What a great week!

As I look back on the previous week, I can't help but be incredibly proud of myself for making some really great choices, keeping myself on track, and following through with last week's commitment.  Today marks 8 days on track - no cheating, no slacking off, and no wavering in my willpower.  Please excuse me while I pat myself on my back and do a little dance.  This is pretty big for me.  I am confident that I have turned a page in my fitness & nutrition novel, and that there's no going back.  Another happy dance...

I am down 5.6 pounds from last week.  Now, before we get too excited or say "Hey, Debi, that's too much for one week!" let me remind you that I have been doing a yo-yo thing ALL year long, fluctuating within an 8 pound range.  I am about 9 pounds away from my ultimate goal, which I hope to reach by January.  After this week's initial loss due to the nutritional changes I have made (and stuck to), I plan on losing around 1/2 to 1 lb per week until I reach my goal.  Then it will be onto maintenance (which I have never been able to do) - but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

In the meantime, I am really happy with this week's nutrition.  It was pretty balanced.  I did eat 5 times, pretty much each day - which really kept me feeling good, energized, and not hungry - score!  Using my Bodybugg has helped me a LOT in terms of seeing how many calories I burn on any given day, how much I am consuming, what my deficit is, what my protein/fat/carb balance is, the times I am more active than others, what my workout calorie burns are...it's really very cool and I think it will definitely help keep me on track, especially with the fall & holidays fast approaching (that's my tough time of year in terms of falling off the wagon).

Here's my meal plan for the past 7 days...

Tuesday:
B - Steel cut oats w/1T dried cherries, 1T dried blueberries, 2tsp chopped pecans
S - 1/2 apple, 1T natural Peanut Butter
L - chocolate Shakeology w/almond milk & cocoa powder
S - Larabar (Apple)
D - dinner salad w/2T Newman's light balsamic dressing, 1 serving Trader Joe's Tarte Aux Champignons

Wednesday:
B - Rolled oats w/1T dried cherries, 1T dried blueberries, 2tsp chopped almonds
S - 2 organic brown rice cakes w/1T peanut butter
D - tofu veggie lettuce wraps (a la P.F. Chang's), steamed broccoli & sugar snap peas
S - Pure Organic cherry cashew bar
 

Thursday:
B - Rolled oats w/1T dried cherries, 1T dried blueberries, 2tsp chopped pecans
S - Larabar mini (cashew cookie)
L - chocolate Shakeology w/almond breeze, 1/2 banana cocoa powder & PB2
D - dinner salad w/1T Newman's light Italian dressing; leftover tofu veggie lettuce wraps, broccoli & sugar snap peas
S - 2 slices cinnamon raisin Ezekiel bread with 1T natural PB

Friday:
B - rolled oats w/2T golden raisins, 2tsp chopped pecans
S - Raw Revolution bar - mini (chocolate & cashew)
L - chocolate Shakeology w/almond breeze, 1/2 banana cocoa powder & PB2
D - dinner salad w/1T Newman's light Italian dressing; Shirataki noodle bake w/vegan "cheese"
S - Raw Revolution raisin & chocolate bar

Saturday:
B - rolled oats w/1T dried cherries, 1T dried blueberries, 1T chopped almonds
S - Raw Revolution Tropical Mango bar (SO good!!)
L - chocolate Shakeology w/almond breeze, 1/2 banana cocoa powder & PB2
D - dinner salad w/1T Eating Right yogurt ranch dressing; grilled shrimp, 1 slice marathon bread with 1/2T Smart Balance light w/flax
S - Raw Revolution raisin & chocolate bar


Sunday:
B - Rolled oats w/3T golden raisins & pecans
S - Raw Revolution cashew & agave mini bar
L - chocolate Shakeology w/almond breeze, 1/2 banana & 2tsp cocoa powder
D - 1c butternut squash & silken tofu soup; 1 slice marathon bread with 1/2T Smart Balance light w/flax,  dinner salad w/1T Eating Right yogurt ranch dressing
S - Shakeology pudding

Monday:
B - Rolled oats w/1T dried cherries, 1T dried blueberries, 2tsp chopped pecans
S - Kind bar (Fruit & Nut)
L - chocolate Shakeology with Almond Breeze, 2 tsp cocoa powder & 1T cacao nibs (okay, chocolate overload!)
D - dinner salad, 1c butternut squash & silken tofu soup; 1 slice marathon bread, dinner salad w/1T Newman's light italian dressing
S - Shakeology pudding and Larabar mini (cashew cookie)