What I ate today!

So, I guess I should mention that I have been avoiding red meat for awhile. I have decided to try vegetarianism.

So today, for lunch, I had boca nuggets and white rice.
For dinner, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on half a croissant, and the other half has pepperjack and field roast.

I know, so uninteresting. I promise I will take pictures next time.
On the bright side, I am currently hovering around 116 - 117lbs :)

See you Later
Mellie!

My accidental weight loss journey

Hey everyone!

This is my third blog, I know, kind of ridiculous, but hey! they're all about different things.

So this is going to be my mini story about my accidental weight loss. How I went from being 133lbs, to 129lbs, to 123lbs, all without meaning to. Granted, this took place over the course of several months, 8 to be exact, but anyways, here's the story, and some tips related to how I think I lost this weight.

Lets start with the basics. This is me. (and one of my doggie's Momo) This picture was taken during the  late summer, 2012

Height: About 5ft 0in

Weight: Right now, about 119lbs

So lets start with the story.

I had to go to my school nurse around March of 2012. I was weighed as they do everytime you go to the nurse, doctor, clinic, etc. I found out i weight 133lbs. This kind of shocked me. In High School, I weighed maybe 120 - 125lbs. I knew I was a bit chubby, it bothered me from time to time, but not to really do anything about it. Then I got to college. I don't think I quite gained the "freshman fifteen," but I still gained a significant amount. I stopped being active in college. I danced and ice skated in high school, but that all changed when I moved away to college. 

The nurse told me I needed to loose 15lbs. She said that I was borderline overweight. That hit me pretty hard, however, I did not really change much. I still ate a lot, I still did not exercise. The one thing I did change was that instead of eating chicken strip all the time, I ate grilled chicken breasts instead. So I tried to limit my intake of fried foods.

Over the summer, I visited my home country. I ended up eating a lot like I usually do. That's why, when I went to the the nurse in Nov 2012, I was shocked that I actually lost weight. I weighed around 129lbs. I thought that if anything, I gained weight. So I started to think about how that weight was lost. It might not sound like much, but 4lbs is quite a lot to me. 

Then, mid January 2013, I finally decided that I am going to make a conscious choice and decision to loose weight and eat healthier. I weighed myself again so that I would know where I was starting, I was shocked that the number on the scale was around 123lbs. If you have not been keeping track, I lost about 6lbs between november and January. 

So this is how I am Pretty Sure it Happened.

1. I stopped drinking soda. 

Yes, I used to love soda. I hated diet soda. I used to drink it all the time. I hated water, if I was not drinking soda, it was anything but water. But this is what happened. I stopped drinking soda over the summer. After you stop drinking soda for a period, it tastes way to sweet.I don't find soda appealing anymore. I try to drink at least 2 cups a day, this is usually pretty easy for me, I am now working on 7 cups a day. The transition stage for me was tea, Jasmine tea to be exact. I can create a whole post about this is you guys are interested. I still drink tea :)

2. Smaller portion sizes. 

So freshman year, I would get a large everything, large pasta, large rice, etc. The lines were so long I decided that if I was going to wait in line for so long, I would get a large. However, last fall, I started to get small sizes. At mcdonalds, instead of getting a large fries, I would get a medium or small. Put your snacks into a bowl! You really don't realize how much you're eating. Putting things into bowls helped you portion it without depriving yourself. So cutting back on portion sizes really helps. You really also realize that you don't need to eat as much as you think.

3. Going "Light!"

I LOVE Mocha Frapps from Starbucks. Their around 450 cals for a grande. I also really enjoy bubble tea which can go up to 500 cals a cup. Also, Banana Berry at Jamba Juice. I went light. At Starbucks, get a "light" versions, yes, its not the same, but it satisfies the craving at only around 150 cals for a grande, thats a 300 calorie difference! Same for Jamba Juice, the light version is about 1/3 of the cals.

4. Cut Back.

I don't go to Starbucks or Jamba Juice as often as I used to. I also keep my bubble tea limited. I don't eat as much junky food.

5. SUBSTITUTE!

It is SO important to substitute. So, just like going light is substituting the "reg" for the "light" version. I do that for a lot of other things. I check labels. 2 brands of salt and pepper chips, I get the one with fewer calories. Eat apples instead of chips once in a while, it really adds up. Also, eat fruit for breakfast instead of whatever else you may eat. Even once a week, this will help. Eat grilled instead of fried.

6. Keep Track!

I use an app on my phone call myfitnesspal. It is also a website. It allows you to log your food and calorie intake and your exercise. This really helps you become aware of what you are eating and also guides you toward healthy weight loss. Keeping track of what you eat also helps you loose weight even if you are not trying to. When you see all the junky food that you are listing, you obviously will want to cut back on that. 

This is what I can think of right now. My current weight is around 119 - 120lbs. I have lost around 3 - 4lbs since about 2 - 3 weeks ago. I am still not very active but I am working on it. Next time I will share more picture and ideas.

Let me know if you guys are interested in recipes, etc. :)

Hope I have helped and GOOD LUCK!

Mellie