Here's an update on my second week of the 28 Day Plan!

Last week I mostly focused on changing my eating patterns. "I promise to make healthy and positive choices so that I can live a healthy lifestyle and reach my goals." I signed the pledge that I tore out of my book and hung it on the mirror in my bedroom. Let's do this!

I started tracking all the food I ate every single day. I've been using the SP app on my Android and this helps a ton. All I have to do is whip my phone out and search for what I'm munching on. I did my best to keep my consumption between 1220 and 1570 calories, and succeeded for the most part. One of the major observations that I made was that I barely get any protein in my diet. I don't eat very much meat, so I'm going to have to make some adjustments.

I made it a goal to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables. I knew I'd need to make some major changes to achieve this, since I normally barely touch fresh produce. I bought some bananas, peaches, and strawberries, and started making smoothies with nonfat vanilla yogurt in the morning. It does a pretty good job of filling me up, and I start my day with 2-3 servings of fruit! When I started to get hungry at work, I'd head to the fridge where we keep the fresh fruit (for fruit tarts). If I ate a cup of grapes or raspberries, it would curb my appetite while keeping the calorie count low. Much better than munching on the chocolate chip cookies.

The other major steps in the second week were water, exercise, and sleep. I just kept up with my fastbreak goals: drink 8 cups of water per day and exercise 10 minutes per day. I tried out Coach Nicole's seated cardio video. Perfect since I have had to avoid any impact exercise since my accident. It's pretty challenging from a chair! Now sleep...I haven't been so great on this one. Between moving and fighting with my boyfriend, I didn't quite sleep as much as I could've. Another thing to adjust.

I have to say that I had a few WOOHOO! moments during my second week. I managed to eat out FOUR times without going over my calorie limit. I went to a microbrewery one night. I skipped the beer, ordered a sandwich, and gave the housemade potato chips to my friend. For the first time in a LONG time, I didn't feel the urge to binge eat. I've never had this response to a diet before. It was completely liberating!