Disapointment

This week I wanted to drop close to 3 pounds in order to hit 200 even. I worked out extra hard with a run on the elliptical, a Zumba class, and some at home exercises. I took the stairs more than the elevator in my dorm, and I walked more than usual. I was sore all week, and I really thought I had done a good job, but my eating habits weren't so good this week. I ate Chickfila (the grilled chicken sandwich and yogurt) and half of a large pepperoni pizza this week with half an order of cinnamon sticks. I'm not sure if it was the bad food or muscle gain that prohibited the weight loss, but I only dropped 1 pound this week. I'm just a little disappointed in myself, but I'm not giving up.

I'm readjusting my methods a little bit this week to ensure that I start losing weight again. I've lowered my calories to 1450 a day, and I'm going to be very strict about my fat and sugar intake. I will continue to work out 4-5 times a week, and we'll see how it goes!

<3 Claire

Lean Cuisine Reviews

As I've mentioned before, I'm a college student, so eating healthy on a budget has proven to be a challenge in itself. With the microwave as my biggest kitchen appliance, I'm a little limited on preparing delicious and nutritious meals. I'm extremely wary of frozen dinners, so I usually just walk to the cafeteria across campus to eat. But lately, I've been feeling a little adventurous. So I picked up a few boxes of Lean Cuisine to try them out. I've only had a few so far, but they seem to be the best instant meals I've ever had. My absolute favorite is the Spinach, Artichoke, & Chicken Panini. It's not the soggy mush I was expecting from frozen bread. It has so much flavor - and this is coming from a girl from South Louisiana! So it must be good ;) I have to give credit to the Sesame Chicken and the Chicken Club Panini. Both were good, and I would definitely eat them again if I was hungry. I still have 2 more in my freezer to sample, but I'll happily take any suggestions for new Lean Cuisine meals to try.

<3 Claire

First Coke in a Month

So I finally decided to have a coke after banning all carbonated beverages for the month of February. I wasn't sure how I would react to it. Honestly, I thought I was going to down all 16 ounces of it out of withdrawals. Surprisingly, I had the exact opposite reaction. It was great at first, but after a few sips, I didn't want anymore. It was so insanely sweet! It tasted like syrup. I guess my taste buds haven't experienced that much sugar in weeks, and it was overwhelming. I guess it's true that you can break an addiction in 21 days. So I guess that's the end of my coke addiction :)

For the month of March, I have given up ice cream. I LOVE ice cream, but now I'm wondering if I will still enjoy it so much afterward. After all, I did end my love affair with coke this way, but I guess we will see!

<3 Claire

Right On Schedule

After doing lots of research on healthy weight loss, I learned that 1-2 pounds a week is a safe, steady average. Any more than that can be dangerous for your health and makes it harder to keep off long term. I weighed in this morning to find that I lost another 2 pounds this week, which brings my total to 17.6 lost!

I told one of my former professors about my lifestyle change a month or two ago, and I went to go surprise her with an unexpected visit at her office last night. She's one of those rare teachers that can inspire you and support you in every area of  your life while educating you. As soon as she saw me, she complimented my appearance. She said she was very proud of me, and that meant the world to me. She's truly a special person.

I did the math today to find how much weight I could lose by my birthday on April 19th. If I keep losing 2 pounds a week, I can be 30 pounds down by my 21st birthday :) If that's not a motivating challenge, I don't know what is! Just gotta keep on, keeping on.

<3 Claire