Week 1 Check-In

Jillian quote of the day: "Today we're going to beat you like you owe us money!"

Start weight: 146 lbs

Last week's weigh in: 142.4 lbs

This week's weigh in: 140.0 lbs

Jillians: 5/35

Climbs: 1/15

Jeans that do up again! 3/4

I'm sure none of the following is new to you ladies, but I am feeling fairly successful so far and thought I would post on what has been working for me:

1. Tracking my food and exercise.

My first week of dieting I went UP 2 pounds (probably some bloating associated, to be fair). The second week I lost nothing. The third week I started tracking my food and workout calories burned and… the diet took off! Maybe this is partly coincidence, but it is way less stressful knowing exactly what I have eaten and how much I have left, and I am really enjoying seeing the breakdown of cal/carbs/fat/protein/fiber by using an online counter. 

2. Frequent small cheats instead of one big cheat day.

I used to swear up and down I am all-or-nothing with food. I tend to binge, and having ANYTHING unhealthy in the house means I will binge on that, even if I don't like it that much. But this time I have been sipping Moose's booze, having a Werther's or two after dinner if I'm really craving dessert, eating bacon on the weekends. I count it all, and it really hasn't been hurting me, and my binge cravings have gone way down. I also haven't had a lot of temptation (by staying home and eating homemade meals), so we will see how it goes with a big party and Girls' Night coming up!

3. Reduced (not low) carbs.

I notice a big difference in the weigh-ins the morning after eating 120g of carbs vs. the 165g allotted to me by My Fitness Pal. And reducing carbs a little bit is WAY easier than a low carb diet (Atkins is about 20g of carbs a day). I am at the highest end of reduced carb diets (in The Zone), and I still feel healthy and like I am not sacrificing much food-wise because of carbs.

4. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day (even weekends!).

This is what any sleep doctor will recommend, and not only has it helped my sleeping issues, it helps fight off those late-night cravings and the late-morning so-hungry-going-to-die-must-eat-two-meals-of-food desperation after sleeping in.

5. Being excited about something that has nothing to do with diet or exercise.

I have a couple new sewing/art projects getting started and it has really improved my grumpy wah-I'm-dieting! mood. I feel like all I've done lately is think about and track food, so it is REALLY refreshing to focus on something else that is fun. I'm also really looking forward to my trip, focusing on the weather, activities, and socializing, and trying to ignore the weight/clothing/food issues associated with it!