Week One Wrap Up - I Feel Good!

One of My Many Temptations - Picture of Actual Cake

Week one on my road to a healthier and happier body or what I like to call "Flab to Fab" has been quite easy, in the overall scheme of things. I really thought that there was no way that I could make it through, without choices in my food intake. What I did find was that I was consciously thinking about how I prepared my foods as well as what I was feeding my body. I also learned to listen to my body...I knew when I was full. In the past, I would eat to the point of being STUFFED and only than did I really feel satisfied.

My anxiety regarding the past weekends events was just that and quite unnecessary. There were changes to our plans that helped make this weekend a little better. We ended up not attending my friends 40th birthday because my hubby was not feeling good and I didn't want to drive to LA by myself. We canceled our Disneyland trip because our son had an issue happen this week at school and as a punishment, we took away his Disneyland privilege - not for me but it was something he was looking forward to. So, overall it worked out for the best for everyone involved. We did have a great dinner at Casa Phillips this weekend and they really accommodated my dietary needs...talk about supportive friends!

The most surprising thing for me, this weekend, was going to my client's cake and dinner entree tasting and I did not feel the urge to try the cake (I LOVE CAKE) nor felt the need to taste their entree choices. I figured it's what they are serving to their guests and if you are happy with your choices, than I am totally on board. I can just taste the final product on their wedding day.

Food wise this week, it's been okay...more than okay actually, it's been great. 3 days of chicken and tomato and 3 days of beef and spinach with olive oil and lemon juice, was not that bad. Even the orange juice and black coffee for breakfast became appetizing and something that I really enjoyed as the week progressed. The nice thing about this eating journey I am going through is that you can really prepare these dishes in many different ways so it was easy to change it up...you can cook it anyway as long as you don't add any calories, so truly spices are your friends. However, the biggest game changer in my diet is that I think about what I am about to eat, in a positive way.

Sunday was probably the hardest day of the diet. While I was able to eat cottage cheese for breakfast and a green salad with feta cheese, two hard-boiled eggs for lunch; it was definitely the hardest part of my journey from Flabulocity to Fabulocity. Dinner was especially unsatisfying and hard as it consisted of rye crisps, one fruit, and low fat yogurt. Don't get me wrong, it was great to have fruit and yogurt but it did not fill me up or satisfy my hunger like the previous evenings. But...I made it through. Dinner started with five rye crisps, one granny smith apple, and one low fat yogurt (strawberry shortcake flavored). When Ross got home and had his dinner, I was still hungry so I had another yogurt and later that evening, still not satisfied I had two more rye crisps and another yogurt. Retrospectively - it was worth it even though it was hard.

Exercise wise, I have been doing the minimum, which is really not acceptable. I did some aerobics yesterday but I really need to pick up the game. This week I will start walking with a friend for lunch, which will add some cardio, but I would really like to start PX90 as well...just not sure, if I want to do it in the evenings or in the morning. At any rate, I will be doing this tonight when I get home.

LOOKING BACK
This weekend I really thought about my relationship with food. I really love food and for me it was always better to over indulge rather than to eat in moderation. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I was a pig eating out of its trough, but I also never hesitated to fill up my plate or two. I attribute it being brought up in a Filipino household, where food was a sign of love and eating food was a way to thank our elders for cooking us such a great meal. I equated food to love and the more full I was the more love I felt. Trust me and I am sure that my friends from school can remember - you never walked into my house without my grandmother telling all of us to eat or cooking up something for us. There was always food at the table and we were well fed. This is where I learned that food=love.

Another one of my problems is how fast I eat. Really...I can scarf down and entire meal in about 5 minutes. I equate this to my career. As an event planner, there were times that I never had time to eat because I had to take care of so many details and people, for an event, that sitting down for 30 minutes was never an option. My dinners, most of the time, was getting a plate of food, eating it while standing up in the kitchen of a hotel or other venue and eating it as fast as I can so that I can get back to the task of working. I wanted to make sure my peeps where well taken care of - that I never took time to care for my own well being while doing the work I love. It was not always like this, but I learned that I could eat a large amount of food in short amount of time and still do my job fantastically. Even when I go to lunch with people, they are surprised at how fast I can eat.

Realizing these two factors will help me in my relationship with food. I really need to look at food differently while still being able to enjoy it. I also need to slow down when I eat and savor what I am eating, so the food love can satisfy me in a healthy way. My journey to fabulousness has definitely affected my relationship with food in a healthier way. For one thing, I have rediscovered my love for cooking at home with my family and not having the need to eat out every night (mostly lazy on my part for not wanting to cook). Another thing I have learned is how over indulging has contributed to my flabulousness. This whole process has also saved on the pocket book too. My new food motto moving forward is EAT ME SLOWLY!

Everyday is a new step in the way I eat and the way I look at food. I feel fantastic and really happy that I have taken these steps to change not only me, but also my attitude towards food. Being a foodie - I need to learn to love food in a new and healthier way.

Week 1 Facts
Starting Weight (1/17/11): 237 lbs
Week 1 Weigh In: 224.4
Total Weight Loss: 12.6 lbs
Food Intake: 3-1/2 glasses of orange juice, 12-14 cups of black coffee, healthy amounts of chicken and beef, 6 tomatoes, 3 bags of large spinach, 3-1/2 lemons, olive (not sure how much maybe 1/2 cup), 2-1/2 oz of cottage cheese, one green salad (corn, cucumber, carrots included), two hard boiled eggs, 2 oz of feta cheese, 3 low fat yogurts, one Granny Smith Apple, 7 rye crisps, and over 100 bottles of water (bottles reused at work).
Exercise Plan: Minimal amount of workout, light cardio is what I would say I did all week. Time for Flabulousa to pick up the game!

Temptations for Week 1 (overcame)
Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts
Zen Baking Company's Cake Balls
Montecito Confections Cake Tasting
Hotel Mar Monte Dinner Entree Tasting at Bistro 1111
McConnell's Ice Cream at Casa Phillips
65th Anniversary Cake Confection from Pierre's Cakes

Week 2 Highlights:
3 Days of Chicken and Tomatoes
3 Days of Seafood with Green Salad
A whole day of just yogurt (Sunday)

Goals for the Week
Increase workout and build a routine that is fun and satisfying in the exercise arena. Maybe I should look at some dance classes or aerobic classes with some peeps. I will check out the local YMCA.

Thanks again for following my ramblings! Have a great week everyone!

-Percy