Healthy Cooking

Okay everybody...I have an update. I am currently down 12 pounds. Not much from the last post, I know, but I've figured out a few things...

First, had all of my hormone levels checked out at the doctor and it looks like some of mine are a little out of whack - no thyroid problems though. Doc says that now that we've corrected some of these problems, the weight should start coming of a little bit faster! YAY!

And in other news...I've started running again. I'm running a 5k in June and hope to run a marathon some day. I'm not so great at running but I've always loved the "runner's high".

I've also found a few cookbooks that come highly recommended. They are cookbooks on how to make the food you love with whole grains and unprocessed foods. I'm trying out some recipes next week so I'll post a few of the good ones.

Give up DDP and DC? NEVER! Okay, maybe,,,

Wow - It's been since January since I've posted anything. I'm really terrible at posting things. I vow to be better, though. Okay, so here's the update...I've lost about 7 pounds total. Slow start, but losing none the less. I gave up all carbinated drinks last week! HARD! I'm totally and completely addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper and Diet Coke, but I gave it all up. I know I wasn't drinking the calories, but I decided to go all out. The caffeine headache that first couple of days almost laid me out. Now surprisingly, though, I have a lot more energy. I guess the article I read about diet drinks making you tired was really true. I gave up sugar as well....Okay so that's been a little trickier. I let myself have something on a free day. And salt - well I'll never be able to give up salt - chips maybe - but not the salt that goes on them! Can't I just drink more water to compensate? Or is it that the salt retains the water? Or was that the carbination retaining the water? I don't know, but I lost two pounds last week with the workout and the clean eating. I guess I can do it for at least another week. I just keep thinking bikini bod...bikini bod...bikini bod...

Alas, workout alone is not enough...

Okay, so I've been at the workout thing now for 2 1/2 months. The workouts are going great! But I'm officially convinced that exercising alone is not enough. I actually did this on purpose...I know that proper nutrition is about 80% of the battle, but since I started working out at the beginning of the holiday season, I thought that if I could not conquer nutrition right away, at least I could form the exercise habits and hopefully not gain the 5 - 10 pounds that inevitably comes with holiday eating. I can say with extreme satisfaction that I did not eat very well, but I did not gain extra weight. So exercise does count - especially in the world of maintaining weight and feeling great.

January is upon us, and now I am ready to commit to an extensive lifestyle change. I have a goal. I've written it down. Lose 110 pounds by the beginning of October (my birthday). That gives me 10 months. I've been working out consistently and now it's time to incorporate eating healthy into my world of fitness. Six smaller meals a day every four hours. I'm loaded with daily vitamins, essential fatty acid (fish oil), and a fat burner supplement. I'm loaded with ready-to-drink protein shakes and planned out meals. I realize you do not have to have all of this to"get healthy" but I'm committing 100% to my Best Bod.

Okay, now for the embarrassing part. I'm going to post pictures! I will post a before picture on here shortly. I've taken the picture and it's not pretty, but my plan is to use this to keep me motivated. Bikini Bod here I come...