I’m always looking for new and interesting foods to buy.  I love trying new vegetables or new diet products.  Last night at Heinen’s I was checking out the peanut butter section, because I love peanut butter and think it should have no calories.  Well lo and behold I found zero calorie peanut spread.  Sounds great right?  WRONG!  It was the worst thing I have ever tried.  This is coming from someone who pretty much likes everything.  It’s almost indescribable.  It was brown like peanut butter and it smelled slightly peanut-y, but it was like eating greasy chemical sugar.  And it coated my mouth, so I could taste it for a while after I was done.  Even after I ate something else I could still taste it.  I immediately through it out.  What a disappointment. 

If anyone has any suggestions for reasonable tasting low cal/low fat foods, let me know.

 

 

 

We’re less than a week away from our second weigh in.  I feel like I’m doing pretty well.  I have not been perfect, but it seems as though that is what I need to do to be successful.  If I “cheat” a little it prevents me from “cheating” a lot.  I’d say I stick to my diet/exercise plan 90% of the time and 10% of the time I do what I want (within reason).  As long as the weight keeps coming off, I’m going to stick to this plan. 

I got blood drawn last week for a routine check-up and found that my cholesterol is very good and my blood pressure is where it should be.  This definitely is a huge motivator for me.  I feel so much better with the little bit of weight I have lost.  I can’t wait to see just how good it will feel when I get to my goal weight.  And it doesn’t hurt that I’m down a couple sizes in my jeans too. 

I allowed myself some beer and corned beef over the weekend for St. Patrick’s day.  Let’s be honest, I pretty much gave myself the green light to eat and drink anything and everything.  When I weighed in on Monday I was up two pounds.  It’s interesting how difficult it is to take the weight off and how easy it is to put it right back on. 

I knew I would have to pay for a “free” day, so that is what I did.  I am happy to report that I have lost the two pounds and am down one more.  There are about two more weeks before the next weigh-in and I am planning on keeping things in line.  I plan on hitting the gym hard and really being very cautious about what I choose to eat. 

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As I’ve mentioned before, this is not my first time losing weight.  So, this time, I am going to pay extra attention to what is successful for me and what is not.  Of course, the exercise helps, but that is a given.  And of course, eating less calories works, but that too is a given.  The difference, this time, is that I am not depriving myself of too much.  In the past, I was on diets that were very restrictive.  I could live with them for a while, but inevitably I’d fall off the wagon and put the weight back on.  I’d spend all my time thinking about everything I wasn’t supposed to eat.  This time I am embracing food.  I love food and I’m not ashamed to say it.  I also love to cook, so this has been very fun for me. 

                This weekend, I went to the West side market and I bought all kinds of really strange fruits and vegetables that I have never cooked with before.  For instance kohlrabi (a type of turnip) is a new veggie for me, but is fantastic.  I’m accepting the fact that I enjoy to eat and cook and learn about food, but have to make better choices.  I actually enjoy eating healthier home cooked meals than I do fast food or boxed meals.  I think I will be more inclined to keep this up because I am spending my time thinking about all of the wonderful things there are to eat in this world rather than dwelling on the small subset of foods I’m not supposed to eat.   

Today I had a couple of messages in my inbox on Facebook.  They were from old friends that I hadn’t spoken to in years.  They said they saw my progress in the paper and congratulated me on how well I am doing.  It was really touching.  I think everyone gets so busy with their own day to day business that we forget to touch base and connect with others.  The tiny bit of effort these ladies took to tell me that they were thinking about me, inspired me to want to reach out and support others in whatever it is they are doing.  Facebook is  an amazing  way to keep in touch.  I’m going to be sure to comment on some people’s walls to help support them.  It’s just good energy being passed back and forth and how can that be bad.  So thank you Lindsay, Carrieann, and Jennifer.  And of course thank you to all of my friends and family who are always there to support me.    

When I walked into work this morning I got the warmest welcome from so many people.  They had all read the article that Laura Kessel wrote yesterday.  The article was basically an overview of the first month’s Lighten Up achievements.  I’m not sure why, but I was surprised at how many people had read the article.  Jean (one of my co-workers and friend) brought me a copy and congratulated me while many others commented on how well I was doing.  I count myself incredibly lucky to have such an incredible group of people who support me.  My co-workers, my family, and friends have been so supportive and helpful throughout this process.   

For instance, we frequently go to my parent’s house for meals,  and my mom is just incredible.  My dad, brother, and sister-in-law are all eating predominately vegan cuisine,  my husband is a meat and potatoes guy, and I am eating really low calorie meals.  She literally prepares three different meals to accommodate everyone’s dietary needs.

I also wanted to share that I got a call from my Aunt Patricia yesterday, after she read the article.  She said that the article helped to motivate her and that she would be following my blog.  It really touched me to think that what I am doing is not only going to make me a happier and healthier person, but that maybe my writing about it could help others. 

I am so lucky to have been chosen for this contest, I think it’s really going to change my life in so many ways.   

 

Today is the first real difficult day I have had since the contest began.  I had some issues I needed to handle at work, so went in much earlier than I am used to.  Therefore I am really tired, which as I now know, seems to be one of my triggers for wanting to eat.  I also came very close to not going to the gym today, but a friend of mine gave me the extra push I needed.  It certainly wasn’t the best workout I’ve ever had, but I suited up and made the effort.  I’m still within my range of calories for the day, but it’s only 4 p.m. and I’m very close to the max.  I think I will give myself a few more calories to work with today, so I don’t go bonkers.  When I say a few calories I mean 2 or 3 hundred.  I usually eat between 1100 and 1200 a day.  So I think I will up it to 1500.  Hopefully that will hold me over until tomorrow when I feel a little more rested and not so cranky.