Next Top Chef?

I've decided I need to start cooking more..

Today at work, one of my co-workers and I were talking about my Diet Coke addiction (in case you're wondering, it's only grown. Last week was really bad with a midterm and two papers... I really just need to go cold turkey.) Anyway, he asked about my eating habits to see if I was at least getting in good health practices there.

Apparently I'm not.

In an average week, I'd say that I only really cook something once or twice. Maybe. And even when I do cook, it's something like Pasta Roni or something from a box. Rarely do I make anything from scratch or truly homework.

Apparently that's a really bad thing. My co-worker almost seem appalled that I would do that to myself. I'll admit it - I'm a fan of popping in a Lean Cuisine or Lean Pockets. Sometimes I'll make rice and pair it with cottage cheese (some people think that's weird, but it's a family thing that I absolutely love.)

I know I need to start eating more natural and healthy foods, but sometimes it's hard. With Lean Cuisines, I know what the calorie count is and that it's somewhat healthy for me - at least according to the numbers. But that shouldn't be my default. I should learn how to make a healthy meal. I should learn to incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables into my meals. I should be picking out things from the grocery story that aren't from a box or a can.

Of course, all this is easier said than done. Does anyone have any website or healthy recipies that they've enjoyed in the last few months? I'm new to this...

No Easy Way

Isn't it disheartening just how upset and frustrated you can get with yourself because of dieting and exercise? Looking back on last week, I don't think there was even one day where I want proud of my eating habits. It could be because of my all-or-nothing mentality, but even so, I just don't seem to be getting in the nutritious and healthy foods I need.

At least today I hit the gym. My last session of physical therapy is on Wednesday and then I'm free to go. That means I no longer have an excuse for not hitting the gym! It just gets tough when you try to balance everything out. What takes priority? Should you put diet and fitness in the top five, even when you don't think it deserves to be there?

Perhaps that's worded poorly. Of course it deserves to be there. Everyone needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Not leading a healthy life right now only leads to problems in the future, problems where you can look back and say, "Remember when I didn't think my health was worthy enough to be a priority? Boy if I had know then..."

But the problem is, we do know. We know what we have to do. We know we need to eat right and exercise. We know this. As with other things, though, it's always easier said than done.

Has anyone found good ways to really ensure that health is a priority in their life, without really making it a time-consuming and thought-consuming ordeal? Has anyone found a true motivation or factor that really gets them to hit the gym and really consider what they're about to eat?

Sometimes it's just so much easier to pop in a frozen meal or go through the drive thru than cook a healthy meal. Sometimes it's just so much easier to skip the gym and vow to go tomorrow, even when you know full well that you won't. But the easy way won't get you good health or a longer life. I've realized that; now I just have to overcome that and start doing something about it.

Food for Frustration

Have no fear. Tomorrow I will be starting my food diary once again. This weekend was bad. Not only was I at home (which allowed me more access to a wider selection of restaurantes, but also home cookin' and more food around the house to nibble on), I was stressed.

It really bothers me how much stress plays a role in my eating habits tonight. Multiple times tonight, because I was frustrated with an assignment, I found myself venturing into the kitchen. How is that going to help me?? It's not. So why do I always make my way to the kitchen? The answer surely isn't there.

I fear that unless I really tackle this issue, the fridge and I are going to be come best friends by the end of the semester - and that's not what I want. Perhaps I need to drink water instead. Not allow myself to leave the room? Talk to my roommate instead? I'm not sure. But there has to be a solution. There just has to be.

Day 3....kind of

Some of you may have noticed that I didn't post my eating habit. No, I didn't forget. I was just too embarrassed to.

It was one of those days. You know those days where you just eat terribly, be it from stress or frustration or socializing? I had too many emotions to deal with yesterday, and my eating suffered because of it. Let's just say I ended up having ice cream for dinner.... Yeah....

But, when you fall off the horse, sometimes you just have to pick yourself up and start all over again. I've made a valiant effort. I've been drinking more water today, ate a filling breakfast and when I went out for lunch with an old friend, I only ate half and took the rest home.

Who knows what tonight will bring, though. I've got a paper due tomorrow and a test to study for... and when those crop up, I invariably end up making my way to the kitchen more than once. Someday I will figure out what triggers these things, and more importantly, learn to break those habits. Until then, I'll hid the junk food and keep a pot of tea on.

Day 2

Today was a little better. Now that I know I actually have to post for anyone to see what I'm actually eating, I find it easier to really evaluate what I'm eating and if I really need it.

8:00 - Bowl of Quaker Oat Squares with skim milk
12:30 - Fiber One Bar, 24 oz. of water
3:00 - Honey ham sandwhich with two slices of 100% whole grain wheat bread - no mayo! Diet Pepsi max (more caffeine than Diet Pepsi)
5:30 - Big Smith sandwhich at local deli (this unfortunately had mayo, mustard and probably sandwhich meat that wasn't as good for me as, say, turkey); 32 oz. Diet Coke
7:15 - Fruit and yogurt parfait from McDonalds, 32 oz. Diet Coke

I started off the day strong, especially with water. I bypassed my normal wake-me-up Diet Coke, and it wasn't as bad as I though. I didn't have a slight headache from the caffeine withdrawal, but I made it through the morning.

For some reason I'm still addicted to pop. I think part of the appeal is that it's just so easy to grab. Instead of getting a glass, pouring the water, sometimes adding ice and having something that lacks flavor, you can just reach into the fridge and grab a can of pop. It's so much easier. Maybe I need to lose that lazy mentality to actually see results. Who knows. But hopefully I'm on the right track in terms of eating. One can only hope.

Until tomorrow...

Day 1

As promised, here's a list of what I eat today. Some of the serving sizes are approximations, so we'll see if it ends up being decent.

10:15 - Handful of Oatmeal Squares cereal
Noon - Half of the Chicken Caesar Salad in a bread bowl from Perkins and two glasses of Diet Coke
1:30 - Love-it size of Birthday Cake Remix from Coldstone (bad, I know!)
2:30 - One can of the low-carb monster energy drink (20 cals)
5:15 - Medium plate of spaghetti with meat sauce
7:30 - 24 oz. of water
8:00 - Five tortilla chips with spinach dip
10:00 - 16 oz. of water
10:30 - An apple with low-fat caramel dip (mostly due to stress over my test tomorrow...)

I'm trying to get better with the water and hopefully through keeping this diary I'll see when my week moments are (evening hours seem to win tonight out of stress and boredom). I guess we'll just have to see what tomorrow brings...

Promise

I feel bad that I haven't updated this as frequently as I should have. I've decided, however, that I'm going to update this blog every day for the next few days. I'll be using this as a food journal to not only give you guys an idea of what I'm eating on a daily basis, but also to serve as an honest look for myself. I figure if I actually have to write it down and then post to my readers, I'll be less likely to eat and drink as much.

The problem? It's homecoming week. And I have two tests and a paper this week. The festivities and stress will surely lead to lots of temptations, but perhaps this is what I need. I've been at a standstill for about three weeks now, and I need to get my body and mentality back in gear. Who's with me??