Haha, aw thanks Matty, that's such a huge compliment you don't even know! I can be very self disciplined if I want something, which is how I stick to my diet. The first few weeks were hard, but now I'm used to it and I enjoy it.
The reason I'm so overweight is because I just didn't care for so long-not to say it didn't bother me when I was clothes shopping and not to say I didn't get upset about it a lot, but when I was eating I just didn't care and I made a lot of mistakes-most notably I skipped breakfast most days, I drank A LOT of regular soda, I would have fried foods several times and week and I had no concept of portion control. I also ate a lot of sweets. I know exactly how I got heavy and luckily now I know exactly how I can lose the weight. I lied to myself for a long time, since I've been a vegetarian for so long I always tried to tell myself that just because I ate more fruits and vegetables than people my age I was a healthy eater, but I really wasn't.
Last summer I dieted for 2 months and I did lose about 20 pounds but I was miserable because I was eating the same thing every day and I wasn't eating enough at all. I was having around 700 calories per day. And obviously I quit and I gained back 40 pounds!!!! So this time around I really wanted to be successful. I was just ready to lose the weight and when I found this diary it convinced me. I am a full time college student and I work in an office 30 hours a week On the days you see me cooking I'm either off from work that day or I had gotten off of work by 5:30. I don't usually cook if I get home too late. I shop whenever I get the chance, in between work and school, after work or school, whenever. I'm about to be bumped up to full time at my job and I'm a little concerned about that because I'll have much less time to cook, shop, and go to the gym, but I eat much better on days I go to work because I have have snacks and I can eat food at my desk. I'm very lucky to have a sit down job. I know you said you work in a restaurant, where I'm sure it's impossible for you to just sit around and snack on fruits and sip water. In the beginning of my weight loss diary I did do a lot more cooking and preparing foods, but it was expensive and it was taking up too much time and I had stuff going bad, so I gave in and became a sucker for convience products as well-the Lean Cuisines and the Slim Fast shakes are a big help on days when I just don't have time to make my own food. Combine those with a couple of pieces of fruit that you can just grab, like apples, oranges, peaches, ect. and a single serve yogurt, maybe a Special K bar or a fat free pudding and you've got yourself a healthy low cal day of eating. I think the best thing to do is keep some variety and don't beat yourself up if you do make a mistake. And don't skimp on fruits and veggies. If I have a Lean Cuisine pizza for dinner I'll add a salad to eat with it, and simple vegetables like lettuce, baby carrots, and cherry tomatoes taste great with a little bit of olive oil, red wine vinegar and a lot of spices. I'm not saying I don't get tired sometimes and wish I could just go out to lunch with the girls at work or stop at Wendys on my way home instead of thinking up a way to make a balanced dinner with protein, starch, and vegetables but I want to lose weight and be healthy and I want to show people that a vegetarian diet done properly is probably the healthiest diet of them all, not just for weight loss, but for overall health.
I've also incorporated strenuous exercise which is moving things along for me. And it's the same deal-I just have to force myself to go sometimes after class and after work, even though all I want to do is go home and lay on the couch and watch tv with a bag of chips. My school has a really great gym, so I'm also lucky in that aspect. I talk to anyone who wants to talk about diet and fitness to get tips, I check out the group exercise classes once in awhile, and sometimes I go with one of my coworkers. I try to mix it up. I just know that right now I have the resources to lose weight and I have to use them. I don't want to graduate from college and have a full time demanding job, ways more bills to pay, and then be expected to lose weight. Now is the best time for me. I'm young, I'm single, I don't have a family to cook for and worry about. I have access to a free gym and I have a job that I can be flexible with. The time is now!
And I'm incredibly sorry that was so long. I am an English major after all. I tend to overwrite things sometimes. Let me know if you need help with anything in your diet and if you have any good tips or recipes for me I'd love to hear them!
