Song of the day: "Seize the Day" from "The Newsies" (a great, yet underappreciated musical from Disney ca. early 1990s)

This song is also on my running play list, and serves a multitude of purposes.  Primarily, it simply reminds me that there is no better time to start improving myself and taking care of myself than the present.  Secondly, it reminds me that there are people who are facing much more difficult challenges, and so surely, I can handle a weight/health issue.

I've been distracted by life lately, and not able to follow my diet as closely as I would like.  Other things have gone well this week, and I have maintained my weight, which is a feat in itself.  So far, I have been following Dr. Fuhrman's diet about 75% of the time for the last 5 weeks, and have lost 6 lbs, total.  It is not at as quick a pace as he suggests, but it actually fits the pace of 1-2 lbs/wk, which is generally recommended as a safe rate.

One way that I have changed, and for the better, is the amount of indulging that I partake in.  I still eat french fries, and butter every now and then, but only a very little bit.  I used to fall into the temptation of an entire order of fries or 2-3 dinner rolls with butter.  The craving used to be so strong, but now, I am able to exercise self-control without too much effort to stop at a couple of french fries or half a piece of bread.  I think that if I didn't indulge at these little times, I would end up binging on crap at some breaking point.

I also document when I have exercised or eaten well.  When I get discouraged, I take a look at my designated calendar pages, and remind myself, that yes, I did it one day, and I can do it again.  By nature, I am an eternal optimist, so this works in my favor.  But I understand that it is easy to become down on yourself when you "mess up" now and then.  That's fine, but let that influence be 10% of your energy and motivation, not 90%.

Until next time..

Song of the day: "Under the Sea"

Reason behind the song of the day: I ran outside today, and it was INCREDIBLY hot and humid.  Later, today, I took a "Broadway Blast" class at Bella Forza Fitness in Hyde Park, Cincinnati (Class Descriptions) with my Groupon, and one of the songs used was "Under the Sea."  It summed up today, perfectly.

Sooo....it's been so very long.  This started out as an ill attempt at documenting my journey through weight loss and reclaiming my health and body.  However, grad school got in the way and I wasn't really excited about this until I started to make some progress, finally.  Throughout the last year, I've become a runner and I worked out sporadically; it truly only became a regular thing in the last month, though.  Let me cut to the chase; I've started following Dr. Fuhrman's book, Eat to Live at the recommendation of my older sister, who saw it on Dr. Oz.  I did not read the book cover to cover, and I do not follow it 100%, but the premises are very easy to apply to my current lifestyle, and it's easy to understand.

I have tried Weight Watchers, low carb, sheer self-discipline and will power, monetary rewards, etc., etc., but the battle has always defeated me.  I now feel as if I am making some headway, and the biggest change to come from incorporating Dr.. Fuhrman's advice is how much better I feel about myself.  My energy is up, I don't need as much sleep, and I just feel a little brighter.  I just started this 3 weeks ago, and I'm not aiming to lose more than 3 lbs. a week as his book is designed to help make happen, but I am averaging more than 1 lb. a week.  I also pair his book with Myfitnesspal.com so that I can track my net calories per day.

I feel like I could write about every detail of how I've changed my diet/lifestyle, but here's the gist:

-I drink more water
-I exercise 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes at a time
-I eat at least 4 fresh fruits a day
-I eat soy based and plant based protein, mostly
-I stay away from additional sugar, fried foods, oil, excessive salt, eggs, white flour, red meat, and poultry most of the time (I haven't been able to dispel cheese and the occasional seafood, chocolate, or bread from my diet...but I have still made progress!)
-I journal about what I've done well, each week

Today, I worked out twice and didn't have any cravings at all.  This is so different than how I was just about 4 or 5 weeks ago.  Food does not rule my life.  I enjoy planning meals and cutting my fruits and veggies ahead of time, but I'm not being too obsessive.  I can't wait to see where else this transformation takes me.

Oh, and side note, I have watched all of "Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition" Ssn. 2, and each and every show is so inspiring.  I feel as if these people can lose half of their weight, I can lose 50 lbs, which is what was recommended to me by my PCP.  I don't have Chris Powell to keep me going, but I have their stories to remind me that I CAN keep going.  And like them, I decided to visually document my weight loss, by taking a picture in my bra and shorts in 5 lb. intervals.  This, coming from a girl who used to be afraid to look in the mirror fully clothed.  It truly astonishes me how much I have changed.