Everyone knows I'm in over my head

Cardio: 40 min (elliptical, stepmill, recumbent bike, treadmill - 10 min ea)
Calories: 1200-ish

I'm going to try to commit to writing just a little every day to account for my workouts and food intake so I can quickly glance over how I've done any given day.

I'm using Sparkpeople as a food and exercise journal. It's great, considering it's free. Lots of features, nice design, fairly easy to use. Yesterday I started tracking food again, since I haven't been since the first few weeks.

Which was apparent in my 6 week check-in. According to the bioelectrical impedance measurement, I've lost 3.5 lbs of body fat, which is great. However, I am actually up a pound from my starting weight. How sad is that? But no big surprise since I've been so freakin' lax about my diet. And boy, have I indulged in a *lot* of crap in the past 6 months or so.

So I've decided that my next focus would be to tackle eating right. I have a decent rhythm down for exercise. I won't go so far as to say I love it or look forward to doing it, but I definitely sense an increase in muscle tone in my arms, which are always the first to shape up. I'm also a lot less tired these days and able to get up around 7:30ish for work without an alarm. And I *always* feel good after I exercise.

I love food. But lately, I've been craving bland foods like bananas, oatmeal, grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese with the uniformly cut frozen mixed vegetables, quesadillas, french toast, pancakes etc. I think it's the cold weather, and maybe some overload from having eaten out so much in the past few months. I just can't get used to eating fresh, healthy, simple foods like fruits and vegetables. I can't remember the last time I ate a piece of fresh fruit that wasn't a banana. Sad, I know. And steamed, plain vegetables? Probably months. I have had a few salads here and there when we go out to eat so I'm not totally starved for vitamins. So I'm in pretty bad shape with respect to eating right.

The thought of certain foods makes me nauseous for some reason. And no, I'm not pregnant so don't even think that's why! This would happen to me as a kid, too - I'd get grossed out by certain foods and would need to take some time "off" with them. I go through this with yogurt fairly frequently, as well as tuna. It also happened with American cheese slices, because there were these little bits that got caught in the wrapper edges that for some reason, really bothered me. Weird, I know.

I've also discovered that there are a lot of healthy foods, mostly protein, that I really don't like. Like chicken breasts, ground meat of any kind, tofu, and most cooked fish. I do love sushi and most shellfish, though so I'm not totally in trouble.

I was sad to find out from my dietitian that milk and yogurt have to count as a carbohydrate serving due to the high amounts of lactose. I'm having enough trouble keeping my carb servings in check *and* getting enough protein. But, since I'm trying to figure out how to eat right for the long run, I'm trying not to get too hung up on that.

Anyway, just a reminder - this blog is mostly for me to review my progress and document my program. So if you find this terribly boring, please find a more interesting blog. Or go watch Grey's Anatomy - Seasons 1 and 2 are on DVD. I've now seen the first half of Season 1, which filled in some holes for me. Can't wait to watch the rest!

On a more positive note, I've worked out the last 3 days, so this working part-time thing was a good idea. Woo hoo!