July 27th

Today was a great day. Having determined through the metabolic type test that I am a protein type, most of my calories come from protein. I've been getting a little "bored" of all the protein and have added more vegetables to my meals. Hunger has changed a bit for me. I used to be "hungry" all of the time, now it comes on unexpectedly and I find that if I eat "allowable" foods soon I am fine, but if I can't then I get really hungry and begin craving sugar and other foods that aren't healthy for me. When trying to lose weight and maintain a healthy I think its really important to be able to know your body and how it operates. Knowing the things that trip you up and set you back is extremely helpful so that you can create ways to make it through the tough times. A couple of helpful things for me have been:

Making up snacks for when I'm on the go (not only does this take away the hunger, but I'm not stopping at a fastfood joint and plunking down a couple of dollars for food that I shouldn't be eating)

Making up meals ahead of time: On the weekend I make a couple of whole chickens and then pull the meat off and put it in the fridge, it's great to have it available for my meals the following week. I then use the chicken bones to make broth and use for soups, beans, etc.)

Starting to make and eat my meal before I am really hungry. When I get really hungry, all sense seems to fly out the window and I behave like a coocoo. (It's kind of along the same idea that you shouldn't go grocery shopping on an empty stomach)

Also, as I consult the scales I see my weight fluctuate throughout the day anywhere from 2-3 lbs. I think this is completely normal. Over time the 2-3 lbs. it fluctuates changes a bit as I continue to lose weight. (for example: When I started at 180 lbs I fluctuated between 180 and 177, and then down to 177 and 175 and now 172-170.

So here's what I ate today:

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs, 1 slice of bacon, 1/2 cup of steamed broccli, 1/2 slice of SWG bread

Snack 1: 1 oz. walnuts, 1/2 peach, 6 carrot sticks

lunch: large salad (spring mix, my favorite), 2 slices of bacon, 1 oz. walnuts, dried cranberries, sliced red onion, Mike Geary's salad dressing

snack: 1/2 banana, hard-boiled egg, 2 tbsp. almond butter, celery sticks

supper: curried tilapia over brown rice and mango salsa, small salad with dressing

snack: 3 SWG pancakes w/ real maple syrup

July 23, 2010

Doing well, was busy today and didn't get all my meals and snacks in. Not having cravings, and finding that I feel great after eating, following the Diet Solution Program. Today was my "cheat" day and I had pizza with my family.

Today's menu:
Breakfast: 2 slices SWG bread, 2 eggs (made french toast), 1 slice turkey bacon, real maple syrup
Snack: hard-boiled egg, 1 slice bacon, 1 cup of carrots, 1 oz. of cheese
supper: 3 slices of combo pizza
snack: 10 grapes, 1 oz. cheese

I am down to 170, and that's encouraging. I had been toggling between 175-180. I am confident in my efforts and I realize that as I make simple changes I am creating new habits. It isn't my goal to lose the weight and then go back to eating the way I did before. It's going to take some time to really turn those habits around. I'm a little nervous about the family reunion next week. Not sure if I wanna just throw the whole day out and eat whatever I want, take my own food, eat allowable foods that are there, or eat things that I really like in moderation. I think the key is to decide before I go and stick with it. If I decide to jump off the wagon I'm sure I'll be so sick to my stomach that I won't ever want to do it again.

July 17, 2010

Today I woke up not feeling hungry. I ate breakfast hoping that it would rev up my metabolism, but all day I didn't feel that gnawing hunger. around lunchtime I felt sleepy and so I had my lunch and then was fine. I have not had cravings either. I guess my body is getting everything it needs. It is such a wonderful feeling to not have cravings for foods that I shouldn't be eating and my energy level has gone up. I am so thankful for this new way of eating.

Where it all began:

My mom always praised us kids, not for cleaning our plates, but for stopping when we were full. I am thankful that she never said, "Clean your plate". Even though I didn't see it as a big deal she marvelled at my ability to turn down dessert. Sweets weren't my thing. In my teen years I thought I had my weight under control. I could easily cut back when I noticed my jeans were a little snug. I ran with the cross country team during highschool and it helped to burn off extra calories. During highschool I began working at a restaurant and received a $5 employee meal and had unlimited access to fountain drinks for every 4 hours I worked. After graduation I joined the Navy. I was 5'4'' and 120 lbs. During my time in the military I was able to maintain a healthy weight and continued running. After the birth of my first child at age 23 I didn't lose all my babyweight before I was expecting my second child. My second child was born the beginning of July and that November I was able to attend the Marine Corps ball with a size six formal dress (breastfeeding really helped with weightloss). I maintained a good weight and became pregnant with my third child about a year later. The weight did come off afterwards, but it was a little slower. I was going through a divorce and that also helped in my weight-loss efforts. I met my husband when My third was a year old and I was at a healthy weight. I was instructing water aerobics at a fitness center and continuing to run. Sometime between getting married, buying a house, and life I began gaining weight. It was the sneak up on you kind of gain. My jeans were too tight!

I struggled to keep the weight down, but it was getting harder. I became pregnant with baby #4 in the spring of '07 and didn't care if I gained weight. I ate whatever I wanted, I figured I'd lose it after I had the baby (like I did with the others). I really struggled to get my weight down and if my memory serves me right I think I managed to get down to 140 lbs. In the late summer of '09 I became pregnant with baby #5 and again capitalized on the big baggy clothes and a great excuse to have a big belly. Near the end of my pregnancy I was a few pounds shy of 200!!! I had her the day before Easter and did lose about 20 lbs. and not changing anything at all. At about 180 my weight hit a wall and I realized that I was going to have to actually work to get it off. It was time to pay the piper.