Monday

Breakfast: Warm water with fresh squeezed lemon juice, one smoothie with grapefruit and fresh cactus, one slice wheat toast with easy peanut butter, one cup of nonfat milk

Morning Snack: One banana, one cup of hot green tea, 2 shortbread cookies

Lunch: One orange, one cup of coffee black, and one mixed grain bagel with low calorie cream cheese

Afternoon Snack: None...well, a client gave me a medium 16 oz. sized Mexican hot chocolate...(milk, cocoa, and cinnamon, and loaded with sugar I'm sure!)

Dinner: One whole wheat medium sized tortilla, Brown rice with lentils and veggies, one cup of nonfat milk, so far that's it...

Packed an apple and yogurt parfait with fruit in my lunch but have not gotten to eat it yet...i guess save for tomorrow!

Summary of today: Not good not bad! A little cheating with the shortbread cookies and the Mexican hot chocolate. It is so hard to resist and say no sometimes! Especially when receiving someone else's "hospitality". However, I DID thorougly enjoy the hot cocoa!! So, no regrets there. It's 9:40 pm now; I have just enough time to go to gym and use elliptical machine if I want. Only problem is it's been raining today and is so cold now. Therefore, it's very difficult to get out of the house! But, if I truly wanted to, I could do it. Hmmm...that is THE question: do I really want to (go exercise now)?

Sunday Meals

7:30 am Breakfast, McMuffin and cup of coffee with 2 creams and 2 splendas, 300 calories

1:00 pm Lunch, One cup of nonfat milk, one small pice of rice cake (ddeok) with beans on top

4:00 pm Dinner, half cup of brown rice, half cup of cooked lentil beans with mixed veggies

4:30 pm Dessert, nonfat yogurt, one banana, honey, one tablespoon peanut butter

8:30 pm Snack, one cup of nonfat moo, one small gala apple, one more tablespoon of peanut butter

Sunday 12/4/11

Breakfast: one slice of white toast with nutella spread, half an orange, one cup of nonfat milk, one cup of hot green tea.

Lunch: yogurt and fruit parfait, one banana.

Snacks: carrot sticks and hummus, the other half an orange.

Dinner: humble black beans, Mexican rice, one cup of nonfat milk, and half a cup of green beans, everything PORTIONED CONTROLLED.

Dessert: one cup of instant coffee with cream and sugar (no bueno).

No exercise today.

Thoughts: Not good, but not bad. Just sort of right in the middle; average! Need to find time for exercise. Have been so busy past few weeks with work. Felt overwhelmed. And stressed. All I can do is my best. And, pray! Prayer will help alot. New week. New beginning!!

Give Me 5 More

Got up and ate an apple. I went off to the gym. I ran on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes. I burned a whole 300 calories!! Yes! Drank a fruit smoothie with whey protein mix. And, ate a half breakfast sandwich from Mother's. It had egg, bacon, a soy meat, tomato, avocado on a sourdough bread toasted or grilled. I dipped it in ketchup when I got home. It lasted me a long long time! Ate lunch from Trader Joes: a cabbage salad with couscous, garbanzo beans and tomato. Also had an organic orange and a banana, and a very small handful of trail mix with cashews, almonds and chocolate pieces. Drank a cup of soy milk. I am so full now. And, am drinking plenty of water today! And, green tea too.

My exercise plan for the week is yoga twice, Zumba twice, Body Abs twice, and Boot Camp once. I am also planning to do elliptical machine daily for 30 minutes. I want to do all this exercise, but, when the rubber meets the road we'll see how my body handles it. They say that we should exercise every day. I'll do it if my body cooperates. If not, then at least I have high expectations!!

My food intake needs to be monitored this month as well. I want to end the year 2011 well and eat as healthy as I can throughout the month of December! Only healthy drinks here please! And, healthy meals too. Can I lose 5 more pounds this year, for a total of 50? I'm down 45 pounds since January of 2011. Let's see if my body will give me 5 more!

Leftovers for Dinner

I took leftover ddeok guk (a soup made with rice cakes) and turned it into a form of ddeokk pok gi (a kind of spicy rice cake concoction). I added some frozen green onion I had on hand, plus some shredded carrot, soy sauce, fish sauce, and go chu jang (a red pepper paste). I didn't have any unfrozen meat to add to it for protein, but I did find some soy beans still in the pods in my fridge, so I used those as a side dish. Soy beans contain enough protein like an egg, so I was quite proud of myself for coming up with this quick and tasty, reasonably nutritous meal. Furthermore, I made sure to portion control the spicy rice cakes, othersise if I ate too many it would show both on my body and on the scales!! And, to down it I drank a cup of nonfat moo.

Lunch today was semi-healthy. Caeser chicken salad with a fruit and yogurt parfait. The unhealthy part of the salad was definately the dressing. A serving of caeser dressing contains almost 200 calories!! Probably not worth it.

And, I did too much snacking today. I ordered a medium sized latte from Starbucks and two small bite size pastries. I'm sure that adds up to 500 calories alone. This was not a good nor healthy snack choice today.

On the plus side, I went to body works abs class this afternoon. It is a class at the gym utilizing the weights and repetitions for an hour. So that was a good use of my time!

I'm planning to hit the gym next week for classes M-Th at 8pm (due to my work schedule change). Am looking forward to the variety it will entail. Some aerobic, some stretching, and some toning. A combination of all the exercises "they" say we need!!

Heading into the holiday season will not put a damper on my healthy lifestyle efforts. If anything, it makes me have a new resolve in my heart to continue on the path. I am aware that I am at a pivotal time of my journey. Although I would love to lose 10 more pounds, its not all about the pounds. I definately don't want to GAIN IT ALL BACK like so many people do. So, I am and have been, at the maintaining stage. Now is the time to continue and maintain the path that I have been on, not go backwards. A continued focus, and priority of health and fitness is what is needed now for me.

Having health and fitness buddies on the same journey as I is also helpful. God has given me several health and fitness buddies and I am thankful for each and every one of them.

A Healthy Start

So, this morning, the morning after Thanksgiving Day, I began with a healthy bowl of oatmeal, made with a cup of nonfat milk and a small gala apple diced, with a little cinnamon and honey. I also drank a small quarter cup of the instant Korean style coffee.


This was much better than what I ate yesterday! I am ashamed to say I visited McDonalds. Not only did I visit McDonalds, but, I ate a Big Mac, fries and diet soda. Do I not know better? Yes, I do. But, it was emotional eating. I was looking for comfort in the arms of the Big McD!! Did I find it there? Uh, no. Time to get back on track. So, that is why I am proud of myself for choosing a healthy breakfast today. And, I can start eating healthy again with my next meal. And the next one, and the next one after that!

Thanksgiving Day Breakfast

For today's breakfast I made white toast with a little bit of butter and strawberry spread, one scrambled egg sauteed with garlic and made with onion, green bell pepper, a little cilantro and jalepeno, seasoned with salt and pepper, and topped with queso fresco, a Mexican style cheese made from skim milk. I cooked the onions and pepper in the microwave instead of in oil, to try and cut down on calories. But, then I used a tiny bit of oil to cook the eggs. I also had one small gala apple and one cup of nonfat milk.

Need to go to store for more nutella spread. I love that stuff on my toast. Once I use up my white bread, I am going to try to get wheat and/or multi grain bread instead. Still trying to eat up what's in the fridge, freezer and pantry before going to supermarket as much as possible. Have to buy some yogurt and fresh oranges.

I am 10 pounds away from my weight goal, though I am content with where I am at now too. I know I can lose this belly fat if I eat right and switch up my exercise routine. That is why, starting last week, I have intentionally added weight training to my exercise routine. I just take a class at my gym that uses weights and repetitions throughout the class. I am a beginner and at this point taking a class is the best way for me to learn how to use weights.

It may be Turkey Day, but that doesn't mean I have to eat like one!

Success

Today is Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. Breakfast consisted of a bowl of kashi cereal with a cup of nonfat moo. I stopped at Starbucks for a iced coffee drink and a mini vanilla scone (140 calories for 3 or 4 bites of bliss). Not sure how many calories in the iced frap. Lunch was a ham and turkey sandwich from Subway on wheat bread with honey mustard and alot of veggies, plus a drink. I also ate a fruit and yogurt parfait. The yogurt was low fat yogurt. My drink was the green tea, but it is the sweetened with honey kind. And, it dawned on me, I wonder how many calories are in that drink? I wonder if there are "hidden" calories in that particular green tea drink that I have not accounted for? I should find out about that. If it contains too many calories then it may be worth taking it out of my diet. For dinner I ate a chicken salad with low calorie balsamic vinegarette dressing from Carl's Jr. I also took a new Zumba TONING class and then drank a protein shake at home. Finally, I warmed up while watching Biggest Loser, Thanksgiving Edition, at home with a hot cider worth another 80 calories.

I love that I exercised today. I almost skipped my exercise to go visit someoene. But, I love the good feeling I get from working out. I love the energy it gives me! I also appreciate the decent eating I did today. Sure, I ate a mini scone from Starbucks. It is truly one of my indulgences, along with the mocha frap drink. However, I made healthy food choices throughout the rest of my day. A sandwich for lunch; a salad (with chicken) for dinner.

I could have added at least one more serving of fruit to make my day a wee bit healthier. But, I did do good by choosing the low cal vinegarette dressing! The past couple of days I'd been choosing the 100 calorie dressing with my McDonald's chicken salad.

I gave up eating fast food at the beginning of the year. Now, when I visit a Carl's Jr., or a McDonald's, I tend to lean towards the chicken salads, hands down!! I do alot of traveling with my tutoring job, and sometimes it is easier to grab something on the go than to pack it. My preference is to pack a sack lunch simply because it's cheaper, though it's not always possible or doable.

My workout plan for the next 2 weeks is to hit the gym classes M-Th at 8pm. Beginning with next week, I am tutoring again 4pm to 7 pm, so hitting the gym classes then won't be possible. I also have morning teaching classes Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for the next 2 weeks, so hitting the gym on those mornings will also be impossible.

After 2 weeks, then I will be freed up on Monday and Wednesday mornings to hit the gym if I want. And, I want!! There is a Wednesday morning Zumba class that I'd like to take. And, there is a Monday morning boot camp class that I think would be good, plus I like the instructor!!

I signed up for Zumba TONING classes starting in January. I am hoping to take some TONING classes at my gym in December, as my schedule allows.

Other goals related to fitness include running my 1st 5K, and becoming certified to teach Zumba. I have been mulling these things over in my mind for quite some time now.

The final benefit I like from living an active lifestyle (meaning getting a daily dose of exercise, or something close to it), is the mental benefit it brings to me. The endorphins and the energy it brings to my life benefits me immensely. I want to make diet and exerise an intentional part of my life from now on. (By diet I mean food intake is making healthy choices).


Finally, I need to invest in a scale for home. I've only been using the scale at the gym or the scale at the Korean spas to weigh myself!! I think it's time I get one for my home!!
Until next time...

140. Not sure why my body is not cooperating with further weight loss at the moment. It's been the longest plateu ever! I haven't been watching my eating religiously as before, although I am eating mostly right with a few treats thrown in every now and then. For example, yesterday I drank hot chocolate but had it made with nonfat milk, and a tiny vanilla scone (my favorite weakness along with nuts).

If there is something I need to change in my routine I think it might be my workouts. Maybe more classes like "Body Abs Workouts" because it uses weights and repetitions throughout the workout. I went to the body abs class last night at my gym and I know it was good for my body. I think this might be the direction I need to make. Some adjustment is necessary.

Simple Dinner

It was 7:30 pm and I was hungry and a half an hour away from home. It would have been so easy, and convenient for me if I had run into Subway for dinner. However, I sucked it up and drove home, knowing that I had some cooked pinto beans in the fridge that I needed to eat up. So, I tried to make up a menu around the beans. I also had some rice and leftover green beans, so I reheated that. I ate a very humble, albeit, nutritious dinner tonight, and saved $5.00 by not eating out at Subway! I am mighty proud of myself! Dessert was an apple, with peanut butter and downed it with some nonfat milk. I think I did pretty good!

Satisfied on Saturday

One half cup of oatmeal cooked with one cup of nonfat moo, some walnuts and a banana were for breakfast today. Snack was one orange and cup of hot green tea. Lunch was 2 corn tortillas with turkey lunchmeat, and half a tomato with jalenpeno sauce. Snacked on one small gala apple with peanut butter. And, too much peanut butter after that. One teaspoon. Then another. OMG it was so good. I had to stop! Dinner was fried potatoes with soy sauce and about a cup of soybean sprouts, along with a cup of nonfat moo. Small handful of nacho cheese tortilla chips. Oops! Not bad overall today. Just trying to use up what I have before buying more food. Trying. Goal is use up the items in the fridge, then the freezer, then the canned goods in the pantry. Would really like to do this.

How did I do today? I'm not sure. I think okay overall. But, probably could have done better. Here's the low-down:

Breakfast:
*2 slices of wheat toast (as opposed to one)
*with nutella spread
*one orange
*one cup of nonfat moo
*instant coffee with cream and sugar

Snack:
*one small gala apple

Lunch:
*ham and cheese melts on 2 corn tortillas, jack cheese, and seasoned with hot sauce and tomato slices on top, about half a tomato, maybe 4 oz. of cheese, and one serving of ham lunchmeat
*one banana
*a handful of nacho cheese tortilla chips, why did I do that? It was a craving!

Snack:
*mushrooms, about a handful
*celery, about 2 stalks
*2 T. hummus with jalepeno and cilantro

Dinner:
*fried rice with kimchi and soy bean sprouts, it was brown rice, fried with a little bit of leftover kimchi, and about a cup of the soy bean sprouts, along with soy sauce and sesame oil and seeds, not bad!
*one cup of nonfat moo
*one slice of leftover orange from morning

Exercise:
Zumba for about 40 minutes because I was late and the substitute Zumba instructor stopped 5 minutes early~I didn't dare weigh myself on the scale today. I'm too scared. I was going to do yoga tonight but I didn't get myself moving in time to go. Yeah, sometimes I get in a little bit of a funk, so today was kind of one of those days. I was happy to run into Cathy this morning as I was leaving the gym she was at the ATM machine. And then I took some time in the jacuzzi at home. Yes, it was a pleasant day; I even got to read a book. This book is by John Wimber on Intimate Prayer. Well, actually, it is more like a little booklet. Anyways, wow! There are so many jewels packed in that little book. Maybe I can share one with you. Hmmm...let's see. The reward of intimate prayer is not the answer but in intimacy alone with the Father. Well, I'm not sure if I am recalling it accurately, but I think that was the jist of the idea. Anyways, this is not a book review blog, this is a health and fitness blog!! Stick to the topic please. (Just kidding~) Thanks for reading. Have a nice day!! Leave me an encouraging note!!

My Trip to Wholesome Choice

So, like I said, I needed to buy some healthy snack alternatives to eat, since I was starting to eat cookies at least twice this week! So, off to Wholesome Choice I went, in search of healthy foods and some good deals.

I cannot believe what I found there this afternoon when I went! And, I am so pleased!! They had gala apples on sale, so I got some of those. They also had Valencia oranges on sale, so I grabbed some of those too. I found some hummus for buy one get one free, so I grabbed that. The carrots were a one or two pound bag for 59 cents!! And, the celery I'm not sure, but I think was super cheap too. I alos picked up a package of mushrooms for 99 cents. Alltogether I paid under $10, or just around $10 for all that yummy, delicious, and healthy produce. I also got some roma tomatoes for 59 cents a pound or some outrageous figure like that!! I'm not kidding. And, I'm so happy (about the savings I accrued today). I feel so blessed to have gotten a week's worth of fresh produce for my healthy snacks for $10. I'm not sure I've ever gotten such a good deal before from the market!!

But, I'm not done with my story! There's more!! So, as I was departing the market, the man from Salvation Army was there, taking monetary donations. And, he looked Hispanic to me. I cannot ignore this man! So, I talked with him in Spanish and told him that I was sorry that I didn't have any cash on me (which was true). And, then I asked him (in Spanish) if he would like some fruit? He said yes, so I gave him a banana, an orange, and an apple. I'm not sure who felt happier afterwards, him or me. I think I walked away from that situation feeling like a total winner!! I love when God gives divine appointments or little opportunities to bless others. I know a year ago I might have felt annoyed that this man was standing in front of me, begging for money. But, God has done a work in my heart and changed me. Yep. This is my story!!

Thursday Review

Today's breakfast:
*one biscuit with margarine and strawberry spread
*one cup of nonfat moo
*one tangerine
Snack:
*one cup instant coffee
*a lot of biscuit cookies from Trader Joes :(
Lunch:
*one cup of chicken tortilla soup, homemade
*one small handful of crushed nacho cheese chips as soup topping

Snack:
*one tomato
*2 celery stalks
*2 T. cilantro and jalepeno hummus
*one small gala apple
*one cup of hot green tea with brown rice blend
Dinner:
*vegetable soup in tomato broth with fish
*small portion of nonfat vanilla yogurt

Exercise:
*one hour Zumba
*142??? When I weighed myself tonight at the gym the scale said 142. Is it possible? Could I have seriously gained 5 pounds in 5 days? God, I hope not! I don't think so. I feel the scale is wrong! My clothes aren't feeling any tighter than usual. And, I haven't eaten 5 pounds worth of food, have I? I know last time I weighed myself in the morning I got a smaller number!! I should try that again!!

So, overall, I am pleased with my eating today. I know I messed up with the tea biscuits from Trader Joe's, but what's done is done. And, I did go out and buy fresh produce from Wholesome Choice, so now I'll be munching on healthy snacks this week for sure!!

A Wise Woman Once Told Me...

Last night Nackwon encouraged me to snack on celery!! I think she is right!! I am snacking on those tea biscuits (again) and I'm sure they're not good for the waistline!! She mentioned that celery also helps you sleep better at night. I haven't heard of that before, but, I think I had better buy some fresh celery and baby carrots today at the market!! Seriously. If I care about my health, and if I care about my waistline, I should heed the words of Nackwon!! I am planning on buying some celery, carrots and hummus today!!

Oh Noooooo

Uh-oh! I need to be careful!! Today I ate these delicious biscuit cookies from Trader Joe's. If I only had 3 or 4 cookies then that would have been fine. But, I snacked, and snacked, and snacked. Uh-oh is right. I better be careful.

If that was the only mishap then maybe I wouldn't have reason to worry. However, yesterday I also took a mis-step. Were they those chocolate fudge cookies again? Actually, that might have been Sunday; I'm not sure. But, I know I need to watch what I am putting into my mouth! Always.

Why am I so concerned about what I eat nowadays? For one thing, I lived almost a decade or longer without taking thought to what I injested. Consequently, I gained nearly 50 some pounds!! Secondly, I didn't lose all this weight for nothing; I mean, I didn't lose all this weight only to gain it all back again. So, it is necessary for me to pay attention to what I eat and to eat well, so that I might maintain a healthy weight from this day onward.

On a positive note, after our meeting tonight I went to the gym and worked on the elliptical machine for one hour and burned 550 some calories. I like when that happens!

So, yeah, this is my story!!

God Helps Me Everyday

I am very aware of the fact that my weight loss success up until now has been in large part due to God's grace on my life. Sure, I did the work of choosing which foods to eat, and what exercises to do, but God is the one who gave me success by His grace. I could not have done it without Jane, and without God. This is true. I mean, God gave me the ability to have any kind of self-control. And, yes, I did stumble along the way too. Nevertheless, God enabled me to pick the right foods. God enabled me to have the desire to say no to over doing it on the sweets or bread factors.

I mean, when I lived in Korea, I used to eat the equivalent of 2 donuts in the morning sometimes! I would walk across the street to the local bakery, and buy like 2 pastries from there. OMG~there were so delicious! However, I had no idea or concept at the time of what I was doing to my body!!

Tonight, I ate Flame Broiler for dinner. I chose the brown rice bowl with chicken and veggies. I asked for the white meat and dark meat combo (well they gave it to me as a one time special). Anyways, I never thought about my food choices before. Nor did I make any kind of connection between what I put in my mouth and what my body turned out in physical appearance.

And, losing weight is not just about physical appearance, although that is definately one positive outcome. But, just as important, if not more, is the health factor or health benefit that comes from losing even 5 pounds. I know deep in my heart some obesity related health risks may have been averted. And I am so thankful.

So I am rambling. But, I'm just trying to say, and acknowledge that God is the One who helped me along the way on this journey, whether I had realized it at the time or not (and most likely not). And, I will still need Him now and in my future to continue helping me along the way, to maintain and or lose more if the body wants to.

So, I thank God for redeeming my body. My prayer is that He will help you also on your weight loss and health journey. I know this: God wants to help us!! Amen.

I'm Not at a Plateau Anymore

137 tonight at the gym with just a towel and flip flops on. I cannot believe it!! So, this tells me that my coach, trainer and friend, Jane, was right! She said to remain faithful and to keep eating right, and my body would do its thing. Well, those are my words but her concept!! I was around 139-141 for at least 3 months if not 4 or more!! I would have to check my actual records in order to know for certain. What I do know now, is, that, it is highly likely that my body will get down to at least 135 soon, and possibly 130 by the end of the year if not sooner. I feel like this is a strong possibility!!!

On another note, working out at the gym today was challenging. I did the elliptical machine for one hour. At the 30 minute mark I was ready to be done. But, I also wanted to push myself for another 30 because it's good for the heart and I like burning calories!! So, I did the 60 minutes in total, knowing that my body had rested enough. I hadn't been to the gym since Friday morning, so by Sunday afternoon my body should be able to hit the gym hard again. I could have given up like I did on Friday morning, but I didn't this time.

And of course, the usual jacuzzi time afterwards. That's my favorite part, indeed!

Sunday 10/23/11

Half good, half so-so:

Breakfast:
*one biscuit easy with the butter and strawberry preserves
*one tangerine
*2 scrambled eggs with tomatoes, green onion and garlic, seasoned with salt and tapitio hot sauce
*topped the eggs with one half of an avocado
*one cup of nonfat milk
*one cup of hot green tea

Lunch:
*leftover chicken and rice-vegetable soup
*salad with turkey meat, cucumber and bean sprouts topped with easy sesame soy giner dressing
*one apple with 1 or 2 T. of peanut butter
*small serving of nonfat vanilla yogurt

Trying to drink plenty of water and may go to workout at the gym this afternoon. What's for dinner? Who knows?

Why did I just eat those chocolate fudge cookies? I'd been doing so well so far today. Grrr. One mistake. Little foxes spoil the vine. Grrr. Next time (tomorrow) hopefully I will do better! Anger, regret, acceptance, resolve.

Lazy Saturday

Ah, today is becoming a lazy Saturday! I love and hate when this happens!! Anyways, foodwise, so far so good. Breakfast just a simple slice of wheat toast with nutella, one orange, one cup of hot green tea. I ran out of milk so will have to go to store later to get some. Mid morning snack was a banana and another cup of hot green tea. Yes, I love green tea! So far dong fine. Now if I could only get my butt moving and doing something, then all would be well. He he.

Victory in Sight?

I totally enjoyed Jane's Zumba class last night (Thursday). But, getting up this morning and out the door on time for Dawn's morning Zumba class proved to be difficult. I think I did it last week, but this week I think the weather was affecting my mood. It is so overcast in the morning, it's like pulling me down a little bit. Or, maybe because I have a major decision to make in the next 10 days that is stressing me out a little. Maybe I feel a combination of all these. Whatever the case, I made myself get to the gym. Well, I was running late, so I got sidetracked with an errand, and then got myself to the gym. And, dance class was over by then. So, I opted for the elliptical machine.

I was hoping for one hour on the machine, but, after 30 minutes, I had to quit. My body was done! All I can think is that my body needs, or needed, a time of rest from last night's dance class. Last week when I was exercising every day for an hour, I was going in the evenings and allowed like a 24 hour rest in between most of the workouts.

Ok, so now for the success part of my entry. I don't know what compelled me, but I decided to check my weight on the scale this morning. 137?!! Really? I was elated. Esctatic. Unbelieveable! Just last night at the gym I thought the scale said 140 or 141. So, morning time is best time to take my weight! Ha ha. Yes, I'm 137 now. And, it makes me feel like a million bucks. Well, it also motivates me to continue on this road. It makes me want to keep eating the right foods and it makes me want to keep exercising.

Wow~thanks God for helping my body come down to the 130s range. I want my body to glorify You, too.

That's all for now.

Exciting Day

I woke up and changed up my breakfast today.

Today's Breakfast:
*One slice of wheat bread
*One tablespoon of nutella spread
*One orange
*One cup of non fat milk
*One cup of hot green tea
*Multi vitamin and fish oil supplement, fiber tablet too

Today's lunch is packed:
*One apple
*One banana
*Ham sandwich meat
*Non fat vanilla yogurt
*Cheddar cheese, 1 or 2 oz., for a mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack most likely

Thursday Redemption

Yes, Wednesday was a little bit of a fall from grace; I ate the whole slice of the dreaded cheesecake! I'm sure it must have been around 400 calories or more for that one slice. So, today (Thursday) I had a much improved day.

Breakfast
*Oatmeal
*Non fat milk
*Walnuts
*Cup of instant coffee with powdered cream and sugar

Lunch
*Rice noodle Vietnamese soup with beef
*Served with peppers, basil, cilantro and bean sprouts

After Lunch Dessert
*non fat frozen yogurt from yogrutland (chocolate, strawberry and taro flavors)
*topped with blueberries, strawberries and carob/chocolate chips

Late Afternoon Snack
*Hot green tea from Starbucks
*Petite Vanilla Scone (it's my other weakness)

Dinner
*steak fajitas with sauteed veggies (onion and peppers)
*no tortilla
*one cup of nonfat milk

Exercise
*Zumba with Jane for one hour. My favorite time of day. And, she played Waca Waca song. One of my current favorites!!

My diet lacked enough fruit today, but, at least I didn't gorge out on cheesecake!! I was definately tempted today by all the sweets at Starbucks. I got a petite vanilla scone which has around 140 calories because you only get like 3 or 4 bites out of it!! I'm laughing because some of their other desserts and breads contain 300 or more calories!! Uh, yeah, I'm not doing much of that anymore! At least in theory anyways!!

Tomorrow is Friday. Another day to try and live right. Morning Zumba class with Dawn. And, that's all that I have planned for the day. Study and/or prepare for my ESL class. Maybe a little bit of both. And, try to eat healthily. This is my life. And saving $1.00 a day for next year's cruise with Vineyard!! I think that would be so fun to go on a cruise with Vineyard! Oh yeah!!

Fail!

Last night I attended an informational meeting at Biola for prospective grad students. I am considering getting my Masters in TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages). The meeting began with a dinner. They served us salad, pasta, breadsticks, dessert, and drinks. I had just a tiny bit of salad with Italian dressing, a tiny bit of pasta with the red meat sauce (we had 3 kinds to choose from, one of which was a cream sauce), one breadstick. Dessert was cheesecake with strawberries and cream. I succombed. Fail. But, today is a new day. And, I'm failing again. Well, lunch at a Vietnamese restraunt with rice noodles in a soup, that was so delicious!! And, Yogurtland afterwards for dessert. I chose just a little bit of chocolate, strawberry and taro flavored yogurt along with toppings of blueberries, strawberries and chocolate chips!! My portion was not that much though, so that's a good thing. Sort of. When I was finished, I was like, oh I want more!! But, I didn't get seconds after that.

Yes, so last night was a failure. And, after the meeting I was still hungry so I came home and ate even more! But, it was the leftover steak fajitas I had made the other day, minus the tortilla. So, I did feel good about that. And, a cup of non fat milk.

I think I understand now the truth of the saying, "we are what we eat". If I want to pack on the pounds again, all I have to do is throw out everything I've learned about food the past 10 months out the window. No way, Jose! Not even. I'm hanging on. I WANT to eath healthy. And, I WANT to do good. I may have "blown it" last night with the cheesecake (even a few bites would have been better than eating the whole slice), but, I am not a loser! I can start again now. Right now. This is my moment. And, this is my day.

Waca-Waca
...when you get down get up wo oh, when you're down get up ya ya...waca waca...oh this is Africa!...

I'm So Angry!

The other day someone told me she had gained the weight she had lost! I don't know why, but I felt so mad inside. Why didn't she keep the weight off? Well, I should have talked with her more so that I could know and understand her story. But, as of now, I do not know her story. Why did she lose the weight? How did she gain it all back? What was that like for her?

And, I think it's not just her story in particular that makes me angry. But, I've heard of stories of other women, women that I know, who have made great strides in this area only to fail again. It makes me so sad for them! And, it makes me determined not to fall into the trap that they fell into.

I know how important what I feed my body is now. I have to constantly say "no" to sweets. For example, I am in a Starbucks Coffee Shop right now, and would I not just love one of their desserts? Yes, of course! Absolutely. And, once in a while is probably not going to cause me to gain 50 pounds. However, I mostly choose other foods because it is in my body and health's best interest to do so.

This is just where I am at today. I think when others around me who used to be thin and then become big again, hits close to home. I'm afraid of that happening to me. I love this new body that I have. I wouldn't even mind if I went down 10 more pounds if my body will do it. I can't imagine what it would feel like to lose 50 pounds only to gain it back.

Yes, I think I both fear that happening to me, and am projecting what I might feel if that did happen to me. I would feel sorrow and anger towards myself for regressing. A-ha; now I'm getting somewhere!!

So, I am motivated to maintain what I've gained thus far, and I welcome more poundage shed if possible. This is my story.

Nuts, Fruits and Other Things!

Yes, my breakfast this morning was a bowl of oatmeal. Made with non fat milk. And, topped with a little bit of trail mix. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you'll know that trail mix is one of my loves/weaknesses. I know, it's not ALL bad, and contains some healthy fat, so I shouldn't be so apologetic for it.

But, mighty proud of myself for lunch. I packed for lunch today the following: a banana, an orange, an apple, some yogurt, and some turkey deli lunch meat. Can you say happiness? I'm at a Starbucks now, drinking an iced green tea with splenda. I'm in heaven! The only down side is that my eating times are a little bit irregular today! Well, only lunch is a little bit later than usual. That's all.

I'm not sure what time dinner will be. The plan is Zumba class at 5:45 tonight. And, dinner will be steak fajitas (with onion and peppers). Not sure yet what else to make with it. Beans? Rice? Other?

Doing my best to eat healthy each day.

So So Sunday

Invitation to lunch at Cathy's house today. How could I say no? Lovely time with lovely friends!

Turkey sausages for lunch with apples and carrot sticks. So very nice for my waistline, minus the chips. On the plus side, I didn't pig out on the chips, but I did have enough.

Dinner was a goulash type of ground beef with a mixture of veggies in a tomato sauce. The veggies were a quarter of a medium potato chopped, some cabbage, and some zucchinni. And a cup of milk. Non fat milk.

Snacked on low fat yogurt and trail mix.

And, ate more trail mix after that. Began with one serving of trail mix. But, later had another palmful and then another. So, overall eating today was satisfactory minus the trail mix indulgement.

Well, tomorrow is Monday. It's a new day. Time to exercise again, Mon-Fri. and to focus on eating right. Am curious what my weight is now after last week's intense workouts and eating focus.

Love the new clothes friends have given me. I feel so blessed. Jane, April and Jill have all made contributions to my clothing attire, and it has helped me so much! I feel tremendously blessed, and grateful.

Green Tea for Breakfast

I love green tea! My 1st favorite brand is Kirkland's green tea, from Costco. My 2nd favorite green tea is the brown rice blend from the Korean markets. M-m-m!!

So, today's breakfast was one scrambeled egg, with one cup of mixed veggies like zuchinni, onion and cucumber. One orange, one slice of wheat bread with nutella spread, and one cup of non fat milk. One cup of hot green tea too. One multi-vitamin and fish oil supplement; I'm set.

I'm thinking that this is kind of a lot for breakfast. I'm thinking that I could split it up into breakfast with a part of it, and then a mid morning snack with the other part. I'm also thinking of eliminating egg every day. I am thinking of changing out the egg into a whole grain cereal of some sort, or maybe some fruit, nuts and yogurt. The options are endless. I am wanting to decrease the amount of cholesterol I consume.

Temptations

Temptations, and by this I don't mean the Rock Group!!

Today I was strongly tempted by chocolate fudge cookies in the cupboard. But, like my friend Laura said, I will feel better if I put my head on the pillow without having eaten them. And, like Sandra said, I should resist!!

Well, I did have a snack. And, I am realizing that I should get some more healthy snacks in the house! Things like what I call finger veggies; those are veggies that can be eaten with your fingers, like carrot sticks, celery and what not. And, some hummus for dipping. Yes, I think a trip to the store for some healthy alternatives for when those food cravings come is a trip that is in order!

So, as for my evening snack tonight, I found a grapefruit I had in the fridge. So, I ate that. And, then I had a small handful of trail mix. It had nuts, dried fruit, and candies in it (M & M's). So, my food choice was better than fudge cookies. Not veggies, but, decent choice more or less.

Balanced Dinner

Here's what I had for dinner tonight. Nothing fancy. Just rice, meat and a side of veggies. (I stirred it all together to make sort of like a goulash). Also, I drank a cup of milk. Nonfat milk. The rice is mostly brown rice with a little bit of white rice mixed in with it. And, the meat is ground beef, fried then simmered with a can of stewed tomatoes. I think the tomatoes were "Mexican style", which just means flavored with Mexican seasonings like oregano and cumin. I sliced 2 different kinds of zuchinni: green and yellow. Then I seasoned them with a little oil, salt and fresh garlic. I placed them in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes. I think they needed more time to cook.

This meal overall is allright. I'm sure I could do better with the meat. For example, I could have eaten a more leaner cut of meat. But, I was going through my freezer and trying to use up what I already have rather than buy up new things. So that is why I chose that. Same thing with the rice. I did buy some brown rice last week, but I happened to still have a little bit of a white and brown rice mixed, so I had used that. I am trying to just use it up!! Probably I could have cooked the veggies without the oil. Then I could have saved some calories and fat. Maybe next time I will change the way I prepare the veggies.

I am being tempted right now to eat some chocolate fudge cookies I have in my pantry! I should get rid of them but I will probably use them as rewards for my students.

Every time I "overcome" my temptations, it is like exercising my self-control muscle. Someone told me that. Katie told me that. I like that.

I am getting closer and closer to my goal. My goal is to get down to 130 if my body will cooperate! So far, I've been steady around 141 to 139. I am hoping that my efforts last week in both eating and exercise will pay off. Everything I eat counts!! Those little decisions I make can have an impact on my final outcome. I have come this far so far. I just feel like why should I stop now? In other words, now that I am so close to a thinner, slimmer body, why not go all the way? I've blogged about this before. I'm just saying, again!!

Thanks for reading my blog. May YOU too stay on track. Together, we can have healthier lifestyles. Let's take good care of our temples!!

In love,
Monica

A Week In Review~

This past week my friend and I made a goal of eating right all week long and to exercise daily. As for me, I did it!! I exercised starting Monday until Friday every day!! This is a 1st for me all year long!! I took 3 Zumba classes, and went on the elliptical machine for one hour on the other 2 days of the week. Today is Saturday, and my body is a little bit sore. I think it is a good kind of sore though. My plan is to rest today and tomorrow, and then go at it again next week.

My eating is all right overall. When I eat a sandwich, I make sure the bread is wheat not white. And, I use mustard or something fat free, not mayonaise. I've been drinking a lot of water and take a daily multi vitamin.

My current weight this week fluctuated between 139 and 141, which is where I have been for like the past 3 or 4 months!! I'll just keep plugging along and see where my body will take me.

Until next time...

How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?

It's the famous song by Michael Bolton. But, it resonates in my heart and mind this weekend as one of my close friends in health and fitness has other things she is attending to this weekend! Thus, this leaves me searching for other avenues of support.

I Can't Get Noooo Sat-tis=fact-tion~

So, today I am like totally satisfied with myself overall. The only "down" side of the day was drinking the instant coffee which contained sugar and creamer already in it. That kind of coffee is my weak spot.

Breakfast today was the typical one scrambled egg, one orange, one cup of non fat milk, one cup of hot green tea, one slice of wheat toast with some nutella spread (probably too fattening), and one cup of cooked veggies.

Drank the instant coffee in the morning as a mid morning snack.

Lunch was a salad of spinach, cucumber, green beans and lean ham lunch meat (only 60 calories for the ham). Drizzled with 2 tablespoons of dressing from Trader Joes, the sesame ginger soy dressing (only 35 calories for 2 T). Also ate a 6 oz. portion of lowfat yogurt and about a half a cup of strawberries.

Drank iced green tea and an americano. I put some non fat milk in the americano along with one or two packets of splenda.

For dinner I made a fish and vegetable spicy stew, and served it with a half cup of cooked white and brown rice mixed, and some kimchi and a cup of non fat milk. Totally satisfying.

Exercise today was one hour on the elliptical type machine. I did it in 4 fifteen minute increments (just like they did on the Biggest Loser a few weeks ago). I burned somewhere between 500 and 550 calories in that one hour workout alone. My favorite part of working out is by far the jacuzzi time afterwards!! This has always been my truth.

I am pleased with myself today. I am hoping to hit the gym EVERY DAY this week (Monday through Friday) for one hour of cardio or toning classes. My other goal is to focus intensely on eating right throughout the week. One day down, 4 more to go. I'll tackle the weekend after that.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Thanks God for redeeming my body from what it was to where it is, and to where it may be going. I love Jesus because He 1st loved me!! Amen.

Lose 5 pounds in One Week!

I am at 141. Last Friday I went to my Zumba class and weighed myself then.

Sooooooooo, this week my friend and I are trying to lose 5 pounds in one week. Yes! We are being focused on food and exercise!! For one week only we are going to totally watch what we eat. We are going to eat lots of lean protein and veggies, and say no to sweets and things. Then, we are also going to exercise like every day and take a good mulit vitamin.

Saturday night I bought some things I would need for eating this week. I got a dozen eggs, some low fat yogurt, and some fruit and brown rice.

On Sunday (yesterday) I began the intense plan. Well, I went to a Korean worship service Sunday morning, and for lunch we ate white rice, kimchi, an egg side dish and some miso bean sprout soup. The rice they served you was like a whole plate full, so I ate about half, or just over half of it. The good news is that I didn't eat all of the rice, but the bad news is that I did eat more than half of it. Originally I divided the plate into just a half amount of the rice served, but it was so delicious, especially with the kimchi, so I ate a little bit more than the half. But, then Sunday's dinner was a healthy spinach salad with lean chicken meat, and I didn't really snack on anything all night.

So, I am back on track (hopefully). And, today (monday) I have been eating well overall. I did have one cup of coffee though, the instant kind, with sugar and creamer. But, I am going to the gym tonight and will work out at a high intensity (hopefully). So, it is like my "last chance workout" on the Biggest Loser.

Yea, the other day my friend and I were watching the Biggest Loser. One of the activities they had to do was a 4 quarter contest in 15 minute increments. The winner was the team that burned the most calories. They had to work hard each quarter. This workout has inspired me to do the same in my own workouts. My goal tonight is to replicate this type of workout. And then hit the jacuzzi.

My Busy Life

I just came back from the gym right now. I asked my roommate if she wouldn't mind if I came home 15 minutes later than usual, or if she wanted me home at the usual 11:00 pm. She said later was fine so I got to use jacuzzi after my workout. The jacuzzi is always my favorite part of working out!!! True!

So, my exercise tonight was using the elliptical machine for 30 minutes. I burned around 250 calories. I really needed to burn calories today, especially after the way I ate today!

Speaking of eating, I did good overall. But, I notice that I am doing "little things" that could be preventing me from progressing further in my weight loss goals. For example, in the afternoon I drank a Caramal Salted Mocha from Starbucks. Granted, I made it a "skinny", meaning made with non fat milk, and asked for the smallest size, which is a tall. I also asked for fewer pumps of the mocha, so they used 2 pumps instead of 3, and I asked for light whip. But, I also had a salted caramal bar, which was delicious! It was like 4 bites of 200 heavenly caloric bliss in my mouth. You would think that was enough, but later I succumbed to a petite vanilla scone from Starbucks too. They are one of my absolute favorites. These sweet treats are okay, but, these little things need to be watched and monitored.

I guess I feel this way for so many reasons. Before this year, I never thought about these things. And, my weight, or lack of a proper weight, reflected this. So, now that I am more aware of the reality that we really are what we eat, I desire to make a concentrated effort in my personal well being. In addition, I have lost 50 pounds this year so far, so why would I want to gainit all back? No, I definately do not want to gain my weight back. So, I do need to be concerned about my weight and think about what I put into my mouth. So, this is where I am coming from.

My lunch was a ham and turkey sandwich from subway with veggies, and mustard no mayo, with the veggies on a wheat roll. But, I didn't get the chips nor a cookie, which I would have easily done a year ago! And, I might have even had 2 bags of chips just because I could. Gross! (But, true!) Anyways, I was tempted to get a cookie, it looked so fresh and delicious. But, I didn't (but, I had 2 sweets from Starbucks instead so, it's a good thing I didn't eat that cookie from Subway).

My dinner was a bowl of fresh vegetable soup. I used a variety of veggies and chopped them up in a tomato broth with a little bit of sage, salt and hot sauce. It was pretty good. I used broccoli, cabbage, zucchinni, onion, potato and peppers. Drank with a cup of nonfat milk, and had some strawberries afterwards.

I think I am not drinking enough water though. So, I should try to improve in this area tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, the game plan is Zumba in the morning and working in the afternoon. Should try to pack something for a lunch.

I notice that I am making positive deposits in my physical life. That is, I am eating right (for the most part), and exercising (as I am able with this new crazy schedule). I miss Zumba so much! But, I realized that I can dance on my own even without a class. I just have to do it! So, that is the next thing I am thinking about these days.

I cannot believe there are people all around the world reading my blog. If you are from another country, why not leave me a pleasant comment? How are you doing? Why do you read my blog? Which parts of my blog do you enjoy or relate to? Anyways, hope you have a nice day, and I'll try to write again soon!! God bless you!

My Journal

Breakfast: 1 slice of wheat toast with 2 T. nutella spread, 1 orange, 1 cup of hot green tea

Lunch: 3 beef and potato tacos with onion, rice and beans, grape juice, Munched on 2 chocolate chip cookies. Too much sugar definately!!

Dinner: 1 egg omelette style with mixed veggies (tomato, zuchinni and onion), jalepeno sauce and cup of nonfat moo

Eating today not too great but not too bad. The fried corn tortillas for the tacos was probably the worst thing I ate today. And, I didn't eat just 1 or 2 tacos, which would have been more acceptable. But, I ate 3 tacos!! So, too many carbs in the corn tortilla, AND, too much fried food from the fried taco. But, so good!! Just cannot be a habit.

Starting a new program of eating tomorrow. Trying to focus on cutting down fat this month. Want to begin each day with cup of warm water with half a juice from lemon. And, breakfast smoothie of grapefruit and nopales, or substituting cabbage!

On the one hand, I have made amazing progress this year with my weight and body size. On the other hand, I've come this far, I may as well go all the way now and get slim and trim! This is why I am wanting to focus on getting rid of my belly fat now. I have a friend, Maria, who is helping me and teaching me a few "tricks" I can do. I hope it works!!

Mexican Fiesta Made Healthy

Last night I made pinto beans, Mexican rice, and cheese enchiladas!! They were so good. I haven't been eating Mexican food lately because of the calories and fat content found in the tortillas and cheese. But, I had been wanting to cook Mexican for a long time now, so I made some homemade food.

The thing I must say is that at least I didn't overdue it when it came to eating time! What I mean is, last year I would have easily downed 4 enchiladas with a cup of rice and not even blinked an eye. Today I limited myself to 2 enchiladas with about a half a cup of cooked rice, and about a half cup of pinto beans and a cup of nonfat milk. Then I ate a piece of fruit and drank some water. I feel good by eating this way!

Also, in preparing the enchiladas, I used Christine's trick of heating the tortillas in a pan without oil. Traditionally hot oil is used to soften the tortillas in the preparation of enchiladas but I adjusted this step. I am using a rice blend of white rice mixed with brown rice. Traditionally, we used white rice to make Mexican rice. So, at least I am trying to eat semi-healthily with the brown rice! And, even though I fried the rice in oil, I used just a little bit of oil, and I used a good kind of oil, canola oil. I also added some peas at the end to the rice, mainly to use them up. But, by using the peas in the rice, it gave the rice a bit more of a healthy slant to it. And, the beans were just cooked in hot water over low for a long time, and I added a little bit of salt to taste. I'm quite proud of myself for omitting the oil in preparing to soften the tortillas. I could have made this meal a little bit healthier by adding a small salad or shredded lettuce to it. Maybe next time! Finally, I like to garnish my enchiladas with green onions, both for flavor and presentation.

The only thing that could have made this meal better would have been the enjoyment of this meal with another person. I should have invited someone to eat with me.

Yesterday I had lunch with one of my students. One of my ESL students. So, I wanted to take him somewhere he hadn't been before. So we went to IHOP. And, we ordered appetizers, the cheese sticks with onion rings and chicken fingers, and a cup of chicken tortilla soup, and a philly cheese steak sandwich. And, hot chocolate (with whip cream) afterwards. Yeah, not one of my best eating days. Okay, I should say meals.

Today started out okay eating wise. Ate a healthy breakfast. But, we were having a family dinner since sister is in town this week. So, for lunch just grazed on popcorn, diet soda, and yogurtland.

For dinner we had Woodranch. I was so hungry by dinnertime. I ate 2 pieces of chicken, 2 small ribs, and all the sides: mac n cheese, baked beans, mashed potatoes, garlic rolls (2), salad, and half a corn on the cob, and plenty of water. They had dessert too, but I didn't have any room for dessert, because I filled up on dinner. So, at least that was a good decision. But, that was after the damage had been done. At the time of eating, I was thinking that I had eaten light for lunch, and I was famished, so I used these reasons as justification for eating more than I would have normally eaten. So, tomorrow night I will have to go to the gym!

And, that was my day today!

Ugh

Today I don't feel good. I started out eating right for lunch. A salad, a corn tortilla with half of a small avocado, some yogurt, a nectarine and a small handful of nuts. And, then another handful of nuts. I just went crayze with the nuts and I dont know why. Sigh. I don't feel good at all. It's like my stomach and my body just know that I overdid it on the nuts. Next meal I'll do better. What else can I say? Naptime. I love Sunday naps.

A Little Good, A Little Bad

I might eat healthily all day, except once or twice each day (yesterday and today). For example, I ate mostly great the other day; I was truly pleased with myself. But, later I realized that I had eaten one small snack of rice cake (the glutinous kind). Even though it was a really small piece, like 4 or 5 bites, I still had it. And, it was good. It had beans on top of it, which is good for our health. But, it's something I have to definately watch and stay on top of (the eating of snacks).

For example, yesterday I was also pleased with my eating intake overall. But, for my afternoon snack I ate triscuit wheat crackers (about a small handful) and a cup of soy milk. Not a bad snack overall, but, I thought it could be improved if I were to snack on fresh veggies instead. Like carrots! By the way, I have some fresh cucumbers in the fridge now, so, I should remember to eat those. They would be way better for me snack wise, well calorie wise.

Today, this morning for breakfast is another example of a little good and a little bad eating. For the good part I ate one egg scrambled with a cup and a half of fresh chopped veggies and an orange, one cup of non fat milk, and a cup of hot green tea. The "bad" part of my breakfast today was eating one biscuit. And, I must say, it was one tasty and delicious biscuit!! I put a little butter and a little jam (jam has 50 calories for one tablespoon serving), but oh, the taste! And, I have a 2 dozen in my fridge. I can't eat them all. I gave a dozen away to Maria, one of Gerilyn's caregivers. What will I do with the other dozen?

I got up this morning and was planning on going to gym for body works class but after preparing breakfast, cleaning up the kitchen, and doing the laundry, I ran out of time. So, I was planning on going after worship service tonight, but, they're closed! So, sometime this afternoon I might be able to get in. We'll see.

That's it for now. I ate a multi vitamin today and the fish oil supplement. Got some fiber supplements too, so that should help my body's regularity. 45 minutes until morning worship service. Plenty of time!

On My Way to Success Today

I am pleased with my day today in terms of food and exercise.

Breakfast consisted of one scrambled egg with about a cup and a half of mixed veggies sauteed in margarine (country crock). Also, 2 turkey sausage links, one orange, one cup of nonfat milk, and one cup of hot green tea with brown rice (oh my how I love this blend). I also took a multi vitamin and fish oil supplement. Drank 8 cups of water overall.

So, yesterday I learned through my online research about some foods that are high in soluble fiber content. My stool is a little bit hard to come out right now (because I ran out of fiber supplements). That usually happens whenever I run out of fiber supplements. So, I thought I would add a half a cup of pinto beans to my diet, as well as some avocado because both contain good amounts of soluble fiber which our body needs. So, for lunch I warmed one corn tortilla (can you say 60 calories for one) and added half of a small avocado into it and rolled it up and ate it with some salt and lime juice. I felt so Mexican! And it was so good! I also ate a half a cup of pinto beans seasoned with cumin, oregano, salt, lime juice and some hot sauce (Tapatio brand). And THAT was so tasty too!! I also ate a nice big salad, about one and a half cups of lettuce, and a variety of fresh veggies chopped like cucumber, tomato, red onion, bell pepper and green beans. I used a little lime juice and some chipotle dressing. I went easy on the chipotle dressing because 2 T. contained 100 calories! I was out anyways, so I probably got around 1 T. or maybe 1 and a half.

My exercise today was a one hour class at the gym called "Body Works Plus Abs". We use weights throughout the workout and repetitions. I worked out I think every part of my body: upper body, lower body, torso.

Dinner was leftovers of the following: garlic mashed potatoes, and mint-fennel steak (but just a tiny bit like 2 oz. maybe), and a side of fresh green beans (not leftovers). After eating that I felt satisfied. But, I wanted to include some yogurt, and fruit afterwards, along with a 1/4 cup of mixed nuts. I feel totally great now!! I think I ate adequately healthy today overall. I am so pleased. I exercised and watched what I ate.

Oh yeah, one more thing. When I got on the scale today while at the gym, I weighed 139 today, and that was WITH CLOTHES ON. So, my body is doing something.

Something good I mean. Yesterday, I was thinking about my weight. And, how it has been around 140 for a long long time. I thought maybe my body is converting some fat into muscle, which weighs more. But, as long as I remain faithful to eating right, and exercising, then I do believe my body is going to eliminate more fat. It's a cause and effect thing. If I do A, then my body should do B. So, that's where I am at today.

I love writing in my blog. If you're reading this, I hope you enjoy my blog. And, more than that, if you're reading this, I hope that you too are finding success in your own personal weight loss and fitness journey!! I hope that this blog informs, motivates, inspires, encourages and/or helps in some way you the reader. Blessings and good day!!

Some Thoughts on Fat

A couple of thoughts come to mind. I've decided to try and lose my excess fat. I was doing some research online today on fat, and losing belly fat. In my research I learned that there are 2 kinds of fat: subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. The visceral kind of fat is what you feel under your skin. The other kind of fat, subcutaneous kind, is the fat found in your abdomen area. This is the kind of fat I have right now. It's also the kind of fat that is, incidentally, not good for you either. So, although I've made a tremendous amount of progress this year in losing weight, I think I am going to have the mindset to lose the next 10!! I've had the mindset before that I would like to lose this amount if my body would cooperate. Now, however, I insist that my body cooperate due to the health benefits it will have for my body. So, that is what I am thinking today.

As for dinner, I didn't even finish all my dinner! I felt full. Wild. So, I stopped when I felt the full feeling. There was no sense in continuing eating. It was a half cup of rice, about a cup of leftover seaweed chicken soup that I added some clams into, and about 4 pieces of kimchi since that's all that I had left. I drank a cup of water, a cup of nonfat milk and also ate a nectarine. I feel great! Not too full, not still hungry. I feel just right!

Planning still to go to Zumba class tonight with Jane. And, if my body is up for it, do the elliptical machine afterwards. But, that would be like 90 minutes of exercise straight, so I'm not sure my body can do it. Last night I failed to go to gym. So much for my new commitment. Today is a new day. I am committing to the next 6 weeks and making a renewed effort in my healthy lifestyle. This includes a daily (6 days) of elliptical machine for 30 minutes on top of my regular dance and aerobic program. I think now is a good time to add yoga/stretching to my routine as well. Why not? Afterall, I am "starting over" at this point!!

Oh, okay, there's one more thing I'd like to share with my readers. I went to the food pantry today in the morning to volunteer. One of the male workers said how nice I looked and how he couldn't keep his eyes off of me now! I know it sounds funny, but, I will say that English is his second language and I think he was attempting to say something kind to me! He was saying how nice I look. I look soo nice that he can't keep his eyes of off me. LoL. So, that is how I took it.

How can I decrease my fat intake? This is something else I am thinking of these days too. Less country crock, less oil, less margarine. But, a tiny bit is okay I think. More exercise. I learned that aerobic exercise is good for decreasing body fat in my online research today.

Workout Buddies

Having a workout buddy needed. Will help me get/keep motivation high. Sigh. Who can be my gym buddy?

September 15

So far so good today. Did not make it to the gym last night. Boo! Oh well, today is a new day. Breakfast was one egg scrambled, with about a cup of sauteed veggies used country crock, one orange, one cup of nonfat milk, one cup of green tea with brown rice (so delicious, I love it), and about a 1/4 cup of mixed nuts. Should have waited to have nuts as a snack later in the day, but I was craving them in the morning. Oh well. Lunch was yogurt and fruit. Sort of grazing the mid day meal. Will eat a salad too. Dinner? Who knows? Will look in the fridge for something to put together. Leftovers of some sort. Zumba class with the wonderful Miss Jane tonight!! And, if I'm up to it, elliptical machine after that. Don't do good without a regular schedule. Sigh. Slept too much yesterday! Okay, today too is a new day! I have to tell myself this. I am smiling now as I read this!

Wednesday, September 14th

Breakfast: 1 egg scrambled with 3/4 cup chopped veggies like onion and tomatoes wrapped in a half of a large white tortilla, 1 cup nonfat milk, 3 turkey sausage links and 1 talblespoon of ketchup. 1/4 cup of trail mix (dried cranberries, almonds, and cashews)

Snack: canteloupe, 1 cup and yogurt a half cup, and 1/4 cup walnuts.

Lunch: salad lettuce with 2 T. low calorie dressing. Trader Joes Sesame Ginger type.

Snack: One cup of pinto beans, seasoned with salt, red pepper sauce, cumin and oregano. Yummy! Wanted seconds! (But I didn't).

Dinner: Chicken and seaweed soup about 1 or 1.5 cups, 1/2 cup cooked rice of white/brown rice blend, and a side of kimchi. One cup of nonfat milk also.

So far today has been so good! Satisfied with my choices today. Maybe too many nuts though. And, definately lacking in fruits and vegetables.

Still, likely to eat fruit for dessert tonight. We'll see.

Didn't exercise today though. Maybe tonight. I started a new commitment to diet and exercise for the next 6 weeks. My goal is to be on the elliptical machine 30 minutes a day daily for the next 6 weeks in the evenings at my local gym, in addition to the regular Zumba and other exercise classes I may be interested in doing. But, I definately want to commit to the elliptical machine so I guess I'll go tonight!

I'm on my way. Hopefully my body will cooperate and get there! It's a 10 pounds is my goal now. I'm at 140 or 141. Would like to get down to 130 if my body will do it. On the one hand, what I've accomplished this far has been amazing! And, I am pleasantly satisfied! However, I've come this far, so why not go all the way in my weight loss journey? I could actually get a slim and flattering figure once again. I'll at least try. And, let my body do what it wants to do. But, if it wants to go down 10 more pounds, I'll just say that that is fine by me!!

Felt hungry today but that was normal before dinner hunger! I remember as a kid getting hungry before meals like lunch in school and home dinners. I drank enough water today. Woo hoo.

One day at a time. One meal at a time. Exercise doing what I love. Drink lots of water. Eat the right foods in the right portion sizes. Snack on veggies not crackers (my weakness) when hunger pangs kick in before mealtime. Grab a buddy and lose weight together. These are some of the things I've learned along the way, that I pass along to you, as I give myself a pep talk. LoL. We can do it!!

FrIdAy StEaK dInNeR

A view from the top!

Steak

It's what I made for dinner last night. Steak pan fried, and sauteed fennel and topped with chopped mint and lime juice, and a sprinkle of salt. It was delish~!! I was wishing I had someone to eat it with!!

Not one of my best days

My day started with not really wanting to get out of bed. But, since that is not an option for me, I got up. Breakfast was okay. I ate leftover steak from the night before, with an egg "sunny side up" (but really it was cooked more like over medium), one orange and one cup of non fat milk. So far so good, eating wise.

No exercise today. Giving myself the day off. Was going to go for a walk but didn't have anyone to go with. And, not too motivated to just go alone for some reason today. So, I slept in till about 8.

Was busy in the morning at the library, getting ready for class on Monday.

Went home for lunch and ate a nice salad, with a little bit of leftover steak, some trail mix, and tomatoes. Fruit and yogurt. Feeling good. With the exception of tea biscuits. Not one, nor two, nor three, nor four; but something outrageous like 8 little cookies. Not good for a person watching her waistline, like me! But, no worries, I can make it up with the rest of my day by how I eat in the future. Well, so I thought!

But, after lunch is my downfall. Instead of going back to work, I lie around, in front of the tv. Food Network catches my eye all the time. The food truck episodes I cannot stay away from! Of course, tv in and of itself is not a bad thing! But, once I get started watching something, it is so hard to stop sometimes!! Hours can fly by, in between little cat naps. So, that is my Saturday.

With boredom, came boredom eating. A handful of wheat thins. Another handful of triskets. Then, some bites of milk chocolate!! I just went crazy ballistic with the food. What happened? Boredom, and lack of motivation, accountability kind of got in my way.

Then, a trip to McDonalds. Not for food necessarily, but to use their internet since ours is down right now at home. Well, since I'm in McDonald's I committed the big sin: I ordered a cheeseburger (I don't want to know how many calories I just ate), and the hot fudge sundae (so much for "making up for it in my next meal").

Tomorrow is DEFINATELY a new day!!! That is what I can count on, and what I am telling myself. Today's eating is not the end of the world. I know just not to make a habit of eating like this!

A couple of thoughts come to mind. First of all, I can celebrate the progress I've made thus far. What I mean is, a year ago, if I ate junk food I wouldn't have thought twice about it at all. I mean, not in the least. Today, I know better and am thinking about and have concern for what I feed my body. At least, today I have knowledge and I care. (I might have cared before, but lacked knowledge about proper eating). Second, I love the compliments that have been coming my way!! For example, last Thursday I received loads of compliments from people about my weight. First at the food pantry, at least 2 or 3 of the men commented on my weight. One guy said if I lost any more weight the wind might blow me away! And, a couple others asked me what happened, and did I lose weight? I guess that would be considered a rhetorical question. And, the next day, on Friday, at the gym, in my Zumba class, 3 of the girls also noticed that I had lost a lot of weight too!! I think, though, that part of it was the outfit that I was wearing. I think the outfit lent itself to making me appear thinner too. Anyways, I love the comments and don't have a mind of putting on the weight any time soon. Therefore, I had better take good care of my health and be sure to monitor what I eat and make healthy food choices, starting with my next meal!!

Yummy Banana Shake

So, Tuesday night after dinner I was craving fruit. I had frozen bananas in the freezer, so I decided to use one of those for a shake. I thought that would be better instead of spending my money on fresh fruit. Anyways, the shake was so good! I used about 3/4 cup of soy milk, 3 ice cubes, a dash of cinnamon, and about a teaspoon of honey; mixed it all up in the blender, and whoala! A shake!!

I think the use of soy milk instead of regular milk added another dimension of pure yumminess flavor to my shake!! I was in total heaven!! Definately a repeat recipe.

Tuesday's Morning Breakfast

Nothing exciting to report. Just one egg, scrambeled with some veggies I found in my fridge: 4 chopped baby carrots, makes like a small palmful, and same with some green onion I had frozen in my freezer. Sauteed these in a little bit of country crock spread. Two slices of toasted raisen bread; just trying to go through what I have before getting more food if possible.

Sidenote: I spent $25 last week on just 5 things! It was like oranges, nectarines, a gallon of milk, a bag of trail mix, and some yoplait yogurt!! I think that is too much to spend! I'll have to start looking for some better deals on food and only buy that. Sheesh!

Anyways, back to breakfast. So, today, egg, veggies, one orange, one cup of nonfat milk, and 2 slices of toast with spread. So, nothing exciting here; just need to watch the white flour products. Took a daily multivitamin and supplemental fish oil for the heart. Have not exercised today yet. Will most likely go to gym this afternoon for zumba class.

Lunch should be a salad and some yogurt and fruit with cold tea or water.

Dinner-so boring these days. Eating leftovers. Curry squash over mixed grain rice. Well, at least it's quick and simple. But, sometimes I get so tired of eating leftovers. Once I start eating the food in my freezer it'll free up some room for freezing leftovers and making a variety of meals.

Happy Labor Day!

So, today I started off with a 2 egg burrito, much like yesterday! A few slices of cucumber and seasoned with catsup, mustard, a little salt, pepper and hot sauce. One orange, one cup of nonfat milk.

Off to early morning exercise. Zumba!! Zumba "Master" Class. That just means 90 minutes of dance; exhilerating, calorie-burning fun!

Afterwards, ate a lunch of yogurt, fruit, and a veggie burger with lettuce and catsup, mustard and mayo (but,light and easy), on a white bun.

Then, relaxed time in the jacuzzi and pool at my condo. I was thinking I should have invited someone to join me this afternoon at the jacuzzi. But, I didn't think of it in time to do so.

So far today, my eating is okay. A little high again on the white flour products, but, hey, I was in a Zumba Master Class today, so I can definately afford it!

Drinking plenty of water and barley tea; one of my loves.

Sunday 9/4/11

Breakfast-2 egg burrito with some sliced cucumber, seasoned with ketchup, mustard, salt and pepper, one orange, one cup of nonfat milk, and that's it.

Lunch-ham and cheese sandwich on white, mustard no mayo, cup of yogurt,

Dinner-curry zuchinni with tofu, over mixed white and brown rice cooked about a half cup, one cup of nonfat milk, and side of radish kimchi, and for dessert a nectarine, which was rotten so about half. BFB (big fat bummer).

So, kind of alot of white flour today: like the tortilla, and white bread, and white rice (though mixed with brown rice too). I'm just going through my pantry trying to use up what I have, so that is how I came up with some of these "recipes". Next time, if I get any tortilla, I would choose a whole grain such as wheat, tortilla. I think that would be a healthier alternative!! But, I'm satisfied with how I ate today.

I drank plenty of water. Oh, just to share with you. In the mornings, I typically drink at least 2 cups of water easily. Just an FYI.

But, no exercise today. I'm such a bum! Well, tomorrow I am going to a 90 minute Zumba dance party, so that will more than make up for a rested weekend! ha!

I got a wonderful compliment this morning. I ran into Linda at church, and 1st she said something like, how nice I looked. Then, she changed her mind, and said that I looked "gorgeous" today!! And, of course, I said, thank you. Later, I was thinking about her comment, and some of its significance for me personally. As I was growing up, no one ever told me that I was pretty! I even remember, as a young girl, perhaps in the 2nd or 3rd grade at the time, and one of the adults around said how pretty one of the other girls was in the group. But, she, nor any of the other adults, said if I was pretty!! I always remembered that. Even now. So, I felt a sort of healing moment when Linda mentioned about my appearance. And, that is just the way it is! My truth. So, if someone wants to tell me that I look pretty, or gorgeous, or beautiful, today, then I shall surely receive it!! And, until next time. I so love to write. It's not a chore at all. And, oh my goodness. 5 minutes until worship service starts! I better leave now! Leave me a comment and say hello! Hope you have a great day!!

Thoughts on Being Regular

So, for the past 3 days I've noticed my system seems to be more regular. I am wondering why this is so. Is it the oatmeal? Or trail mix? Or, a combination of both? Is it the fiber choice tablets? I wish I knew what it is that is making my system more regular. The yogurt? The only "new" thing I've eaten is the oatmeal and the trail mix. The others I seem to eat pretty regularly. So, I'm thinking either the oatmeal or the trail mix is having a positive effect on my body's internal digestive tract!

sAtUrDaY

Today is Saturday, the first Saturday of September. So, my eating wasn't great today. I'd describe it as mediocre.

Breakfast-a half cup of cooked oatmeal in non fat milk, topped with trail mix. Yum, and oh so delicious! The trail mix had craisens, raisens, almonds, peanuts and dried apricot. so yummy.

Snacks-I kind of grazed on chips today. Those cheddar jack cheese nip type of crackers. I had a bagful, so, one serving. Plus a handful of wheat thin type crackers, and another handful of cheese nips. Just grazing but a little here and a little there eventually, if not watched carefully, can add up! It's just like money. If we don't watch our money closely, it can just slip through our fingers like water in no time. I know, I have personal experience in this department.

Lunch-a late afternoon bowl of rice and cucumber kimchi. Along with a cup of yoplait yogurt in the 6 oz. container. Just about a half cup cooked white and brown rice mixed and about a half cup of cucumber chopped with the spices. That was delish.

Dinner-2 tamales(pork with red chile). And, a cup of nonfat milk. And, a nectarine fruit for dessert. Plus, another handful of trail mix. Trail mix is one of my weaknesses right now (if you're reading this don't laugh). Trail mix and chips today were my excess spending in terms of food and calories. I'm not down on myself. I'm simply AWARE more of the fact that what I put into my mouth affects so many things: my physical appearance, my inward body's organs, my mood and energy levels, just to name a few.

Multi-vitamin, check. Supplemental fish oil, check. Fiber choice, check. Water, in progress, check! On my last cup and a half for the day. Exercise, no, not today. Just a lazy bum on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

Food balance check: okay, allright in the dairy department today. Okay with the fruits. But, lacked in protein and veggies today. Also, okay in the whole grains. Oh, a little bit of protein from the nuts in the trail mix, and a little bit from the milk and yogurt, so, maybe okay there. But, seriously lacking in the veggies department today. Will have to work on that tomorrow!

Food Related

I started a new position this week, and it has affected my eating routine. So, I am adjusting right now. I have a super early morning twice a week, which means cooking an egg with veggies, eating and cleaning up in time to leave, not to mention taking the time it takes for getting ready in the morning proves to be difficult. So, I have been taking 10 minutes in the morning to hard boil 2 eggs, cut up an orange and pack a yogurt for my breakfast, and have found myself grazing as time permits. So, I have to figure out how to better eat on these 2 particular days.

Yesterday, after dinner, I noticed that I still felt a mild hunger in my stomach. But, I had already eaten my dinner. It was about a half cup of cooked rice, some cabbage, and some fish and cucumber kimchi, plus a cup of non fat milk. So, really, with all that food in me, I shouldn't have been hungry. But, I was. So, I drank about a cup of water, and that helped. Then, I ate some fruit, about a cup worth of canteloupe that I had cut up in the fridge, and ate that along with a cup of Job's tears Korean hot tea! After that I was definately satisfied, if not full!!

But, prior to my new eating regimen, I might have just gone for an extra dose of rice, or fried fish, or more milk, or something like that!! I would have thought nothing of taking 2nds, because I felt the hunger in my stomach. But, this time, I chose to drink water and fill up on fruit instead.

I really like what I have achieved the past 8 months. I don't want to stop now. It is sustainable, because what I've chosen to do is make a lifestyle change, per se, not go on a temporary diet until I reach my goal. With change, there are always little hurdles to jump over, little hurdles, sometimes seemingly big hurdles, but, nevertheless, they are hurdles that can be overcome.

So, these are my thoughts for today. If you're reading this, thanks for letting me share. I mean, thanks for reading this. I wish you all the best on your own journey to health and wellness also.

Tuesday's Morning Breakfast

Just a quick note about today's morning breakfast. Alarm went off around 6 AM, but felt groggy and not wanting to get up. Waited until about 6:45 to get up for a morning walk. Wanted to put something in my stomach before then. So, I grabbed about a quarter cup of trail mix before going out on the morning walk.

The morning walk was cool. I loved it. Wore a new outfit I got last night from Jill. The pinkish-purple suit up, with nice decor on it. Walked around neigborhoodd about 50 minutes. Came back and made a proper breakfast of the following: 1 orange, 1 cup of non fat milk, one scrambled egg with sauteed onion and garlic in butter, and a side of cucumber kimchi, and about a half cup or a third cup of cooked mixed grain rice, and a cup of hot green tea. Am definately filled up with good nutrition. Balanced. From variety of food groups.

Drank a lot of water before and after the morning walk. Also, took a multi vitamin and fish oil supplement. Am off to a good start so far.

It's just one meal at a time. And, one day at a time. I sound like a recovering addict. LoL

But, in some ways, its true. Have so much to prepare today for new class. Such a blessing to be teaching. God is stretching me "just enough". Not too much that I get exasperated. But, also not too little that I don't feel a need to rely on Him.

Spent some time this morning in extended prayer. Was reminded about something Nackwon told me Sunday night. She reminded me about life being about God, and our relationship with Jesus.

Then, I am reading a friend's blog, Jo. She's the friend I met in Korea and stayed with her and we hung out together often. Now she's back in UK, and I'm intrigued by her blog. It is memories of that season of Korea.

Hungry now for lunch. Next meaL? Uh, maybe fish, and rice and kimchi? I must think I'm korean or something!! Until next time...

Monday, August 29, 2011

What a crazy eating day. A very unusual one. Grazing. Trail mix in the morning, like 6:15 AM. An orange around 8:30 AM plus a hard boiled egg. Another hard boiled egg around 11:30 AM. Yogurt @ 12 or 12:30. Then rice, sausage, and cucumber kimchi around 12:30 or 1. Protein shake in the afternoon after a 30 minute elliptical machine workout. Dinner around 6:30 PM: a sandwich from Subway, on the honey wheat bread, all veggies, mustard no mayo, no oil no vinegar. Was planning on cooking dinner at home but took an extended nap instead. So, I opted for convenience from Subway instead since I had run out of time before FPU meeting started. As it was, I was 10 minutes late.

Ate a cookie at FPU meeting tonight. Homemade and so delicious. Wanted another one, but I refrained.

Later in the evening talking with one of the ladies about weight and diet. One of the ladies said she had lost 30 pounds last year but put it back on this year. She said I am inspiring her to lose the weight again. I feel determined not to put it back on.

I weighed myself at gym today: still around 140. I'm not all about the number, but I do hope the number to go down! Not just for physical appearance sake, but, am also thinking about the added health benefits involved in lowering one's weight and eating healthily. Is it possible for me to avoid diabetes from changing my diet?

I received some nice hand-me-downs tonight from Jill. So excited. I want to do the happy dance!! Sandals to go with this cute dress. Some casual and nice clothes for work. God knew what I needed and chose Jill to be that human vessel to provide for me. So thankful!! Fashion show for the girls!! LoL

30 minutes working out and 60 minutes rotating between the jacuzzi and sauna and steam room. I wonder if anything is wrong with this picture?

Final note-A few weeks back someone mentioned how it seems I've developed some self control in an area of my life (eating and physical). But, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control.

How Do I Feel Today About "Things"?

Zumba in the morning, check. Eating healthy, check. Drank 8 glasses of H2O, check. Well, I was trying to decide between walking in the morning outdoors in the neighborhood today or going to Zumba class. Zumba won out! (I like being outdoors, especially when the weather is cool. But, Zumba is just so much fun-ner)!

Hit the 138 mark today. Cannot believe it. 8 more until my goal. If I hit that goal, then I'm thinking about making 5 more my goal after that. Why not?! Thinking today about this whole weight loss thing. Thought about how I actually enjoy challenges. Challenges that are "just right" like "Baby Bear". (Daddy Bear's chair was TOO BIG. Mama Bear's chair was TOO SMALL. Baby Bear's chair was JUST RIGHT. I like a challenge that is "just right", and, I feel like this path I've been on has been "just right".

Anyways, okay, also worried a tiny bit about losing muscle. I'm not, but, I also don't want to begin to lose muscle. So, am thinking about protein intake these days. How much is enough? When should I consume it? Am I getting enough for my needs? Should I add a protein shake? Why or why not? I need to get educated on this topic.

Trying to commit to physical exercise daily. At least a 30 minute walk on elliptical machine at the gym, or a 45 minute to an hour walk around the neighborhood in the mornings (beauty at that time all around me), or the one hour zumba class at the gym on the days it's offered. This week, so far, 3 days, and 3 days of exercise. Monday-45 minute walk outside, Tuesday-Zumba class, Wednesday-Zumba class, tomorrow-walk outdoors, Friday-Zumba class, Saturday-off/break/rest, Sunday-Body works abs class at gym. It's my plan. We'll see if it works or if I keep it up or not.

Nice afternoon chat today with Shivan. Talking with others about our weight loss and food journeys is so helpful to me!!

Hope you are doing well on your weight loss journey!

A gift of love to myself. Treating myself right (I like).

The Beginning

Some day I want to write about some of the emotions I felt in the beginning of my weight loss journey. I have them written down somewhere. If I could only find out where that was! I sort of remember feeling a little bit of doubt and disbelief. I didn't know if my body would shrink or not, and if so, by how much. I think the 1st week I lost somewhere around 4 pounds. I have to go back and check my documentations to know for sure. I do remember getting weepy and teary-eyed once I got close to losing 10 pounds! I think it was at pound 9 that I wept! And, I had no idea if I would even hit a 20 pound mark! But, I did everything that Jane, my "food coach", taught me, and, it worked. That, I know for sure. By the way, I just reached 138. Woo hoo. When was the last time I hit the 130s range? It's been years. And years. And years. So, ya!!!

Once I find my old journal, the first one I used when I first started out, then I will review and share more about that time!

Does My Life Even Count?

Sorry my picture is sideways!! I rotated it but it still uploading this way. Can you turn your head a sideways and see?

Sometimes I am not aware of how I am or am not influencing other people in my life. But, last night one of my friends told me that she had bought her food diary, and she is going to start using it. Yes, I am so happy for her!!!

This is a picture of my food diary. It is for 6 months. I got it at Borders during their going-out-of-business sale. It has a place for recording meals, and calorie counts, as well as additional information if you want, such as protein grams, fat grams, fiber grams, and carb grams. I found that it was a very useful tool, especially in the beginning of the year when I had no idea what my food contained in terms of these things! Truly, I was clueless (I'm laughing but it's true)!

I went for a period of time not using it. However, I am using it again daily, to at least write down the foods I eat. I would like to record the calories so I can count where I am at. Probably, my guess is, I am in a healthy range, but, I would rather be more concrete about it than just trying to guess. This is just me, and the approach that I feel will work best/well for me!

The final thing I wish to say is this: I am really happy you are reading my blog!! It really really warms my heart.