January 2014 Resolution update

I almost made it. There were a couple extenuating circumstances in our busy day-to-day life that made me stray from my January goal. I'm pretty excited though, three times is better than ten! There were a few days I had to eat out for lunch and opted for soup or breakfast food to keep the grease down.

'Fast Food' for January 2014

January 15th - Hardees Frisco Burger
January 23rd - Burger King chicken sandwich and fries
January 28th - McDonald's egg McMuffin and had brown
January 29th - Subway 6 inch  (not sure if I would normally count this as fast food, it really goes either way I think...)

Now, I realized a couple important things on the days I didn't stick to my goal. 1) There are healthier options to what I chose to eat. 2) I get a stomach ache from fast food. 3) I really didn't have a 'good' excuse to eating out instead of whipping something up quick. My husband ate out like normal for lunch, but I don't think he even realized I was giving up fast food for the month! Usually, if I don't eat with him, I have him pick me up something for work.

Things I'll do the same: I bought one frozen organic meal to have at work but didn't have to touch it. I have tuna packets and nuts at work, and brought fruit almost every day. Yogurt and cheese were usually in my lunch box. I also kept a sweet treat at work for if I was craving sweets but usually the fruit sustained me. 

Things for me to remember: I'm terrible at going to the first floor and using the microwave. Most days I need to plan to bring something I can eat at my desk without leaving the room.

What I will continue to use as my go-to lunch foods:
Sandwich (I add Mrs. Dash seasoning to the mayo to change it up a bit)
Oranges, apples, bananas
String cheese, sliced cheese, pepperoni, and jerky
Snack size chocolates, little fruit snack packs
Yogurt, cottage cheese
Leftovers (sparingly)

What I will start trying to substitute in:
Low-sodium or homemade soups (I hate cans, so not sure what brands I'll use)
Veggies: peppers, carrots
Berries, grapes, and other snack-type fruit

January 2014 Resolution

JANUARY 2014 - Resolution for Month 1

No fast food.

I try to eat healthy. I try to eat whole foods. I try to make food at home. Some weeks, some months I fail. I'm sick of it. Fast food is expensive, makes me feel icky, and really isn't 'food'. I've read countless articles on fast food and even got my son to give up chicken nuggets so why do I still eat it?!

For the month of January, no fast food for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. There will be no exceptions. I will have no excuses. In the amount of time I can go through a drive-through I can instead go to the local grocery co-op (2 block from my office) and get the ingredients to throw together a sandwich or salad, or both! I plan on saving money and calories. Two goals for the price of one!! Plus, I drive past a grocery store on my way to and from work, there is no reason I can't stop instead of planning to eat out the next day.

In preparation, yesterday we were home all day, so I made a chicken. I plan on making it into Chicken Wild Rice soup. (I'll post my recipe this weekend, it is amazing.) This Saturday will be dedicated to make-and-freeze meals in which I'll make, freeze and pre-portion spaghetti sauce, soup, chili, and dessert/snacks for lunch. I'm hoping to get the hubby on board too, as he is usually my fast food partner. We'll see how that goes!

Wish me luck!!

2014

Happy New Year!
2014 is going to be awesome for many, many reasons, I can just feel it!

Normally, I'm like most other people at the beginning of the year. I have an idea of what I want to do, change, start, or quit doing for the entire year. I've tried drastic and simple resolutions over the years. I am going to try something new this year, something I haven't tried yet.

Each month, a new resolution. One month of change instead of a year of wishing I had stuck with my resolutions. Each month, something to better myself (weight loss/fitness), my kids (quality time/play times), my family (less screen time/quality time), my environment (awareness), possibly even my community (volunteering), and my house/yard (organization). Each month, my resolution will be modified to fit that goal.

I'm SO excited! Twleve resolutions! Twelve months to do something good for myself.

January is going to be simple as we'll be busy-busy. January is one of my busiest months at work. Christmas decorations need to be packed away. Cole has many basketball games. Logan is transitioning to a toddler. We have family to visit with. My office Christmas party to attend. And hopefully a date night with the hubby. Our weeks and weekends are already filling up too fast (a goal for another month, to lessen to busy). Somewhat related, my fitness goal for the year is to become more active, and lose poundage. This goal isn't included with this project just because I need to make a lifestyle change, not just a monthly change in regards to weight loss.

I'm so excited to get this going!