On the road again...

I already began the day off on the wrong foot. I had my alarm set for 7 am...plenty of time to wake up, get in a good 30 minute of walking with possible running, get home, eat breakfast, shower, go to class by 9:30. Instead I re-set my alarm for 8. At least I ate breakfast, that was new for me! Typically my "breakfast" consists of coffee and facebooking, but today it consisted of 1 slice of toast, peanut butter, a danactive yogurt drink and a large banana...and coffee....and facebooking. Not too bad. I came home for lunch today and just scarfed down a delicious salad! I did not know that the more veggies you throw in a salad- the more delicious it gets. I was under the mindset that a salad needed bacon bits, crutons, loads of cheese and to be drenched in ranch dressing to taste good, but I was plesantly surprised with how much I enjoyed my "new" salad. I used fresh romaine, cucumbers, tomatos, green and red bell peppers, carrot chips, sunflower seeds, green olives, cheese crumbles, and a drizzle of ranch dressing. It was fantastic!

I suppose I should introduce myself, why I am deciding to re-vamp my lifestyle habits, and my past weight loss experiences. I am 25 years old and I am currenlty in graduate school for Speech Pathology. I weigh in at roughly 240 lbs and am 5'6''. I have never considered myself disgustingly fat, but I have always disliked my body. When I was a senior in highschool, we were instructed to complete a project in which we did something we had never done before. I decided to complete a 5k race. Up to that point in my life I had had very little, if any, experience with exercising. I always finished the mile-run last in gym class, tried to play softball and basketball, but my asthma never permitted this. So, for the project, a family friend who was also a personal trainer decided she would coach me along. A few sprained ankles, and a LOT of complaining later, I was 25 lbs lighter and finished a 5k race. Then I went to college and lost control of my newly gained habits. Here I am, almost 7 years later and 60 lbs heavier. I have started and ended many dieting/exercising regimins over the last 7 years. Nothing has kept me motivated or interested. I have had many "breaking points" in which I say to myself "this is my motivation to change", such as not being able to complete a hike with my boyfriend, feeling uncomfortable swimming or going to the beach/lake with friends, not being able to wear what I want to wear, trouble shopping, back pain, etc etc etc...
This time my motivation was sparked by seeing a recent video on facebook of some friends and I dancing to a Lady Gaga song. I don't know if it was the outfit I chose to wear, the angle of the camera, or the fact I had been drinking way to much, but when I watched the video I did not find myself laughing about how ridiculous we looked, I found myself critcising the way I looked in the video and how large I was when compared to my friends. Also, recently, my Dad has been told that he is pre-diabetic. Diabetes is prevalent in my family, with the age of onset being mid-40's. I realized I do not want to be 48 and worrying about my health. Sure, it will always be a concern, but a typical 48 year old should be enjoying life, not counting calories.

So, my plan is to give up red meat and pork, only eating chicken, turkey, and fish. Eat as many fruits and veggies as humanly possible. Do not eat fast food, with the exception of Subway. Only go out to dinner with my friends once every two weeks, and when I do go out, choose a healthier option. Limit quantity of sweets and treats. EXERCISE.