Started my day with my morning crunches, plank and pushups. One thing I want to incorporate but forgot this morning is to start the day with lemon water (large 8 oz glass + 2 tbsp lemon juice).
Breakfast: apple, orange juice, whole grain toast with peanut butter, green tea
Lunch: spinach salad with mushrooms and salmon, strawberries and blueberries, low-fat yogurt with cinnamon and cracked wheat
Snack: sugar snap peas and baby carrots, green tea
Dinner: leftover butter chicken with basmati rice, thai fish cake, bok choy with garlic (all with hot sauce), small piece of low-fat old cheddar, raspberries and a few oatmeal cookies
Workout: 30 minutes of spin, chest/back, abs, total time ~ 1 hr
I think it's important to keep some things in mind when starting a new regime like this. I wish I had the cash flow to be able to throw out everything in my apartment that don't fit the dietary requirements. Obviously being in grad school and not being one to just throw perfectly good food out, this isn't going to happen. The period of time between when you start a diet and when you get into it is around 2 weeks. That's how long it takes the body and the mind to get used to new habits. It's also the amount of time it takes to transition your fridge and pantry into one that doesn't contain pre-bootcamp leftovers and food that isn't healthy. My butter chicken leftovers are almost through, and I still have a bit of cheese and those cookies leftover. Also, I know that my dinner is the most random combination of items imaginable, but again, leftovers and new batches of food (fish cakes - delicious!) overlapping = I eat weird stuff.
Those of you close to me might also have noticed the distinct lack of coffee. Yes, I'm trying to cut coffee. My boyfriend and I love our morning ritual of sleepyhead coffee and The Office. I might try out some tea the next time we do this, but I admit that I enjoy the taste of coffee so I may indulge in a few cups with him. Why cut coffee? Well, the answer is 3-fold: 1) tea is healthier, 2) I usually add sweetener or sugar to my coffee and I want to cut both of those items from my diet in general, and 3) I hate the feeling of being strung out due to a lack of coffee (and yes, admittedly the idea of being hooked on coffee isn't appealing), so a green tea now and then will be a good alternative. Maybe slowly I'll start cutting caffeine sources, but not for now.
Biggest struggle of the day? Control. Starting a new diet plan that involves smaller servings and stopping to eat a few hours before bed (I've now hit that point as I write this) means that the old habits of "I'm still hungry" stop now. My discomfort made me realize that I nibble when I'm bored. The idea of eating to experience new foods and tastes and give my taste buds a kick out of their boredom is a bad habit. I also recently joined Pinterest and I'm dying to cook some really salty, fatty, carb-laden foods. Bad life choice haha.
Also today I did something I haven't done in AGES: weighed myself. I weigh 143 lbs. I wanted to see what I weighed at the beginning of this not because I want to see the pounds come off, but I want to see IF the pounds come off. The workouts I do are going to help me build muscle (I can feel it already), but with that comes weight gain, not weight loss. My scientific brain is asking me: will the weight loss that comes from diet and cardio outweigh the weight gain that comes with building muscle? Hmmm...to be continued.
Here I am on day 67. 143 lbs. I feel pretty fit, to be honest. I think this is an unflattering picture of me, but the areas I really want to focus on are my arms, chest, belly, thighs and bum. I know I have a strong back so I'm not worried about that.
One last thing I want to point out, and maybe I should start a little subsection for this, but I realized something as I headed from work to the gym: having a dedicated diet and workout plan is like having a second job. You have to commit to it, be enthused, you have to focus and exercise willpower. The same types of mental patterns arise in both my job and my workout/diet : I really don't feel like working (out). I deserve a break. Ok, 5 more minutes. No, I shouldn't do that. I'll show them. Interesting...
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