[Kara2013]

My first day back on track has been a success My goal today was to eliminate snacking--which I tend to do a little too often. I ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast and had a small lunch. I'm going to eat a proportioned dinner tonight and refrain from snacking after. My goal is to keep my daily calorie count at 1200--no more than 1500. Weight loss goal here I come !

P.S. I'm going to post a workout routine on here, a little later on, that I feel will work with my schedule (=

STICKING TO IT

[belovedspirit]

Yay! Way to go!

[mzshaunna]

That's awesome that you have had a good first day Good luck with your journey

[wishfuiiy]

kara, wow we're from the same town and are almost the same weight! good luck to you.

[Kara2013]

Belovedspirit,

I love seeing that dancing carrot, LOL. Thanks for the 1st day support !!!

[Kara2013]

MzShaunna,

Thank you(= I wish you the best on your journey as well. I hope to read more from you soon !

[Kara2013]

Wishfuiiy,

Hey(= It's awesome to have some support from someone in my area and from someone so close to my current weight. Good luck to you too, girl. We can do this =D

[Palestrina]

I'm a little weary of the "first day" line of thinking. I've often felt motivated one day and the next day felt like everything was stacked against me - which led to binging. This is NOT the first day, this is just another day in our lives. We can't wake up being a perfect person, and holding yourself hostage to a 1200cal diet is.... well not many people can do it for long let's just say. Our food intake is a series of decisions. You can't just say "from this moment on I will only eat healthy foods," you can only try to make good decisions every time hunger arises. You will be met with temptations at every turn and you have to have a strategy at how you'll be able to stick to your high morals.

I'm not saying this to discourage anyone, I'm just saying that setting ourselves up with disappointment if we think that one morning's exhilirating motivation is enough to sustain a lifelong change of habit.

A bowl of cereal is the worst way to start one's day. It's nothing but processed food with sugar added (except for grape nuts and shredded wheat and believe me, I've looked at all the labels.) You may as well start the day eating a slice of cake. It gives you too little protein and too many carbs to keep hunger at bay for the day. Most healthy and nutritionally driven people I know view the cereal aisle pretty much the same way they see the cookie aisle - as a sugary snack.

[Kara2013]

Wannabeskinny,

I appreciate your comment. I know that this is going to be a process that takes a whole lot of work from me. The reason I want to try to keep my intake at 1200, for now, is because I feel that starting out on a serious level will help me come to a realization that my health really needs to take a turn for the better. I've told myself more than once that, "today is the day to do better" without really making any plans or setting any goals. I know that paying better attention to the consequences of what I'm eating will help me realize that my food intake and workout routine HAS to change for me to start seeing a difference in my health. It's inevitable that I will face obstacles as the days come. I would really like to stick around 1500 calories a day. I want to start eating more of a "clean" diet--instead of what you've stated above (processed foods, ETC.) I know that cereal is NOT the best way to start a day. Yesterday, it was really the only option that I had. However, this morning I did have a healthier breakfast. I made myself something new(= My Aunt shared a healthy breakfast burrito recipe with me that I have never tried until this morning. Her recipe includes egg whites, to cut back on fat, but I used regular eggs--yolk does contain majority of the vitamins and nutrients found in eggs. The rest of the recipe includes two whole wheat tortillas, 1/4 cup of fat-free cheese, 1/4 cup of black beans, and a scoop of salsa. It was, definitely, yummy. Tomorrow, I may have egg and veggie sausage on a whole wheat muffin w/ sliced cantaloupe and a handful of walnuts as sides. I bought Thomas' 100% Whole Wheat English muffins and Thomas' 100% whole wheat breakfast thins. Wheat products are great but some can be tricky. I'm trying to shop healthier and smarter--cutting back without putting too many restrictions on myself. It is all about making better decisions and doing ones best! Just as you said. If you have any healthy recipes to share please do !

[wishfuiiy]

Hit me up if you ever want to walk the CF River Trail or head to Raven Rock for trail goodness. I am constantly bugging people on FB from the area to come and work out with me. It would be nice for a fitness buddy.