Weigh-in Wednesday

Holy Cow!  I am completely shocked!  I don't expect results like these every week, but there's nothing like a little instant gratification to get you jump-started.......drum roll please......my first week's weigh-in is:   -3.8 lbs.!!  (and that's without a trip to the gym once this week!)

I have made some small changes lately that have apparently paid off in a big way (this week at least!).

Here's what I've been doing this week:

I have a BIG sweet tooth - so I have not eaten any sweets.  I knew this was something I would have to completely cut out for a while - if sweets aren't a problem for you, then you may not have to get so drastic, but I knew for me it had to be all or nothing (for a while). 

I also gave up carbonated beverages.  I got into the habit of drinking at least one coke a day (sometimes more if I went to a restaurant).  So instead, I'm opting for water or lemonade (most places serve lemonade alongside their carbonated beverages and it's usually sugar-free and very good!).  I have definitely noticed a difference in how I feel since not drinking carbonated stuff - it's amazing how much less bloated you are when you don't guzzle down all those bubbles!  If I've needed a caffeine boost here or there, I went for the coffee instead (and just regular ole coffee - not sugary Starbucks!)

Going along with my first Frugal Friday post, I have really cut back on the amount of meals I eat out during the work week and have stayed in the office for lunch with a can of soup instead!  And you know what?  After lunch I'm full either way!  (And isn't that the point of eating lunch?)

And last but not least I practiced portion control.  If I went out to eat, then I made sure to make the meal stretch out into two meals by asking for a take-home box (because restaurant portions are HUGE!).....or if it wasn't enough to make another meal out of, I simply left the extra on my plate and pushed the plate away.  (Just because I paid for the food doesn't mean I had to eat it all).  I really didn't deny myself much of what I was craving (except the sweets), but I just didn't indulge myself on anything.  I ate a reasonable-sized portion and then stopped - even if I felt like eating more, I just stopped.  My head knew I had eaten enough to sustain myself until the next meal, even if my stomach didn't know it yet.

Well, there are my tips for the week.  If I was a betting girl, I'd say that I'll be back up next week (just because the results were so extreme this week, but maybe not - I'm gonna keep doing the above mentioned tips and maybe actually hit the gym this week too!  So we shall see what next week will bring....