You are what you eat...

Well if that's true then why don't overweight people go around eating skinny people? =)
So, I think I am going to start a food journal today. I am going to write down everything I eat (even the chocolate that mysteriously ends up in my mouth at work). My eating habits are a thousand times better than they were a year ago, but I am curious to see what works best. Everyone always says eating 5 small meals a day is best, but I can never manage to pull that off.And then there is the "fat free vs low carb" debate. Well, obviously the low carb one is never going to work for me...I am a southern girl, I will shrivel up and die without carbs..seriously.I also want to see exactly how many calories I get a day. Did you know that not eating enough can make your weight loss STAND STILL...? Only way eating 800 calories a day or less is gonna work is if you eat 0 calories a day and become anorexic...which is also not healthy..just saying.

Also, no more Diet Coke...this breaks my heart..seriously. I have cut out pretty much all diet sodas over the last few months, but I still have the occasional Diet Coke. I really shouldn't..It's just eating away at me anyways so..No more diet coke..God save my friends and family when I get a craving lol.

Both of these things are small goals..I find that small goals work better, because I can't see the big picture and eventually give up. So..one step at a time. September's small step will be 1)food journal and 2) no diet coke.. =( I say September but I will start today. If I don't start things on Monday I end up putting them off for another week..

In closing, here are some diet tips that I have found very useful
1) Drink a LOT of water
2) Add fruits and vegetables to your diet (think of it this way, you can't have upside down pineapple cake, but you can have a pineapple )
3) Do not walk into your kitchen after a certain time at night..For me I say 8 pm. I usually go to bed at 11 so I try and steer clear of food after 8 pm...keyword there "try"
4) Gut your cabinets and fridge of the junk. I found it was easier to eat healthy when I wasn't taunted with junk food..(sorry kids, if mommy is dieting, you can eat that good stuff too)
5) MAKE TIME to work out. I started with 30 mins a day...At first I felt guilty about abandoning Tug with Jerry as soon as we got home to work out, but if I don't do it when I first get home, or first get up, I won't do it. And don't tell me you don't have time, give me another excuse...=P

Seriously..I love carbs

As I sit here and daydream about mashed potatoes covered and gravy with big buttery biscuits I try and remember that I am doing this for a reason lol. I am currently on Phase 2 of my Slim in 6 dvd..It's rough..lol. My body is changing right before me eyes and it is weird sometimes..My stomach is getting smaller but it's weird seeing muscle under the excess skin lol.

Yes mom, I know my bed is not made lol. Focus! 

So a lot of people have asked me what I eat. I eat a variety of things. I was sticking mainly to nonfat, low calorie, but I change it up too. I think that a lot of people burn out on diets because they try to stick to an exact plan and get burned out easily. It's not about eating exactly one cup of tuna a day, or two banana's, etc. It's about a lifestyle change. Sometimes I have oatmeal for breakfast, sometimes I have fruit, sometimes yogurt. I usually snack on pretzels or salt free crackers, (or a snickers bar) lol. I give in to my cravings every once in a while or I would go crazy. And it works for me. 

Subway helps me change it up when I get bored. There are so many healthy choices there. For dinner I eat turkey burgers and vegetables or chicken or just a sandwich or Smart Ones frozen meal. I don't count calories or carbs. I eat when  I am hungry. I drink water allllll day long. I drink Vitamin water zero (less calories) and V8 Juice. 

The point is, I don't stick to a stringent diet. I changed my food lifestyle. And after a few months, my friends, family and co workers got used to it. I am worried about football season coming up though...I loooove me some football food and drinks during Sooner games ..=/ We'll see how it goes

Pretty? Who? Me?

Self image is a hard thing to grasp. For the longest time I never quite saw what others saw. I still don't. I have never considered myself one of the pretty girls. Cute, sure, but not pretty. No matter how much weight I lose I will never be one of those wafer thin girls with long gorgeous hair and delicate features. I have a short torso, and round face, and broad shoulders that would make women who wore shoulder pads in the 80's jealous. My chest has always been too big for my body and I could slap a woman for even thinking about getting bigger breasts lol.  I have thin legs that are well toned, but don't match the flabbiness that is my stomach...This is how I see myself. So when someone compliments me I thank them like a good girl should but in my head I am thinking "Pffft yeah right!". It's something I am working on. I was recently told that my body shape is starting to mirror Marilyn Monroe's. I can see that, but that doesn't mean I think that I am gorgeous.

"It's surprising how many persons go through life without ever recognizing that their feelings toward other people are largely determined by their feelings toward themselves, and if you're not comfortable within yourself, you can't be comfortable with others.

- Sydney J. Harris"

I have always been comfortable with other people. Just not with myself..I say that, but I guess on the outside I appeared comfortable but on the inside I was usually thinking about how something on them looks soooo much better than it does on me. I used to be one of those people who lied to myself and said "Fat is beautiful too"...Don't get me wrong. Some overweight people ARE beautiful on the inside. But if they are anything like me no matter how many times you tell yourself that you are fine with your appearance there are times when it makes you sick inside. I had to grasp that. It's not about wanting to fit in or look gorgeous all the time..It's about knowing that you are healthier, that you can do things now that you couldn't do before. I FEEL better inside. I get sick a LOT less and I am finally feeling comfortable in my own skin. Flab and all.  Being comfortable with yourself however is not an excuse to being unhealthy. That's the thing no one wants to hear.

In order to survive this journey I have had to tell myself every single day that I can do it. And that it is all worth it. It is worth it. It's not easy. It's hard and you have to train yourself to WANT it every single day.

Clothes and Fried Pickles

So! I have done fantastically all week long, and as per usual I indulged myself a little..With some fried pickles..Oh my..My inner chunky girl loooooves those lol. I went shopping today and got to buy smaller sizes! This is my FAVORITE part of losing weight..I love love love to shop when things fit right! I finally got a little black dress. Every girl deserves a little black dress..Example A

Yeah I am being a little sassy =P

Working out gets easier every day. I know I curse Debbie the poor woman in the Slim in 6 videos, but she is right..You do get stronger every time you work out. The down side to all of this is the excess skin..I am now  seeing "hangy skin" parts in random places like under my arms, or on my side, and goodness my lower stomach..one of these days I will tell Tug that the lower stomach part was his fault =P 

I keep thinking I need to change my diet up to maximize my weight loss, but I usually chicken out. The extreme low fat way is working, although slowly at times. I have been considering tossing in a few weeks of low carbs and see how that goes. The hardest part of dieting is my job. I work in a grocery store for crying out loud..I am surrounded by food 40 hours a week..well..like 50 hours this week. 

My advice this week is to keep at it..If you are a '"flaky" dieter, it will never work for you. The weight will creep back. Today was supposed to be my day to rest from exercise, but then those dang fried pickles somehow went in my mouth..so I think I will do Slim and 6 pack tonight to burn off some of those calories.

Oh! if you are wondering what program I am using, here is the link.

Slim in 6