I just posted on another thread having something to do with breakfast and noticed the major changes that I have made over the past few months so I thought I'd share. I began my overhaul the first few days of November.
The old Linsey's day went something like this...
Bagel w/cream cheese breakfast, often eaten in the car. A full fat XL double latte, snacks would be office chocolate...all day long, sometimes mid morning we would go down stairs for mid-morning snacks like egg & cheese on big fat buttered English muffins and yet another latte, lunch would be take out, every day, from either Chinese, Italian, Burritos, (summer Fridays our office closes at 3:00PM so my boss and I would skip lunch and go to this place called Fajitas & Rita's for tequila wings and a couple of pitchers of margaritas) Dinner was almost always some sort of pasta product (cause it takes no time at all to boil water). I was smoking about a pack a day and easily drinking a bottle of wine a night. On nights that I had classes or work events the alcohol would be double that and there would be late night bar or buffet food involved too. I was sleeping probably about 3 hours a night. I was a near 240lb chain smoking borderline alcoholic with a severe overeating problem and a super carbaholic. Exercise....well lets see...walking to pick up the takeout, walking between bars, moving my hand to my mouth on the couch....basically no extra exercise except what was required of me for work and school and such. Oh and no water.
This was normal daily practice for me.
Now only 3 months later I'm eating a solid 1500-1700 calories a day, measured and weighed. At least 100g of lean protein, veggies religiously and whole grains only, I have not eaten any takeout since I started, I've stopped going out drinking and partying and only attend events that I have to go to for work. I've gone from drinking a bottle of wine a night alone at home hiding behind closed doors to a total of 4 glasses since the new year began, all with a meal. I had cut back on smoking but thanks to the flu I've had for the past week I haven't even wanted let alone had a cigarette since last Tuesday. I'm down to 1 coffee a day, or tea while I've been sick, made at home either black or with just a splash of skim milk and no sugar. I am exercising regularly...generally I've been going to the gym about 5 times a week doing regular cardio and weight training and doing some yoga at home 1-2 days a week. oh and water, all day long is water and a solid 7-8 hours of good sleep a night! I make every single meal at home and take food with me everywhere I go....I tell you the amount of money I'm saving is unreal. I was easily spending $150 at the grocery store a month, $200 at the liquor store and on cigarettes then another couple of hundred eating and drinking out. A lot of the food I would buy at the store would often go bad before I'd get to it. Now I spend no money out, no money at the booze store, and $150 a month at the grocery store with nothing wasted.... I'm literally saving hundreds of dollars.
3 months ago I was on a fast track crash course to probably be dead by the time I hit 30; I either would have eaten myself into major some major medical dilemma or drank myself into liver failure there is no doubt of that in my mind whatsoever..... I was at such a rock-bottom point that I was near ready to just give up all together and let the wave hit me....but instead I decided to grab life by the balls and make a change now 3 months later just the fact that I've stuck with this change this long has given me time to realize the extent of the damage that my habits were causing and instead of waiting for my habits to run me over completely I now have a goal to be healthy and enjoy my life, not mourn it. I feel more in control of myself right now than I have in a long time. I think my biggest step was coming here....I knew I needed help from somewhere but quite frankly meetings and doctors and therapy just aren't my thing...this form of support has helped so much. I suppose its cool that I've lost 21 lbs and gone from a size 22 to and 18 so far, I know there are many more pounds that will come off and sizes that will go down but the fact that I've managed to change so much in my life....seriously major changes, and stick with them for this long is really the biggest potentially life saving non-scale victory I could ever ask for. The hardest part of all of it is admitting these habits out loud so that they are no longer my 'dirty little secrets'. If I never go back to living in a perpetually hungover sleepless morbidly obese haze it will be too soon.
Its really amazing...that 3 months ago I had an idea to go on a diet and that diet turned into a lifestyle change and that lifestyle change may have actually saved my life. I've managed to overcome it and do it for the most part by myself without the assistance of rehab and a stapled stomach. I've experienced a total domino effect where that simple idea has now touched every part of my life. I'm happier, healthier, I smile more, I'm less stressed, I have less body aches, I can get to my shoes to tie them.....its just such a good feeling to be heading in this direction! Anyway Sorry this was so long... I just wanted to share this.
