CLARITY

It's been a few days since I've posted. I have to report that tomorrow is my first official weigh in but 3 days into my program I was already down 5 pounds. This accomplishment has given me so much hope and joy!!! I find myself so focused on the things that I want to accomplish that food is slipping into the back of my mind rather than living in the forefront. It feels amazing to go through my day without feeling hungry or tired or grumpy. As I've thought about the things that are different now, I realize that my scattered eating habits were really affecting my moods and energy level. I eat every 2-3 hours and keeping my blood sugar stable feels incredible. I feel less sad and depressed and much more energized.

Since I haven't turned to food for comfort or stress relief, I've been able to accomplish a lot more than I expected. I've been practicing the piano, working on sewing projects, cleaning my house more, and even spending more quality time with Dan which is strange because we already love every moment together. I am learning some very important things about myself as well as habits I hope to continue for the rest of my life. I am excited to get back to exercising this next week. I took a week off just to let my body adjust to the different caloric intake because it's a huge difference from what I was eating before.

I am experimenting with the format of this blog so hopefully it's a little easier to read and less dark. I still want to post recipes and food ideas since I enjoy cooking so much, so the recipes I post will be part of my "lean and green" requirements. I am required to eat 5-7 oz. of lean protein and then 3 servings of non-starchy veggies each day. I've been experimenting with lots of protein ideas so I don't get bored. Boredom is the DEATH of any diet so I gotta keep it exciting.

I've been marinating chicken in different spice blends and yesterday was so delicious. I marinated the chicken in a mixture of lemon juice, garlic, lemon pepper, capers, and black pepper. I cooked it out on the barbecue grill on some tin foil to keep the juices on the chicken and then threw it on the flame to get some char flavor. I also broiled some asparagus and threw together a nice spinach salad and it was SO delicious! It feels so good to crave salads again. It feels even better eating balanced. Since I've been eliminating grains and gluten from my diet I've noticed I never feel rumbly in my stomach or bloated or gassy (yummy I know). I feel 100% self-motivated right now and I'm not giving up!