brittanyvalerie

Before I get into how my first day went, let me give you a run-down of my weight-loss history:

About a year and a half ago I weighed 143 pounds and was not happy about it. So I did what any determined young lady would do: I started exercising excessively and eating healthier. I ended up slimming down to a healthy 125 pounds in less than six months. I looked and felt great! But of course, I ended up gaining it all back (and then some…) because going for 11km runs, hour walks, and two step classes each and every day was no longer realistic when I went back to school. Once the Christmas holidays hit, I felt myself slipping back into my old ways and over-indulging whenever possible.

So here I am. 149 pounds, suffering from “The Chubbs” (as I like to call it), and extremely unhappy with myself. My goal is to get back to that 125 pound version of myself so I can stop wearing yoga pants everyday and not suffocate in my jeans!

I tend to eat very healthy throughout the day: whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean proteins, fruits & veggies, etc. However, my nighttime eating is the real issue. I binge eat, which has destroyed my body and spirits. My goal is to get this disgusting habit under control and eat healthy the ENTIRE day!

It is almost 10pm and I think I can say that Day One has been a success! Usually I eat half of a whole grain pita bread spread with a low-fat Laughing Cow cream cheese triangle or a cup of All-Bran Flakes with a cup of skim milk for breakfast, followed by a banana or an apple. However, this morning, to my surprise, my mom offered to make me some oatmeal, so I happily accepted her offer! It’s very rare for my mom to make me breakfast because I am quite independent and she usually has enough to do in the morning. My mom is EXTREMELY supportive of my healthy eating and weight loss goals. She joined Weight Watchers about a year and a half ago and has since reached her weight loss goal and is a Lifetime Member. I use the Weight Watcher’s Points Program Nutrition Tracker on my iPhone - I’m not an actual member Anyways, I had 1/3 cup of oatmeal which is only 2.8 points (very good, in Weight Watcher’s language, especially since it counts as a serving of whole grains), a cup (8 oz) of skim milk, and a remarkably delicious banana for breakfast!

Today was my first day of the last semester of my high school career! I had a spare first period and lucky for me, one of my best friends, Colin, has the same spare as me! So we walked to Tim Horton’s at the mall across the street and I got a medium (16 oz) coffee with 1 milk and 1 Splenda. That really woke me up By the time lunch rolled in, I was STARVING! Today’s classes followed a modified schedule so lunch was much later than usual. In the morning, I had made myself a tuna sandwich for lunch with the following ingredients: 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 1/2 can of No Name light flaked tuna (with no mayo/dressing - I LOVE it on its own!), a few scallions and two slices of tomato. I must admit, it was absolutely delicious - partially because my stomach was growling louder than a bulldog during mating season and partially because it really hit the spot. I then ate some grapes and unfortunately didn’t have time for the two clementines I had packed

When I got home from school, I was pretty hungry again. I guess that sandwich didn’t hit the spot as hard as I thought it did (no sexual pun intended). I drank another cup of skim milk and for a snack I ate 40g (half a bag) of Orville Redenbacher’s light popcorn while watching the second season of One Tree Hill that my friend lent me. Surprisingly, about one episode later, my stomach was back at it again - not quite a bulldog, but the growling was still difficult to ignore. I made a fruit salad with fresh cantaloupe, blueberries, raspberries, and clementines. The good thing about Weight Watchers is that all fruits and veggies are zero points, so you can eat as much of them as you want! Pretty sweet, no?

My mom made sushi for dinner. I LOVE sushi - but we aren’t Japanese. As a result, her sushi was not so great. She tried though, and I was proud of her! We’re gonna have to work on our sushi-making skills though. She also made these Armenian appetizers called boereg (pronounced “breg”) which are these triangle “pastries” made out of phyllo dough and lightly stuffed with a mixture of feta, mozzarella, and cheddar cheese along with dill. They are absolutely delicious and only 1.5 points each, so I ate two!

Here’s where my hard part inevitably comes: nighttime. I started off with half a cup of Chapman’s nanaimo bar frozen yogurt (3.6 points) topped with a bit of Hershey’s chocolate syrup (my guiltiest pleasure). As per usual, it was delicious! My cravings set in though - I wanted more frozen yogurt, chocolate chips, regular Lay’s chips, more boereg, Weight Watchers treats (less fatty versions of pecan crowns, English toffee squares, and mint patties, all 1.5 points each), chocolate bars - practically every sweet in my house!

But guess what?

….I DIDN’T CAVE IN! Yeah, you heard (read?) me! Okay, I had a few chocolate bits that my mom and I sprinkle on top of the foam on our lattes, but aside from that minor error, I stayed clean :’). I drank a hot cup of decaf Earl grey tea and watched Kitchen Nightmares. My overwhelming cravings have since vanished and it really helps to write this post - it keeps me grounded!

So Day One was all in all difficult but delicious!