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Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Kicking the Can

I know that pop is one of the banes of the weight-loss world. I see it all the time, that it's empty calories, and whatnot... I want to drink less of it, I really really do. I think right now I'm drinking 3-4 cans a day. I justify it because I'm working really long hours right now, and not getting nearly enough sleep, so I need the caffeine to stay awake. I could use some advice on balance, if anyone has some.

Here is my schedule and eating habits as they are now.

Monday morning my alarm goes off at 6 AM. I get up, get dressed, toast a bagel, and I'm out the door at 6:30.
Get to work at 7, either buy a Coke from the pop machine, or grab one of the 2 I brought with me in my lunch, depending on if there was any in the fridge at home.
Break at 9:30, eat the majority of what's in the lunch I brought, or get some chips or pretzels, maybe even a candy bar out of the vending machine, if I didn't take the time to make a lunch before I left the house. If I'm still feeling alert, I drink water.
Lunch at 12:30, drink the 2nd pop if I still have it, otherwise I have water, and the rest of what's in my lunch bag, or I'm back at the vending machine. Usually I eat a lot less at lunch, and a lot more at break time in the morning.
I usually don't take a break in the afternoon, but even when I do, I am usually still full from lunch, so there's no afternoon snack.
I get out of work anywhere between 3PM and 7PM, depending on how production went for the day. By the time I get home, I am usually starving.
Somewhere between when I get home and when I go to bed is dinner. If there's pop in the fridge, I drink that again, otherwise it's milk or juice, usually not water.

I have 2 kids, and my work schedule really doesn't give me a lot of time to spend with them. Or my husband, or myself, for that matter. So I end up staying up later than I should every day. I have found that the minimum amount of sleep that I need if I'm going to be anything resembling a decent human being in the morning is 6 hours. So, since the alarm goes off at 6, I try to make sure I'm in bed by 12. It doesn't always work, but I try.

I want to drink less pop. However, I really don't like coffee, I tried really hard to start drinking that instead, but when I do, I have to put so much sugar in it, I might as well be drinking pop anyway.

Any advice would be more than welcome as to how I can balance this out. I know my food choices are also something that needs work. I eat a lot of fast food, fried food, bread, all the things I know I'm not supposed to eat. I need to learn how to shut off the little voice in my head that's saying "But it tastes so yummy! Surely one little cheeseburger couldn't hurt THAT much, could it??"

3 comments:

Barb said...

Switch to diet! Just don't expect it to taste the same. Think of it as a whole new beverage. Same fizz, no sugar!

Callie Ann said...

Biggest problem I see right off is switch to english muffins because although I love bagels also they are loaded with carbs which turns to sugar which turns to fat. English muffin with peanut butter on it. Gives you healthy protein keep your engine going. Really I learned this also. What a difference it made with me. Takes a while to get use to /or if you can't handle peanut butter do the cream cheese trick. Okay luv ya girl

Callie Ann said...

a few other little tricks. When you go out just ge the burger no fires. you will get use to it. really it's not that hard. next thing by eating protein in the morning you won't be as hungry in the morning break. One other huge problem. I want you to start trying protein bars and eat a protein bar on your last break. you won't be so starving win you get home then and you will find you will eat less at dinner. These few little things are going to make a huge difference and you really won't feel like your deprieving yourself and the weight will come off. Also 8 glasses of water wash the pounds out of your body. Yuck so much water but just slowly start increasing it. Do you like lemon. it helps to have lemon slices and squeeze it in your water. Try to have pretzels always instead of the chips. you can have chips once in a while. Just these few things. you would be amazed at the difference. Oh well i am chatty it's 2:54 in the am. Guess I should go to bed but I probably won't until it's time to get up. Bye for now