Sorry readers! Last week I was unable to write about my dieting experience because life was in a whirlwind. A few weeks ago I was offered a new job, which would mean a step-up for me in my career.  After a lot of thought and discussion I took the job. The hardest part was leaving my current team and responsibilities. I loved the people I worked with and loved what I did everyday. Even though it’s exciting to be starting something new, it’s hard to leave people you love seeing everyday and an environment and work rhythm you know so well. 
 
I spent most of last week organizing things and trying to roll-up all my projects at work, so that I could resign on Friday. This big life change has been a mix of emotions – excitement and also a little bit of sadness.

I just had a great idea, it may help me loose the weight!

As I sat at my office desk, I looked out the window at a view of the busy highway. I started thinking about speeding and car accidents (because they happen often on this highway outside my window) and how much it would suck to get in a wreck or get a traffic ticket. I then began thinking about all the money I lost to stupid fender-benders and traffic tickets over the past three years. It's not a life-changing amount, but it adds up to an airplane ticket, or two, to visit my sister or my parents on the other side of the country.

I am a very cautious driver after the last ticket and silly fender-bender I had in the office parking lot a few months back; I hate to though away money for silly reasons.

Okay, Not doing to good on my "ediet"... at all.

I have eaten fairly healthy - but I just haven't followed my diet. I haven't even weighed-in yet. I know that I haven't lost any weight either. I have fallen way, way off the wagon. The "blah" of dieting hit me and seriously I haven't been following my diet at all the past week.

I was talking with a co-worker today about my diet. It was so embarrassing to say that I just have given up on it. I hate feeling like a failure at something... it's denominational.

I've even given up on my daily work-outs. The only thing that has saved me from going way over with my weight is that my weekend activities have been very outdoorsy. Last weekend I played four softball games (my league was in the championship rounds). This was two full days out in the sun running around, etc. The weekend before I played softball and went on a 9 mile bike ride around a near-by lake.

Today, on my quest towards ending the "blah" I have been feeling with my diet, I discovered something new on the Ediets.com website. I clicked on the "view plans" tab on the site and found that I can choose from a multitude of diets.. not just the "Ediets Plan" which I have been on for the past 7 weeks. 

My choice of diets include:

• eDiets.com® Weight Loss Plan (my current plan - the old calorie watching diet)

• The Mayo Clinic Plan

After a certain time has gone by when dieting, things start to get pretty boring. Your tired of eating the same old healthy food. You want to be skinny and healthy - but you also want to indulge and enjoy in things. All you want to do is eat what you can't - because you can't! I call this "blah factor" for dieting. This is a big hump to get over.

This week I have been experiencing the big "blah" about my diet. I am not interested in any of the food choices on edeits.com. It's all the same, and it's all boring. When it comes to eating between meals - I am getting out of control.  My diet is filled with little snacks here and there. The list of "bad snacks" I've been popping include; Skittles, Goldfish crackers, Wheat Thins, animal crackers, and bite-size chocolates. I am eating as if I am not   on a diet - and definitely not in control. To top things off, there has been no exercising of any kind this week. I work, and then come home and either order-in or make a full meal.

Well... only 9 lbs to go and I'll be at my target weight! On one hand that is exciting news and on the other hand - that seems like a very impossible goal.

To report on my weekend eating habits I would rate them as "fair". I didn't over eat - but I ate out a lot.

Friday Night:

• Dinner - California Pizza Kitchen Cheese & Tomato pizza. (I ate the whole pizza, even though I felt like I was stuffing myself sick... why couldn't I control myself!)

Saturday:

• Breakfast - A Slim Fast Shake; then it was off to stand in the hot sun for a golf tourney

I just read this great article on the ediets.com website. It was titled, "22 Reasons You Might Be Fat Forever". Here are just a few of my favorite reasons from the list that really hit home for me:

• You are still looking for a quick and easy solution to weight loss.
• You use food as a reward or a treat after any or all stressful events.
• You expect to lose weight without making significant lifestyle changes.
• You are excessively self-critical.
• You are not prepared to have weight be an issue that you will have to face each and every day for the rest of your life.

Work has been a mix of distraction, worry and whirl-wind events. Just when the day seems to be going so fast I can't keep up, it slows down to a snails pace and is excruciating slow. I am not sure what that means, but I know it is effecting my diet. I munch when I feel distracted, when I feel worried and when I feel anxious.

Today I ate many, many small meals. I was grazing and I was constantly looking for something to munch on. For breakfast I decided to skip my usual slim fast shake. I stopped at newly opened smoothie shop, to my dismay their shakes tasted like a body builder's whey protein mix.

Today while working out I felt kind of weak & tired. I walked for 8 minutes then ran for 8 minutes. It's sad, but I can hardly take 8 minutes of running. (what has happened to me?!) Then I joined a workout group already in progress and did a series of arm workouts. When they began doing these arm holds (similar to yoga downward dog stance) I decided to duck out and ran on the EFX elliptical machine for 5 minutes - until completely giving up and getting ready for work.

I also did a bad thing this morning... I ate a chunk of chocolate...and it was really good. Should I feel bad? Because I don't. It made me happy.

Today I was at 150! that means one pound less than last week, but the same weight as the week before. This week I REALLY want to lose two pounds. That would make me feel so accomplished. I am going to run this week for my workouts more than lift. I want to see if the cardio is better at weight-loss than the lifting.

Today's meal plan:

Breakfast - slim fast shake 10 animal crackers

Lunch - half a salad (Asian chicken) and veggie soup

Dinner - McDonalds Q-pounder and a side salad :):):)

My boyfriend said I was looking a little bit thinner around the hips. Actually, he meant that the spot just above my pants line is looking better. I was starting to get "muffin top". You know muffin-top; it's where your tummy fat starts to hang over your pants at your belt line. Sometimes it's because your pants are too tight - but mostly it's because your body is too wiggly and jiggly in that particular area. So I am starting to have less muffin fat. yahoo.