Day by Day

I haven't really "felt" like I'm on any sort of diet or like I've changed my way of eating. Which really gets me down - because I want the change to be so drastic that it's all I think about and that Im so proud of. But what I have been doing is just making smaller, healthier, choices day by day.

When we went grocery shopping over the weekend I opted for more healthier drinks, snacks, and foods for meals rather than the fast & easy to cook pizzas, french fries, and soda. And so far, pretty much every day this week I have made great meal choices.

Stonyfield Smoothies - which come in all sorts of flavors; berry, mixed berry, strawberry, strawberry-banana and more. They are 200 calories each which seems like alot but considering I do not eat breakfast in the morning it works for me. I just focus more on looking beautiful so I dont have enough time to eat a bowl of cereal or cook me some eggs.... its great to grab and drink on the go, or what I do when Im thirsty in the morning at the pharmacy. It's just like a more liquidy, milky, yogurt.

V8 Fusion Light - which also comes in all sorts of flavors. To be honest, I havent indulged in this drink much this week since I bought it. Normally I would have it with breakfast or lunch but considering Ive been working alot of day shifts I haven't even had a sip yet. But my husband loves it and  and its low in calories as well.

Silk Light Chocolate Milk - I love chocolate milk and because I was on my period when I went grocery shopping I just had to get some. This is something new to me and I was worried about the taste. But it tastes great. And it is only 90 calories for an 8 oz cup so you cant go wrong or feel guilty :)

Gatorade - The only choice I made this week that had no calories at all. I drink this when I come home from work and sit down to watch some tv. In a big glass with ice, rather than the usual soda. It's a great alternative and it also replenishes your electrolytes, thats why alot of athletes choose it.

WW Dark Chocolate Raspberry Pops - These are only 80 calories per pop and a great replacement for ice cream or a chocolate fixing in the middle of the night! This has been my dessert after dinner almost every day this week... eeeeek! But I very rarely every buy chocolate or snacks or icecream for that matter so this was a little reward to myself for once.

 

Salad, Onions, and Peppers - Absolutely my favorite food accessory! You can pretty much add onions and peppers to any meal. I have them in my egg omelette in the morning, I put them in my sandwich for lunch, and I have them with any meal for dinner. Sliced red and green peppers are also good for snacking on with a little bit of dip for lunch or on the go in a container. And ofcourse, salad is a great side dish for anything after noon time! Although lettuce has no nutritional value, the darker the greens, the better antioxidants for you, and onions and peppers have pretty much NO calories so that's a plus!

 

Strawberries and Grapes - I like to mix up my fruits alot. I get bored with just eating one of something, and I get tired of seeing the same thing week after week. This week I went for grapes and strawberries. I brought them to work with me every day to snack on and they also did a great job quenching my thirst! Next week I might do some melon and berries.

Ciabbata Rolls - I just love carbs :(  And so far I can't seem to give them up. But I do have an idea to cut them out of my diet, which Ill touch base on in a few more paragraphs. But for now.... every day this week I have had turkey breast, jalapeno cheese, and sprouts on a ciabbata roll for lunch at work. Easy to make and tastes delicious. A few times I threw some jalapeno spread on there to boost my metabolism, and one day I had my home made chicken salad on a wheat wrap instead. And I just love all crunchy things - so chips and salsa is also my favorite side dish for lunch. I'd like to try and get away from chips altogether, but it just hasnt happened for me yet. Like I said people, day by day, small, healthier, choices. And eventually I will get it all right!

A customer at work did buy us two boxes of chocolates, which out of 100 pieces I probably had ten. Which then made my stomach hurt and I regret eating them. Not ten at once either, this is a span of about 4 days. Anyways - then I had to get my hubby McDonalds for dinner and I chose not to eat any, which was great mind control for me, that was VERY hard. I have also chose not to drink any soda at work this week which was great. Instead I had a few vitamin waters, poland spring, and ofcourse my smoothies. I think that I have been doing a great job making small, healthier, choices and I look forward to weighing myself and seeing some pounds drop soon..... hopefully ;D

Now - let me talk about my

14 DAY CHALLENGE idea!

 

Yesterday I posted on my facebook that I was thinking about doing a 7 day detox diet, which everyone scrutinized and critisized. But whatever, I am still going to do it, starting next Wednesday.

But then after that I have decided I am going to challenge myself to different 14 day challenges. Here are a list of what I have come up with already:

• 14 Days of Gluten free foods
• 14 Days of all Water (no soda, no juice, etc)
• 14  Days of  no Meats
• 14 Days of no Carbohydrates

If there are any other diet fads you can think of, that I should do 14 days of, please comment.  I think it would be a great mind and control challenge for me, itll help me to lose weight, detox my body of those foods, and because its only 14 days I think I will be succesfull. I have found that long term goals do nothing for me. Short term is best so far.

Anyways - its almost noon time and I have to work 3-10 tonight so I am off to shower, toodles.

7 Day Food Detox

First, I'd like to thank Miss Haneefa for this idea. I came across it just a few minutes ago and it gave me inspiration. She has lost 6 pounds in the last 3 days since starting her seven day food detox! Kudos to her! I will be following her next 4 days to see how she does.

Thinking about doing it myself, I needed more information first. I found what seemed to be a great explanation of the 7 DAY DETOX at The Raw Divas websites, along with a 10 Day Juice Cleanse, but Im pretty sure you have to pay to get "their secret" so.....then I found a website on every DETOX diet known to man, at EveryDiet.org which gave me way too much information that it was hard to look at- so I moved on to other websites! Here is a boy that is already two months into his raw diet, which is similar to a detox diet - Easy Raw Food Detox Diet. He has a great site with ALOT of useful information but Im not going long term with this, unfortunately.

Then finally, because I couldnt find any information quickly to help me with my own 7 day detox, I went to the same site that Miss Haneefa found found her information, over at Toca Reno's Blogspot. Which is great!

Here is a run down of the 7 day detox diet:

Days 1 and 2: Stick to Liquids

Water, lemon squeezed water, herbal teas, juicy leafed greens, or bone broth.

Days 3 to 7:  Brown rice, Fruits, and Veggies

You can add up to 1 cup of brown through out the day. Try to eat organic produce/fruits. And only healthy oils like olive, avocado, or coconut oil. Eat portion sized meals as large as your hand. Do this 6 times a day, which will give you 6 small meals per day.

Tips:  Consider herbs and supplements. And alot of vitamin c. 

Now, Im just trying to decide WHEN I actually want to DO this! Part of me says, start today? Why put it off another day? Isn't that how we all fail? Because we put things off and say, maybe tomorrow? The only problem is - starting on my day off which is Friday, I will have a short 5 day vacation. Do I really wanna go through out the 4th of July weekend and my mini vacation starving and depriving myself of what I love? No. Thats why I think I should start next Wednesday. And then..... starting on July 17th I am participating in a 14 Day Slimdown in my city with an old friend who works for Herbalife that will be our weightloss coach. I am really excited. Although, fourteen days doesnt seem like enough time for me to lose weight. But I suppose if I do the 7 day detox next week - itll give me a great kick off :)

Here are a few of my favorite pictures of the hubby and I this year. Taken in April at his father's wedding. Not too often will PJ pose for a picture with me, so I really love these photos. I think I look great, until I look down at my thunder thighs! Uggggh. I just hate my thighs and these pictures will serve as inspiration to lose weight. So I just wanted to share them with y'all :)

This is me - weight 273ish at 5 feet tall and 4 inches

This will be a great time for me to start the 7 day detox (on Wednesday, July 6th. Because then - on Sunday, July 17th)  I am also starting my 14 Day Weightloss Challenge with an old friend, Chanel, an Herbalife constributor and weightloss coach.

Strive For 5

CVS Caremark Challenge

Incase you weren't aware, Im a pharmacy technician for CVS and I just received an email that gives me a bit more motivation to eart right and lose weight for a reason! Money! Here is what I opened in my email:

The Strive For 5! Nutrition Challenge begins July 1. Its goal is simple - to help you eat more fruit and vegetables. Why? Because fruits and vegetables can reduce your risk for many diseases, including heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. Every step you take towards eating more fruits and veggies helps you be at your best!

Track Your Points

During the challenge, you can track your fruit and vegetable servings using a paper tracking form or online at www.CVSCaremarkWellnessReview.com and Earn 1 point for each serving of fruit and vegetables you eat between July 1 and July 31, 2010. Your goal is to earn 125 points.

Earn Rewards

Employees who meet the challenge goal will earn 5 Wellness Credits and a $50 American Express® gift card. Participants are eligible to receive a gift card once per program cycle but can receive up to 20 credits for participating in all 4 challenges. ( Find all 4 yearly challenges on the Website )

 

Needless to say, I am going to check it out right now and see how to sign up and join in ( I need $50 ) and I am also going to pass this information onto all of my coworkers. Seeing how our "Biggest Loser Challenge" tfor 8 weeks ends on July 8th. Which, I have lost the most amount of weight. Not the biggest percentage. But the most amount of weight. We are supposed to do a 5k Race that week but I am kind of chickening out. I can barely walk fast never mind jog or run 3 miles. We'll see what happens...... goodnight blogspot.