Weighty issues

Since quitting smoking in February, I have gained an unhealthy amount of weight. About 30 lbs. I now weigh more than I did during all of my pregnancies. Wow. Needless to say, I am completely ashamed of myself. Now I have to repair the damage.

On the menu: Weight Watchers and training for the Monument Ave. 10k. The hubs and I are also participating in a research study at the University of Richmond. It's following couples that are trying to lose weight together. More about that later.

Starting weight: 201.5
Total of points available: 28

Food:
Breakfast:
Active Lifestyle oatmeal 3
2/3 c. 1% milk 2
2 tbsp FF 1/2&1/2 0
coffee 0
Sweet n low 0
Total: 5

Lunch:
2 slices of bread 2
1 tbsp peanut butter 2.5
1 tbsp strawberry jam 1
Total: 5.5

Snacks:
rice cake 1
1 tbsp almond butter 3
10 pretzels 2
2 tbsp chocolate chips 4
1/3 c dried cranberries 2
Total: 12

Dinner:
Skinny Taste Brown Fried Rice 4
3 oz. chicken breast 3
1c. broccoli 0
Crystal Light Iced Tea 0
Total: 7

Total for the day: 29.5

Exercise: C25K week 1 as running intervals. 2 miles, 36 min.

To summarize, probably not the best first day. I'm feeling very snacky today.

Decisions, decisions...

I am making big decisions for myself these days. In February, I quit smoking. I can't say that I don't miss it, but I do feel so much healthier. The only downside to this decision was that I gained 25 lbs in the process. This leads me to another decision: I must change the way I eat and exercise.

One of my best friends challenged me to run a 10k with her in April. She trained hard and ran the whole race. I did my best and ran every other mile, for a total of 4.6 miles. She has lost a ton of weight and looks AMAZING. Just by limiting herself to 2000 calories a day and running three times a week! I can totally do that. I NEED to do that...I don't have any pants that fit.

I also think that my blog needs a new direction. First and foremost, I need to actually use it. I know that nobody actually reads it, but that's ok. I like having it here just so I can get stuff off my chest. For the time being, it will primarily function as a food and exercise journal. Maybe someday, I can be like those witty female bloggers whose writing I enjoy so much.

To kick off my new committment to healthy living, the family went out to dinner tonight. I'm slightly embarassed to write about what I ate. Uggghh...I had a cheeseburger, fries and onion rings (we shared), a small peanut butter chocolate milk shake, and a soft pretzel. I think that should cover all the cravings I could possibly have. The cheeseburger did have lettuce, tomato, and onion on it, so at least my meal included a few vegetables.

8. The Cure for Modern Life by Lisa Tucker: Meh...it was ok.
9. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson: I got about a quarter of the way through and realized that I had already read it. I read it all again, it was great.
10. Airframe by Michael Crichton (audiobook): I kept waiting for aliens to come out of the plane or some deadly microorganism to melt everyone's faces. Nope. Just a book about a plane.
11. So Much for That by Lionel Shriver (audiobook): I wasn't sure what to expect since I didn't like the Post Birthday World. I really enjoyed this book, though.

4. Big Boned by Meg Cabot - I think this is part of a series. A little disappointed I didn't read the first one first!
5. Anthropology of an American Girl - I find I have a hard time reading books that don't have a lot of dialogue. This book was prose heavy. It bounced around a little bit and I had a hard time following the story sometimes.
6. The Blind Contessa's New Machine - Cute book. Short, too.
7. Heart & Soul by Frank Conroy - My mother-in-law lent this to me on Sunday and I finished it this morning. I really enjoyed it...I didn't want it to end!

Books 2011

1. Insatiable by Meg Cabot: I enjoyed this. Vampire books are interesting and I almost wish there were a sequel.

2. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote: My BFF was listening to this on her ipod the other day when I was on my way to the library. I figured since she liked it so much (it wasn't the first time she'd listened to it), I would probably like it, too. Very right. Excellent read.

3. The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation by Elizabeth Berg: I drive an hour and a half each way for work twice a week and listen to audiobooks while I'm driving. They give me something to concentrate on other than the highway hypnosis I routinely suffer from. Wonderful short stories, but I must admit that I hate short stories. They often leave too much to the imagination. And I REALLY like closure.