- The first step I took was dropping soda- specifically Dr. Pepper. I was drinking 2-4 20-oz Dr. Peppers a day, not including refills at restaurants. This didn't happen overnight. I started by weaning myself to cans that I brought to work and stocked in a mini fridge in my office instead of buying the bottles in the vending machines. This saved money and dropped my total consumption to 2-4 cans not including restaurants. Slowly I started stocking bottles of water with the Dr. Pepper and weaning myself over. Within a month I was only drinking Dr. Pepper when I went out to eat. I then substituted sweet tea over Dr. Pepper when I went out. Why not water you ask? Because I'm a weirdo and sometimes restaurant water tastes funny. I have a mental list of places that are "water approved". Nowadays when ordering a drink at a restaurant, I'm usually getting a water or an unsweetened ice tea that gets a sweet n low or splenda treatment.
- Next was my daily diet. At first I was not calorie counting, or even keeping a food journal. For all of January I just made better choices one meal at a time. Instead of cooking potato and onion hash with bacon and a fried egg for breakfast I made oatmeal, or an egg white omelet*. Instead of getting a heavy, greasy blue plate special I stocked my mini fridge with Lunchables, grapes, string cheese, and yogurt. Dinner was a little different. I have a close friend who is a Paleo-Cross fit Queen. She was my voice of reason on nutrition and exercise questions. It must be said that she NEVER pushed me or judged me. She just gave really great advice on what worked for her, and I'll be forever grateful to her for the encouragement and help that I received. Having her over for dinner meant more protein, less carbs, lots of veggies and a friend to cook for and enjoy the food with. Not losing my communal association and use of food to be with friends was a huge help in getting me started and staying on track.
- In February after a 10+ pound loss in my first month with making minimal changes to my daily life I decided to step it up a notch. I downloaded LoseIt and got systematic in my weigh-ins and diet.
- First, I put a year long monthly calendar above my scale. Every morning I get up, strip, use the bathroom, and get on the scale. Whatever number I see gets written on today's date. Weigh-ins are much talked about in the online weight loss community. I chose daily because that is what works for me. I write it on the calendar so that I can see trends through the week/month.
- I also started taking measurements on a weekly (Thursday after weigh-in) basis at the suggestion of PCFQ (Paleo-Cross Fit Queen). She knew that plateaus would come and the measurements give me hope when the scale doesn't. Measurement get written on the monthly calendar as well for trend watch.
- LoseIt was the phone app that I went with. I found the interface intuitive, and it easy to work with. I only had the free version until last week. Everything meaningful can be accomplished with the free version. I chose to upgrade to monitor my water and nutrient trends.
- By March weigh-ins and recording weights/measurements is normal and old hat. I was averaging 10lbs lost a month ~ 2 lbs a week. Food wasn't dominating my life like before. I eat when I'm hungry- about every 3-4 hours. I just make sure of two things-
- I don't allow myself to get REALLY hungry. This was HUGE for me. Before this year I would not eat breakfast, work through lunch and when I got off work I'd be starving! Like, I'm shaking and will eat whatever is closest to me that I can chew minimally while swallowing huge chunks of. This meant LOTS of fast food bags/boxes in my car, and no meaningful food in my stomach. It also meant that when I got home I was only slightly less famished, so I would cook a dinner for a family of 4, eat 2 servings, and put the other two up for the next day.
- What I do eat is good for me. (Greek) Yogurt and granola, Low-fat string cheese, grapes, individual serving veggie or fruit trays (these have replaced the lunchables lately). Steadily snacking on these low-cal options through my day keeps me energized and full so I don't feel as desperate to get food in my stomach on my way home. I also keep a water bottle in my hand at all times. Do I pee like a racehorse? Yes, lol, but that's ok.
- Because food was coming so naturally I decided to step up my game plan in March. I added exercise. As in, I joined a gym! I think that gym stories would be an excellent post for tomorrow. In the meantime here's a recipe for the Egg White Omelette that I had much success with-
*Egg White Omelet:
4 Eggs (3 Egg Whites, 1 Whole)
2 T Mexican Shredded Cheese
2 T Black Beans
2 T Salsa (I put 3, because I REALLY like chunky salsa.)
Salt and Pepper to taste- I find that with a good salsa I don't need either.
Crack your eggs, and separate whites into a bowl. Discard unused yolks. Whisk, Poor into a non-stick skillet and let set. Add salsa, beans, and cheese. Once egg has mostly set fold and enjoy! I usually eat this along with some Greek Strawberry yogurt with a little granola. It keeps me full and satisfied well into lunch! My recipe is based on this one: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/southwestern-omelet The nutritional information below is from the link, my omelet is a little lighter in calories.
Nutritional Information
Calories 181
Caloriesfromfat 27 %
Fat 5.5 g
Satfat 2.3 g
Monofat 1 g
Polyfat 0.8 g
Protein 20.2 g
Carbohydrate 13.8 g
Fiber 6 g
Cholesterol 116 mg
Iron 2.1 mg
Sodium 822 mg
Calcium 184 mg
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