I am idiot sometimes. I picked up a plastic cup from work, the same one that I've been drinking my water out of . . . I thought it was an 8 oz. cup, but when I looked at the package, it's actually a 16 oz. cup. I really clueless when it comes to measurements.

So here I was complaining about how hard it was to drink my water, when I was drinking the right amount the whole time. Duh...

I am trying to get out a walk a little every day, but today I really don't want to. Probably because my legs were hurting yesterday. I'm supposed to walk/do cardio just three days a week, and I already walked Sunday and Tuesday, and plan to walk tomorrow as well. I guess I'll see how I feel when I get home. Maybe Raju will come walking with me.

Fast food is my weakness. I'm sure if I really thought about all that went into preparing it, I wouldn't eat it at all. But I try not to think that hard, and I eat it. This will be the second day in a row that I've eaten at Wendy's. I'm making a conscious effort to try to choose healthier things when I'm there. So today, I had a grilled chicken sandwich with chili instead of fries. I'm so glad that they have allowed people to sub something else for their fries.

Usually I bring my lunch to work, but it's almost time to go grocery shopping so the cabinets are a little bare. And usually, I have one or two bottled waters with me, and then I refill them at work. However, today I forgot my water bottles, and I've had a harder time getting my water requirement in. Normally by this time in the day, I've already had 3 16oz. bottles of water. I'm barely finishing my 2nd 8 oz. glass of water. It should be easier once I get home and have the bottled waters available.

I always hear that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day". I say, phooey. Everytime I eat breakfast I get hungry at 9:30 or 10:00. I'm sure this goes against everything that we're taught about nutrition, but if I just drink a cup of coffee in the morning, I'm good until at least 11:30 or 12:00. It seems to help me not overeat. I don't know if that's wise diet thinking, but it helps me.

I used to get a white chocolate mocha (thank you Starbucks) in the morning, but I know that those aren't good for someone trying to watch their weight. So I substituted my white chocolate mocha with a low-fat, sugar-free hazelnut latte. I'm thinking I almost like it better. I still get the sweet taste that I crave, but without all the fat and sugar. Now I just need to get one of those machines where you can make the stuff at home, so I don't have to spend so much money at Starbucks...

If I learned one thing from dieting, it's that I can't make myself do without the tastes that I like, so I substitute. If you are the type of person that can taste the difference between regular and low fat or regular and diet foods or beverages, then this probably isn't for you. It seems like there is a low-fat or sugar-free substitute for everything. Also, substituting turkey products for red meat or pork makes things easier. Since Raju doesn't eat pork, we end up substituting pork hot dogs for turkey hot dogs, ham for turkey ham, etc. And if you ask me, they all taste the same, but turkey is better for you.

A couple of years ago, my sister and I made Thanksgiving dinner and substituted almost everything that was high in fat with the lower fat or lower calorie alternative. We still had the same food, but the ingredients had less fat and fewer calories. Therefore, we were able to eat like regular people do on Thanksgiving, and not feel guilty about it later. Actually, that week I went to Weight Watchers and lost 5+ lbs. Of course, everyone at the meeting hated me...

Okay, so this last week so far has been pretty good. I've been doing my exercises and trying to eat better than I normally do. I don't believe in completely depriving myself of the things that I like to eat. And what I like to eat are caramel kisses. I'm trying not to eat too many of them.

Today I received 3 new salwar kameez outfits from Raju's sister in Bangladesh. They are a little too tight for me, but if I lose 20 pounds, they will probably fit a lot better. I love to wear the salwar kameez, so I think they will be a good motivator for me to lose the weight. I want to be able to wear them part of the summer, at least.

I went walking on my lunch hour today, and my legs hurt pretty bad. Not sure if it's because of lack of exercise for so long or what, but I've got to keep doing it.

I lost a large amount of weight once before, so I know I can do it. It's just hard to remember until the weight starts coming off. Hopefully, this Friday will show a loss.

Welcome!

Here, I will be reflecting on the positives and negatives of my journey to good health. There are many reasons why I need to lose weight, with the main one being that I am unhealthy. I'm only 28 years old, and I complain about my aches and pains as though I were 88. Right now, I'm somewhere between 100 and 150 pounds overweight.

My friend Emily is a personal trainer located in the Indianapolis, IN area and will be the key to my weight loss success. Most likely, you will have visited her website, www.ontrackfitness.net, and have clicked on the link to my blog.

I am currently seeing Emily once a week for personalized training. Initially, she will have my picture and weight and measurements on her site for the world to see. Every week, we will be posting my current weight as well as the food and beverages that I have consumed during the week.

I'm really excited about this weight loss journey, and hope that you will all join me (if only by visiting her website and reading my blog).