Week 1 - Day Six

Not much interesting information to report about today.  I woke up late again and had my protein shake.  It was a really cold and rainy day and so staying in pajamas and reading my book seemed like the perfect thing to do!  I had a snack of snap peas and a cheese stick and because I got up so late, I ended up eating lunch around 3pm.  I had a frozen meal plus half a chicken breast and some slices of cucumber.  I didn't have an afternoon snack since I wasn't very hungry this afternoon.  I ended up cooking dinner for my Mom and me - we had chicken quesadillas (I probably spelled that incorrectly. oh well).  I fried up some tomatoes and onions, and then warmed up chicken I had baked earlier in the day by frying it a bit.  Then we put the chicken and tomatoes and onions on a whole wheat tortilla and sprinkled that mixture with shredded cheese.  Then the tortillas got folded in half and fried until the cheese melted inside.  Then we topped the whole thing with some salsa.  Mom could not stop raving about how good dinner was, and that of course, made me feel good!  It was nice to be able to cook for her. 

I had the lowest number of steps today than I've had all week, a total of 1,885.  Also, I didn't drink any water, just calorie-free juice (Vitamin Water).  I know it counts towards my water intake, but it still isn't as good as drinking plain water.

Tomorrow I'm going to wake up earlier in the morning to have my protein shake, and then I can lay back down in bed.  I just want to be able to get all my meals in at reasonable times.

I still think I'm doing pretty well, even being away from home and my normal routine.

Week 1 - Day Five

I've almost made it through my first week on my 90 day program and I'm still not having any problems - what a relief.  I'm feeling mentally changed, probably due to my increased activity - it really makes you understand your body and realize that your body loves you for treating it well.  This understanding makes me want to stick to my meal plan because I don't want to undo the hard work I'm doing in the gym.

This morning I had planned to get up around 9am and head to the gym, but after my husband phoned to make sure I was awake (since I'm visiting my Mom right now), I fell back asleep until noon.  Great.  It was a dreary rainy day and all I wanted to do was stay in bed and read.  I told my Mom that I needed a push - some encouragement - to help me meet my goals for the day.  What an amazing thing it is to ask for help and receive it (everyone should try asking loved ones for help)!

While I wasn't on schedule, I did end up getting to the gym and as a bonus my Mom joined in along with me and encouraged me through my whole work out.  I'm so glad I made it there because I ended receiving some valuable information from the lady working there.  After working out, Mom and I went grocery shopping and I stuck completely to my grocery list, which used to very rarely happen (my husband will attest to that).

My meals weren't completely on track today - but it's okay.  I had my protein shake before working out, but I had forgotten to bring my almonds for a snack after my workout.  I ended up grabbing a Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte at Starbucks while grocery shopping.  That would count for one snack.  By the time we got home, it was dinner time and that meant I had completely missed lunch.  I made dinner for Mom and I - we had the tuna salad I had yesterday with cottage cheese and strawberries.  It's so quick, easy and delicious!  I was feeling a little hungry hours after dinner, so I had a few cashews and a string cheese.  So, while I didn't anything not on my menu, I did have to cut a whole meal, which is not ideal, especially on a workout day.

Tomorrow is one of my days off from working out, so I will be glad to let my body rest and stick to my meal plan closely.  I'm hoping I won't have a problem getting in my steps for the day, but Mom thinks she has a solution to that - more on that tomorrow.

Today's water intake was good, and my steps were above goal at 5,261!  I feel like I should be losing weight with all the effort I'm putting in, but I'm trying to keep that out of my mind and focus on being wholly healthy (weight loss will inevitably follow as a side effect).

Week 1 - Day Four

Today was another good day - I was preparing to go visit my Mom (a couple hours away from my place) and was planning to stay with her for 5 days, so I wanted to make sure I had everything ready to go.  I woke up and had my shower then drank my protein drink then I went to the gym before leaving town.  It feels surprisingly good to get my workout in near the beginning of my day.  There is no way I would ever want to wake up at an awful hour like 5am, but working out around 10am works nicely for me.  The system at the gym read that I burned more calories than I have in any other workout prior - that felt pretty empowering!

Before leaving I made sure to eat my lunch which was amazingly good (and is now my new favorite lunch).  It was a salad with tomatoes and tuna with a bit of low fat mozzarella cheese.  I also had a little bit of cottage cheese and a few strawberries.  Easy and healthy (and not a microwave meal is a bonus)!  I grabbed a Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte from Starbucks before hitting the road and that lasted me almost the whole drive.  A little while after getting to my Mom's place I had my handful of almonds to hold me over until dinner.

We planned to go grocery shopping tomorrow morning after my workout, but that meant I would need to find an alternate dinner to what was on my meal plan.  I didn't want to mess everything up, so I knew that I would have to make a choice in eating something at a restaurant that I wouldn't feel guilty about.  Mom suggested heading to the Japanese restaurant nearby for dinner and I knew I could find something there that would work.  I ended up ordering a tofu teriyaki meal that had bean sprouts, cabbage, mushrooms and green peppers - the meal came with rice and a green salad.  I ate the salad but only had a couple tablespoons of the rice.  I also had a tuna roll, with no soy sauce, just lemon on it.  I felt good after leaving and I know in the future I can eat out without going overboard.

I managed to get 6,670 steps in for the day, more than any day I've had yet -yay!  Again, the recommended water intake is still pretty easy to get in during the day.

I feel really happy that things are going smooth on this plan for me.  It all seems very simple and easy.  I really enjoy having a meal plan set out for me to work off of.  It makes sure that I get enough protein and vegetables, and that's something I was lacking before starting the program.  My body is thanking me and I'm feeling good - I know I'm not even a week into my 90 days, but I know I can manage this.

Week 1 - Day Two & Three

The last two days went well - on Tuesday I managed to eat all the food on the menu and it's still filling me up quite well!  I bought a bottle that is made for protein shakes that has a ball whisk inside and it makes the shakes MUCH better.  I actually enjoy the drink in the morning - yay!  The protein mix I have is pretty chocolatey and isn't chalky at all.  Tuesday's morning snack was a string cheese and cucumbers, lunch was a frozen meal plus half a chicken breast and green beans.
 

Lean Cuisine Steak Tips with Broccoli and Half a chicken breast

 I wasn't hungry for my afternoon snack, so I left that for after dinner.  Dinner was another frozen meal plus broccoli and shrimp (yum!). 

Lean Cuisine - Tortilla Encrusted Fish. Doesn't look nice, but tastes really good!

Broccoli and Shrimp

I was feeling like something sweet after dinner, so I had about half an ounce of mint dark chocolate (by Theo).  Later I had what was supposed to be my afternoon snack, which consisted of cream cheese, smoked salmon and cucumbers.  These snacks are definitely not things I would have thought of having before, and I enjoy them.  I was only able to get about 3,000 steps in, and my goal this week is 5,000.

Wednesday was a little bit worse, not mentally, just getting my food and steps in.  I completely missed my morning snack, which was supposed to be carrots and laughing cow wedges.  I had a frozen meal for lunch with half a chicken breast and green beans. 

Lean Cuisine Beef with Broccoli (pretty good) plus half chicken breast

I'm not loving the green beans, so I might try to find another vegetable to replace those for next week - maybe snap peas or edamame.  My afternoon snack was a handful of almonds, which is nice and easy.  Dinner was the best thus far - I made turkey bacon wrapped shrimp with brown rice and bell peppers.  I normally don't like bell peppers, but I put up with them this time.  The turkey bacon wrapped shrimp was amazing, felt like a restaurant meal - I can't wait to have that one again!! 

Turkey Bacon Wrapped Shrimp with Brown Rice and Bell Peppers

 Again, my steps were a bit of a problem, I only got about 2,000 in for the day.  Must try harder!  Drinking 64 ounces of water hasn't been a problem - I have a big water bottle that holds 32 ounces, so as long as I drink two of those, I'm good.

I'm heading off to my Mom's for about 5 days, so I'm packing up all my goodies and bottles, etc.  I'm excited to show her all the stuff I've been doing for this plan and I'm determined to not go off track.  I've got a travel pass from my gym, so no excuses on not working out!!

Week 1 - Day One

Yesterday I completed my very first day of my 90 days of getting healthy.  I think things went pretty damn well!  The first thing I did yesterday was head to the grocery store to stock up on all the foods that I need to follow my menu plan.  I ended up spending about 2 hours in the grocery store, searching for things I don't normally buy.  I hate to say it, but eating healthy costs a hell of a lot of money!  After the getting over the shock of the cost of the food, I thought to myself, it really isn't costing a lot in the long run.  If you consider the cost of eating out as much as I did, the extra cost of plus size clothing, plus the costs of healthcare while being overweight/obese, it's really going to help the wallet, not hurt it.

I was pretty surprised at the fact that I was not hungry at all yesterday - I was given a menu that seemed scarce on food, but most definitely was not.  The proper pairings of vegetables (fiber) and proteins kept me satisfied all day.

For breakfast I had a protein shake provided by my plan, but I added some brewed coffee to the mix since the recipes for the shakes provided that option.  I tried using a hand held mini frothing tool to mix it, but it still came out majorly clumpy.  Not the best.

When I went shopping I picked up a Grande Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte from Starbucks, as that is allowed on my plan as well.  I considered this my mid-morning snack.

For lunch it seemed like I was given a lot of food:

Raw green beans and my Skinny Latte

A frozen meal by Lean Cuisine

 

 

 

Half a chicken breast

Lunch kept me full for a long time and when the time came to eat my afternoon snack, I was glad it was something small:

A handful of almonds

Dinner required a lot more preparation, and if I had been prepared for the length of time it took, I would have enjoyed cooking it a bit more:

Chicken & Shrimp Stir Fry with Brown Rice

I also was required to drink 64 oz. of water (omg I am going to drown!), walk at least 5,000 steps (using my pedometer) and work out (they want you to go 4 days per week, so I've chosen Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays).

So, my end results for day one were this: I ate only what was on my menu plan for the day, I drank the required 64 oz. of water, I had almost 6,000 steps and I completed my work out for the day.  I would say all that equals success!!