Wish me luck!!!

I'm a newbie too 5th day in x

Hi Emily! I am right there with you! I am using my treadmill again after a long hiatus and I too feel like I'm going to die before I hit a mile. I am getting on track to a healtier me the same as you. Here are some things that have worked for me in the past that I am starting to do now to lose my baby weight:

1) I record my food in advance for what I plan to eat during the day, so I know if I will have enough calories left to cover everything. If I don't have enough calories then I can't eat it (hopefully won't eat it).

2) I try to eat lower calorie, high fiber, foods that keep me feeling full. I eat a big breakfast, and my lunch is usually leftover dinner with a piece of fruit. I almost always eat the same breakfast so it is easy for me to prepare and I know how many calories it is. My breakfast nowadays is a cup of milk, half a wheat pita bread, boiled egg (just the whites because it reduces the calories from 70 to 17 and it is still a big piece!), a piece of light string cheese, and turkey deli meat. This breakfast is about 340 calories, but is a lot of food, and it keeps me full longer.

3) I had to get used to portion size. I measure my food on a small food scale so I know exactly how many calories to record. So I usually try to eat whole foods that I can find the calories for. For my easy dinner I make grilled chicken tenderloins, steamed carrots and broccoli. It takes only a few minutes to make. During the week Herman and I make separate dinners because I can't eat his high calorie foods every day when I'm trying to lose weight. I don't mind eating the same thing for dinner during the week because we usually eat out on the weekend so I feel like I get a splurge then. I find the calorie totals for most restaurant meals on websites and record them, too.

4) Exercise! I recently started exercising again and I'm so sore right now! I plan to use my treadmill and ExerciseTV every other day for variety.

5) I don't drink calories (other than milk) because I'd rather eat them instead and feel full. I gave up coffee because of the sugar and cream, and now drink only tea and water.

6) We try not to buy junk food at the grocery because if we have junk food at home then it is easier for me to eat it. This is easy for me to say, because I do my grocery shopping with Herman and he would stop me from buying junk foods. All those Holiday Junk Foods are still in my house, and I'm even contemplating just throwing them out so I don't eat them. When I do want junk food, I usually buy it out of the house, like ice cream at an ice cream shop and share a dish with Herman instead of getting my own big one. That way I can still eat some ice cream without going nuts.

7) To know how much I weigh I get on the scale regularly, and it helps keep me motivated toward my goal.

8) I keep healthy snacks around and I snack when I'm hungry, but I make sure to record it. Almonds are a great snack for me. I buy the really big bag of whole almonds, but to keep from over-eating them I immediately count them out into serving size baggies and pop them in the freezer to stay fresh, and grab them one at a time to eat.

I would suggest that if you still have junk foods and candy at home then it is ok to keep eating them. You don't want to make too big of a shift at first or you will never keep up on the lifestyle change. I found that just by recording all the foods I eat makes me aware of the excess calories I can cut out (just like my egg yolks that I cut out). I think it is ok for you to eat one piece of candy or junk food each day if you are craving it, but you have to be mindful of how many calories are in it. When you realize how much healthy food you could eat that would equal the calories in the candy bar, you will naturally just start to choose the healthy foods so you can eat more and feel more full. I also try to eat as close to my calorie goal without going over so that I don't feel deprived. If you starve yourself it won't help you keep the weight off because it just comes back the next time you eat.

Hope some of my ideas help!

Good luck to both of us!

Good luck, remember, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon, take it one day at at time and you will achieve your goals.