The Grand Ole Opry Challenge - Week One

I survived week one! Barely. The good news is the challenge is working. There were so many times I wanted to stop counting calories or didn't care if I went over my daily amount, but the mental image of opening that boxed set of country music legends set me straight. It would have been so easy to cheat and not record everything I ate, but I decided at the beginning of this thing that it would be better to fail than cheat. I made a promise to the big wide internet that I would record everything I ate, and I have and I will.

Here are some highlights of my week:

Week One total Weight Loss: 3 pounds

Favorite Foods of the week:

• Nutella Banana English Muffin. (1 Tbsp Nutella and 1/2 banana sliced on a toasted English muffin) -273 calories
• Blue Diamond's Oven Roasted Almonds - Butter Toffee Flavor - 160 calories for 24 almonds.
• Skinny Cow's Chocolate waffle cones - 150 calories
• Avena - Healthy Oatmeal Shake - 124 calories/serving (I always have a tall glass with two servings when I eat it for breakfast)

Exercises:

• I walked/jogged a total of 3 miles. I had not jogged for months, due to a seriously nasty sprain I got walking down the stairs on my front porch. I hadn't planned on jogging on Friday either, but when I got to the top of the hill and turned to come down I couldn't stop myself from starting into a jog. It made me realize how much I missed jogging (downhill). I had an amazing time.

Struggles:

I was having a hard time staying motivated. There was a lot of "What have I done?" thinking. I was definitely having some crazy blog promising regret. Usually when I start a diet the first week I'm excited and full of motivation. This time I felt like I was going through the motions, but was completely miserable most of the time. To make matters worse, even though I stayed in my calorie range, the last two days of the week I gained almost a pound and a half. At my lowest I was down 4.5 pounds. It was frustrating to see weight come back, even though I'm completely aware of how normal this is.

I also had a hard time getting exercise in. I only exercised once this week. I think that was part of the reason I was having such a hard time. Exercise always helps make me feel less hungry, gives me more calories to eat, and overall makes me feel better. So this coming week I'm giving myself a challenge. I want to exercise at least 6 days of the week for 30 minutes or more. This is just a challenge for fun, no negatives if I don't succeed. But of course I need a reward if I do succeed. I plan to celebrate with a nice long hot bubble bath.

High Points:

I saved up some extra calories and enjoyed a "Splurge Day" at the Desert Star Theater. I also successfully planned for and stayed within my calories at my husband's work party.

For the first time in the challenge I'm starting to feel a little excited about what I'm doing. I can see the potential of good things to come! I'm seeing already that week two is going to be a ton better. I'll be sure to come back and report.