Day 1 of the "new diet".

Breakfast: 1 scoop of scrambled eggs
Mid-morning: 1 1/2 cup fruit, 1/8 c almonds
Lunch: salad - lettuce, 2 tbsp sliced black olives, 1/4 cup turkey, 2 tbsp shredded cheddar, 1/4 cup carrots, 1 tbsp chopped onion, 1 tbsp chopped bell pepper, 3 tbsp lowfat Ranch
Mid-afternoon: 1 1/2 cup fruit, 1/8 c almonds
Dinner: 2 breakfast burritos - southwestern eggbeaters w/ chorizo and 1/2 c potatoes on 2 whole grain wraps
Water: 9 glasses
Diet Coke: 3 20 oz bottles
Gym: yes
Stairs: 2 flights

Actually, the food part wasn't so bad. The mid AM/PM snacks came along right when I was getting hungry, and amazingly, they filled me up. I was a bit hungry before going to the gym. And after working out, I wasn't hungry for a while. Kinda nice. Other than the wraps, no wheat products.

Tomorrow I'll be going to lunch with a coworker. We've already agreed to go to a restaurant where they make great salads. My only problem is they also make great flat bread, which goes great with the salad. And then tomorrow night I have to make muffins for Gabriel's Thursday and Friday lunches. Yum!

All right, enough about food! I have been sedentary all my life. I've had asthma all my life, too. Unfortunately, it wasn't diagnosed until 10 years ago. Growing up, exercise of almost any kind was agony. I remember having to run the mile in 11 minutes in high school. I started running with everyone else but a quarter of a lap later I was gasping for breath. I walked most of my way through that mile, and the PE coach passed me even though it took me 2 minutes longer. Even today I watch any and all athletes and marvel at the ease with which they accomplish their goals.

So, I am finding that I enjoy working out; that I don't have to lean on asthma as a crutch. Oh, I bring my inhaler with me every time, and it's rare that I don't have to use it. But for the first time in my life I'm feeling 'the burn' and I'm enjoying it. I'm seeing muscle definition, and I'm able to get around more easily. I've been plagued with knee problems, and a few years ago I had to have artheroscopic surgery on my left knee. After the surgery, I pretty much became an old lady. It was painful even moving slowly. But now I'm moving and more quickly, too. I'll have to have artheroscopic surgery on my other knee soon, but until then I'm going to continue working out. I actually enjoy sweating!

So, I'm starting to feel more attractive and desirable since I've started working out. Now I need to lose weight. Thus, the diet. Like so many other people, I've started and stopped diets several times. I hope this time is different.