Slipping a bit

Dieting is a tricky thing, let me tell you. It's easy to count calories, but it's harder to keep track of sodium, sugar, carbs, proteins, etc, all at the same time and make sure you stay within daily limits. (I don't think I even know what my daily limits for those things are until I exceed them. Must learn how to keep an eye on these things.)

I must admit, I've been sloppy lately. I will sometimes track half of what I've eaten for the day, and not every item of food. I've also had a couple times where I eat what I really shouldn't. Not really an actual binge, but bad enough, such as an excessive amount of potato chips in one day.

Today I loaded up on a big breakfast, trying to make sure that I could make it through my work shift on 4 hours of sleep. I don't run well on little sleep, so I made sure to look up foods that would give me energy. I had coffee, orange juice, oatmeal, and an orange. I even planned on having yogurt, but I was actually full by then. It's weird for me to be full and go without food for a while... it makes me a little nervous, which is part of the problem.

I still need to make a proper exercise regiment. I have yet to do more with my elliptical machine than fiddle around with it here and there. I heard that the recommended amount of exercise is 30 minutes 5 days a week. That'd definitely be a step up from my current amount of exercise.

Right now I'm hovering at 258 pounds. If I tighten up my eating and compulsive snacking, and get moving a little more, I know I can keep losing weight. Just reminding/allowing myself to snack on apples and oranges should be a big help. I need to remember that when it comes to fruit, it's okay to indulge. It's better to have two apples than one apple and a bag of chips, right?

Gifts Arrived Ahead of Time!

My elliptical arrived today. Happy Birthday to me, indeed!

It was easy to assemble, and easy for even a weakling like me to move it. It's true what reviews said about the length of the stride being awkward because it's so short, but I think it's still worth it for the price and size. If I stand on it, I'll definitely need to support myself against a wall. The cycle just isn't smooth enough to balance myself on it. But I love the option to sit down, and obviously I love the digital read-out. Now to get into a routine for the little guy!

I've been feeling a bit glum lately, and not feeling at all attractive. Seeing candids of me on Facebook makes me realize that I'm becoming exactly what I never wanted to be. I had a quick photoshoot to remind myself that I can look better. All the more reason to make this diet work. But it's still disheartening right now, trying to look for love. Seems like everyone has their heart set on a size 8. Fatties need not apply. :(

Birthday Party

Today my family, friends, and neighbors had a shared birthday party for me and Bella, my unofficial niece. She turned 1 today and I'm turning 19 tomorrow. I'm positive I went over my calorie limit, but even when I added it up on MyDailyPlate, I didn't go over 2,000 calories, so I'm feeling decent about it.

Thanksgiving I'm actually not too worried about, either. I don't care for a lot of the food, and I'm growing to not like chocolate anymore, so it makes it easier. Mostly squash, turkey, and gravy will be my meal, and then probably some blueberry pie. Even Christmas I'm not too worried about, unless I'm showered with delicious white chocolate.

I started losing some weight already. Today might set me back, but I'll be back on track soon enough. My ellpitical will be coming in some time this week. My weight is hovering around 260 right now, even going down to 259. Once I drop a few more pounds I'll officially declare myself into the 250's zone. Here's to hoping that number will continue to drop!

Good Day! + Elliptical

Today I managed to keep within my 1,432 calorie goal.  Unfortunately my success was because I worked a shift that went through lunch, so I missed out on that.  Since I don't like missing meals, nor do I plan to make a habit of it, I will have to take a moment to write down a bunch of low-calorie but fulfilling snack ideas and meal ideas so that I can have my meals and eat them, too.  I even treated myself to some ice cream tonight because I was so well under my goal.

Dinners are the hardest things to manage right now.  I live with two other people, so dinner is a choice that everyone has to decide on. Rarely is it ever an individual selection, but tonight it was.  I baked some chicken, and then I was delighted to discover that a 1/2 cup of canned sliced carrots was only 30 calories, so I was able to eat them all to have a filling meal.

I've been searching for a small and affordable elliptical machine.  After a lot of online shopping and reading reviews, I decided on the surprisingly small Stamina InMotion E1000 Elliptical.  At about $90 it's a very low price for a new elliptical machine. Other full size machines were being priced for hundreds to thousands of dollars.  Better yet, this little guy is a lot lighter (though it's still a hefty 24 lbs), smaller, and yet stronger.  Even though it seems petite, the weight limit is said to be 250 lbs, whereas other full machines can be a lot less than that.  You can also use the machine while sitting down, which could be a plus, and it still comes with a digital screen for data like how many calories you've burned in a work out.

This machine should come in within a week for me, so I'm very pleased.  I plan on coupling this with some light weights eventually.  More details to be figured out when it arrives and I get to work with it.

Overall, a very pleasing day!