Challenge 2, Day 1 - Kristen

Yesterday, Monday March 22, was Day 1 of the new fitness challenge.

The Facts:
In the morning I had about a cup and a half of coffee with a teaspoon of sugar, one 6ounce 99% fat free strawberry yogurt, and one medium apple for breakfast. I ate one medium banana for a mid-morning snack. Lunch consisted of two cups of a green garden salad with three tablespoons of non-fat Italian dressing. I ate another medium apple midway through the afternoon. Dinner was one cup of freshly squeezed lemonade, two cups of spinach, one cup of cooked kidney beans, and one and a half cups of cooked brown rice. I had an after-dinner snack of one more medium banana. I broke up my 40 minutes of cardio into 20 minutes of jogging on the treadmill before dinner and 20 minutes of fast walking on the treadmill after dinner.

The Reaction:
When I first saw the list of foods to eat, I remember thinking, "How am I ever going to not be hungry?" This diet tells you the list of foods to eat, but doesn't tell you when; you decide that for yourself. I made the smart decision of making sure I had snacks between meals to keep myself from being hungry. And I gotta tell you, I wasn't hungry.

Well, okaaaaay, I was hungry around 5:00pm. This was the longest stretch of time in the day that I went without food (3:30 to 7:30), and I was feeling it in the middle of my class. Otherwise though, I felt full the entire day.

I found it interesting, too, in how I would actually force myself to eat foods. I was instructed on this day to drink a glass of water before breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which fills up part of your stomach so that you eat less. I drank a glass of water before breakfast, and it took me nearly two hours to finish my yogurt and my apple because of that.

Dinner was surprising. I do not normally like beans. Kidney beans are one of the few beans that I actually like, simply because of its use in New Orleans' style cajun cooking. One and a half cups of brown rice actually took up half the plate! Add the beans and the spinach on top, and I was unable to finish my meal.

Who would have thought that I would be on a diet and actually write the words, "I was unable to finish my meal"?!

The cardio felt really good, too. I was able to find a speed on the treadmill in which I could jog and push myself, but I was just on the brink of feeling pain in my side. So this allowed me to jog for a longer period of time without getting discouraged that I had to slow down.

The Response:
I'm really surprised by the first day. I was surprised how consistently satisfied and nonhungry I was throughout the day. I was surprised by how much food I was actually eating. I was surprised by being able to jog for as long as I did.

I realized how difficult it was though during the afternoon. I stopped by a friend's apartment after work, before my class. Normally on these days, they feed me Ramen. Mmmmmm, sweet delicious Ramen, the staple of a college student's diet. So cheap. So noodly. I love your chicken packet. I miss you.

Then I go on campus. Oh, Starbucks. Oh, a smoothie. A burrito! Sushi! Chicken nuggets! Oh my God... I crave bacon.

And this is where it gets hard.

The emotional cravings I was having hit me like a ton of bricks (and now I have the desire to watch Who Framed Roger Rabbit?). I suddenly wanted to eat everything I could possibly want. All without being a single ounce of hungry. This is something I'm going to need to work on over the next month.

The Conclusion:
I am very excited to continue with this program. I'm enjoying it so far. Peeps... I'm actually enjoying a diet!