September Goals

Ok, I've been watching way too much TV lately and vegging just too much. At first I blamed it on being tired from not eating enough. However, I think that is over now. I'm feeling a bit better and can get out and do stuff. So I need to set some goals for myself for the month of September. To stick to the goals, I will talk about them every Friday in this blog and show my progress.

September Goals

1. I want to lose 2 pounds a week - This one is very obvious but maybe writing it down will make it more real.

2. Bike to work once a week for the month.- I've been doing this most of the summer. I shouldn't stop now just cause it's a little colder. I just need to get enough food in my system before I leave.

3. Stick to the diet everyday - At first I wrote 80% of the days, then 90% of the days but I can stick to the diet 100% of the time. Just going to set my mind to it.

4.Exercise 5 days a week - Doesn't matter what kind of exercise. I might play wii, walk, a short bike ride, or weight lifting. Anything I do will be for at least 30 minutes. I just need to be more active than I have been.

5. Upload a photograph for every day of the week with a max of 5 on any day. Doesn't matter where I upload it to. It could be here or flickr or facebook but I have to take it with my good camera not my iphone. - My photography has really been lagging and if I"m going to get good at this I need to be committed to it.

6. Do something productive each week. - I have a whole list of things I would like to get done and cleaning house does not count.

First Day of the Diet

So good news this morning. I'm down 5.75 pounds since I started the diet last Wednesday. The number is a little fake cause I went at 10am to weigh this morning when I usually go after work at 6pm. However, I'll take it. It's very good news but I deserve it, I've been sticking to the plan.

Today was the first day on the new plan and I screwed up a little bit. I was suppose to go to the grocery store in the morning and then over to my friends in the afternoon. Instead my dad called and asked for help with his computer. So I did what I had to and stuck to the plan. I had two snacks with me which kept me going. We also went to Costco for lunch so I could get a chicken salad. I stayed on track with the food but I forgot my vitamins. I have to take 5 with each meal. I hadn't realized that before. Oh well, I think I will be fine for Tuesday when I weigh again.

One last thing, I did better today with the hunger. I had lots of energy and wasn't starving. I think this diet might just work out. I'm just going to trust in the process.

Meal Plan

So today was the training session for what my meal plan on Slim4Life will be. I have to say I"m a bit concerned but I will get to that soon.

The plan consists of a list of food items you can eat with the oz of each food item. Then I can eat so many servings of each food group like people with diabetes do.

Protein - I get two servings of protein a day. I can have many different kinds of proteins includes eggs, cottage cheese, beef, chicken, and fish. A serving size is 4 to 6oz depending on the protein. Beef I can't have more than twice a week and tuna I can only have once a week and they can't be on the same day or the next day. That will be interesting to figure out.

Vegetables - I get 3 servings of vegetables a day. The serving size is 1cup for raw and 1/2 cooked. Sugary vegetables like beets, corn, onions and potatoes are not included

Fruits - I get two fruits a day. I seemed to me like most fruit was included.

Starches - I get one starch a day. The starch is one slice of diet bread, rye crackers, sweet potatoes (but only once a week), 1/2 a corn tortilla, 2tbsp of bran flakes or brown rice (once a week). I have no idea how I'm going to do this one.

Diary - 8oz of milk a day. I've never really drank milk. This will be interesting.

I get one fat a day as well. Plus 2tbsp of fat free dressing.

Besides these foods I get two of the slim4life therma snacks during the day. They are things like chocolate bars, pretzels, chicken soups. They can be snacks or supplement a meal. I bought a cookbook that has some good ideas of things to make with the approved food and snacks. I'm looking forward to experimenting with that.

I also need to drink 80oz of water a day. The funny thing is that they don't recommend going over it. I can have two cups of coffee, unlimited tea, and up to 2 clear soft drinks. The caramel color in diet colas is suppose to hinder weight loss. I am very concerned about drinking over 80oz. I"m sure I drank over 100 today.

Last I have pills to take to boost weight loss as well as help your skin and mood. The total for the pills is 11 a day plus two energy drinks. I've already had one night where I forgot one set. Woops. I"ll have to figure out a way to remember them all.

So I'm sitting in this training session and here is what I'm worried about. Is this enough food? Am I going to be starving and lethargic every night like I was last night? I want to get out and ride my bike and be active but I can't do that if I have no energy. This diet is suppose to give you energy. Sure after I drink the energy drinks I feel better but I only get two of those. (See lime green drink from two days ago). I"m not going to last long on this diet if I don't feel better than I do now. I talked to the counseler about this. She said that if after three days I still feel bad they will put me in another plan where I get 3 proteins a day. I'm glad they are willing to work with me about this.

I woke up this morning with this thought. I'm going to trust this diet. This place has been around for 25 years. People have lost weight with it. They have several success stories. I just need to give myself up to the process. Don't second guess myself and try to get away with eating stuff off the plan. Just follow the plan and in less than 40 weeks I should be down to a weight that I'm happy with. I'm just going to take it one week at a time.