Hello World!... Again

I'm always trying to stay healthy despite my love of food, but it's hard when I prefer all things buttery, creamy, and delicious. For about a decade (nearly half my life!) I have struggled with body image issues and in the past took to some not so healthy ways of losing weight. Nowadays, I am certainly more educated on the matter after countless hours of research and classes and know that there is no such thing as quick fix.


Being fit takes A LOT of effort and if you ever hear about some new-fangled, easy weight-loss method it is ALWAYS a sham. The true path to success is diet and exercise. By diet I don't mean reduce your caloric intake to 500 calories/day (at one point I thought this was a "good diet"); what I do mean, is reducing your calorie consumption by no more than 500 calories each day. This has to take the calories you burn off through exercise into account as well. So, if I did not exercise at all and was completely sedentary, I would need about 1700 calories a day to maintain my weight. Thus, I would reduce my caloric intake to around 1200 calories a day to lose a steady 1 pound/week. The process isn't fast, but it's proven and you are FAR more likely to keep the weight off than by starving yourself which nearly halts your metabolism.


This new blog is to chronicle my seemingly endless attempt to shed a few pounds. I am not overweight by any means and I know this, but I know that I could stand to lose about 10 pounds.


I have been keeping my net calories to about 1200-1400 calories per day for the past week or so. It is surprisingly easy to do, and also quite fun!


Without further ado I present the days eats:


Brunch:
Poached Eggs Over Sauteed Garlic Spinach with Grapefruit

• 2 Poached Eggs (142cal)
• Arnold Whole Wheat Sandwich Thin (100cal)
• 1tbsp Butter (100cal)
• 1 cup Baby Spinach (10cal)
• 126g Pink and White Grapefruit (60cal)

=412 calories

Snack:

One of my very favorite super simple sandwiches that is very low-cal and packs a ton of flavor: Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese with sliced Cucumbers and TONS of fresh dill... and obviously salt and pepper :). It sounds odd but it is sooo good. I also like to switch up the cucumbers with green peppers, yum! I also highly recommend the granola. I seriously cannot keep my paws off of it. I have had to have at least 1 serving of it each day since I made it!

• Arnold Whole Wheat Sandwich Thin (100cal)- These are seriously great!
• 1 Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese Wedge (35cal)
• 72g Cucumber, sliced (11cal)
• Lots of Fresh Dill, we're talking a couple tbsp
• Homemade Granola (195cal)

=341 calories

Dinner:

My take on a healthy taco salad! I combine the hominy, beans, pineapple, sherry vinegar, and BBQ sauce and microwave for about a minute. Pour this mixture over the salad greens and top with the shredded cheese immediately so it melts a bit. Then, I add the avocado and chips on top and add the dollop of greek yogurt. It's fun to use the chips to scoop up the salad.

• 70g Baby Romaine (10cal)
• 1/4 cup Golden Hominy (40cal)
• 1/4 cup Black Beans (50cal)
• 1/2 cup Pineapple, cubed (60cal)
• 1/4 cup Reduced Fat Shredded Mexican Cheese (80cal)
• 66g Avocado, cubed (126cal)
• 14g Blue Corn Tortilla Chips (60cal)
• 14g BBQ Popchips (60cal)
• 2tbsp BBQ Sauce (50cal)
• Splash of Sherry Vinegar
• 2oz. Fat-Free Greek Yogurt (30cal)

=556 calories

=1319 calories for the day