Diet and Exercise: Building Discipline Week 1

This is actually all about DISCIPLINE. That word that everyone wants to have but avoids working hard at to achieve.

I'm going to try to stay healthy, exercise, and trim fat. For real this time. I'm going to do realistic goals and not overreach myself because baby steps work and huge leaps only lead to crash and burn. I have collected a nice amount of stomach pudge, poor lungs, and laziness from studying and generally, from college. It's never too late to correct that so I'm starting today.

I've been eating stuff like Thin Mints (yeah, Girl Scout Cookies will do that to you), oranges/Cuties (which is good), Chinese food we made (with quite a bit of oil and dressing and soy sauce), fruit snacks, and Grill sandwiches nonstop this break. I also bought a nice new store of ramen to go with my Godiva awesomeness. Sorry Mom : ( No truffles for me for a while!

Start weight: 115 lbs (BMI: 20.4)
Goal weight: 100 lbs (BMI: 17.7)
Height: 5'3" (163 cm)

• Underweight = less than 18.5
• Normal weight = 18.5-24.9

Now you're probably thinking I'm crazy, that I'm trying to be underweight but I am short after all so a few pounds makes a huge difference in BMI. Since 17.7 is pretty close to the 18.5 cutoff, I'd still consider it healthy for my ethnicity. If I were to be 18.5, I'd need to be 104.5 lbs. 4.5 lbs is fat I can afford to lose.

If I don't end up losing a ton of weight, it'll probably be because I'm building up muscle from exercising. I won't be too bummed out if I start getting my biceps back : ) College ruined what I worked hard in high school for xD I don't want to be frail and stick thin, but healthy, lean and strong.

My friends are kind of split on this issue. Some think I should keep eating fat stuff and that I'm fine, I'm skinny, all that jazz. They hand me yummy sugary bagels. I love them to death, but I'll have to pass. Others encourage me, yelling that eating before sleeping is awful, especially sugary carbs, that it will ruin my diet. It almost feels good to have my friends rooting and booing at the same time. It's like my inner dilemma. My parents would never let me diet because they like plump healthy children. My boyfriend thinks I can do this and encourages me to exercise with him. Though he likes my fat. It's weird but I think it comes with loving a person too much ♥

Strategy:
1) Don't eat at Bear Grill. Too many sandwiches dripping with oil
2) I realize that sleep is important so I'll try to procrastinate less and go to bed early. Sleep less on weekends. So ~7 hours should be good.
3) Eat salad often and lots of fruit, but also with meat occasionally. Protein is good for the brain
4) Do cardio exercises - run for 30 minutes at a time (at most), do Insanity, burpies, push ups, mini weights all good. Do a little every single day.
5) Bike to school and back. Bike to the loop every weekend or to Forest Park.
6) Drink loads of water and tea. I'm especially bad about this and am always dehydrated.

I'm going to colour code this as well for visual effect.
Red = diet-ruiner
Orange = pretty oily/sugary/meaty
Yellow = could be healthier
Green = superb

Day 1: Sun 3/14
6:00 PM: 1 Ruby Red Grapefruit, very juicy
8:00 PM: Small bowtie pasta with meat/tomato sauce, broccoli
11:30 PM: 1 individual fruit snack, 1 bite of a cinnamon raisin bagel (friends pressure me to try it T___T ate part with 2 raisins though xD)
12:00 AM: Tazo Zen Green Tea
3:20 AM: Special K Bar Blueberry 90 cal, 15 fat cal; more tea
- Verdict: Pretty good day. Did burpies today, played around with weights, jumped around and did the ab side pound exercise.

Day 2: Mon 3/15
Sleep: 3.5 hours D:
12:00PM: Special K Bar Peaches & Berries 90 cal, 15 fat cal; 2 fruit loops
3:00 PM: bite of Village Stir fry rice/noodle
4:30 PM: 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal (Toasted Berry Crumble) 126 cal, 24 fat cal
7:00 PM: Comfort Food d'oh! and the lady gave me a TON. Ham (kind of salty, ate maybe 2 slices), corn (salted slightly, didn't finish the HUGE amounts), sweet potato (didn't eat some of the skins) ~1000 calorie SPLURGE :( ; Strawberry Yoplait Yogurt 170 cal, 15 fat cal ; 1 Soy Crisp BBQ (1/17 x 110 calories, negligible)
8:00 PM: 1/2 square 70% Cocoa Cherry & Chili Lindt Dark Chocolate. My roomie just got back from Switzerland and that's a damn good excuse : )
3 hr nap : )
2:57 AM: 10 BBQ Soy Crisps 65 cal (bad for the time but hungry for studying) - these are really yummy!
- Verdict: Crumble ... crumble ... but for some reason this dieting is making me focus more while studying o_O

Day 3: Tues 3/16
7 hours sleep :D
11:30 AM: Low Fat Tiramisu Muffin from Whispers, half bottle Fat Free Skim Milk 80 cal, 0 fat cal
6:00 PM: Subway Chicken Breast 6 inch on wheat, fat free sweet onion sauce, lettuce, pickles, bell peppers, cucumbers; few bites of Meatball Marinara; half bottle skim milk 80 cal, 0 fat cal (total dinner estimate cal ~800?)
Nap! 1.5 hrs
11:00 PM half grapefruit
1:00 AM 1 square Lindt Chocolate Mousse
2:00 AM ~30 Soy Crisps D: ... 1 grapefruit slice
- Verdict: Ate way too much today and sweets ... not much self-control. I should build this into a lifestyle. I notice that I don't really crave the oily foods anymore and feel disgusted while eating a bite.

Day 4: Wed 3/17
Managed to oversleep til 1 PM T_____T, so 9 hours
4:00 PM 20 Soy Crisps 120 cal, half grapefruit
1 hr nap
7:00 PM 1 Fuji apple
8:00 PM 2 cookies
9:00 PM Salad: includes pasta, carrot thin strips, broccoli, cauliflower, mixed greens, lettuce, chopped eggs, pasta, a little balsamic vinaigrette, pine seeds, dried cranberries, dried banana slices, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers
11:30 PM 2 cups water
1:00 AM 1 packet green milk tea
- Verdict: Pretty healthy!

Day 5: Thurs 3/18
7 hrs sleep yay
11:30 AM Special K Blueberry Bar 90 cal, sip of unsweetened ice tea
1:00 PM 1/4 Chicken meal with pasta and fruit, did not finish, water
4:00 PM 2 sample cups Dragon Jasmine Tea, 2 sample cups Chai Tea from Teavana
7:00 PM Salad: includes pasta, carrot slices, broccoli, cauliflower, mixed greens, spinach, lettuce, a little balsamic vinaigrette, pine seeds, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers; 1 cup water
11:00 PM 2 Chinese egg cookie rolls from JF, 210 cal, 110 fat call T___T
1:00 AM 1 packet green milk tea
3:30 AM 10 veggie chips
- Verdict: If only I could keep my shopping addiction in check ... craving less and hungry less! Eating breakfast and drinking tea/water really does help

Day 6: Fri 3/19
7 hours sleep
12:00 PM Special K Strawberry Bar
2:00 PM Mixed Berry Yoplait Yogurt, 1 packet green milk tea
5:45 PM 1 square Cherry Chili Lindt Dark Chocolate
6:00 PM Pork pad thai YUM splurge, water
8:00 PM 1 square Chocolate Mousse Lindt Chocolate
10:00 PM Teavana Dragon Pearl and Roobios Mix (1 spoon) hot tea
10:30 PM 1 box raspberries, 1 blackberry
- Verdict: Definitely treated myself to pad thai. Thanks to Meowmeow who gave this fat jagaimo a bike ride to the Loop and back *luff*

Day 7: Sat 3/20
7 hours sleep grumble
12:00 PM 1 small box honeydew, 1/2 bottle vitamin water power-c (dragonfruit), 1 potato chip, 2 BBQ Soy Crisps
1:00 PM small cup oatmeal w/ raisins, granola and yogurt w/ fruit
3 hour nap xD
6:30 PM 1/2 bottle vitamin water
7:30 PM 25 Soy Crisps BBQ, ~140 cal
8:30 PM 1 packet Maruchan Ramen w/ light soy sauce and olive oil, ham, eggs, carrots; water
2:00 AM 1 bag Welch's Fruit Snacks, 80 cal
- Verdict: Pretty healthy day but I cracked and ate lots of snacks oops. Tired .. must study and drink more tea ... Exercise: did some wall sitting, ab workout, high jumps. Very brief but I'm going to hurt tomorrow.

Weigh-in:
108 lbs woot :D (lost 7).
This is going to become a lifestyle. Did you know that research has shown if you eat less calories, you look younger even in the aging years. Cool, hmm? Much more effective than lots of anti-aging cream for years and years.