www.cmilove.blogspot.com

I am SO busy! I drove home today to get my new car and I have internship again tomorrow. I have no time to write.. anyway

Weight: 147

Weight loss to date: 3 pounds  

Friday night, we went out to eat with my boyfriend’s sister and her husband. I wanted to go somewhere like Applebees or TGIFriday’s because I know they have a healthy option on their menu. Well, Amy (Ryan’s sister) decided she wanted to go to Carrabba’s. I LOVE Carrabba’s, but let me tell you, that is not a place to go when you’re trying to cut calories! I checked out their website before I went to see if they had a listing of the nutrition information, but they didn’t, so I had to wing it. I ended up getting a salad and a bowl of soup… I ate half of each and took the rest home.

Saturday night, we went to a comedy club with a VERY limited menu. I ended up having plain grilled chicken breast and 5 shrimp… that’s it! It wasn’t the greatest, but I had no choice!!!

Again, you can always check calorie-count.com before you go out to eat to see if the calories are listed there. There is a restaurant section and a fast food section on their website… it’s so helpful.

I have only missed 2 days of exercising so far and I hope to keep it that way! When I come home from work or my internship, I usually just want to relax, but once I start doing the workout, I feel so GOOD. The end of the workout is the best because I feel so accomplished! I have been continuing to do the Winsor Pilates Fat Burning Workout. My heart rate is up for about 40 min while I am doing the video. The last 20 minutes of the video is a cool down that uses the basic Pilates moves to help your abs and waistline. I am hoping to see results soon!!!!

I just have to keep on keeping on!!! Go Me!!!

I am now 148lbs! I lost 2 pounds in one week- exactly what my goal was. It feels so good to have met my goal! I can’t even describe it! Today at work, I told practically every single one of my co-workers that I had lost 2 pounds- no one though it was a big deal- they looked at me like I was crazy! I don’t care though; I will shout my news to the world! It’s a lot of work to lose a pound, especially when you are doing it the right way!

It’s a little difficult to choose what to eat when you’re on a diet. Everything is so tempting- just driving down the highway is difficult for me. I seriously want to turn my car around every time I see a Dunkin Doughnuts or Coldstone, but I know I can’t give in.

Breakfast: My breakfast usually consists of one dry waffle (either Special K or wheat) and a yogurt.. total it’s about 180 cals. I also like to eat ceral with skim milk for breakfast. I know the cereal isle scares most people- you know how it is- there are 10 million different kinds… Special K Red Berries is my current favorite when it comes to cereal, but any cereal under about 120 cals per serving should be just about right for breakfast!

Lunch and Dinner: For the past week I have been basically living on Lean Cuisines and to be honest with you, they aren’t that bad! There are many different options- they are low in calories- and they are CHEAP!! If you know me, you know that I’m all about saving a buck or two- right now Lean Cuisines are 50% off at Publix so they are about $1.50 each- yea, you can’t beat that!!! My freezer looks like I own stock in the damn company! I probably have one box of every kind of Lean Cuisine on the market- no lie. The pizzas are great especially the BBQ Chicken pizza- gotta try that one, it’s a must!

Tuna is also a great lunch or dinner option! It’s high in protein and if you use low fat mayo and no bread- that’s only about 225 calories!

The Today Show is also doing a new segment for the dieters out there! I found their site to be very helpful as well. If I wasn’t so lazy in the kitchen, I would try a few of these meals to mix up my diet a bit. I am sure that once I am sick of Lean Cuisines, I will turn to the meal plan.

I have a HUGE sweet tooth. Ask anyone who knows me- I am that girl- the one who is thinking about dessert before eating dinner… yep, I’m her! To satisfy my craving for dessert, I have been eating either a half a cup or a cup of low fat frozen yogurt each evening. It’s only 110 cals per half cup and it tastes great, so I really suggest that to anyone who has a sweet tooth as well. If you’re out and about, you can try out TCBY yogurt or grab a fruit smoothie to satisfy the taste… if you dare to go near McDonald’s you can grab a vanilla ice cream cone for about $1.00 and 150 calories.

I also snack a few times throughout the day. That’s what they say you should do… you know who they are… they are always right! I will usually have an apple or a Special K protein bar as a snack. The Special K bars are awesome- time you want to pick up that Snickers bar, grab a Special K Peanut Butter Meal Bar for a snack- they’re the best!

Well, today starts week 2…

After being here in Orlando for a year and a half, the freshman 15 is finally starting to catch up with me. I have never been what you would call “skinny” I have always had extra flab on my stomach- I can’t remember a day in my life that my “roll” hasn’t been there. The skinnest I have been was when I weighed 135 or so… I was a senior in high school… it all went downhill from there.

Lately, my jeans have been feeling a little tight- you know how that goes- so tight that you have to jump around to get them on- so tight that you have to do lunges around your bedroom to make them stretch out a bit- the worst is when you have to lay down on the bed to zip them up! You know you’ve been there! I had a few unfortunate events with jeans… I have fallen and busted buttons- that’s when you know it’s time to either diet or buy bigger pants!

SO, along with millions of other people, my resolution for 2008 is to lose weight! Yep, that’s right- how cliché of me!!

I have tried MANY diets before. The Special K Diet, the Heart Patient Diet, the South Beach Diet etc. None of them seemed to work for me. They were always too difficult to follow- I think I always felt like I was starving myself. After packing on the weight over the holiday season, I decided that as of January 1st I would be a changed person! No more fat dances to get the pants on and no more excuses!

I have been dieting and working out for just about a week now. While on a walk with my boyfriend yesterday, I decided that I should share my adventures of dieting with the world. SO here is my plan:

1st weigh in: 150 lbs (Jan.1)
Height: 5’8″ (maybe a 1/2 inch over)

According to MSN’s heath and fitness page, losing 10% of your body weight is a healthy goal. That would mean that I would need to lose 15 lbs. The recommended amount per week is 1-2 lbs. Technically I could lose 10% of my body weight by April 16th- the healthy way. Let’s see if I can do it! Honestly, I don’t know that I will lose 15 lbs, but I am setting my goal high!

My meal plan: Basically, I am eating between 1,200 and 1,500 cals per day. (*My calorie count for the past week has been closer to 1,200 cals/day. )

Keeping track: I have a food journal. I write down every single food I eat and add up all of the calories. This is VERY easy and helpful!! It’s a great way to stay on track because you have to be completely honest in it. If you don’t know how to count calories for fruits, veggies, beverages, or restaurants, there are many great sites such as www.calorie-count.com that will help you with that.

Exercise: I have been walking, jogging, biking, and using workout videos such as Windsor Pilates for 30-60 min/day. I like to mix it up a bit so that it doesn’t become too routine and boring.

Weigh ins: I will weigh in every Tuesday and post my weight for everyone to see.

Buddy system: My friend Erin (she lives in Maine) is also trying out the same type of exercise/diet routine. It is so helpful to have a buddy to talk to, trust me. Although she lives thousands of miles away, we are constantly communicating through e-mail discussing our progress. My boyfriend is also on his version of the plan, so that helps as well!

Tomorrow is my 2nd weigh in. I am hoping to lose 1-2 lbs per week, so we’ll see how it goes!