Last Week!

Well, it's the last week of the program. I'm not sure if I've accomplished my weight goals (my scale and Lyle's scale are completely different). I do know that I have an entirely different relationship with food. Before, I spent most of my morning deciding what I was going to eat for lunch and then the afternoon deciding what to do about dinner. Now that I bring my lunch - the decision is made and I don't have to think about it. My dinner options are limited to fish or chicken, so there's not a lot of work there either. I purchased about 6 bags of frozen vegetables this weekend, so usually if I can't decide what to eat, I just close my eyes and stick my hand in the freezer. Whatever I pull out is what I eat. I limit the amount of starches - mac & cheese, rice-a-roni, etc., so there's not a lot of work there either.

When I started this, I was very concerned that I would not be able to accomplish the diet portion of the program. I knew that as long as I had an appointment to work out, I would go. We originally (my sister and myself) were supposed to go to Lyle for personal training twice a week, but his schedule got full and we had to stop going. The other option was to go to bootcamp, but I didn't want to work out that late. Usually, this would be enough for me to throw my hands up and say "forget it, its just not for me to lose weight". Instead, I got my YMCA catalog and picked out 2classes that worked for me. I now go to three classes and I'm at the "Y" 5-6 days a week.

Since I've started the program, I've been able to follow the diet. I don't follow it to the letter, but I do have a the required proteins, veggies, fruits etc., per day. Somedays it seemed like too much food and I've actually cut back a little. I can say that other than work lunches, I've not eaten any fast food while I've been at work. That is unheard of for me! I normally eat out 4-5 times a week and at least 2-3 times on the weekend. There have been weeks, where I've eating out twice a day all week! Now, I can't imagine doing that. I keep grilled chicken and fish in the freezer along with canned soup (which I only use as a backup due to the sodium content), veggies and I'll buy "kits", like ckicken fijita that I can throw in the microwave quickly. Fast food gave me the ability to not have to think about what I wanted to eat. I know when I go to McDonalds it's nuggets, fries soda - every time. I was just lazy. It takes time to plan meals, shop and prepare food.
Now, with my current system - I can go from freezer to table in about 15 minutes, the food is good and I don't feel guilty. I'm not going to say I'll never eat fast food again, because I will. But it will be an exception and not a rule.

So, even if I don't reach the magical 10 pounds, I know that so far I've lost 3 inches from my waist, 2 inches from my hips and 1 inch from my chest. I've also gained control over my eating and lost the craving for fast food. For, me that makes me a CHAMP!