has super typing fingers.....

Eeeeeckkkkk! Thunder and lightning so very very frightening!

Wake-up: 5:10am.  That’s extra early.  It was storming really badly this morning and it woke me up.  I figured I might as well get up and start my day!

The grumpies are gone for the most part…..

Shower…. Coffee 1½ TBSP of SF non-dairy creamer + 2 sweeteners

Make-up, get dressed, put hair in pony tail, put on running shoes, pack breakfast lunch and snacks, drive to work….

Breakfast: 1 frozen breakfast sandwich (muffin/cheese/egg white/Canadian bacon) + 1½cups of seedless grapes

I really do love these breakfast sandwiches. The convenience alone was worth the cost.  I might try to make some on my own once these are gone…

Snack: 6 celery chunks 1 single serve PB

**TIP: Measure out your peanut butter.  Before I started this journey I probably would have just sat down and dipped out a big glob of peanut butter.  That’s a no no!  Peanut butter is great!  It is high in protein and you can get sugar free, low sugar, low sodium, low fat, all natural… There is a great variety to peanut butter.  That said all peanut butter is extremely calorie dense.  This means for the amount of food you get the calories are high.  1 serving of peanut butter is only 2 leveled off tablespoons.  This is not a lot of peanut butter, but if you dip your celery or apple in to it you can make it go a long way!

**Weighing your food: This brings me to my next topic.  If you are struggling to lose weight and you feel like you are eating healthy and you aren’t sure why the pounds aren’t coming off you may want to invest in a food scale.  I bought mine for $5 at our Dollar General.  Once you start weighing and measuring food you’d be amazed how much you are over eating or at least I was amazed.  I would eat 1 large chicken breast and think that that was good it was one serving.  Most large chicken breasts are 2-3 servings and can add up to 400 calories.  I try to weigh or measure most of my food.  The only area I usually ‘guesstimate’ would be things like celery, onion, green peppers, mushrooms.  These things are extremely low in calories.

**All food:  Yes all food has calories.  It drives me insane when people say things like celery doesn’t have any calories… Lemons are a zero calorie food…. Lettuce has no calories…. This is incorrect.  While there are some foods that are extremely low in calories, mostly fresh whole vegetables they all have some calories.  I track all food that I eat.  Even if it is just one lone celery stick!

Ok I’m done ranting about those things now J……

Lunch: a giant salad! Mmmmmmssss

2cups of lettuce mix, 3 celery chunks sliced up, ½ of a green pepper, ½ of a tomato, 4oz of grilled chicken breast, and 3 TBSP of Kraft Light Italian dressing…. Allllll shook up!

This was soooo tasty and refreshing…. The grilled chicken was a left over from the other night.  I like to make large packs of chicken on the grill at one time then I can pull out as much as I need for salad, sandwiches, and wraps throughout the week!

Snack: ½ of a 100 calorie bag of popcorn! I also took a couple of bites of oatmeal.  And made a cup of coffee 1 TBSP creamer with a sprinkle of cinnamon! Again all day I’ve been very hungry.

How to make your boss embarrassed about your weight: Tomorrow we are having a food day…. My boss’s boss was going around and asking everyone what they were bringing…. I said that I wasn’t participating…. When she asked why I told her because ‘I would just binge eat anyways’.  It wasn’t the most tactful answer, but I get tired of people trying to push food on me and not realizing that yeah I have a serious food issue. You don’t get to be over 200lbs and not have a serious food issue. And the binge eating answer is the truth of it. I have ate my entire day away on food days at work. I refuse to allow myself to ever have that personal shame again. If that means not participating to safe guard myself so be it.  People don’t understand that when you have food addiction one bad choice can wreck months of progress.  This is not a diet for me this is a new way of looking at food and exercise.  For the first time in a long time I actually feel some control over my food and what I am choosing instead of just grasping for anything I can get my hands on.  I fear that one bad choice at this point and I would be back on a spiral of binge eating and fad dieting and then just giving up.  I’m doing my best to stay close to the Lord, to stay strong in his love, to know He is always faithful, and to know He expects more of me.

Gym: Today I decided to really work out as hard as I could.  Since I will not have a work out tomorrow!  Weights: 15minutes of upper body weights Treadmill: 30 minutes at an average speed of: 2.7  Bike: 15 minutes with a total of 2.5 miles completed 

Tomorrow I’m giving blood for the first time ever! YIKES! IMMA SCURED!!! Anyways they said ‘you can’t exercise for 24hrs’ so I will be chillin’ and ‘laxing on the sofa Friday night!

I made a quick pit stop at ‘The Vitamin Shoppe’ which is right next door to the gym…. I bought some natural energy drinks…. We shall see how those work out for me tomorrow!!!!

Dinner: Tonight for dinner is an ohhhhh so ah-mazing I-talina dinner! Mmmmm

2 cups of broccoli, 1 cup of whole wheat gnocchi, 4oz of grilled chicken breast, 1 TBSP of Wal-mart brand ‘cardio smart’ spread(mixed in the gnocchi), 1 TBSPs of parmesan cheese(sprinkled on the gnocchi and broccoli).

This was amazing! I loved the whole wheat gnocchi. My BF said that it had a slight oatmeal taste… I thought it had a slightly off texture…. Will I eat/buy this this again?!?!? OH HECK YES!!! It was soooo filling and satisfying! YUMS!

Now for my final topic of the day….  Processed food…. A reader suggested that I try a ‘clean’ diet.  I agree that clean diets have an amazing benefit to our bodies.  Fruits, veggies, protein, and grain are what God intended for us to eat and our bodies to be able to process.  However over the years man made food that was tasty and good and fattening and unhealthy and addictive.  For me my journey isn’t about always eating the healthiest foods.  It’s about losing weight and strengthening my bond with Christ.  Getting healthy is a benefit I hope to find in the process of that journey.  I am finding a balance between whole and natural foods and manmade delicious foods.  I tried the ‘whole/organic/clean’ diet for about 3 days.  It drove me nuts.  I felt like I was deprived and starving.  This leads me to binging….  Also…. It had ill-effects with my IBS.  There is only a certain amount of veggies I can eat a day before things in my body go out of whack.  I may not always eat the ‘healthiest’ foods but I do always strive to meet a specific calorie and exercise goal.  I am also working on controlling a severe pattern of binge eating in my life and emotional eating as well.  Please remember everyone is different with what they are able/like to eat and works for their individual body.  This is my diet and my journey.  It works for me on a personal individualized level.  I thank the individual who recommended this as it gave me a chance to clarify my mission which is to lose weight through the help of Christ, hopefully helping others along the way! I always appreciate your suggestions and tips for food, diet, and exercise!

Calories: I have enough left that I may eat a 100 calorie chocolate ice cream bar or…. An 80 calorie frozen fruit bar….mmmmm I love tasty frozen treats!

Calories I'm at 1367 I have just over 300 left! 

Water: I’ve drank well over a gallon…. I sometimes think the more water I drink the thirstier I am!

Praises: So thankful for all the power God is giving me.  I know that may seem odd but 6months ago I would have participated in that food day tomorrow and gorged myself into a world of misery.  I wouldn’t have stuck up for myself. I certainly would have never admitted that I am recovering food addict.  See God gave me this power… A power to speak the truth from my soul, to heal from the inside out, and to forgive not only those who have wronged me but most importantly to forgive myself.  God has made this road for me to travel back to Him.   God gave us all this power for we know that in Him we are always made new, we are always loved by Him, and we are never alone no matter how alone we feel!

~XOXO~