Spring Chick Challenge ~ Mid Week Update (week 2)

So far, so good.  I'm not sure what it was that clicked to get me more motivated to eat healthier this week.  But whatever it is, I hope it lasts! 

I'm still having trouble with drinking my water.  I just don't like it!  In the summer, I can drink it and even enjoy it.  But in the winter, it just tastes nasty to me!  I've been avoiding diet pepsi since Monday and sipping water here and there, but not much. 

Exercise hasn't been much of an option since the start of the challenge.  Grace has been cranky and clingy since the start of the new year.  And BOSSY!  I never realized how bossy a two year old could be!  I'm lucky if she'll let me out of her sight long enough to make the bed or use the bathroom, so hopping on the exercise bike isn't likely until this clingy phase passes.  I try to get her to dance with me but she quickly loses interest and wants her shows back on, or for me to sit with her.  Hopefully, I can work something in next week. 

I've been keeping my calorie intake very close to my daily target since Tuesday, when I started fresh after last week's disaterous start.  I've gone over a little when needing a snack.  I chose a banana one night and some grapes the next, both causing me to go over my daily target.  But, I'm proud of the choices I made and won't worry about an extra 100 calories (or less). 

Tracking calories at dinner time really stressed me out last week.  I love that My Fitness Pal offers a recipe builder that will show the total calories for a meal.  I've used it over the summer with great results.  But at this very moment, I don't have time to weigh and measure and enter each ingredient as I'm cooking (or even after) and then have to measure out the entire recipe to find the number of portions, etc.  In the summer, it was easier.  But now, with us eating so many soups and stews, it's just too time consuming. 

Last week, my OCD was really kicking in over the fact that I wasn't tracking dinner.  Since I'm an "all or nothing" type of person, I couldn't NOT track dinner and continue to track the rest of the day.  My brain just doesn't work that way.  This week, I decided that I will allow 600 calories for dinner on those nights that I just don't know the calorie count.  On those nights, I will have a salad before my meal, watch my portion size and skip the seconds!  I realize that some days I may be over or even under those 600 calories, but I'm hoping it will even itself out over the course of the week.  We'll see how this works out. 

So, that's where we are right now.  I probably won't do another update until the weekend or even Monday.  Until then, I wanted to share this great Dear John letter I stumbled upon last night!  It's a great read and I'm sure many of us can relate to this dieter's post!