10 things I'm better at now

So remember when I posted about my amazing 6.5 pound of body fat loss and the doctor guy told me to increase the intensity of my workouts just a bit?

I've been following his orders and even following my own health calendar and making sure I get the workouts down every single day. This is pretty challenging considering I have been leaving the house at 7 or 8 in the morning and often getting home at 11 PM. I just made a commitment to do it so I've been bringing exercise clothes with me wherever I go and guess what? There is always a park to go for a walk or jog in and you can always go work out in a church with a friend (just like I did with triathlon pal Julie last night!)

I've been doing more intervals because I think high intensity intervals are a great way to get an "afterburn" and plus, you spent maybe 20-30 minutes working out verses an hour. I still love my long long walks and hikes and will never give those up, but this high intensity thing is pretty awesome.

The only problem is that I feel ravenous. This is is actually awesome for me because it's been a long time since I could really feel my body burning fuel. If you read my blog when I first started this journey, you might remember me saying that before I was diagnosed with hashimoto's and put on synthroid, I couldn't figure out why my body felt so stagnant. For a very long time, I felt like someone pushed pause on my body's burning mechanism- no amount of workouts or diets seemed to get that internal burn for me.

I have it again! I am just so happy to feel that inner starvation! Sure, it's a little uncomfortable but for me, it's a feeling I used to feel all the time when I was successfully losing weight and to feel it again gives me more hope!

Here are a few things I've noticed have become habits that I'm really excited about.

1. I eat 5-6 small meals each day. Each meal is roughly 200 calories

2. I am hyper-aware of how I pair my food. I am always looking for a balance of carbohydrates and protein now

3. I try to incorporate as many vegetables as I can into every meal

4. I drink a ton of water and yes, I know where all the clean restrooms all over town are located

5. Exercise is becoming a necessary part of my day, even if it's just a short walk

6. I am eating my favorite EZEKIEL bread again as of a couple days ago. Remember how this was on my long list of things I used to do when I was at my peak of fitness?

7. I am very picky about the grains and fruit I eat- I just bout 4 pints of fresh blueberries yesterday and try to opt for berries whenever possible.

8. I have healthy fat everyday- I use olive oil, nut butters, and avocado to help me stay full

9. I take my food with me on busy days, so yes, I'm that lady driving around with a cooler full of food

10. I'm not punishing myself when I don't have a perfect day. I am realizing how much better my consistency is and how important the habits I'm developing are so if lose, AWESOME, if I stay the same, I'm psyched because at least I'm not gaining weight each week anymore, and if I gain, I look back at my food journal to see what kind of food I ate, how much I exercised, or any other culprits that could affect the scale. I also realize that every gain isn't FAT. I've noticed that the scale is always fluctuating and more or less an exchange of something- water, tissue, muscle, fat, etc...and I am just looking for an overall fat loss.