maybe add a Fiber One bar as a snack so I don't want to eat my arm off by 9:45AM. :)  Later this week I'll find out where my classroom is going to be this week. I'm hoping it is on the second floor this year so I HAVE TO walk up and down the stairs all day. I know, it is the little things in life. <3

Day 7: Weigh-In

On Day 1 my weight was: 225 Lbs.
On Day 7 my weight is: 221 Lbs.

That's right everyone, I'm down 4 Lbs! =oD

Now, I know that a lot of this is probably just excess water weight I've shed from dropping a lot of sodium from my daily food intake, but still, 4 Lbs. is 4 Lbs!

Today wasn't a great day as far as exercise and activity goes because it spent a majority of the day raining, but we did manage to get to BJ's Wholesale and walk around the entire warehouse, so at least that was something!

My food choices were pretty good today too so I have to give myself a little credit for that as well!

Breakfast:
1 cup of Fiber One cereal with 1/2 cup 2% milk and a medium banana (278 calories)

Lunch:
Lean Cuisine Four Cheese Cannelloni (240 calories)

Dinner:
Chipotle: 3 tacos: 2 Barbacoa, 1 chicken, all with lettuce, tomatillo salsa, and lettuce (482 calories)

Total calories: 1,000

I want to take this last bit of blog space tonight to thank everyone who has followed me through this first week. Your support means a lot to me and I'm thankful to share this journey with each and every one of you!

Now, to tackle and win over Week 2!

Day 6

Today was a much better day as far as food choices go, though I will still probably have a snack before bed (which means I'll edit this post tomorrow), I'll list for you what I ate today:

Breakfast:
90-calorie Fiber One Chocolate Peanut Butter bar (I was not hungry at all.)

Lunch:
Lean Cuisine meal with bow tie pasta, chicken, green beans, and cherry tomatoes in some sauce. It was not delicious AT ALL (even with some pepper I added for flavor) and I will NOT be eating it again! On the plus side, it was only 210 calories! YAY!

Dinner:
Marinated Chicken breast cooked on the grill and a side salad (romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup of cheese, and 1 tbsp of Ranch dressing (339 calories)

***EDIT Snack: 
Tablespoon of Jiff Peanut Butter and a 90-calorie Fiber One Bar***

Total calories: 639 (plus my snack which will be edited in later) ***EDIT: 824 calories Total***
Exercise: I cleaned my house. 'nuf said. :)

Only this afternoon after my unsatisfying lunch did I feel "hungry" and boy was I ravenous! But! I resisted the urge to try to splurge on something, even since we went to the movies today. I settled for just a diet Pepsi and some Harry Potter! Tonight at dinner, I couldn't even finish my whole meal. I suppose this means that my stomach is shrinking back to its normal size after being stretched by overeating.
It is amazing to me to look at the portion sizes I have been eating for this past week and compare them to what is given at restaurants. A meal at a restaurant could be almost 3 meals for me as far as portions go. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm all about getting the most for my money, but sheesh! We ate out twice this week (Flannigan's and Tijuana Flats) so I also think about all of the money we've saved too. Yes, I spent more than I normally do on groceries (healthy isn't cheap!) but the added money is less than what we spend weekly go to out to dinner. (I'll need money in the bank to buy new clothes when these finally fall off of me when I try my hardest to keep them up!)

Tomorrow is Day 7 and I will be weighing in and posting a picture. I don't see that there'll be much change, but you never know! :)

Until then... happy Saturday night!

Day 5

Here's the scoop about what I ate today, calorie intake was okay, food choices, while "healthier", not my best choices. (Though I did quite a bit of exercise!)

Breakfast:

1 cup Special K with berries with a 1/2 cup of 2% milk (171 calories)

Lunch:

Stromboli with Pepperoni and Provolone cheese (430 calories)

Dinner:

Tijuana Flats: Regular size wheat Chimichanga with beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, black olives, and a touch of sour cream. (684 calories)

Total calories: 1,285

Exercise: 10 minutes up and down the stairs, 45 chasing munchkins, 30 minutes Zumba, 40 minutes walking around Target.

I guess this makes today my "cheat day" officially, since my dinner at Flannigan's the other night was a pretty healthy choice. Tomorrow I'm back on the wagon with better choices! 

Day 4... Still awesome :)

I've come to the decision that if I'm really going to do this with some amount of success I'm going to have to sit down and make lists of ALL of the things I can eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I've been repeating a lot of the same things and that's definitely no good.

Today was not as great as the past few days have been as far as food choices go, but I'm managing around 1,100 to 1,200 calories per day. I'm making sure to eat LOTS of fiber and A LOT LESS sodium and sugar. I'm also cutting down to actual real portion sizes. I can definitely feel the difference in the changes I am making. To start out this first week I was still feeling hungry when I was finishing meals but tonight at dinner I couldn't even finish a portion before I felt full. I don't have that "fried food bloated feeling" and I can tell that I'm not retaining fluid since lowering my sodium intake.

All in all, I think I'm being productive and I will continue to remind myself that results will be slow but hopefully consistent. Today my motivation is that I know of several people in my life who are having health issues. I am tired of having to take pills for blood pressure and cholesterol. I WANT to be healthy. I WANT to be pill free. Even if I never manage to run a half marathon (for the record, I'm not saying that is my goal right now, but maybe eventually!) I want to be healthy enough at least jog a mile or two! :)
All that being said, here's what I ate today!

Breakfast:
1 slice of 15 whole grain bread with a tablespoon of peanut butter and a teaspoon of strawberry jelly. (reduced sugar!)

Lunch:
1 cup whole grain rotini pasta with 2 oz. cheddar cheese, 2 oz. low-sodium tuna, 2 teaspoons mayo
(This was an already made pasta salad that was a leftover from a pot luck I went to earlier this week.)

Dinner:
1/2 cup whole grain elbow macaroni with 97% lean ground beef, bbq sauce (tiny amount), and 2% milk velveeta cheese. (383 calories)

***EDIT: Snack: Navel Orange ***

My total calorie intake for the day: 1,259.
Exercise: Up and down the stairs with Alexis, 1.5 hours of literally running around the park chasing after Alexis. 35 minutes of chasing Alexis around the house tonight playing "tag."

According to MyFitnessPal where I am logging my food to count calories, "If every day were like today, I'll weigh 203.5 Lbs. in 5 weeks. Hmmmm... juuuust something to think about! :)

Day 3

I'd like to post about my dinner last night before I get started with today's food choices. Using a recipe book, I attempted to recreate a Cheesy Chicken Bake. I think I may have faltered a little in my attempts at making it healthier than it was and that is why, in my opinion, it was what you call an EPIC FAIL.

I used Campbell's 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken soup, Organic Chicken Breast, 2% milk Cheddar Cheese, and whole grain Brown rice, and some crispy onions on the top.

Ryan did go back for seconds, but I think that was just out of the kindness of his heart. (He didn't want to go find something else to eat and hurt my feelings.) He said it wasn't too bad even though it looked like "prison food."

So last night, I have to admit that I had to edit my post because I just was DYING for something to eat last night after dinner. I searched and searched the kitchen for something that I could feel good about eating and settled on a 90-calorie Fiber One bar. It was just what I needed. :)

All that being said, here's what I've had the extreme pleasure of eating so far today!

Breakfast:
1 cup 80-calorie Fiber One Cereal with 1/2 cup 2% milk and a medium sized banana

Lunch:
15 Whole grain bread (two slices) with Tuna and a slice of Munster cheese.

Dinner:
*cheat meal* Dinner night with Jess and Jason at Flannigan's: BBQ grilled Chicken Breast and a Baked Potato. YUM!

I feel like I'm doing well making choices for things to eat so far this week. I pray that this awesomeness continues!

***EDIT: Tonight at dinner, I really toyed with making some rather bad decisions about what I should pick to eat. Ryan was so helpful in rationalizing with me about what choices I should be making. In the end, I did really pick the above stated meal! (Instead of Chicken Stickers, or adding on a Tumbleweed Onion.) I LOVE MY HUSBAND! <3

Eating Update...

If I'm going to do this blog right, I think I better start with some posts about what I've eaten/will be eating for Days 1 and 2!

Day 1:

Breakfast:

1 cup Special K with Berries in 1/2 cup 2% milk

Lunch:

Two Tablespoons of Low-Sodium Tuna mixed with 1 tsp (Real) Mayo on two slices of 15 whole grain bread.

Snack:

Fiber One 90 calorie Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie

Dinner:

1/3 portion of Chicken Pad Thai

Exercise: 1.5 hours of moderate walking, 20 minutes Zumba video, 10 minutes up and down the stairs.

Day 2:

Breakfast:

1 cup Fiber One 80 calorie cereal with 1/2 cup of 2% milk and one banana

Lunch:

1/2 of Chicken breast on thin pizza crust (like a pita) with light mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce

Dinner:

1 portion of Chicken and Rice casserole (chicken, light shredded cheese, low-sodium cream of chicken soup, and whole grain rice, baked in the oven.)

Snack:
90 calorie Fiber One Bar

Exercise: 45 minutes walking in the morning and lots interactive "play" with Alexis. The weather was rainy outside, so we didn't get to go for our walk after dinner.

So far so good I think! You know those witty sayings, "Rome wasn't built in a day!" and "Miracles can't happen overnight." and all that. Patience and perseverance will pay off in the end!

August 1st: Happy "Life Change" Day!

August 1st, 2011: Life Change Day

On this day, I decided that the best way to hold myself accountable for my weight loss was to create a paper journal and a digital blog to keep track of my progress. I am focusing on these two things so that I can persevere through losing as close to 100 Lbs. as I can in 1 year. For so long I feel like I've struggled with my weight, even when I wasn't "fat." I never felt like I was the "perfect size" and I felt hopeless in my quest to get there. Whether I lose 80 Lbs. or 105 Lbs. I am going to stay strong in that no matter what size I can end up getting to, I will have become healthier and happier in my life and in my thoughts and feelings about myself. I am currently on blood pressure medication for the first time in my life. I have to take Omega 3 and CoQ10 pills for elevated Cholesterol. All of these things, I should not be on at the age of 28 if I don't absolutely have to. Alexis was born because I had Preclampsia. Which, while they say there is no evidentiary support, is most likely due to the fact that I am overweight. I want to be around to spend many, many long days with my daughter, and I eventually want to know that I am in the best health possible so that I can add at least one more blessing to our family.

Here is me on day 1: 225 Lbs.:

Thank you for joining me in my mission. I hope to shrink in size as my number of posts grow!