Oh Fudge!

Monday was good and bad in the diet department. I managed to get 5 glasses of water down yesterday. It wasn’t so bad. However, I nibbled on some fudge and few rye crackers and that totally threw my carb count out the window. I am not going to punish myself by checking the scale. No doubt it will have fluctuated up, I screwed up and I know it. I don’t need a visual reminder to tell me that.

Today’s menu has gone better so far. Eggs and a small slice of ham for breakfast; a lean ground beef patty and green beans for lunch; the salad is made for dinner and soon I will be preparing a kung pao chicken recipe I got off the internet this morning. I also have some fresh broccoli florets cut up and ready in case the need to snack prevails tonight.

I haven’t been exercising as much as I need to these last 10 days. I managed to get on my treadmill for what may well be the first time in a year. I’m not sure. I can’t recall the last time I took a walk on it. I eked out 20 minutes at 3 mph. Sounds lame, right? But if you could see the sweat pouring off me and feel how fast my heart was pounding, you’d know I got a good workout. I will build up. It takes a little time. Anyway, according to the treadmill calculator that factors in my age and weight, I burned 152 calories. I am happy with that for my first time back on board. I will probably stay at that level for a week or two until I feel I can safely add some more minutes or nudge the mph up a bit.

I’m already drinking water today, too. Its earlier in the day than when I remembered to start yesterday so maybe I’ll match or beat yesterday’s number. Here’s hoping it all comes together.

As for the novel writing, I did open the file and skim over it yesterday to get re-familiarized with my characters. As soon as I post this, I will start in on it. Tomorrow I will post the word count for today. I don’t have a specific word goal in mind just yet. I normally write until I’ve bright the current scene or the next one to a conclusion. We’ll see how it goes. I’m a little rusty in this department too.

Three Days In – What I’ve Learned So Far

I am really pleased with how well I’ve been doing overall. Yes, I’ve identified a couple of weak spots but I’ll come back to that. So far, I have managed to keep the net carbs in line, except for the first day when the Reese’s Peanut butter Cups called my name.

Using the Dance Central game has been a fun way to get my but off the couch everyday too. I am doing 30 mins a day but that’s really loosely stated as there are times when you are not actually doing anything like when a song is loading. Still, my heart is pumping faster, breathing is more rapid and I break sweat. So it’s all good. Once I get a little more acclimated to working out again, I hope to continue to challenge myself. With longer worker outs, different activities and higher intensities.

This morning I weighed in at 254.4. My eyes popped and my feet did a little jig right there in the bathroom – not a pretty sight at 5:15 AM but I didn’t care. That a 5.3 lb. loss since I started on Jan. 1. I don’t even care if its water weight. I knew I was going to see a loss…I could feel it before I even stepped on the scale. Seems funny to say that at 250+ lbs., you can feel a 1 lb. loss. I couldn’t have told you how much but I knew it. There’s a little more pep in my step and when I fix my plate, I look at the food and think “I can’t eat all that!” So my stomach must be adjusting to the portion control too.

The negatives? Well, my feet hurt. Just those 30 mins of activity at my weight is a strain my feet aren’t used too. The first night, I kept waking up with spasms in my foot. I have been wearing good supportive footwear but let’s face it – I’m 50 and I’m fat. It’s going to take my body a little time to get it together.

Another negative is that I am still struggling with late night snacking. Not struggling really, more like losing the battle. I have snacked every night but so far (after the Reese’s) making better choices. I discovered that while I bought enough fresh vegetables for my meals, I did not buy enough for snacking. I will be picking up some crunchy veggies today. One combination I really enjoy is fresh cauliflower with 2 tbsp. of jalapeno ranch dressing. Between the snappy taste of the dressing and the crunch of the cauliflower, it really does feel a bad-for-you snack.

Last negative. I am not drinking enough water. I need to work on that. One glass a day is not cutting it but I am having trouble making myself drink water. I would love some tips if any of you have any. Feel free to leave them in the comments.