Protein, My Hero...

Shh... I'm up passed my bed time. Don't tell.

Today was a solid step in the right direction. I'm continuing to push through my book, but today a really nice thing happened... I chased the kids around.

Normally I'll play with them on the floor, get out some of the tools and bang around, or play with the cars or what not... but I never really had the energy to actually chase them around... and today I did. After I let my breakfast take root (plain oatmeal, nothing in it... honestly, it was like eating a bowl of snot. It was so hard to choke down... I was talking myself through each bite. totally trying a recipe tomorrow, that was just... *shudders*), I chased the kids around as "Ticklesaurus" for a good half hour. I loved it! And I love all I'm learning with this new meal plan.

Especially the part about why other diets don't normally work. What I've learned is, too many diets focus on restricting your body from food, which will work in the short term, but eventually your body will start storing fat, for fear it will need it later. Then, once the diet is stopped because you've lost the amount of weight you wish to lose, you start to gain it back. Quickly, and often times more than what you started with. So, any diet that promises to help you "lose weight and keep it off" that doesn't focus on a healthier lifestyle? Yeah, it won't work in the long term.

I'M TALKING TO YOU, NUTRISYSTEM! Stop with your commercials about your stupid chick who pretends she can play football. I've seen her on the real househusbands of orange county, she CANNOT play football.

I've also learned a lot of awesome things about protein... most of which I already knew (the body takes twice as much energy to break down protein as it does carbs or anything else, protein makes you fuller faster), but it was great to see it in print, and to learn exactly WHY those things happen. And the book triggers specifics to the people who are using it... which is awesome. I'm actually excited about it, too! I found a chili recipe I can't WAIT to try! :)

SO! "stats"

Breakfast - Oatmeal and water.
Lunch - chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, corn. 100 cal Nesquik chocolate milk. (Lots of protein in that, believe it or not. And, it's the only meal I don't eat according to the book, but it's still fairly good.)
Snack - PB Power Apples (OH. MY. JEANA. Who would have thought that Peanut Butter with just a dash of cinnamon could taste SO GOOD? The smell alone is enough to intoxicate!)
Dinner - Chicken Little Italy (This was delicious. Chicken breast, sprinkled with italian bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper, sauteed in olive oil, topped with marinara and served with garlic spinach. YUM)

The apples will become a part of my life. No doubt about it. It was SO good. And the dinner was far more successful than the one last night. Tomorrow I'm trying a new oatmeal recipe that involves yogurt and walnuts... and I'm also going to add a smoothie to my plan that will push me to 5 (count them FIVE) meals a day. Here's hoping this works out... still excited about that chili recipe! Ha!

Once I get the hang of this, I'm hoping the whole family will start cooking the meals and what not, so I don't have to buy completely separate groceries... lol.

But I'm feeling very good about this. I loved the energy I had today, and I love how I didn't feel like a total slug in the morning. AND I slept well... take that, belly! I will defeat you yet!

Rohirrim! To the King!