Day 21 - Three weeks in!

Wow, I can't believe I have been on this journey for 3 weeks. I am so proud of the food choices that I have made these past 21 days. I am working on the exercise portion, but I will get there.

I am worth it!
Jill

Day 20 - Crystal ball!

I think it would super motivating if I could actually see what I would look like in 3, 6, 9, 12 months. What I need is a crystal ball. (maybe I should check Ebay) Of course, there is no such thing. What I have been doing is looking at fellow bloggers pictures showing their success. That definitely motivates me. I see that this journey I have started, not unlike those fellow bloggers, will show results if I stay the course. It is so hard to imagine (at least for me), myself 30, 50, 70, 100 lbs lighter. It has been so long. Thank you fellow bloggers for posting your photos. I appreciate them and their motivation for me.
Today was another good day of choices. I enjoyed spending time with my sister and my God daughter, she means the world to me. I look forward to tomorrow and enjoying my day.

I am worth it!
Jill

Day 19 - Good choices!

I had a great day today. It was a day filled with good choices. I started the morning with my usual protein/fruit smoothie. I really do love having a smoothie every morning. It is delicious and keeps me satisfied until lunch. I had the day off from work, so I met my Mom and we headed out shopping. She wanted to go to a new Indian restuarant for lunch, I do like Indian food, so I obliged. My visit to this Indian restaurant was so much different then any I had before. In the past, I would always overeat. I would start with an appetizer, perhaps a samosa, a potatoe stuffed pastry deep fried, pretty tasty. For my meal, I would get a chicken or lamb dish with a creamy yogurt based sauce. Of course I would have to order the bread called Naan. Naan is a delicious flatbread, that is served hot and brushed with butter. I would eat 2 to 3 slices of the Naan. No meal would be complete without dessert. I always ordered Kheer, India's version of rice pudding. That's good stuff. This visit today was different than before because today, I was not going to order all of the extras. I surfed the web for calorie counts of my favorite dishes. I was prepared. I allotted myself 500 calories for lunch, and that is just what I stuck to. My Mom opted for the buffet, and wouldn't you know it, Naan was delivered to the table as part of the buffet price! Oh how that Naan called my name...I ignored it's begging and pleading with me to indulge in it's warm, buttery, chewy goodness. I stuck to my plan and was able to enjoy my choice, chicken korma with bismati rice. I drank 3 large glasses of ice cold water. The leftovers are nicely packed in my fridge. After lunch, we walked in a number of stores to work off our meal.
My evening was great, I went out with some friends to see Donna Summer in concert. Her show was at Foxwoods Casino in the MGM Grand Theatre. Our plan was to get dinner at the casino before the show. We opted for a modern mexican restaurant. My choice was easy, I opted for the salad and chose steak as my added protein. It was delicious, I really enjoyed it. Mixed greens, seasoned steak, avocado slices, tomatoes, jicama, and a small amount of cotija cheese.....yummy! It nicely fit into my calorie budget. I drank 2 big glasses of ice water to wash down my meal.
Donna Summer was fantastic, I was singing and dancing as if it were my "last dance". She may be in her 60's, but she still is a disco queen!
I was proud of my choices today, I am doing this! Looking forward to enjoying this long weekend.

I am worth it!
Jill

Day 18 - Avoiding the gym!

I have mentioned this before, I am one of my gym's best customers. I pay my montly membership fee on time and never go there to workout! I can't figure out why? Is it laziness, am I scared of failing there???? I don't know. I have read many people's posts about their intense cardio workouts and how much better it makes them feel. I know from my past experience of successful weightloss that going to the gym really helped me lose weight. I have been walking everyday from the shuttle parking lot to work and then back to the lot after work. Honestly, I noticed today that I wasn't out of breath like I had been when I first started walking. That I am definitely proud of, but beyond that....nothing. I come home, sit on my rump and surf the web. Ugh! This is not good.
I mentioned last night that I haven't been drinking enough water, well today, I really did good in that department. I brought my 32 oz. water bottle into work, filled it with ice cold water and drank it. Then I met some friends out for dinner and drinks. I drank water, three 16oz. glasses! Oh, and I ordered an Asian Salad, which had Sushi grade tuna, served over baby field greens tossed with cucumbers, roasted corn, peppers and tomatoes. I asked for the spicy peanut sesame vinaigrette on the side and used approximately 1 tsp of that. It was delish!
Any thoughts from my blogger friends about my gym issue would be appreciated. I need to stop avoiding the gym!
I am looking forward to being off of work tomorrow, for the start of my 4 day weekend. Another good calorie budget day!

I am worth it!
Jill

Day 17 - Water is important!

While driving home from work tonight, I realized I was really thirsty. I had only drank about 17oz. of water all day. That's not good. I have always loved water, I rarely drink soda or juice. As a nurse, I know water 1) helps move food through our digestive track and rid the body of waste 2) it helps regulate our body temperature 3) it lubricates our joints 4) most importantly, it helps regulate metabolism! When we drink ice cold water, our metabolism fires up to heat up the water that just entered our bodies. Love it when my metabolism is working! I have read several articles that say we should drink 1/2 of our body weight in ounces per day. For example, a 200lb person should drink 100 ounces of water per day. Doing the math, there is no way I could drink over 150 ounces of water per day. How about I try to drink at least eight 8 ounce glasses per day. That is a reasonable goal. I can bring my sports bottle to work and have it right at my desk. No excuses.
I really have been getting into this blogging world. Reading other people's weightloss journeys is so inspirational and motivating. There are people out in this world who have a similar story to my own, just with a different name and weight. Sometimes I read their words and I could swear that they were mine. I would have never imagined, before the age of computers, that anything like a blogging world would ever exist. Pretty amazing stuff! Gotta love technology.
Well, I am getting tired. Looking forward to another good day on my journey and drinking lots of water.

I am worth!
Jill

 

Day 16 - Grocery shopping!

All of us have gone grocery shopping so many times, we could do it in our sleep. Many of us probably know exactly what aisle we could find a particular product. Being on this journey, I have had to approach grocery shopping differently. I have to really pay attention to what I am buying. I have read several articles that advise someone who is watching their weight, to walk the perimeter of the store. This is where you will find the freshest and less processed foods. You will see the produce section, with an array of fruits and veggies. The seafood and meat departments are found there. Lastly, the dairy section, it is always outside of the aisles. The aisles are what I refer to as, "temptation zones". Think about all the stuff that is found in the aisles. Most of it used to fill my cart.
Now, before going to the grocery store, I need to create a list. I used to just walk in, grab a cart and fill it with whatever I wanted, good or bad. The list is to help keep me focused and decrease the risk of a bad choice creeping in. I used to get sucked in all the time to the "bogo" offers, mostly of things I didn't need. But, hey it was a great price. If there was a package of cookies on sale, they ended up in my cart. Creating the list goes back to planning. That has really helped me stay on track.
I am sure you have heard it before, "never go grocery shopping when you are hungry". Just walking into a grocery store can make you hungry. Many times, you walk in and are hit with the smell of rotisserie chicken cooking. It smells delicious. Tonight, I went to the store after work, and yes, I was a little hungry. But, I am focused and determined. Hunger was not going to effect me, I wasn't going to let it. I had my list and I stuck to it. I actually tested myself, I purposely walked thru temptation alley and kept walking.
I must admit, my fridge/freezer has never been more organized. I know exactly where to find something and already have a plan as to what I am going to make with a particular food or product. There is no doubt that this is more time consuming. Before, it was either the grab and go for me or when my fridge was empty, I would go to the nearest drive thru. We all know the consequences of those actions.
My resolve right now is pretty strong. I am on a natural high from yesterdays weigh in, feeling really good about the last 2 weeks. I look forward to tomorrow and having another good day.

I am worth it!
Jill

Day 15 - Positive results!

314.2 (-9.04)
My first weigh in day was today....down 9.04 lbs! I am so pleased with the results. I did really good these past 2 weeks. I really focused on staying within my allowed daily calories and not feeding my emotions. I did move more, but I need to move even more. In the past, when I went to WW with some friends, we would go out for dinner after we got weighed and pig out. I think about that and realize what a mistake that was to do. Well, I am not doing that this time. I am changing unhealthy eating behaviors. I don't want to pig out. That was the old me, I want to be in control of when, where and why I eat. To tell you the truth, right now, I have no desire to pig out. I am determined and feel really good about my journey this time. I know that blogging has helped keep me accountable and focused.
What have I learned in the first 2 weeks?
1) Planning is absolutely a key component to my successful weightloss today. Packing my lunch and snacks for work definitely reduced my temptations in the hospital cafeteria. I didn't have to worry about choosing from the various offerings, good and bad, in the cafe.
2) Blogging has been a great tool for accountability. Plus, reading other's blogs, has been such an inspiration and motivator. It is so nice to read about people who are, or who have been, where I am. I am not alone!
3) I feel this plan has really not been hard to follow. Some days I ate all of my 1500 calories allotted and there were other days I didn't. But, I wasn't hungry or feeling deprived.
4) My psyche has played a huge role in why I am overweight, it really isn't about the food.
5)  I can do this! I am doing it.

I am worth it!
Jill