I stuck to my goal of no fast food this week, which was pretty difficult since Ryan was out of town AND Chic-Fil-A offered a free spicy chicken biscuit on Tuesday. But I resisted and ate very healthy all week. Which brings me to the focus of this week's post.
Nutrition: Breakfast
Until a few years ago, I always had a freakishly high metabolism. I ate whatever I wanted without a second thought. During my first round of Boot Camp, I had the mentality that because I was getting so much more exercise, I could eat whatever I wanted all day long. But that feeling of nutritional freedom, coupled with the fact that my metabolism has drastically slowed, has led me down a fattening road. The days of carelessly consuming food are all over for me.
So this time at Boot Camp, I am really watching what I eat. Not that I feel like I have to beat myself up over every calorie, but just having an awareness of my calorie intake has helped me make better decisions. It's the simple things like choosing a cheese stick over a bag of chips, or eating applesauce instead of a 430 calorie (delicious) blueberry muffin. And you know what? It hasn't been that hard.
One of Ryan's challenges to me has been to eat breakfast every morning. Due to my busy schedule and the fact that I'd rather sleep longer than eat, I don't always get that very important meal in. Which leads to me overeating at lunch because I am just so hungry. I guess he's pretty smart because I found this supporting information below.
According to WebMD: Many studies, in both adults and children, have shown that breakfast eaters tend to weigh less than breakfast skippers.
Why? One theory suggests that eating a healthy breakfast can reduce hunger throughout the day, and help people make better food choices at other meals. While it might seem you could save calories by skipping breakfast, this is not an effective strategy. Typically, hunger gets the best of breakfast-skippers, and they eat more at lunch and throughout the day.
Another theory behind the breakfast-weight control link implies that eating breakfast is part of a healthy lifestyle that includes making wise food choices and balancing calories with exercise. For example, consider the successful losers followed by the National Weight Control Registry, all of whom have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off at least one year. Some 80% of the people in the Registry regularly eat breakfast (and also follow a calorie-controlled, low-fat diet).
It's worth noting that most studies linking breakfast to weight control loss looked at a healthy breakfast containing protein and/or whole grains -- not meals loaded with fat and calories.
So this past week I made a conscious effort to each breakfast each and every day. The result? I didn't want to eat someone's arm off by 11 am and I felt more energized throughout my morning of work.
There is so much more to say about nutrition, but this week I will just challenge you to eat breakfast every morning too. Now, on to my accountability stats!
Beginning measurements:
- Weight: 126 (up 11 lbs since September!)
- Arms: 22 mm
- Waist: 32 mm
- Legs: 22 mm
- % of Body Fat: 28.99%
- 36.53 lbs of Body Fat
- 89.47 lbs of Lean Body Weight
Week 2 Measurements:
- 124 (down 2 lbs!)
- Arms: 22 mm
- Waist: 28 mm (down 4 mm!)
- Legs: 22 mm
- % of Body Fat: 27.79% (down 1.2%)
- 34.45 lbs of Body Fat (down 2.08 lbs)
- 89.55 lbs of Lean Body Weight (up 0.08 lbs)
I feel great about losing 2 pounds this week. There must be something to this "diet and exercise" thing!
Oops, I....:
- ate way too many chips and Poncho's white cheese dip last night (I LOVE that stuff!)
- am going to pig out tonight on some 7 layer dip for the Super Bowl.
Proud Because I...:
- Did not have fast food AT ALL this week! Woo-hoo!
- Opted for Subway instead of Chick-Fil-A when I took Michael lunch at school on Monday
- Ate breakfast every morning
- Enjoyed sugar-free Fudgesicles as my dessert (only 40 calories each!)
- Tried (and enjoyed) asparagus soup, despite the fact that I do not like asparagus. At all.
Goal for this week:
- Not to go back to sleep after I get back from 5:30 am Boot Camp. It's tempting to squeeze in one little hour of sleep, but it's just so hard to get back up once I've fallen back asleep. I need to stay up and start my day!
Fat Fact:
- Only 26% of us eat anything close to the five servings of vegetables and fruits considered essential for decent health-and a far tinier fraction get the six to nine servings recommended for optimal well being, according to Experience Life magazine.*
I am also hearing great feedback from women interested in coming to Boot Camp. If you are interested in Memphis Adventure Boot Camp, please check it out here. Or find them on Facebook. I'd love for you to be my guest as you try it out!
*I'm definitely not part of the 26%.
I love this! Congrats and good luck!!
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