Day 4: Best Breakfast Ever

I wanted something really special for breakfast this morning, something with a little more oomph than my usual bowl of Special K.

So I made a bowl of old fashioned (slow cooking) rolled oats and topped it with some fruit salad left over from last night. I sprinkled the works with a generous dusting of cinnamon and it was maybe, just maybe, the best thing I've ever eaten. Observe:
Here it is again, mid-inhalation.

Satisfaction, thy name is Oatmeal.

In other news, I have decided to up my caloric intake by 100 calories a day starting today. My body was telling me that what I was taking in over the last 3 days was just a wee bit too low. If I'm going to be successful (which I am), I know that I've got to listen to my body and remain and be open to make changes as needed. This was a change I needed. I'll try adding the extra 100 calories to the next few days and reassess again. I have a feeling it will take a few days/weeks to find the exact right balance I'm after. I certainly don't want to send my body into famine mode!

I'm proud of myself for completing THREE straight days of running. And today, when I woke up, I'm not nearly as sore as I was yesterday. If that's not progress, I don't know what is.

Gotta run, Baby Girl is asking to play with her mummy!

Day 2: Getting Into The Groove

Today was another good day.

I woke up to discover that I had already lost 2 pounds, which is great (and probably in no small part because of yesterdays starving session), but I'm not putting much of a stake in the loss. I'm only going to "officially" weigh myself once a week on the weekend so I can get an accurate picture of how the weight loss is going. It's too easy to get hung up on that little number, especially when it can change day by day and that change can be due to something as insignificant as an extra glass of water or a bowel movement.

I stayed really busy all morning which was a great distraction from eating. But when lunchtime rolled around, I was definitely ready to eat! I ended up using last night's leftover chicken - I chopped it up and mixed it with half a granny smith apple, some light mayo, and some Ingelhoffer stone ground mustard. This combo made an awesome chicken salad, which I paired with the other half of the apple.After lunch I went for a walk with my girlfriend and our babies, and it was then that I realized that I am SORE! I guess I'm starting to feel the burn from yesterday's run. But that didn't stop me from going again today. Because of my sore, stiff quads, today's run wasn't *quite* as much fun as yesterday's, but I still enjoyed it and it still felt good to get out there.

When I got home, I made a GIANT plate of stir-fried chicken breast and veggies (cauliflower, red pepper, onion, garlic, asparagus, mushroom and carrot) and actually felt full afterwards, for the first time since I started The Plan. I made rice for Husband and Baby Girl, but didn't eat any of it myself.And because of today's walk, run, and careful eating, I even had enough calories leftover to enjoy this tasty little snack with my green tea this evening, as I type this post:

Sweet!

Day 1: And So It Has Begun

My first day on The Plan went well; albeit a little confusing.

The best part of the whole day was my run. (And when I say run, note that I am following Hal Higdon's Beginning Runner's Guide so I am actually doing a combination of running, jogging and walking.) It was nothing short of exhilarating and when it was over, I actually wanted more. I can't wait to do it again tomorrow. It felt soooooo good.

I stuck to my caloric requirements all day long. I had a banana and a cup of pomegranate green tea before my run, two pieces of toast with light cream cheese and a huge plate of raw veggies for lunch, an Activia yogurt for a snack, and a crazy delicious salad with grilled chicken and quinoa for dinner. I thought about taking a picture of my dinner but it wasn't that pretty to look at and anyway I was too hungry to bother.

Which brings me to the confusing part of my day. After dinner, I found myself STARVING. Like, ready to eat cardboard starving. I checked my cool little iPhone program only to find that the exercise I logged didn't show up in my calorie allotment for the day. No wonder I was starving! So I fiddled with the program, and even emailed tech support and much to my surprise, I got a return email within a few minutes. Very impressive.

Anyway, I was able to get everything sorted out but even with the few extra calories to spare, I was (and am still) feeling very hungry. I am wondering if I may have been too ambitious in setting my weight loss goal at 6.5 pounds per month. I am going to stick it out today and see how I feel tomorrow. If I still feel this ravenous, then perhaps I will readjust my math a bit. I should also note that I am breastfeeding - not a lot, only 3-4 times a day - but that alone does demand a few extra calories. I'm not sure how many so I guess I better look that up. [Edit: Dr. Google tells me that breastfeeding burns 200-500 calories a day, but since I am only feeding 3-4 times a day, I am going to assume I am using about 100 and add that into my program starting tomorrow.]

I think it will likely take me a few days of messing around with my program, my goals and all my little bugaboos until I find the happy healthy weight loss balance I'm seeking. The most important thing, I think, is for me to stay adaptable and keep adjusting and readjusting until I get that balance just right.

But all in all, a great day. I am more inspired than ever, and it feels so good. Off to bed!