Week 1 Update:Success!

Okay, I'm a bit behind in my anticipated update on Monday, but here it is nevertheless.

Here's what I accomplished in Week 1:

1) Lost 2 pounds!
2) Only consumed 2 sodas
3) Accomplished my daily caffeine limitations and water intake each day

What I learned the most this week is that simply watching my diet and retraining my brain with my choices, I can make a difference! I haven't yet begun to my exercise routine, so I know my body change will be more significant once I am consistently exercising. I learned that making sure I am drinking at least 64 oz of water daily has diminished my snack cravings. Before last week I was always seeking some snack and never eating a full meal. Every 1.5-2 hours I was on the hunt in the fridge, cupboard, and pantry. Now, the water keeps me full (I think I've made a record number of trips to the bathroom, but I'm finally used to it) and I don't feel hungry. Crystal Lite has become my best friend. Every now and then when I don't feel like having just plain water, I mix up a individual packet into a water bottle. It's a nice treat with no sugar and only 5 calories.

The website www.my-calorie-counter.com has helped me to realize what I'm really putting into my body. You can create a free profile and enter your daily food intake. It will tell you how many calories, fat, etc. you are consuming. You can also enter your exercise and it shows how many calories it burns, in addition to keeping track of your weight loss and even your inches if you go that route. I don't always get everything entered for every meal/snack. But it is a dose of reality when you punch in what you've eaten and how many servings.

I need to make 2 changes this week as I continue on my journey. We ate out several times over the weekend and that needs to be limited even more; although I made good choices, not the best, but better. I have to make an effort to make it to the grocery store every few days so we have nutritious options. Shopping for a week or more of groceries is overwhelming for me, so I'm going to try small trips to only get what I need. I also have to establish an exercise routine. 1st stop: church aerobics from 6-7 pm on Tuesdays. I'm usually at church working on Tuesday night anyway. There no reason I can't go for aerobics, then do my work after that. So that's my first step for the next week. This week, I'm going to try and get a few walks in and at least one trip to the "Gym of Michael" at his parents house to lift some weights. Unfortunately his weight set won't fit in our house.

So, overall a great start to this adventure! I'm pumped to continue.