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To help me be more disciplined, I have started to change my eating habits by creating a weekly meal plan. I must have something regimented like this or I will eat nothing for breakfast or lunch, then plow through several pieces of pizza and cookies for dinner. This takes the surprise factor out of eating. I don’t want to turn into a diet nazi, I just want to make some lifestyle changes for the sake of my body and my emotions. I hate not being able to fit into jeans I have owned forever; it makes the self-conscious teen resurface that I had thought my confidence had beaten out.

Then I looked to a couple of my favorite motivating blogs to find some nutritious tips and BAM! Jackpot!

Also, thanks to msn health (one of my favorite websites for ideas) I learned these tidbits:

• nuts are diet bombs: they fill you up with good fats, and keep you from snacking on dangerously junkie stuff! Note to Self: Eat more almonds!
• avocado overload! Also loaded with “good” fats, they are so gooood! Bonus: you use avocado (or hummus!) as a spread on your sandwiches instead of mayo!!
• Berries berries berries! Blueberries are the best, but sometimes nothing beats a raspberry smoothie for me.
• Oatmeal. Since whole oats prevent the inevitable crash associated with most carbs, this is perfect for workdays to keep me out of the woods of the “3 p.m. accidental” nap at my desk.
• Beans beans the magical fruit. Etc, etc. But they really are magical. They provide so many vital nutrients that it may be time for me to start eating them again. I stopped because that was the beauty of not living at home: not eating stuff that made me gag. Maybe it will be different now that I’m being forced only by myself?
• DARK Chocolate. This is something that proves the universe is NOT conspiring against me. Although cheese and pizza is my big scary hurdle to moderate with this plan, chocolate is my comfort. Of course this too needs to be only in moderation, but it’s a lot easier to eat and enjoy and not feel guilty about having a lindt truffle than eating 3 slices of pizza.
• Baked chips. I love a little chip in my sandwich, so giving them up cold turkey would feel like I’m depriving myself and I’d want to rebel. Cut to me scarfing a whole bag of Cheetos and crying.  Well, The Beau brought home all the different flavors of Baked chips and I must say: thumbs up, Lays. They are not healthy by any stretch, but they are MUCH healthier than the originals. And by eating something more healthy and filling as a main course, the less chips I eat anyhow. They are a little pricier, but that just makes me want to stretch them and eat less.

So, this is my plan. I have lost 1 pound since starting last week. While my weight fluctuates + – 2 pounds, I am hoping this one is the beginning of a decreasing trend.