5:00 A.M. are you kidding me?

Can you believe that four mornings in a row I have woken up at 5:00 even though my alarm is set somewhat later than that.  Each day I wrestle with the decision to get up and hit the gym or lay there in bed for another 30 minutes or so.  Why do I keep waking up, who knows but each morning I have dragged my butt out of bed and hit the gym.  It does feel good to get the workout out of the way for the day and then not have any excuses and this week I could have found plenty.
Today I started off right and then I got to work and found one piece of left over chocolate cookie cake.  I was ok until I opened the fridge and realized I had skim milk at work.  With a nursing test today and the situation with my daughter I caved.  I did scrape off the icing and it was a small piece but I found it very depressing that I gave in.  I made sure I balanced it out.  I had a turkey sandwich for lunch and only ate a protein bar for dinner with a few nuts for snack.  Over all I figure I hit about 1200 calories not counting the slice of cookie cake so I think I made it with no problems.  My daughter made sure she let me know how disappointed she was in me and let me feel the guilt.  Maybe I should rethink this blog and letting people know all of my secrets. (just kidding)

Head games

I just read the other day that a study was done and showed that it is harder for emotional eater's to lose weight.  I my friends am definitely an emotional eater.  My daughter's letter the other day took the wind out of our sails for a few moments and today I could have eaten like a horse.  A chocolate chip cookie cake at Walmart was on clearance and began calling my name.  I must confess I bought it and brought it to daycare but the good news is I walked away from it and thought about what I was doing. I still had a very small slice with my lunch and even though it was not healthy it did not blow my diet out of the water.  A protein bar for breakfast, banana for snack, leftovers for lunch and a new steak recipe we tried for dinner with sweet potato and salad.  I don't know what it is but when I am stressed or depressed I believe I could eat at a buffet for twelve hours and still not think that I am full.  I did get an early morning work out in though and learned a lot about myself today.

Today was not so great

Today was what you would have expected on a Monday. I had to be in St. Louis for a meeting at the hospital for my preceptorship.  I did get up and work out before work again and it seemed to work out ok.  I ate a Fiber One bar for breakfast and turkey sandwich with baked chips for lunch.  Both were ate while driving back and forth.  Nibbled on beef jerky and had a protein bar.  The rest of the day kind of went down hill.  About 1:00 my stomach started doing flip flops and had me in the restroom for the rest of the afternoon.  Then my daughter received the letter from the nursing program she was hoping to get into and found a rejection instead.  Ended up missing class and my test so I get to make it up today.  Didn't really eat that many calories but my stress level was up.  No great pictures to post from this great day but we still praise the Lord anyway around our home whether it's a good day or bad.

Another Monday

Monday's are really fun  because of the encouraging words I get from everyone regarding my weigh-in. I mixed my day up today by hitting the gym at 5:30 a.m. and got my heart pumping early. I had a protein bar for breakfast and one later on in the day.  Lunch was a turkey sandwich with baked chips.  Dinner was egg plant lasagna (recipe follows) I was not happy with my diet today.  The calories were fine but I did not plan and was busy enough that I was not able to get the fruit and veggies I know that I need.  That is one of the biggest problems with healthy eating.  If you do not plan ahead you forget about our society helping you out.  Just look at the vending machines and convience stores and you will not get any help whatsoever.  So getting busy is something I will need to watch out for and learn to plan ahead.  I will haven't decided if the morning workout was better or not except that It helped make sure I got my workout in without excuses.

Vegetable Lasagna

Alright who would have ever even began to think I would be eating vegetables and liking them. The only veggies I liked growing up were corn and green beans and cooked carrots covered in sugar but how my life has changed.  Tonight (pictures were taken and I will edit this post when I get some time at home) By choosing fat free and low cal products we were able to get this to 250 calories a serving which when it was divided made 16 servings and rather large.  I used canned pumpkin rather than fresh. I know it sounds gross but even Hannah my pickiest eater liked it.

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups peeled and diced pumpkin
• 1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
• 5 tomatoes
• 1 pint ricotta cheese
• 9 ounces crumbled feta cheese
• 2/3 cup pesto
• 2 eggs, beaten
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• fresh pasta sheets
• 1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place pumpkin on a baking sheet and roast in oven until browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grill eggplant on a charcoal grill or fry in a skillet, turning once, until charred and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Halve tomatoes and place on baking sheet in oven for last 15 minutes of pumpkin time; cook until tender and wrinkly.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, feta, pesto, eggs, salt and pepper until well mixed. Fold roasted pumpkin into ricotta mixture.
4. Spoon half of the tomato sauce into a 9x13 baking dish. Lay two pasta sheets over the sauce. Arrange a single layer of eggplant slices over pasta and top with half the ricotta mixture. Cover with two more pasta sheets. Arrange the roasted tomatoes evenly over the sheets and spoon the remaining half the ricotta mixture over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella. Top with remaining two sheets of pasta. Pour remaining tomato sauce over all and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
5. Bake in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 408 | Total Fat: 26.7g | Cholesterol: 122mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

To reapeat what I said by using fatfree and low fat cheeses we shaved off over 150 cals per serving.  It cost a little more but was worth it.

The real 4th week weigh-in

I realized I messed up and counted the very first weight as week one. This is really my 4th week
weigh-in.

Beginning total:  280

Last week:          264

This week:          258

Last week loss:   6 pounds

Total loss:         22 pounds

Week 4 in review

What I have learned:
1. pay attention to calories and you will be shocked at what you eat.
2. pay attention to portions and you will be shocked at what you eat.
3. America is not designed for healthy eating, we are designed to destroy our bodies
4. I've said it before but this time I have really seen how much people are behind me in this endeavour.
5. Weight loss takes planning but it can be done.

What I miss:  The truth is this week I cannot say I missed anything. (I guess enjoying the pasta at family reunion) but in all reality I am really enjoying the road to success this time around.  I am eating plenty and a lot of varieties and really beginning to enjoy my veggies. 

What I have gained:  My wife has really become a team player for me in this endeavour.  She is helping me watch portions, sometimes cutting the meat ahead of time to stop me from temptation and her and my daughters have been really pitching in on the kitchen cleanup so that I do not find myself nibbling during the cleanup process.

My BP has been measuring about 122/77 not great but much better than the 160/115 it has hit a couple of times this year.

The first complement

Today I received my first complement about my weight loss.  I attended a family reunion and my uncle who I have not seen in awhile and who would not know I'm blogging or dieting, noticed I was losing weight.  Something is different today.  I woke up today and felt like my fat had actually dropped.  It does this as I lose weight I can feel the weight shift at times and today was one of those days.  I had a breakfast of egg whites, turkey bacon, wheat toast and blackberries in yogurt.  The whole meal was under 300 cals.  Then I hit the gym and burned 450 cals.  Now the true test is the family reunion and Aunt Vickie's pasta's and fettuccine and yes I survived I only ate a salad with a very small amount of light dressing and green beans ( no pasta or rolls). My mom was nice enough to make a sugar free pudding with some pumpkin added to eat for me for dessert. (Thanks mom)  Truth is I was hungry when I left the event but felt much better about myself than if I would have stuffed my face.  I came home and enjoyed a baked pork steak, baked fries and a large portion of green beans.  I know that I will succeed in losing this extra weight.

Better Day

Today I started with peanut butter again and followed with a turkey sandwich for lunch. For dinner I was craving chinese so instead of heading to China One I instead had some baked chicken and stir fried it in one teaspoon of olive oil along with stir fry veggies and shrimp. I added a touch of my mom's hot pepper jelly, some brown rice and we had a great meal.  I did pick up a crab rangoon to enjoy on the side.  Working out on the stair stepper it said I burned 500 calories.  Tonight we kicked back and watched a movie and I allowed myself to eat a slice of frozen cheese pizza which added about 250 calories but felt like it was a well deserved treat for 4 weeks of not letting myself get off track.  Back at it tomorrow with the eating right and studying.

Friday's

Me enjoying some healthy eating.

Peanut butter

I have trouble getting to the computer at night so most of you probably notice I have been posting the next morning.  Being Friday I will try to post this evening.  Today I struggled a little more than normal and I am not completely sure why.  I did change my diet routine today and that might be to blame.  I started the day with a peanut butter sandwich.  I used the light peanut butter and 90 calories of bread.  The reason I did this is because I was craving peanut butter.  I can go for months without eating peanut butter but once I begin to crave it I can eat it every meal for a week.  I ate turkey sandwiches for lunch with carrots and baked chips.  The problem I ran into was I ran out of energy during my workout.  Eating the peanut butter was probably a mistake and I need to switch to all natural peanut butter once I get to the health food store.  Had leftover fish meal for dinner and snacked on protein bar, nuts and beef jerky.  Calorie count was about 1800 calories which was higher than normal but still will lead to weight loss.  Don't be surprised if you see the word peanut butter show up in my menu for the next week or so.  A trip to the health food store may be in order for the weekend.

Calories, Calories, Calories

I am amazed at how different my life has become now that I pay attention to calories.  About noon yesterday I had a guilty feeling because I felt stuffed but what I was stuffed on was carrots and lots of Crystal Light (actually I use Greater Value, and love the different flavors)  In reality at noon yesterday I had only ate about 400 calories worth of food.  You can eat a handful of carrots and not hardly break the calorie bank but try that with chips and watch the pounds add on. Yesterday I had a Fiber one bar for breakfast with a banana ( 240) calories, then I broke up lunch by eating crab meat at about 10 and about 1:00 o'clock.  I did eat some baked chips with it with both meals I had about 470 calories.  For dinner we had Talapia, half sweet potato with Smart Balance butter and cinnamon, 2 mushrooms grilled in a pan with a touch of olive oil and about a cup of mixed vegetables.  Total calories under 300 just over 1000 for the day.  Worked out for t30 minutes on stair stepper and burned about 500 calories.  Had half a protein bar for dessert about 150 calories.  Hard to believe looking at the calorie count that I could feel stuffed but by snacking on carrots It kept me very satisfied.

Thinking about World's of Fun

I have been considering going to World's of Fun at the end of April if we find cheap enough tickets.  If we go this will help motivate  me to get several more pounds off before we go.  I would love to ride every ride without concern for whether the seat belt or bar will latch.  I figure another 10 pounds should be reachable but we will see.  I'm enjoying my new life style although it does require planning ahead of time.  Today I hit the stair stepper for 30 minutes and it showed 450 calories burned.  Breakfast a banana and fiber one bar, lunch a pork bar-b-que on 45 cal bread and broccoli, dinner was the same except with carrots and baked chips.  Snacked on a protein bar today.  Feeling good and we will monitor to see the results.

Hungry

I am finding myself getting hungry and unable to satisfy it.  It is not because of my lack of eating but I feel like my metabolism has kicked in.  I am going to try to eat the 6 small meals a day rather than the 3 with snacks.  I have not began weight lifting yet and am kind of hoping until my weight loss slows down.  Instead I will keep doing cardio and hopefully keep the weight coming off.  I can't wait for the first true complement about my weight loss.  It will be from someone who does know that I am trying to lose weight.  I figure it will take about 30 pounds for people to notice.  Yesterday I ate the same breakfast and lunch and for dinner we made pork cube steaks by browning them in a skillet with Pam cooking spray and then baked them.  I put a little olive oil in the pan and fried up peppers and onions with mushrooms and ate it on Sara Lee's low calorie bread.  Baked some shoe string fries and had a great meal.  I ate a protein bar yesterday to see if it would help with the hunger and may try it again.

4th week weigh-in

As much as I would love to rush it, I do realize that this is the healthiest way to lose weight.  I have not been hungry, have enjoyed the foods I am eating so I need to just relax and enjoy the weight loss and new life-style.

Beginning total:     280

Last Week:            267

This Week:           264

This Week Total:      3 pounds

Total:         16 Pounds

Week 4 in review

What I learned:  Cookie cake is very tempting
                           I still hate running
                           I workout more when I have no classes to attend
                           There is a large variety of foods out there.
                           Generic Crystal Light drinks are my best friend right now.

Surprises:  We were using at least 5 pounds of sugar every 3 weeks if not more, after 4 weeks into my diet we have only used 1/2 tsp.  What a big difference.

This week has been easier and I cannot believe how long I have used excuses to avoid eating better and getting in shape.  My body is really beginning to enjoy the life change as well.

Kicking bootie

I kicked bootie today by eating a fiber one bar and banana for breakfast, turkey sandwich and baked chips for lunch totaling 530 calories.  I went to the gym and hit the stair stepper and had a surge of energy, after 30 minutes I could have went on but had to be somewhere else. Burned almost 400 calories.  For dinner I had left over 4 oz steak 3 ribs, half sweet potato and left over veggies.  Snacked on an orange and a small amount of chips.  I love the energy boost I felt on the stair stepper and hope it remains tomorrow.  This is the first Friday night with no desire to go out and splurge on Chinese and pizza.  My kids brought pizza home from Papa John's and it didn't even tempt me.  I am extremely pumped up today and ready for my weigh in.

Date night

Tonight me and my beautiful wife had a date.  Usually we would head out to a restaurant and enjoy a nice meal.  My wife being committed in helping me stay on track was fine staying home and helping me cook a dinner for two.  We just butchered a cow and just picked up the meat Wed. and enjoyed a T-bone steak.  We cut it into 4 oz pieces added two ribs leftover from last night.  Half a sweet potato with fat free butter and a little cinnamon (why did I ever add brown sugar?)  I then made a vegetable mix of onions, peppers, squash.  A great meal and still kept it under 800 calories.  During the day I ate the normal breakfast and turkey sandwich and baked chips.  Snacked on carrot sticks and cup of pistachio sugar free pudding.  Ran about mile and half and worked hard outside today. I can't help feel like the wall is coming down.

I saw, I ate, I conquered

Today I had to make a quick run to Cape Girardeau.  It's impossible to go to Cape and not pick up a slab of ribs from Dexter Ribs.  The ribs were really tender but they were not nearly as flavorful as I remember in the past which was really good for me.  I only at one rib on the way home and two ribs later on that  evening.  I use to be able to take down a slab of ribs myself.  I ate more than usual but not a bad day overall. Fiber one bar with banana, chicken sandwich with baked chips for lunch.  For dinner I had two ribs and a portabella mushroom sandwich with fat free cheese.  For snack I ate more than the usual I had a bag of baked chips, a rib, carrots and handful of nuts.  I was proud of my daughter yesterday in my nervousness I grabbed a bag of baked chips and started to eat them, she walked over to the fridge grabbed out a bag of carrots, politely pulled the bag of chips out of my hand and replaced them with carrots and that is why I started the blog.

Who brought in the cookie cake??????

Today I found out I am still weak (no I did not fail) someone brought in a big chocolate chip cookie cake with lots of icing.  I did not give into temptation but I did completely avoid the kitchen for the day or I am not sure I could have made it.  The Bible says that even looking at another women with lust in your heart is the same as sleeping with her but I hope that does not apply to cookies because I looked and I lusted (lol). I did good yesterday a fiber one bar for breakfast, 3oz pork tenderloin sandwich for lunch with baked chips, a handful of almonds for snack and for dinner we made a salad with shrimp, seasoned tortilla, black beans, onions and a olive oil and vinegar sauce.  It was very good and filling. Still under 1500 calories but am trying to work on it, the drinking all the fluids is really filling me up.  I did not work out tonight mainly due to trying to get my school reading done and decided to give my body a rest.  I will work out again tomorrow and hopefully will have another great day.

trouble reaching my calories

Who would have ever thought this would have been my problem.  I need 2759 calories to lose a pound a week without exercising  (and to think I was gaining weight)  I hit about 1500 calories a day right now.  I can honestly say I am not trying to do this.  I eat all three meals and sometimes snack in between.  The main differences are eating the baked meats and staying with fish, chicken or very lean meats and I drink lots of water.  Before I was drinking lots of sweetened tea and I figured it up the other day, I was probably drinking a minimum of 500 extra calories a day.  1500 calories is probably to low and is more than likely causing my body to not let go of the extra weight but I am honestly not hungry.  I will keep at it and see what happens.  Last night I spent 30 minutes on the dance mat competing against my daughter and yes she kicked my butt.

3rd week weigh-in

This is the toughest 2 pounds I have ever given up in my life.  I hate the wall and will break through it this week.

Beginning total:     280

Last Week:           269

This Week            267


Total:                   13 pounds

week in review 3

3 weeks who would have thought it. 

What I have missed: junk food (but not as much this week)

What I have learned: 
 I can't believe that I ate so many calories in the past
It is amazing how good you can eat a day if you add plenty of fruits and veggies to your diet.
I hate running
The wall is a mean trick that your body plays on you
People are concerned about me losing weight

I am starting to see my blood pressure working its way down.

Today we traveled to take our son back to school. I ate a egg sandwich for breakfast, turkey sandwich for lunch and snacked on jerkey and carrot sticks on the way.  Returned home to baked chicken and baked fries.  Needed more veggies but carrots is all I could squeeze in.  Ate right at about 2000 calories.  I'm ready to break through this wall.

Call it my diary

At this point in time I realize very few people read the blog on a regular basis although many people do check the weekly weigh-in (which is the most important thing) I feel like I may have been writing this for others to read but I will now begin to make it more of a diary type setting.  Today I jumped out of bed at 6:00 A.M. and headed to the gym. I hit the tread mill and the stair stepper.  I spent about 30 minutes working out and really felt great.  Breakfast was an egg white sandwich, with turkey bacon and fat free cheese 230 calories.  Left over pot pie for lunch about 400 calories and fat free grilled cheese sandwich with portobella mushrooms, broccoli, and baked fries 350 calories.  I know I will need more calories tonight but will make sure not to get carried away.  We worked hard today cleaning up the yard and enjoyed this beautiful spring day.

the wall

This week I broke a rule that I wasn't going to do.  I weighed myself in the middle of the week because I felt like I had locked up ( I can't explain it I just felt it) the scale will play major tricks on you.  At this time I am actually weighing more than I did on Monday.  It was very discouraging to see but my mom told me that on biggest loser they run into a wall or sorts.  Tonight I got on the Internet and did some research and learned about the 3-4 week wall that happens to everyone.  They suggested only weighing once a month.  I may consider this when all is said and done.  I know that I have been eating right and exercising faithfully so now I just will need to be patient and let the weight fall off.  Today I tried to shock my body somewhat by eating lunch for breakfast and vice versa.  A sandwich and baked chips for breakfast, orange for snack, fiber one bar and banana for lunch, and a chicken pot pie for dinner made healthier with a few changes.  My daughter and me went on a 2 mile walk with lots of hills.  No more looking at the scale until weigh-in day and maybe my days will get better.

My bodies starting to fight me

I'm not sure but I feel like my body is starting to fight me and the weight loss.  I can't really explain it but I feel like the weight is not moving this week.  I switched to oatmeal for breakfast this morning and it did help fill me up and keep me feeling full.  I ate the left over stir fry for lunch and a bar-b-que roast sandwich for dinner with salad and baked fries.  I did snack on baked chips but just ate a serving.  I did get a 30 minute walk in but my joints are sore today.  What is disappointing about that is that the pain has been gone about a week without medication.  It's wet and cold outside and maybe this is playing games with my head.  This weekend should be warmer so we will see if I can battle trough some of these problems.

rain gone, cold here

Alright yesterday I ask for the rain to go away and it did but now the cold and wind are here.  It is very hard to get motivated to run when it's cold and wet.  Ok who am I kidding it's hard to get motivated to run period.  There are very few things more boring than running around and around the track but today I did it and put in 3 very very long miles.  I had usual breakfast but it did not hold me over well today for some reason.  I thought I made a mistake by stopping by Subway and ordering the Cordon Blue sandwich but was pleasently surprised to find out I only gave up 430 calories fully loaded with veggies. For dinner I helped fill my Chinese food craving by making stir fry with the left over steak from last night and brown rice.  Then I made a real thin pork chop using a recipe my mom gave me using a small amount of chicken broth and a cup of hot jelly.  It was really good and had that oriental taste.  I did cheat and picked up a pack of real crab rangoon from the Chinese resteraunt but it was worth the 70 calories I gave up.  Even with all of this I still remained under 2000 calories (just barely) but with the run I think I will be ok.

rain rain go away

Today actually went good but it's a school day and that's depressing.  The rain makes it hard to get a run in but I did almost two miles.  I invested in a rain suit last year that is breathable and does not make you feel like your in a sauna.  Now that I am trying to run rain or shine I realize how good of investment it really is.  Same breakfast and lunch but I switched to Sara Lee's 45 calorie a slice bread which should make a big difference.  I had a handful of mixed nuts for snack and an orange.  Dinner was a real thin sliced steak in mixed peppers and onion, half a sweet potato and a great salad made by my wife.  I am enjoying that I am not hungry all the time and am still eating under my calorie goal.

so begins another week

If looking for my weight loss it is next blog down.

Well I ran 3 miles today only walking up a steep portion of a hill.  5k here I come.  Today was a fairly easy day with granola bar for breakfast with cup of juice, light yogurt for snack, turkey sandwich with baked chips for lunch, salad, whole wheat pasta and light homemade sauce for dinner.  Did not get as many veggies as needed but will work harder on that tomorrow.  I was supposed to go to a cooking expo to try new foods for the daycare but passed and let my mom go in my place.  I was afraid the temptation would be to great and I would have to post all I ate.  I am still to close to the 270 mark and will feel a lot better about my weight loss when I break into the 250's.  I know that will be awhile but I will keep striving to make it work.  Not only am I trying to work on physical fitness I am working towards my spiritual fitness as well and will keep you posted on that.

2nd week weigh-in

Begining Total:  280

Last Week         273

This Week        269

Total this week   04

Total                  11 pounds

Thanks to all who have been checking and sending words of encouragement.  Not as much as I would have like to have lost this week.  Really would like to break far away from the 270 number.

week 2 in review

What did I miss this week:  I really miss snacking and eating food without counting calories. 
                                            Chinese food
                                             Salsa and chips

What I learned this week:  It is not easy losing weight
                                          America's restaurants and stores are not designed for healthy eating.
                                          People really do read my blog and are sending encouragement
                                           I am sick of nursing school (sorry just needed to throw that in)
                                           You do not have to go hungry to eat well.
Obstacles for the week:  all day car trip on Friday
                                        cold and lazy Sat
                                        A thank you dinner in St. Charles with lots and lots of food

It really does not require a large amount of exercise to lose weight but you just need to do something.
Today I got out of bed and jogged two miles
Breakfast:  oatmeal, wheat toast, skim milk
Lunch:  crock pot chicken, potatoes, carrots, green beans.
Dinner:  Have not got there yet but it is in St. Charles (now we will find out what I am made of)
Weigh in tomorrow morning will post results.

I have a goal.

My new goal is to be the blog that everyone wants to look at.  The reason I have chosen this goal is I will have to prove results to make this work.  To make the blog more reader friendly I will plan on posting pictures and recipes of the foods I eat and the servings that I eat.  I am really fired up and know that I will succeed this time but I will need to know that people are reading.  This week about 30 people a day stopped by and several shared tips and encouragement whether on the blog or facebook and in person.
Today was a hard day as the weather was in the 30's and windy.  I didn't run today and thought it would be a good rest for my body but I did try to stay very busy around the house. I had oatmeal for breakfast with a piece of toast and apple butter ( I should have skipped the apple butter)  I ate a lunch/dinner at the same time which was the rice, beef and tomato mixture we used for the stuffed peppers last night.  We put it on a tortilla and added some salsa for a nice burrito.  Why I did not eat lunch earlier I'm not sure but the oatmeal really filled me up.  I was shocked to find out how many people have used blogs for weight loss but it was really encouraging to see.

Traveling makes it tough

Today I had to spend over 9 hours traveling on the road.  I'm not one to just drive I love to nibble on food as I drive, my favorite is a bag of beef jerky.  Now beef jerky is actually low in fat and calories but the sodium level will blow you away but with some planning I made the trip work.  I packed a turkey sandwich and apple for lunch and I did drink diet soda for the caffeine kick.  I bought a bag of beef jerky(the one pounder from Sam's) and then made a plan so I would not eat the entire bag.  I took a sandwich bag and placed just 2 servings in it and it helped with the munchies.  After arriving home my wife had stuffed peppers waiting for me.  Even with traveling I was able to stay under 2000 calories today.  After I returned home me and my daughter went for a 2 mile run in the rain and I actually jogged the whole distance, it was much more than a waddle actually a nice steady jog.  Thank you to all of my blog readers for keeping me on track.  Monday will be here soon and I am ready to weigh-in.

Hunger

Last night I went to bed slightly hungry.  I felt guilty when I woke up this morning thinking that it has been along time since I have been hungry.  What a glutton I became and just think about how many really go to bed hungry every night.  I know I need to get my eating under control.  The blog spot has been a great help.

Breakfast:  granola bar and apple
snack: cup of Cheerios
lunch:  turkey sandwich on wheat and a big helping of mixed veggies
Dinner:  Baked cod, peas, and brown rice that I mixed with green and red peppers and a small amount of cheese.
Calories so far just under 1600 while planning on eating a light blueberry yogurt for evening snack.
I Jogged (or some may call it a strange waddle) almost 2 miles tonight I walked about 300 yards of it. 
Very soon I will knock the whole thing out without walking.
I found a great web site for those wanting to have a great hand in losing weight. http://www.calorie-count.com/
thanks Sandy for sharing this with me.

Counting Calories

I now am starting to realize why I am so fat.  Do you realize how hard it is to find something healthy to eat if you get hungry while your away from home.  Run into any mini-mart or fast food restaurant and see what I mean.  Even the things that seem healthy are high in calories.  Buy the box meal at Taco Bell and eat a full days calories in one meal and let's not even talk McDonald's.  A handful of snacks here and there can throw off a healthy eating pattern quick.
Now saying that I did not cheat today and was able to stay focused although I did get hungry while I was out I did not stray.  ( I think you all would not let me hear the end of it.)  The usual breakfast and lunch and for dinner I made Chicken breast in Salsa (Thanks Jenn) baked shoestring fries and broccoli.  Total calories today 1700 and a two mile walk/jog with hills included.  I need to do some research on the best foods to eat at bedtime (only when I am really hungry)

Here's a web site to figure how many calories your body needs a day.
http://nutrition.about.com/od/changeyourdiet/a/calguide.htm

School makes it tough

I didn't get to post last night because I am in nursing school right now.  You would think that while we are learning to make people healthy that somehow that would let us work on our health as well.  Instead nursing school has just about killed me, the stress and many, many hours of sitting and studying have really took a toll on my body.  One way I study is to sit in my car on a parking lot for over 5 hours, no distractions this way.  But I used to keep munchies with me.  Yesterday I did munch on a small bag of trail mix but made sure I made up for it by eating a light dinner.   Working out was a challenge but after last nights test instead of heading for the computer lab I went across the street to the Computer Science building and ran up four floors of stairs for 15 minutes and then walked the campus for another 15. 
I tried to switch up my meal pattern by starting with protein but really did not like the switch tomorrow I go back to fiber for breakfast. I had turkey sandwich for lunch and a bowl of green beans and about 2 oz of pork tenderloin for dinner.  Not bad for a test day.

Week 2 Begins

The encouraging words today were enough to send me over the top.  Without a doubt I need accountability.  I did add some running to today's exercise,  I'm not sure I would even be willing to call it a jog  how about a wog half walk half jog.  The tendinitis in my ankle is killing me.  The doctor gave me anti-inflammatory but I quit taking them because of my high blood pressure.  As long as I have my eating habits back in order and exercise regularly I think I will go back on them. 
Breakfast was an apple and bowl of cinnamon Cheerios
Lunch was a turkey roast beef sandwich on wheat  no toppings
dinner was wheat spaghetti topped with my own creation of chicken breast, tomato, squash, lots of green, yellow and red peppers and some chicken broth.  Spiced up with some different seasonings and it hit the spot.
Finished the night with half cup light blueberry yogurt, added about 10 blueberries and a sprinkle of granola.  Not a bad day of eating and my heart still likes me.