Things Are Looking Up!

I accidentally skipped a day! Woops! I was in a food coma hehe. 


1.03.12
I made myself coffee and some eggs again like the day before; with mushroom, peppers, and spinach. It was good but I'm starting to get tired of eggs so I didn't finish it all. One thing I've noticed since eating veggies and having a healthy breakfast every morning is that it sticks with me for quite a long time. Consequently, I was really not hungry again until dinner time. I know it isn't the best to go hours with out eating, but I truly did not have a taste for anything. About five hours after having breakfast I started to feel hungry, so I ate the baby carrots I had packed and felt deliciously satisfied. (I've recently discovered that I can eat carrots all day and night and not be tired of them! Yay!) I wasn't hungry again until it was time to cook dinner. For dinner we had one of my favorite meals: Spaghetti Squash and Red Sauce. It's a super simple meal and no pasta whatsoever! The spaghetti squash is literally a squash- so instead of eating starchy pasta with my sauce, I ate a veggie! I had some meatballs in the freezer and a couple jars of garden veggie sauce in my pantry, so I mixed them all together with some fresh red peppers and garlic and let them simmer while the squash roasted in the oven. It was so good. The best part was that I finally felt satisfied after a meal. Success!


1.04.12
Today started out a little off but ended great. I only had two eggs left so I just scrambled both up and added a little cheese, salt, and pepper, and ate them with some coffee on the side. I ate half of what I made, being that I was very turned off by the eggs. They are starting to gross me out, HA! Thus, I need to find some different breakfast option. Fruit smoothies on the horizon maybe? For lunch I ate a little salad and half of a chicken breast, still not quite hungry from the morning. However, the one thing that kept me focused all day was what I had planned for dinner. Dinner at Wing Dome! I realized I could eat wings- even though they aren't the healthiest, I feel as though I've put in lots of hard work so far and deserved a reward. Even though everyone else ate french fried along side their wings, I held strong and stuck to my wings and celery. I was even offered the tiniest morsel of a fry and I was able to turn it down. A very proud moment of mine! 


Some things I have noticed in the last few days:

• I am CRAVING red meat like I never have before. A big juicy steak sounds delicious!
• My clothes fit a little better! I am noticeably (by me) less bloated than usual. I can get used to this :-)
• I still really want and crave breads. Today I smelled a biscuit just to torture myself, LOL ;-)
• I've had more bursts of energy throughout the day but find myself very tired at night.

This IS getting easier as time goes on, but I still look forward to February's arrival. Later!

I'm Just Hungry.

Ah! Today is rough. I'm so hungry but honestly, fruits and veggies just don't sound satisfying. I had a late breakfast/early lunch today. I had scrambled eggs which consisted of two egg whites, one whole egg, a mushroom, a little red pepper, spinach and a little cheese (my guilty pleasure). They were seriously the most delicious eggs I have ever made for myself. I had a yogurt too. I never really felt satisfied though. I can't stop thinking about wanting toast, or a tortilla, or to devour the left over basmati rice and Indian food in the fridge. Today has been utterly exhausting and I might just call it a night early. I'm just thankful Boone decided to eat his Taco Bell at the restaurant because I am this close to crumbling! 

Just to Clarify...

January's challenge is No Carbs. Each month I will go into detail the terms of the current month's challenge. When I say no carbs, I mean no bread, pasta, or potatoes and potato products. Of course I know carbs are good for you and are essential for energy production. So, I have resolved to eat the fruits and veggies with carbs in them still as well as milk products. 

Today was the first day of the challenge and I found it to be very difficult! I started off strong with two over-easy eggs that my honey cooked for me. But I was so sad when I realized I couldn't have a piece of toast to accompany them. Nonetheless, I held strong and didn't break my oath. A little later, my best friend Taly (get used to that name, you'll read it a lot I'm sure) and I went to Starbuck's for some coffee. I was still hungry from earlier this morning so I grabbed a fruit and yogurt parfait. I had an inner debate with myself, and an outer debate with Taly and Boone (another name you should get used to) as to whether the granola could be considered a "bad" carb. We ultimately decided that the granola was safe to eat because it was a mixture of seeds and grains. However, I regretted it because I rationalized over it for so long. I should have followed my instinct and omitted the granola. This just means there is another rule to abide: follow my instinct. If there is any question, it's probably a no. Dinner was easy peasy though. Taly and I went to a restaurant down the street and I got a chef salad, dressing on the side, and no garlic bread. That was at around 4:00pm and I'm still stuffed. I am celebrating my minor successes and searching for inner strength for tomorrow. I think I see a lot of chicken and eggs in my future....

Getting Started: Each Month and the Challenge

Before I decided to do a year of 30 day challenges in place of a normal New Years Resolution, I had resolved to make it to the gym at least twice a week. I still want to make hitting the gym a healthy part of my lifestyle, so that resolution will remain as well as the monthly ones. 2012 is all about stretching myself to my limit and working to better myself overall. Here is the month-to-month break down:

• January: No carbs!
• February: Read the front page of the New York Times DAILY
• March: Eat a different dinner every night
• April: Lunges and push-ups everyday. 15 more after it starts to hurt
• May: Spend 30 minutes a day on a DIY project
• June: Take vitamins everyday
• July: Drink eight 8oz glasses of water a day
• August: Get some sun!
• September: Run 50mi
• October: Style my hair everyday. No putting in a bun and calling it good
• November: Read for 30 minutes a day
• December: Write down/acknowledge something I am grateful for everyday.

I know some of these seem less challenging than others, but the fact of the matter is, they are all going to be equally as challenging for me. See you in January!