1. Cravings. If I'm really craving something, I should eat it. Otherwise, I'll end up eating everything else in the house, even without being hungry. I'll end up feeling gross because I'll be disgustingly full and I'll still be craving whatever I wanted in the first place. So, I now go ahead and have the 300 calorie chips or chocolate instead of eating 1000 calories.
2. Water. Whenever I feel tired I think back to how much water I drank and realize that I haven't drank enough. It's amazing that something so simple makes you feel fabulous.
3. Eating protein. I used to find this challenging since I'm not a big meat eater. I'm still not sure how much protein I should be getting to fuel my workouts, but I'm focusing on protein from cheeses, beans and legumes, and veggie burgers. I'm still trying to figure out how to get more fish in my diet. I'm lazy and don't like to defrost and marinate then bake it. Plus, sometimes baked fish just tastes gross.
4. Fats. I used to have this strange notion that if you eat fats, you will be fat. Which is ridiculous. So I've included nuts and cheeses back into my diet; whereas, years ago, I would limit my consumption or eliminate them all together. Portion control is key, so I can't sit down in front of the television and eat the whole bag of almonds. A food scale helps with that.
5. Listening to my body. I injured my left shoulder two weeks ago, and I'm not sure how.. My left quad muscle was also hurting and hubby said I'm going to get a muscle tear if I don't take it easy. So I've lessened my weights on these muscles for now. Also, sometimes I just feel TIRED. So if I don't feel like dragging myself to the gym, I won't. Because I end up hating it and feeling negative towards the exercise I've always loved. I'm currently exercising every-other day. And if I'm feeling energetic in between, then I'll go.
6. Dark Chocolate. Is my crack. I'm now addicted to having it every day. Three little squares are only 90 calories and because it's concentrated cocoa, it's super satisfying and I have no desire to eat the whole package.
7. New Gear. There is nothing like going running-shoe shopping and finding a $150 shoe on sale for $9.99!! The cheapest I`ve ever spent for my mizunos is $70, so I`m thrilled that I found the exact shoe (I bought two of them) I wanted for this price. Alhamdulilah. So at least now I don`t need to worry about having the proper shoes for my gym workouts and runs.
8. Teaching fitness classes. I've thought about this before; and I`m going to make this my long-term goal. I`m already spending hours at the gym each week in their classes, so why not do the training and get paid for it? A lot of the trainers are full-time teachers and do this on the side. So I promised myself that it's something I'm going to work towards inshallah.
9. I love fresh food and salads. It's not cheap to eat healthy, nevermind the costs of organically grown foods (which I can't afford). It really makes me thankful for Allah's blessings. I look at other families in the supermarket checkout and wonder if their food choices are for economic reasons. It's alot cheaper to eat processed crap. So Alhamdulilah for fresh foods.
Dinner: Cooked veggies with couscous, chicken breast with basil and oregano, and a fresh salad.
Lunch: Salad with couscous, feta cheese, and chickpeas. Wow I'm getting hungry now.
10. Goal-Setting. Thinking about what I`ve done the past month to lose the weight, I realize that it is not as difficult as I expected. It just requires a mind-shift and dedication. Also, I probably wouldn't have met my goal if I didn't write it down for myself and the rest of the world to see.
I still have a long way to go. So, my goal for the next month is to continue eating well and exercising to lose 5 lbs. Anyone else want to join me?
