Off to a good start...

So, Day 1 of the diet went well for me. For my exercise, I ran 4 miles in the morning. Here are the meals that I had planned and I stuck to them perfectly (yeah me!):

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs and a piece of whole wheat toast (no butter, of course!)

Lunch: Spinach salad (about 2 cups of spinach), with one red bell pepper and sprinkled with feta cheese, pine nuts, avocado and 1 Tbsp. Italian dressing - this is like my favorite salad in the world and it's totally scrumptious!

Dinner: at Morg's house, Chicken Marsala, brown rice and salad - also totally yummy!

I'm off to a good start. Hopefully I'll have the self-control and determination to stick with it until I reach my goal weight - actually, let's just say that I WILL stick with it until I reach my goal weight. If I'm positive about succeeding, I'll reach my goal!

Today also went well. I purposely didn't run today because I've been having some IT-Band problems on my right knee. It usually just hurts me for the last mile or so of a run, but yesterday it was bothering me a little more than usual, so I wanted to rest it. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get my knee feeling better VERY soon, because running is my preferred choice of exercise, plus I have races coming up that I would really like to run. Here's what I ate today and I'm proud to report that I didn't eat anything extra... none of my kids' fishy crackers, none of their leftover yogurt... just what I planned.

Breakfast: 1 cup Kashi Go-Lean Crunch with 1 cup skim milk

Lunch: Whole Wheat Tortilla with 1 Tbsp. shredded colby-jack cheese, 1/4 c. black beans, half of a chopped tomato, 1 cup romaine lettuce, and 1 Tbsp. of guacamole

Dinner: Easy Balsamic Chicken (recipe below - you have to try this, it's super easy and fast and tastes like it took you forever) and a spinach salad

I rode my bike to yoga class tonight and weighed myself afterwards. This is basically my starting weight since I just started yesterday and wasn't able to make it to a scale before that.

Starting Weight: 137.5 pounds

Goal Weight: 125 pounds

I was a little bummed considering last time I weighed myself before I left for all my trips, I weighed 133. I guess I was a little out of control. Woops. So, there you go. Now the whole world knows how much I weigh. It's a good thing hardly anyone reads this. Haha! I only have 12.5 pounds to go. That's a totally attainable goal. Feel free to leave any comments of encouragement for Morgan and me. We need all the help and support we can get.

Easy Balsamic Chicken
Prep: 15 minutes, Marinate: 1 to 4 hours, Grill: 10 minutes, Serves: 4

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1-1 1/4 lbs.)
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Place each piece of chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to 1/2-inch thickness with a meat mallet. Discard plastic wrap.

Add all ingredients except chicken to a zip-lock bag and mix together. Add chicken to bag and seal it. Turn the bag to coat the chicken with marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 4 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Grill chicken for about 10-12 minutes, turning once halfway through or until chicken is no longer pink. If cooking in the oven, place chicken in a shallow roasting pan and roast for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Okay, this has been WAY longer than I wanted it to be, but I do want to be completely honest about all of my eatings and doings. :)