Month One

Today starts a new month in my journey of weight loss and regaining my health.  I’m so happy that I’m making the choices that I’m making now as opposed to a month ago.  Just one month can really make a huge difference in your life, I’m finding out.  And I really like it.  I like that I have so much more energy than I had a month ago.  I like that I’m not just inhaling my food and I’m actually enjoying it now.  It no longer feels like an eating race when I go out to eat with friends as I scarf down everything on my plate before they’ve had a chance to eat just one thing on theirs.  My acid reflux that was bothering me quite severely and daily, now only bothers me slightly and occasionally.  My clothes are no longer tight and uncomfortable.  I have increased flexibility.

Something that I’ve noticed that I’m quite happy with is my desire for food is practically gone.  Sure, if I’m already eating something that is tasty, I have a hard time controlling how fast I eat it, but I’m not craving food like I was a month ago.  Things sound nice or yummy, but I don’t HAVE to have them.  And I most certainly don’t have to indulge in them and binge out on them.  I no longer spend my days thinking about what fattening, overwhelmingly flavored food I’m going to consume that evening or for lunch.  I am perfectly content getting a sub sandwich with healthy toppings and no mayo and no cheese on it.  Just mustard and some pepper are fine with me.  So it’s a good thing I like turkey with lettuce and tomatoes and onions.  I will probably have to skip the banana peppers that I love because they’re going to be high in sodium.  I could add cucumbers to the subs too!  And I already get the 9-grain bread.

When I go out to sit down restaurants (as I grew up calling them), I’m content with eating just half of what they bring me or, if they have it available, ordering the “lunch portion” of whatever it is I want to eat.  Or, if I’m lucky, they have a few healthier menu options that I can choose from, which takes the guess work out the equation for me.  And most of those places are steak houses or places that are known for their steaks…and I love a good steak!  One place serves up porkchops.  The plate comes with 2 6-oz chops, so I just save one for later when I eat there.

I’m looking forward to this Sunday (the Super Bowl!).  I’m planning to make a few little serving sized pizzas and some somewhat healthy chicken wings.  I’ve given myself “permission” to eat more than my usual amount of calories on Sunday.  I’m going to allow myself up to 2000 calories.  I usually eat around 1300.  I kind of doubt I will actually eat 2000.  I just don’t get the urge to eat more than I need to eat to make it through the day without feeling too hungry. 

I was just going to make one big pizza.  All from scratch, I might add, including the dough.  I like to make a whole wheat crust.  Then, spread on a light layer of tomato sauce.  Then I layer on as many veggies as I can…tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, maybe some asparagus and eggplant, definitely some spinach.  Then, I’ll put a mixture of goat cheese and part-skim mozzarella cheese on top.  I’ll still do the same toppings, but I think I’m going to make mini pizzas instead of one big one.  It’ll be easier when I go to eat the leftovers throughout the week afterward, to determine a serving size and how much to eat. 

The wings I’m going to be making, first, I’ll be using drummettes instead of actual wings.  But the flavor of the wings will be a Polynesian flavoring.  Sooooo good.  But they will be really easy for me to determine serving size.  I’ll just weigh them out and determine how many drummettes are so many ounces.

I’m having fun finding new recipes for cooking my lunches and dinners each week.  I recently bought a magazine called Cuisine.  There is apparently like 4 different versions of this magazine.  I bought the “Lite” version.  There was something like 50 recipes with less than 390 calories per serving in it.  I found about 20 recipes that looked like something I wanted to cook and eat.  I am happy that I’m taking such delight in my weekly cooking.  It really does make me feel better about myself.  I have control over everything that is going into my body.

I’m thinking of what else I can do to improve myself, to challenge myself.  I want to get the workout program P90X and give that a try.  I know that will push me to what I think my limits are and then push me a little further so I surprise myself with what I am actually capable of doing.  I am thinking about giving yoga a try.  There’s a place not too far away from my apartment that does yoga for $5 a session or $39 a month unlimited sessions.  I could do that twice a week. 

I’m excited to find out what my second month has in store for me.  Will February churn out another 13 pound loss for me?  Will February see me drop more inches and feel more energetic even that I feel now?  Will I be able to reach my goal of waking up by 6am on my days off instead of sleeping until 7 or 8?