Day 1

So today was officially day 1 of my diet and exercise regimen for this 3-month challenge. I lost an entire week due to being sick. Technically, I'm still what you would call sick. I am constantly blowing my nose, my voice is still almost gone, and I have a wicked cough. But for the first time in about a week, I feel pretty good (considering).

Because I felt pretty alright, I got up, made breakfast- real oatmeal, skim milk, orange juice and scrambled eggs. Since I won't even be making food for just myself, I have to really work on portion control. I have to make a bunch of whatever, so my portion control is going to come from remembering what I put in there, and taking a percentage of what is on the plate. I'm not really great at knowing how much is a serving yet. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one with that problem. But I'm working on it.
     So, after breakfast, I exercised. Yes, I know. It's backwards. But I got up kind of late (8am) and I had to take care of breakfast because everyone was already up and Sophia was just STARVING. She can be so dramatic at this age. Hmmm. I was pretty dramatic up until a couple years ago, so she's probably just getting warmed up. :)

I don't have a set of free weights yet, so I worked out to this DVD I got a few years back. It's called Shape Toning- Bikini Body All Year-Round. As you can tell, I don't use it much. But it's from the Shape magazine and I really like the workouts. I tried doing them with Camilla when she was staying with us for a stint and she agreed that they certainly give you a workout. (Not to mention some pretty funny stories about trying to do the exercises.)

It was pretty sad, really. I couldn't even get through the first 2 sections. Each section is 15 minutes and works a certain part of your body. I did butt and thighs and then abs. I was so done after about 20-25 minutes. Sophia asked me if I was okay every 5 minutes or so. (out of the mouth of babes, huh?) Guess I was struggling and she was worried about me.

So after that, I went grocery shopping for the week. I made a menu and shopping list last week, since I wasn't doing much of anything else, so I didn't have to even think about what to buy. Now I'm pretty excited to start. I had to take a midmeal with me shopping so I didn't miss one. So I took a reduced fat mozzarella cheese stick and a handful of roasted peanuts with just a pinch of sea salt. I've got to say, I had my doubts, but I feel pretty good after each meal. I don't want for anything more.

Then I came home and ate a tuna salad wrap. Oh my goodness, it was good! I don't really care for tuna, but it's the only seafood (besides fish sticks) that Pasquale will eat, so I am incorporating a lot of it into my diet. But it was delish. (The picture isn't quite what it looks like, but it was close enough.)
Here is the recipe for anyone who wants it:
Ingredients:
1 can (3 oz) tuna, water packed, drained
1 Tbsp fat-free ranch dressing
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Table Blend Seasoning
1 (8-inch) whole-wheat tortilla
1/4 cucumber, thinly sliced (I prefer it with the skin on)
1/2 tomato, diced

Directions:
1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine tuna, ranch dressing, celery, black pepper and Mrs. Dash seasoning; mix well.
2. Microwave the tortilla for about 20 seconds, to soften. Place cucumber slices on the tortilla. Top with tuna mixture and then tomato.
3. Roll it up, serve and enjoy!

It was super easy, quick and it was pretty awesome. Sophia didn't leave anything of hers on the table except the tortilla that broke apart. That's pretty amazing for her.

Now, since it's been about 3 hours, I'm drinking a Naked Juice protein blend. It's not quite in my meal plan, but it fits the protein requirements and is easy to drink. Tastes pretty good too. This is actually a lot of eating for me. I'm lucky  if I get in 2 meals a day. I guess that's probably why my metabolism is as slow as it is. Oh well, guess it's never too late to try something new.