Eggs, Milk, Chicken, Oh my!

So I decided (thanks to the helpful words of a friend) that it's time to introduce more protein into my diet. A person who eats relatively healthy has no problem getting the recommended amount of protein for their day, but the more I'm learning about it, the more I see how it can benefit me in my weight loss goals. They make this whey protien powder, you mix it with water and drink it like a shake, and it has 25 grams of protein in it and about 130 calories. While I agree that you're getting more bang for your protien with that versus 200 calorie serving of peanut butter with 8 grams of protein, I'm learning that there are plenty of food choices that don't require me spending a somewhat ridiculous amount of money to get my protein intake up. So this morning I definitley jumped on the protein bandwagon.

16 oz skim milk: 160 calories, 16 grams protein
nutrigrain bar: 130, 2 g
1 egg: 70, 6 g
2 egg whites: 30, 8 g
2 slices whole wheat toast: 150, 7 g
1/2 an apple: 50, 0 g

So my breakfast total was a whopping 580 calories, give or take, and 39 grams of protein. From the research I've done, it's recommended that I get between 60-80 grams of protein a day. While a protein shake would be a quick and easy way to get me there, I think that I can find a way to squeeze it into my eating routine, especially if I drink milk with my meals. I read that cottage cheese has 15 grams per serving (1/2 cup) so that's another option for me. Eggs of course, but the yolks are high in cholesterol content. Chicken is really good for protein but.. i honestly just DON'T like chicken that much. I guess I could learn to love it. I don't mind the grilled chicken we have in our caf, but I rarely get to eat lunch and that's usually when they serve it.
I don't feel so bad about eating so much for breakfast, because I usually only eat two meals a day, with a nutrigrain bar in between to serve as a snack/lunch or whatever, and in all honesty, I probably do need to get my calorie intake up to keep my metabolism up. My weight was 154.2 this morning, but I've been feeling sluggish throughout the day and it's probably because i've not been eating enough. Shame on me, whatever. I'm so tempted sometimes to fall back in to my old eating habits of practically starving myself, but I know that's totally the not good, absolutley wrong, totally weak way to do it. But i  still think about it from time to time. Oh well, I'll just keep chuggin along, hopefully this protein intake thing will rev me back up and get me down to 150 quickly.

A Happy Medium

So i haven't posted in a few days; my weekdays are busy and I don't get much time anymore. My weight loss journey is continuing onward. I'm at 154.8 and i've lost a little more on my waist, it's 28.5". My mindset over the past few days has shifted from "omg I just worked out! AAHH I hate 20 minutes on the treadmill, etc." to an acceptance of the fact that this is what I have to do to reach my goals. It's like my friend was saying to me a couple of weeks ago.. She's made it such a part of her routine that it's just like going to class. And she's got an amazing body so I guess that works for her. I had a good weekend, my boyfriend and I went and worked out Friday night and Sunday afternoon, and we needed to. We went out to eat with his family Saturday night and as you know, Sunday was the Super Bowl and that always involves a lot of badforyou munchies and snacks. But, I felt no shame in induldging a little, becuse I knew that I was going to workout and keep my progress going. A year ago, if I had a "bad" day, I would have gotten discouraged and been like "oh well." But now I see that every day can't be perfect, I've gotta learn to be healthy in the real world, not just when I have the resources and the tools. Going out to eat is part of life, and I think i've learned to just take it in stride. So since I didn't eat right some of the weekend, yesterday morning I woke up at 6 and went to the gym. Got some cardio in, did a little lifting. I went last night again with my roommate. I know I shouldn't overwork myself, but it's recommended that I get at least 45 min of cardio in a day and some days I like to split it up. I'm able to run a mile now. it's a 10:20 mile, but it's still a mile. I would really like to run a 5k on the treadmilll, I think that's going to be one of my long term goals that I would like to accomplish by April or so.
So as you know I hate oatmeal, but I found an amazing flavor that I actually love. Its strawberries and cream, and I think it tastes delicious. 130 calories, pretty low in sugar, a few grams of fiber, whatever. But I was pumped because eating stuff that I despise gets old and makes me discouraged somtimes. I thought about going to workout this morning, but a friend of mine said that sleep is extremely important when trying to lose weight. My body needs time to recover from all the muscle tearing that I'm doing when I lift, and I didn't get much sleep at all Sunday night, so I let myself get a good night's rest last night and I feel great. There's not been any major setbacks or goals that I've reached so far, but the day I get under 150 will be a great day. I feel it coming soon, because I'm not getting burnt out or anything on eating well and working out, so I expect to reach that goal within the next week or so. I knew that this time was going to be it for me, I have the right tools, the right perspective on it, and I have an amazing support group this time. I know that I said that weight loss is an individual journey, but the more I think about it, the better it really is to have people to be on your side, hold you accountable, and to share your successes with. :)

Alis Volat Propriis

alis volat propriis: she flies with her own wings.

I love this phrase. I really believe women should be strong, empowered, and in control of their own lives. This quote has a balance of strength and grace, and I think it applies to my journey of bettering my health in a lot of reasons. Working out, dieting, and improving health isn't something that others can do for you. It's an individual journey. You can have all the support in the world, all the workout partners you can find, and you can be a member of as many online motivational groups as you want, but in the end, it's up to you. You decide what foods go into your mouth, which beverages you choose to drink, and whether or not to go to the gym. I wouldn't trade my roommates for anything; they are amazing workout partners. It's like a competition to see who can go the farthest/hardest/longest. And I love that. But there are some days when I just want to do a solo workout and push myself without having to worry about if they're ready to go, or if they want to go to a different part of the gym. And as far as eating goes, I don't like to have motivational partners or whatever when it comes to putting food in my mouth for a bunch of reasons. Everyone isn't going to want to eat salads and oatmeal all the time. I don't even like eating salads and oatmeal all the time. Sometimes, the pressure from other people to make healthy or unhealthy choices when it comes to eat is overwhelming.. everyone around you is eating a salad, and you're eating a big old cheeseburger with fries and dessert, or you're wanting more healthy choices and they're pigging out on the buffet. Also, if you make other people responsible for the food you eat, it takes the accountibility off  your shoulders and allows you to make excuses for why you're not seeing results.

But, regardless of what I think, there are people out there who need support and help to lose weight, and I totally respect that. Losing weight is hard, and if people are just taking the beginning baby steps to losing weight, I give major props to them. It's better to try to compelete the journey with someone else, rather than just not start it at all. :)

Conquering the beast

I'm sitting here eating oatmeal (hate it but it's so good for me, whole grains and fiber and all that) and I think I've hit my stride in weight loss, I'm almost sure of it. I decided yesterday that this week was going to be the week of results for me, and yesterday was an amazing start. I ate a breakfast of a blueberry muffin, a nutrigrain bar, and an apple. My water intake was close to 80 ounces, and for dinner I had a spinach salad, half a cheeseburger, and some cottage cheese. My roommate and I went to the gym last night and since there were no open treadmills when we got down there, I decided to get on the beast.. the elliptical. I hate the elliptical because it makes my feet fall asleep, and I feel like I look like a retarded gazelle on the thing. But, I wanted to get some cardio in, so I start the program. I did about 10 minutes, and my roommate switched to the treadmill next to me. "This isn't so bad," I thought.. so I proceeded to stay on the damn thing for 45 minutes. I did over 3 miles on the elliptical, and my roommate kicked some ass on the treadmill. We had such an amazing workout yesterday!! I didn't want to ruin the great day by snacking once I got back to the apartment, so I just sipped on some water and went to bed pretty early. This morning my weight was 156.6.  Hallelujah! Words cannot describe how excited I was to see that number on the scale. I think i'll definitely reach my goal of 155 by Friday. And my waist was 29.5, so I've lost like half an inch off my waist since I started this new weight loss journey. I hate that the happiness of my days are determined for a large part by my weight, but it's not really that.. It's more of the sense of accomplishment that I'm taking steps to make myself healthy. When I start doing weights on a regular basis, I realize that I might not lose as much but I'll look slimmer because of the whole muscle weighs more than fat but takes up less space thing. I'm just proud of myself, my commitment, and my overall view of this journey. Today will be a great day.