Good and bad.

Good news about my diet: 

having restrictions means that I now have to think outside the box. I actually have more variety in my foods because I'm forcing myself to do fruits and vegetables instead of "hmmm. There's leftover spaghetti. Yes please." It's a pleasant and rewarding challenge to find fun things that I enjoy that won't make me go overboard in calories, fat, (complex) carbs, etc. ergo, I am officially enjoying my diet. 

Bad news: 

I had rice last night for the first time in a couple weeks. Just a bite. It tasted... Wrong. And this morning I had a tortilla with my eggs. Just because. And because I hope to do more walking today to "justify" it. Normally, a tortilla is one of my favorite things on the planet and one of my favorite forms of complex carbs. This morning, it was altogether bland and unexciting and thoughoughly a waste of my caloric intake. I'm disappointed in my taste buds. 

So I'm happy my body and tongue are enjoying the new lifestyle, but I'm a little sad that it doesn't even miss the old stuff. 

Below is a picture of my delicious lunch yesterday: carrot juice, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries. Nothing processed. All done with my juicer or magic bullet. 

Ok get this

I'm really proud of my mom. She's made the decision to do her best to change her diet to the same as mine and therefore when my dad eats at home, he is on the same diet too. I'm more resourceful at finding recipes that fit the diet. So I get the ideas for dinner, and mom and I take turns cooking the food. 

So when Mom was telling Dad that she wanted to make it a family diet, not just for weight loss, but also for dad's diabetes and cholesterol, wanna know his reaction?

"Well, you know I weigh less than both you and Bekah."

Mom was ready to either slap him or cry. And I would've too. I don't really have much to say beyond that. I mean, I call it a funny story, but it's sad and hurtful too. It's statements and responses like that which is why I've struggled to lose weight for 15 years. 

Best diet food ever!!!!

I call it a "Lettuce Burrito"

Ground turkey, enchilada sauce, jalapeño, cheese, tomato, beans and sour cream. Mush all together and slop into lettuce. YUMMMMMM

Workout day 1!!!

Wake up at 5:00 am. Yay! 

People, this is extreme sarcasm. I am not a morning person. The only thing that encouraged me to wake up was the fact I would see the sunrise. 

So here it is: 7:42 am. I have completed my workout for the morning. And I am thrilled to eat breakfast. Of course, what's open at this time except McDonald's? Denny's. So I'm eating everything breakfast-y on the menu that I am allowed: egg whites, cheese, bacon, spinach, tomato, and yogurt. Bonus about being awake now, I can go home and do school work. I have no excuse not to. 

As far as the workout goes. I did well. My body has more endurance and it's such an amazing feeling to NOT be on the verge of tears everytime I'm on the treadmill or bike or something. This first month is focusing on weight loss, then add toning and muscle after that. My favorite part of the workout was when I could be outside. My lungs recovered faster (they didn't go into asthma attack mode, but they were pushing), my heart rate slowed, and body temperature dropped. I may despise my alarm clock, but I might grow to love my morning exercise. 

Restarting the weight loss counter: 

Started: 244

Today: 244

Lost: 0

Goal: 150

To go: 94

Also. Sometimes I just love the support of strangers. Police officer greeted me as I walked into Denny's and my server is "envious of this breakfast." He was doing everything he could to help me put together a healthy and delicious meal. 

Back on this stupid diet

I'm not usually the type of person to be miserable on a diet. Yes, I love food and I love the foods that are bad for me, hence why I need a diet anyways. But I work with it and I have a positive (yet snarky) attitude because I know this will have results. So now that we're back for round 2, let's recap my dietary needs. 

WATER* - need lots of that

GREEN TEA** - good antioxidants and is a good appetite suppressant. Other tea is good too, but green is the best for diet.

NO SODA* - I can do this. 

NO BREAD** - this one is killer. I was told one thing at a time, but I don't want to constantly be changing and adding to my diet. So as little as possible bread, pasta, and rice and probably potatoes. 

NO RED MEAT*** - no burgers, steaks, or other beefy things. I have a fatty liver. So fish, chicken, and turkey is ideal. And I allow pork. 

NATURAL FOODS as much as possible* - don't need expensive organic. But choose to cook at home. Instead of buying a jar of sauce, make my own sauce. A lot of this isn't just a health thing, but also a monetary thing. Restaurant food can cost 10 times more than home food. 

* - requirement from myself

** - requirement from personal trainer

*** - requirement from Dr (GP)

I list these things because here on the first day, I'm having troubles finding a recipe that fulfils all my requirements. The hard thing is that I live with my parents. It's not that they don't support me, but they don't want to be on a diet. We are a family unit that eats together and tries to do as much as possible together. The dinners that come from this house are meals for the whole family. I can't make 2 separate meals- one for my parents that they want, and one for me that I need. Sure, I would love for us to go on a family diet, but it's not realistic for me to force my family to do something they don't want, especially when I'm the child, not the matron/matriarch. Maybe when I have a family on my own, but not now. So I'm at a loss for what to do in this diet situation. 

I would love to go biking on this trail. 

First Day Back!!

...Kinda...

It's funny, when I was injured, it was May 5, 2014. I did my workout in the morning, and then had the last women's event (Coffee Break) for the school year. It was at that event that I fell.
Today, October 6, 2014, going back nearly exactly 5 months later, was Coffee Break's first night back for the school year. Oh, the irony.

As I was doing things, stuff kinda felt surreal. I mean, I had been doing physical therapy, but part of my kept thinking, "Holy crap, 5 months ago, I could not bend my knee."

Today was ridiculous improvement since I had last worked with my trainer. I didn't use my inhaler, but I lasted longer on the treadmill and my asthma was kept at bay. My weight is the same, but according to my trainer, my friends, my parents, and my myself, it looks like I had still been losing weight. I call it "fat displacement" but apparently, I'm more "toned" and bully myself. Also, my knee doesn't hurt, and the normal cramping in my legs in less. I'm so excited to get back on track to health again.

I came home and had some mint green tea. I had a lot of iced tea this summer. Homemade, not super processed and sugared up. But this was the first good cup of hot tea that I've had in months. Totally relaxed me. My brain is still awake though, so I might do some writing. It's a new chapter in my life and I'm eager to be as productive and constantly improving as I hope to be.