Chocolate

"Just because I'm sorry doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it at the time." - Snow Patrol (Chocolate)

Cutting out food?!?! They have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

Well, I gave up Dr. Pepper for Len...err....21 days....go me! (Yes, I tried to go 40 but I was stressed and tired one day, it was the only thing that sounded heavenly). I will say that I've went from having 3-4 per day to just 1 or 2 per day, and sometimes none at all. I think that's a step in the right direction?!

So, I entered that transformation challenge back in January and let's just say I failed miserably. I somehow gained 10 pounds instead (cold weather = no running, too busy = loss of sleep, cookies = yummy!) ...whoops! So then I started thinking....a few years ago I was at my skinniest (which still wasn't skinny but I felt great) so what has changed and what did I do back then? Oh yes, I ran every day without fail and slept a lot. Oh, and I loved my job and wasn't in school....aka, I wasn't stressed like I am now. Well, I can't help the stress right now, but the rest........

I've entered another challenge and am ready to commit this time! Full force! The weather is warmer so I can finally run again. I'm learning not to ignore the "your body is tired, go take a nap" signs. I've planned my days out a little better so that I have time to prepare meals, work out, and get plenty of "me/nap" time. ::MOTIVATED::

So...about MSG....aka monosodium glutamate....aka, the devil's advocate. In short, it's what they give to lab rats to fatten them up - and it's in most of our food. So I've been reading labels lately. This is a good practice btw. I haven't gotten to the "don't get it if it says *sugar*" stage yet, but if it says *monosodium glutamate* I put it back.

Today, I went to the store to grab some cream of chicken soup to make chicken and dumplings......well wouldn't you know it....MSG in the soup. Thank God for smart phones, I quickly found the substitute recipe that let's you make your own cream of something soup without the MSG! I'm doubling it and adding poultry seasoning to it!

http://southernfood.about.com/od/ingredientsubstitutions/r/bl90911a4.htm

Stay tuned.....I've started living the smoothie lifestyle and I may never look back! :)

::UPDATE:: 2 weeks later

I'm down 2 pounds and feeling great! The secret? I have been sleeping a lot more. Instead of trying to get a ton done and fighting through a tired phase with sugar (or Dr Pepper), I take a short nap. 30 minutes to an hour, then have some fruit or a smoothie when I get up. When you can hardly keep your eyes open, it's your body telling you that it needs rest...seriously! LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!