Food battles...

I've noticed something in the past week...  Eating healthier is more expensive and way more time consuming than I expected it to be...  I know that by washing, cutting up and putting my veggies in baggies before putting them in the refrigerator will save me time in the long run when packing my lunches each morning but still.  After going grocery shopping today, I ended up spending about another hour and a half prepping my veggies for the week and slicing cheese for my lunches for the week.  My hands still smell like a combination of celery, carrots and cheddar cheese even though I've washed them.  Granted, doing all of the work ahead of time did make my time in the mornings easier this past week (I just had to toss everything into my lunch bag) and while I threw my lunches together I had the blender running to make my breakfasts.  I'm starting to think about food in a different way and I really hope that all of this work is going to be for the better in the long run.  I guess only time will tell...

I normally am not one who eats breakfast in the morning but I did find that I felt better this past week even having just a fruit smoothie/shake in the morning as I went to work.  I also found that I wasn't as hungry for lunch because I had breakfast in the morning (lunches were simple too -- baggies with baby carrots, celery sticks, veggie dip, cheese cubes and an apple).  We'll see if I'll be able to continue these lunches since I do tend to get bored with food over time.  Being bored with food is not necessarily a good thing because that's when it's too easy to fall back into "bad" yet more convenient food choices.

I'm trying to make some more positive changes in my life I guess and I'm starting with the simple I guess.  It's not the easiest to change ones food choices (especially with what my schedule looks like any given day/week) but it is definitely something that I need to get better about.  I also know that I need to once again get back into a workout routine but that's a different story entirely.  I have a full length mirror hanging in my bedroom but yesterday I saw myself at a store in a three-way mirror and I was very disheartened by what I saw...  Back to work I guess...

I think part of the problem is I know in my head that I've needed to get back into having a workout schedule but I've lacked the motivation in order to keep myself on said schedule.  I am however looking at the possibility of going home for a visit this summer again so that's going to be some of my motivation to get my butt in gear (if I go home in the summer that means I'll be living in a bathing suit while I'm there!).  I know that I need to do this for myself but this might be the motivation to help get me to where I need to be in the long run.  That's what I'm hoping at least....

I know that this new mindset when it comes to food is only part of the battle.  I know that if I'm going to continue to be successful in meeting my weight loss goals I also need to learn new/different/"better" ways to manage my stress levels.  That, in and of itself, is going to prove to be a challenge for me.  I know that managing stress is an important factor in any weight loss routine and it's something that I really need how to work on.  One of the things that I really think that will help my stress levels is learning how to leave work at work and not bring it home with me at the end of the day.  If there's nothing I can do about it at the end of the day, why should I bring it home and worry about it?  It will still be at work waiting for me the next day so that's where I should leave those issues.  For me, that's way easier said than done but it's something that I know I need to work on.

Since my food for the week is prepped, I guess it's about that time that I shut this down for the evening and put all of my laundry away.  This week I have lots going on so if there are small things I can do ahead of time to make life easier, that's what I'm going to try to do.  I hope you're able to do the same!  (If you have any suggestions for me, feel free to comment!)