Family Christmas!

Our family decided a few years ago to give up trying to do everyone's Christmas plans ON Christmas day, because all us sisters were trying to be with each other AND with our boyfriend's/husband's (respective) families all within 12 hours. Add in the children and the holiday seemed more like 12 hours of hell than a nice relaxing and fun day.

So we decided we could live with have two Christmas Days. The 25th apart, and another day during January when we could all get together and exchange gifts and eat finger foods.

That day, this year, was yesterday. We went to out mom's studio, because that was the only place big enough, really. I won't go into the details or list all the gifts given, because it doesn't actually relate to my blog. What is relevant is what I put in my mouth and what kind of exercising I did.

Needless to say, I ate a lot of junk. Atleast, it really FELT like I ate a lot of junk. That night, when I wrote everything down, I realized that I hadn't had a ridiculous amount.

A handful of crackers, a couple small bites of cheese, a small slice of salami, a couple small slices of turkey, two apple slices (no caramel dipping sauce!) and one two-inch piece of Rice Krispies treats, homemade. Add in a big diet Dr. Pepper and the calorie count isn't sky-high.

However, earlier that day I had an entire Costco Poppy Seed muffin to myself, and later that night I ate a Fast Break candy bar. That is most likely what pushed my calorie count over, but I'm making up for it today. For breakfast I had one egg cooked over-medium on top of a plain, whole-wheat english muffin. 200 calories and I'm still satisfied even though it's been a couple of hours since I ate.

I read around the internet that drinking 16 oz of water around 10-15 minutes before eating has been proven to help you eat less calories and, subsequently, lose more weight if you're trying to slim down. Because your stomach already has water in it, there will be less room for food. Your brain will receive "I'm full!" signals from your stomach after eating less that you would if you started chowing down with empty tanks.

That being said, I'm definitely going to start trying this, starting tonight at dinner, and at restaurants too. It's easy to order water along with your regular drink, and it doesn't cost any extra! In fact, you could save a lot of money if you replaced all your drinks with water (as long as it isn't bottled!). No more buying 4-dollar fancy coffee drinks from Starbucks, no more soda, cut out sugary "juice" drinks, etc. You'll save around 150 calories per 8 oz (depending on the drink), and after replacing a weeks worth of drinks (about 25) you'll have lost a pound! (In other words, you'll have cut out 3500 calories.) I have a really nice water bottle I use and I try to keep it full all day, I find that I drink atleast one full bottle (24 ounces) in a day, usually two, and a full bottle for every workout I do.

Speaking of workouts I completed week 4 of the 10 Pound Slimdown program! And I did all the workouts for this week on the day the calendar said to, and I didn't skip ANY! Go me! Monday and Tuesday are the last two days of the 30-day program, so I think I'll just go back to day 1 and start the whole thing over. I've lost 5 pounds! I'm loving my arms, and if I flex my calf muscles I can see definition starting to come out there too!

Also good news: the pants I bought a few days before Christmas last year (which were a size 16. UGH!) are a little loose! They didn't fit in the waist to begin with (I have to fit pants to my widest part: hips and butt!) but now they don't stay up at all! Also, both pairs of my old maternity jeans are officially falling apart and cannot be worn anymore, which couldn't come at a better time, because I'm finally shrinking!

I just stepped away from the computer to try on my old size 11 jeans, and I could only pull one of them up all the way. Even if I could wear them, I don't know if I would considering the shape they're in. Once I get down to my goal weight I think I'll throw them all away. I may keep my favorite pair, but the others need to go. I'm only keeping them now to use as a means of tracking my progress. Once I look good in my old jeans, I'll know I did it.

And, having really started to see changes, I'll definitely be keeping it up. It's just a matter of deciding to DO it, and to give it your all.

And, apparently, splurging a tiny bit on special occasions.

Next special occasion: MY BIRTHDAY! I'll be turning 21!
But no crazy drinking binge for me. If I wasn't a mom I'd probably resign myself to getting drunk but I'd rather have a nice dinner with my fiance and go see a good movie, and maybe stop somewhere for a drink. Nothing fancy.