Update: Diet, Week One

I have been following my new diet plan for one full week now, and my goal for this week was to lose two pounds. Here is my progress...

I managed to lose one pound over the week, and I feel about the same as I did a week ago. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't lose the two pounds that I wanted to, but overall, I feel pretty good about my overall adherence to the plan. And, as Aaron pointed out, one pound lost is certainly better than a pound gained, and now I am below the 150 threshold, so I feel pretty darn good about that. Here are the good, the bad, and the ugly from this week:

The Good

-I managed to get my 64 ounces of water in each day, which I had thought would be next to impossible. Sure, my visits to the bathroom became much more frequent (and I was left wondering if the weight loss that supposedly comes from drinking all of this water was actually a result of sprinting to the bathroom every hour), but I'm actually starting to find that if I don't drink tons of water, I feel thirsty and dehydrated.
-I kept snacking to a bare minimum at work and I was successful in avoiding sweets and junk food. I was very proud of myself today when a co-worker brought in a pan full of very tasty-looking bars and I didn't even try them. I did eat McDonald's one night last week, but I ordered a Happy Meal with the apple dippers instead of fries. I also made good food choices when dining out with co-workers at lunch.
-I've been using the stairs at work instead of the elevator. The first few times I scaled the four flights of stairs up to my office, I was surprised at how winded I was, but today I found that the trip up was starting to feel easier.
-I made some really good meal choices over the past week. Aaron and I made some really tasty salads and if I was still hungry afterwards, I would make a bowl of butter-free popcorn to share with Grace, or I would have another glass of water to feel fuller.

The Bad

-We did go out to Cafe Lulu one night last week, and that ALWAYS involves overeating. Still, I don't feel horrible about it because I only ate half of my entree and only drank one sangria (which is truly a feat in and of itself). However, Aaron and I split an order of Bleu Lulu chips, and I'm pretty sure that bleu cheese dressing that went with it was full fat.
-I didn't have time to get in an extended session of exercise at all last week. It was a crazy week family-wise, with the usual running around and shuttling Grace to and fro, so sadly, my goal of getting at least one good night of exercise in wasn't met. Better luck this week, I suppose.

The Ugly

-Two words: Ladies' night. I went out with two of my work colleagues who also happen to be two of my all around favorite ladies, and we ate, drank, and were merry. I totally exceeded my one drink per day limit, and when I have a few drinks, I get the munchies, so I also overate big time on Friday night. Deep fried macaroni and cheese bites, boneless buffalo chicken wings, and half of a reuben sandwich. Yummy? Yes. Bad for the waistline? You betcha.
-Two more words: Bastille Days. Aaron and I took Gracie down to Bastille Days on Saturday, and so naturally I had to get into the spirit of the festival and have a beignet. And some Cedar Crest ice cream. And a beer. And reuben rolls. And cheese fries. And a wine. And the rest of Grace's chicken fingers. For me, festivals generally equal eating copious amounts of food that is terrible for me while justifying it with, "But, Bastille Days only comes around once a year!" Yes, well, so does Mexican Fiesta. And Festa Italiana. And German Fest. And Summerfest. You get the picture.

I think the biggest thing that I learned over the past week is that it's easy to eat well and stay within the plan's guidelines during the week, when I have my work routine and I'm not dining out all the time. My problems begin on the weekend, when I don't feel like cooking or staying in, and then we decide to head out on the town. That's when the trouble starts. So, this weekend, we will be visiting friends and I am going to make a conscious effort to pay extra close attention to what I am eating (and drinking) so I can ensure that I'm not gorging myself. That will be my goal for this week--I will eat sensibly all week AND over the weekend, and I will drop two more pounds by next Monday.

Oh and as promised, here's a pic of the new hair color...I highlighted it yesterday, so it's a bit lighter today than it appears in the photo, but I think it's totally hot: