healthy homemade lasagna.  i might write up my recipe later on.

it’s been a long time since i posted, but as an update, i started using the loseit app and it’s really been helping.  with my crazy work schedule, i haven’t had time to go to the gym, so my main source of exercise is walking (if i walk to and from work, i burn a little under 400 calories).  i’ve been using the app to keep track throughout the day.  i like that it has the “scan barcode” feature, which recognizes a lot of more obscure foods.

the other thing i’ve continued doing is eating mostly homemade stuff.  yogurt and granola are my typical breakfast (though today i had cereal).  i usually have a PBJ for lunch (and sometimes homemade juice as a snack).  and then for dinner, i have something i’ve prepared that i can eat all week.  this week, it’s actually a pretty rich meal — lasagna — but it’s still helping me keep the weight off and lose it a little at a time.

one thing i’ve noticed is that i have to really appreciate all the small changes.  the truth is, just by watching what i’m eating and keeping track of my calories, i’ve already lost 7 pounds this year.  and that’s with my awfully busy schedule.  having come this far (almost 1/3 of the way to my ultimate goal) has made me realize that i can definitely do this.  i can lose 30 pounds this year.  once the summer comes around, i hope my schedule will calm down a little to allow me to go to the gym.  either way, i’m happy and determined.

(Source: nathenatia.com, via fitmotherfucker)

ok i haven’t been posting that regularly, but i’m still kind of following my plan.  clearly, i haven’t lost enough to post changes, but that’s okay with me for now.  some stressful and emotional things have happened over the past few weeks but i’m here today.  i guess that’s at the heart of my weight loss plan.  i have to honor myself on the days when i can and the days that i only give 10% or 15%, those are good too.

this week, my plan is to eat 3 meals but not snack in between.  and also to eat as much home-cooked food as i can.  three days in a row for lunch, i had leftover pasta/turkey/veggies that i made over the weekend.  it’s the kind of thing i would think of as something that wouldn’t help me lose weight, and yet i’ve come back down to 158, so i’m happy.

workouts: walked 2 miles

water: 48 oz

breakfast:

• antioxidant berry punch — 200 cals
• 1/2 a green juice — 11 cals

lunch:

• chicken and mushroom soup — 205 cals
• turkey salad on brioche —267 cals
• cappuccino — 61 cals

snack:

• eclair — 220 cals
• 1/2 a cookie — 30 cals
• 1 tea

dinner:

• side of mac n cheese — 125 cals
• beef kibbeh — 174 cals

TOTAL: 1293 cals

reflections: geez… i barely know what to say about yesterday.  all of my meals came from places that make their food from scratch and use whole ingredients, but that doesn’t mean i ate very healthy.  i think one of the most important parts of this particular practice of food journaling is that it helps me look back and think about the decisionmaking that accompanied my eating.  i have to ask myself how i can make different food choices and what compels me in those weaker moments.  and i need to drink more water, too.

workouts: walked 1 mile

water: 32 oz

breakfast:

• loftus muffin — 250 cals
• 1 tea

lunch:

• sweet green salad w/shrimp and avocado — 490 cals
• can of ginger ale — 124 cals

dinner:

• margherita pizza —290 cals
• ginger ale — 93 cals
• tira misu — 160 cals

TOTALS: 1408

Reflections: clearly, one part of this is that i need to start drinking more water and being more careful what i put into my body.  on this day, i was so nauseated from my lunch that i ended up having to drink ginger ale twice to calm my stomach.  in retrospect, maybe ginger or mint tea would have had a similar effect without the sugar and calories.

workouts: walked 2 miles

water: 48 oz

breakfast:

• 2/3 starbucks butter croissant — 184
• 1 tea

lunch:

• 4 chicken fingers — 240
• fries — 20
• honey mustard — 110
• 10 oz coke — 125

dinner:

• green juice — 100 cals
• raw carrot cake — 150 cals

TOTAL: 929 cals

okay — i took a couple weeks off, but i’m back now and i’m ready to do this.  i completely stopped working out and i gained 2 lbs back.  anyway, i’m just gona keep pushing forward…

(Source: healthyforthealtar)

workouts: walked 5 miles

water: 80 oz

breakfast:

• mushroom and gorgonzola frittata — 270 cals
• 1 piece french toast — 149 cals
• tea — 0 cals

lunch

• turkey burger (half bun) — 318 cals
• caesar salad — 132 cals
• mimosa — 115 cals

snacks, like all fucking day long

• big latte — 220 cals
• ginger marscapone bar — 185 cals
• piece of carrot cake — 235 cals

TOTAL: 1624

reflection: (a) thank god i weigh myself on saturday MORNINGS because the past couple weeks, my saturdays have been pretty indulgent. (b) as much as i shake my head at some of the food decisions i made today, i note that i also ended up walking 5 miles completely by accident and burned like 400 cals in the process - yay.  i want to get back into working out, but while i’m not in that mindset, i’m okay with what i’ve been doing.  as of today, i’ve lost a total of 5.5 lbs… not bad for 2 weeks, right?  i want to keep going, to keep pushing forward.  i mean, i can see a difference in my face already and i realized today that losing about 6 lbs means i’ve already met like, 20% of my goal — that makes me feel pretty ambitious… i feel like i really can just keep going.  and it partly makes me wonder why i didn’t start earlier, but oh well.  no time like now.