Day 266: Determination

"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek." ~Mario Andretti~

I'm motivated. I'm determined. I'm committed. I just can't seem to get all 3 in sync with their elusive step-sister, "consistent". I also don't think my pursuit of my goal is "unrelenting". I don't even know if I have it in me to be unrelenting about anything in my life. I did better yesterday, but yesterday needs to be every day. I know I can't get 2 workouts a day every day, but 1 per day is possible most of the time. Life happens and there will be days I don't have time to exercise or get home too late or don't feel well. The problem is I've used far too many excuses already. So I'll continue to focus on improving that particular aspect of this journey. It's really been 266 days of learning something new every day. I'm making great progress and honestly, this has been a lot easier than I thought it would be. So maybe I'm not working quite as hard now because of the success I've had. That's a slippery slope because if you get too complacent you may lose sight of the goal. Could I be happy if I stopped right here ? Sure .. maybe for a little while. Then I'd remember I haven't really met any of the goals I set back on 12-29-18 when I made the decision to give Nutrisystem a shot. I was tired of being fat. I was tired of being tired. I didn't want to continue down the road to diabetes and heart disease and the complications that come with both of those conditions. So I need to refocus, stay focused and keep my foot on the gas pedal !

Breakfast was a 2.1 ounce 180 calorie cinnamon roll with cinnamon roll coffee. After I got to the office I had 3/4 cup plain yogurt (90 calories) with my second cup of coffee, which was Green Mountain Breakfast Blend. Morning snack was a 155 calorie vanilla shake with peanut butter powder. Lunch was a 4.3 ounce 240 calorie southwest fiesta melt with raw carrots. Afternoon snack was a new item, a 2.5 ounce 200 calorie multigrain bagel chips with garden vegetable cream cheese dip. These are made by the Philadelphia brand and although it was really good, it wasn't much food for 200 calories AND it has 12 grams of fat ! 2.5 cups of popcorn and a yogurt would have been healthier and more filling, so I won't be buying more of these. I do have a couple in the fridge but when they're gone, they're gone. It was a nice change but it's just too much fat. I only had 335 calories left for dinner and an evening snack ! Dinner was an 8 ounce 180 calorie creamy chicken broccoli pasta. I served it over riced broccoli. This is a great low calorie dinner ! I added a couple teaspoons of romano cheese for flavor. Evening snack was a 1.9 ounce 120 calorie tiramisu with a cup of Crooks & Coffee's Brazilian Sunset. People are crazy for this coffee, their products sell out all the time ! Total calories are 1165 and I got about 80 ounces of water in today. 

Today was a great example of how poor planning (or no planning) can easily torpedo your calorie goals. I chose the highest calorie breakfast item, the highest calorie lunch item and a higher calorie afternoon snack item. The perfect storm ! I wasn't in danger of going over 1200 calories because I had lower calorie dinner and snack items available but once I step away from Nutrisystem foods I need to be careful about my food choices each day. I'll still have a daily calorie goal and while I may not be quite so strict, I do want to stay within a specific range the majority of the time. If I don't I'll end up packing the pounds right back on. Nutrisystem really forces you to think about what you're eating in order to make the most of the calories you're taking in. Smart Carbs should have at least 1 gram of fiber and be 80-120 calories and Power Fuels should have at least 5 grams of protein and also be 80-120 calories. Although my afternoon snack met this criteria (it had 2 fiber, 6 protein), the 12 grams of fat made it a really bad choice. 110 of the 200 calories were from fat. Before Nutrisystem I didn't look at nutrition labels and didn't really care about the calories in the garbage I was eating. I didn't care if that pint of Haagen Dazs had 1000 calories. I'd eat the whole thing anyway. I didn't care if that takeout from KFC was well over 1500 calories, as I was eating 2 meals. I'd often buy 3 and save one for the next day. The fat and sodium and sugar and carbs were my friends and I was so happy when we were together. Or so I thought. I've said it before, if I had to have an addiction I'm glad it was food and not drugs or alcohol. Kicking the food addiction isn't easy but it's nothing compared to trying to kick drugs and/or alcohol. Thanks to Nutrisystem I've tamed my sugar cravings and if I ate any of the things I just mentioned I think I'd feel pretty sick. I don't plan on even trying it. I live in constant fear of going back to my old ways and putting those 96 pounds and more right back on. 

I did get my usual workout in tonight, even though I was quite comfortable on the couch and it was chilly in the house. I started my workout without the fan on because I was freezing, but about 22 minutes in I had to pause the workout and turn the fan on. So today was actually another successful day. I ate according to plan, drank enough water and got my workout done. There's nothing else I could have asked from myself.  

After waffling back and forth, today I decided to change my "office" days to Wednesday and Thursday. I kind of like the idea of 5 days at home, then 2 in the office followed by 5 more at home. Once the snow flies this will change - I'll be going to the office the first 2 days of the week with decent weather. I don't have to leave for work quite so early so it should be light out and the roads should be in better shape.

It's getting late so it's about time for a shower and bed. I do like these cool nights because I sleep so much better !