Lost 7.8 Pounds

Well, I've been feeling a lot better when I wake up in the mornings since I've started this diet and exercise routine. I've been eating breakfast everyday which was hard at first considering I'm never really hungry in the mornings but it's definitely gotten better. Justice and I have been spending a lot more time together too, so that's another plus. Today we did step up's and although we only did it for ten minutes straight, I must say that it was the most vigorous exercise routine I've done in my life. Kind of sad, huh?

I started my strength training today. It wasn't so bad. It did make my muscles sore but that means progress. I'm feeling really good about it all. Not to mention, I'm already losing weight. I've lost 7.8 pounds since the first day. I'm at 201 now. I was at 208.8. It feels good to see the number on the scale drop. The weight loss will probably slow with time but as long as I'm losing, I'm happy. We've been walking daily, too. I took Buddha for a walk when I got home. He loves it. We're both getting the exercise that we need.

Drinking water has been hell for me, though. I'm managing to get my 8 cups a day, but it's almost like I have to force it down if it's not with a meal. Since I was drinking so much soda, water is a huge change. I bought a 2 liter of Sprite Zero today since it has no calories, fat, or carbs. It's not so bad. Only drank one cup of it though. I don't want to get back in the habit, even if it's not so bad for me.

The whole food thing is getting easier with time. It was hell at first but now I have a good idea of what and how much I can eat so my meals aren't so tiny anymore. I had a big breakfast this morning (an egg, toast w/o crust, peach jelly, banana, & milk), a decent lunch (roasted chicken w/ chive mashed potatoes, cheese & crackers), and a hell of a dinner (fiesta grilled chicken, rice, beans, and veggies). Dinner left me stuffed. I'm at 1,230 calories (my range is 1200-1500), 133 carbs, 46 grams of fat, and 71 grams of protein. I'm doing well, although fat intake could be lower (although my range is 32-56 grams daily and I'm kind of low on carbs today, but I still have a snack to eat.

SparkPeople has helped me a lot in the past five days. I'm so grateful that Justice found it. It sure beats writing down all of my food, calorie, fat, carb, and protein intake in a paper journal like I had been doing. I'm not much of a fan of math, that says enough.

SparkPeople is such a great website, I can't say this enough. I'm not a spokesperson for them, I just joined five days ago! Why they are so great is as follows for all of you curious people.

- They offer members a free nutrition plan.
- Track water intake.
- They recommended calorie, fat, and carb intake, based on your height, weight, & the amount you wish to lose.
- They give you free fitness plans (you can substitute any strength training exercises).
- You can record your cardio workouts.
- You can do a weigh in whenever you'd like.
- They offer free progress tracking widgets.
- Lots of community interaction (forums and so much more).
- You can set goals & record your progress.
- You can even get a weight loss buddy.

They even have an area where you create your own Spark Page where you can let other members see your goals, nutrition plan, food intake, fitness plans, and more. It's an amazing site. You've got to check it out. It's 100% free too. That's the best part. Check it out by clicking here.