3 days

I figured it would take some serious adjustment time to get used to eating differently, and the last few days have been no exception. As expected, it has been REALLY SUPER DUPER OMG HARD to give up coffee. I've tried drinking black coffee, I've even enjoyed it, but not going to Dunkin' Donuts and getting an iced coffee with cream and sugar is a tough habit to break. Most of the time I don't even think about it - I just see where my bus stops, hop off, cross the street and there it is. But, of course, that's the problem. At this point it's automatic, and hopefully eating a bowl of cereal or a yogurt and a banana at home will be more automatic eventually. But damn. The iced coffee. I even got a bowtie today. Shameful! However, I read in this book that sleeping less makes you more susceptible to cheating/making bad decisions to amp up your brain. So that makes sense. I guess getting four hours of sleep because of merrymaking the night before didn't do me any favors!

I just made and ate a really nice dinner: pan-seared salmon, and a baby greens salad with a little reduced fat feta, some dried cranberries and a little honey mustard dressing I made myself. Super satisfying! And it seriously took 10 minutes to put on my plate. I'm a fan of quick and tasty, although occasionally I'll go all out and make something more complicated. But nights like this call for quick and easy. I'm also a super fan of preparing fish in a foil or parchment pocket - just stick a serving in there with a drizzle of olive oil, whatever seasonings and herbs you want, maybe a lemon wedge, fold it up and stick it in the oven for 20 minutes or so. And voila!

Of course, I'm still thinking of the coffee. And how to curb this sweet tooth!

Prologue

When I was a kid, I was pretty normal, somewhat skinny. At around 8, I developed a little bit of pudge, just baby fat that signified the coming of an early onset of puberty. As I got older and as puberty hit (in which I stopped growing by age 12), I got certifiably chubbier, having completely moved out of the children's clothing section by age 10. However, I and my mother probably took it worse than we should have, because I now wish I was my middle school weight and size. I spent most of my middle school years in leggings and XL t-shirts, wanting to hide my body and feeling ashamed, until I realized I wasn't as big as I thought I was.

I'm 4'11" and, according to my doctor, 175 lbs. This is not cool. I suppose I never really took it that seriously past the age of 14 - I was bigger in the chest and stomach, but my arms and legs remained disproportionately thinner. I felt good, I wasn't easily winded, I could walk long distances. Personal trainers always commented on my unusual amount of stamina, even compared to the skinnier, fashion industry ladies who would come into the gym I frequented (sparsely).

Now, at 175 lbs and a couple years away from 30, I still don't look "obese", but I definitely feel it more. I gained this last 10 or so pounds within the last 5 to 6 months, which is pretty quick. A couple factors contributed to this:
- I developed a pronating ankle (not sure what this is technically called, but my ankle bends a little inward when I walk, becoming achey after a few hours, even in good shoes. Basically a sprained ankle gone wrong)
- I quit smoking (I wasn't a heavy smoker, but it was a habit I've had since the age of 15)

Now that those factors have been pointed out, where does that leave me? Despite not having an overeating problem, I do need to set a LOT of things about my diet in order:
- less greasy/fried things
- less carbs
- more greens
- more legumes
- wean myself off sweets

The last part will be the hardest - both I and my sister (who is an aerobics instructor) have got it bad. But I need to do it. I also need to set up an exercise routine, 3 times a week. The road to making myself over begins tomorrow.

And I'll be here writing all about it.