Disclaimer... This Post Won't Make You Skinny and Sweet

I feel like I should just throw this out there, as I'm sure some people are tired of hearing about it and I'm really not blogging about it to show off or pass myself off as some expert.. I'm blogging about my new lifestyle because, first of all, I'm so freakin' amazed at myself that I have stopped talking about it and actually getting up to do it... and secondly, if it motivates anyone else, than that's all the better.  This is going to sound really batshit crazy, but my motivation for actually getting off my ass and doing it was the MTV show I Used To Be Fat.  Every week, some heavy teen gets a trainer to bust their ass and they lose huge amounts of weight and change their behaviors.  In an hour, we see their history of bad habits, their self-esteem problems, how those around them contribute to their weight problem, their mental and physical challenges with exercising, their weigh-ins and, ultimately, their success.  Who would have thought the network that brings us Skins and Teen Mom would produce a motivational show like this that would call out to my inner fat little schoolgirl?

Having said that (and repeating that I'm no expert), a few people asked me what I've been eating.  At first, I was eating more fattening foods (eggs, cheese, pepperoni, peanuts, meat and chicken, lunchmeat, veggies) to get off the carbs and sugar.  For those that have never experienced the South Beach Diet, the premise is to starve the body of all carbs, starches and sugar for a week, and your cravings will be gone.. and it works, believe you me.  Now, I'm trying to go leaner with better quality meats, more veggies... and I'm taking protein powder, since I'm working out and doing cardio as well.  About a week ago, I was at 19.4% body fat and today... after three spinning classes and a couple of 2 hour workouts and leaner eating... I was at 18.7% today.  I lost a half percentage of body fat in a week. 

Going from my day consisting of 8 cans of diet soda, one stop to McDonald's, probably 1/2 pound of candy, bread, baked goods and a regular latte along with other meals to where I am now... I am proud that I have made a commitment to myself to eat better and exercise and it has made a world of difference.  And while I'm not really hardcore with my food selections (I'll still have a sugar-free mint patty (50 calories) or a tablespoon of coolwhip (25 calories in 2 tablespoons) or still using butter), it's still huge.  I am very fortunate to have this time off work so I am able to do 2-3 hour workouts many times a week. Back to the old grind in a month.

Today's meal, so far:
8 oz skim milk with whey protein powder, 1 raw egg and a banana in a blender (45 grams of protein)
3 oz sirloin with chorizo gravy, carrot souffle, asparagus, broccoli and cauliflower and 6 oz skim milk