Getting Healthy for Grad School (come join in!)

[bellebookworm9]

Hi! I'm Gretchen. I'm 20 years old and a senior in college (I skipped a year). I am earning my bachelor's degree in Communicative Disorders and Sciences, and am in the process of applying to grad schools for my clinical doctorate in Audiology. I love music, Harry Potter, and Disney, of course.

I have lost nearly 15 pounds this summer thanks to Weight Watchers and the Biggest Loser Challenge here on the DIS, but still have about 57 more to go to get to my goal of 150.

Here is a picture of me right before my high school graduation in June 2009. I think I weighed about 175 here, and I would love to get to at least that.

Here is another picture of me in that dress from July 2010.

And here is a picture of me from this July, in the bathing suit that I bought and intend to wear on our Disney trip, which is just 4 weeks away!

One of the parts of the Biggest Loser challenges are the Healthy Habits. This has been revamped and is now Disney themed! This week is Beauty and the Beast (my favorite movie!). Part of the challenge is to keep a journal, and it can be a WISH journal, so here we go!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Okay, so this week's Healthy Habit Challenges are:
1) Drink 64 oz of water per day
2)Write down everything you eat or drink with calories in it.
3)Read about something health related every day.
4)At the end of each day, write something positive that happened in your journal.

There are also two mini challenges for the week.
1)Plan a three course meal that incorporates whole grains, one serving of veggies, lean protein, and 1/2 serving of fruit or dairy.
2)Plan out your exercise for the rest of September.

I'm working on the water-have drank at least 16 oz so far. I track everything on WW, but I'll post it here as well at the end of the day. This morning I read an article about healthy vending machine choices on WW. http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=98021

I am planning the menu for the three course meal. I would like to make a soup for an appetizer, but they all seem to require blenders, which no one in our house has, so I'm still working on that, but I have a spinach and cheese stuffed chicken breast recipe and an apple turnover recipe.

I just finished planning out my exercises.
Sundays: Gym (Elliptical and Nautilus machines) 7pm
Mondays: Rest day
Tuesday: Gym at 4pm or a Zumba or Yoga class when those schedules are posted
Wednesday: Campus Tour at 10am. If I don't have to go out for one, I will go to the gym instead.
Thursday: Gym at 4pm or Zumba or Yoga.
Friday: Gym at 7pm.
Saturday: Rest day (except for tomorrow and next Saturday, when I will be giving tours at 10am).

I should actually be able to follow this schedule for the rest of the semester.

 

[bellebookworm9]

I had an overall very on plan day today.

Breakfast

• Quaker Instant Oats Bananas & Cream Oatmeal w/ skim milk
• Orange

Mid-morning Snack

• Starbucks Pumpkin Bread
• Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte-Grande, single shot, nonfat milk, no whipped cream

Lunch

• 1 slice whole wheat bread, 2oz roast beef, 1 slice swiss cheese, 1 tsp mustard
• 1 cup pineapple
• 1/3 cucumber
• 1/2 container of Dannon Light & Fit Strawberry Cheesecake Yogurt

Dinner

• Smart Ones Macaroni & Cheese (rather gross)
• Unsweetened apple sauce
• SmartOnes Cookie Dough Sundae

Probable Evening Snack

• Carrots with ranch dressing
• Cheese and crackers

I went to the gym this evening and did 3.1 miles on the elliptical in 31:32, a record!

64 oz of water: Check
Track all food & drink: Check
Read something health related: Check
Write something positive: Check

 

[bellebookworm9]

Today was not a good day with eating. I gave a campus tour this morning and knew that there would be food available beforehand and so I didn't eat breakfast at my house. However, the campus tour is about two hours of walking, so that was a positive thing. I have also journaled everything today, and read about Asian cooking at home.

Breakfast

• Onion Bagel
• Onion and Chive Cream Cheese-2 tablespoons
• 3 chocolate glazed donut holes
• 2 peppermine patties ("Pumpkin")
• 1 reese's cup ("Pumpkin")
• Small slice of chocolate cake with mini chocolate chip cookies

Lunch (from Wegmans)

• 2/3 cup vegetable lo mein
• 2/3 cup sweet and sour chicken
• 1/2 cup white rice
• 2 cups fruit salad (watermelon, blueberries, grapes, strawberries)

Dinner

• 8 triscuits
• 1 oz colby jack cheese
• 1/2 cup sherbet (98% fat free, no sugar added)

Evening

• Starbucks Pumpkin Bread
• Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (16 oz, single shot, nonfat milk, whipped cream)

64 oz of water: Not completed (I did have a lot of iced tea/lemonade though)
Journal all food & drink: Completed
Read something health related: Completed
Write something positive: Completed

I went grocery shopping today and bought the suff for tomorrow's "Be Our Guest" meal. I believe at least two of my housemates and one other friend will be partaking. I'm off to go plan my meals for tomorrow and I will also be going to the gym tomorrow evening.

 

[bellebookworm9]

I was totally on plan today! I did not get to the gym as I had hoped, but there was a terrible thunderstorm, I had more reading than anticipated, and cooking took longer than I thought it would, too.

Breakfast

• 2 Low-fat frozen blueberry waffles
• 2 tablespoons light, reduced calorie syrup
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 banana

Lunch

• 1 slice whole wheat bread
• 2 oz 98% fat free turkey
• 1 slice swiss cheese
• 1 tsp mayo
• 1 cup lettuce
• 1 tbsp honey mustard dressing
• 3 slices pineapple

Dinner

• 1 serving butternut squash soup
• 1 serving spinach & cheese stuffed chicken
• 1 serving apple turnover

After dinner

• 1 oz shredded cheddar cheese
• 16 reduced fat wheat thins
• 1/2 cup sherbet (98% fat free, no sugar added)

I did drink mostly iced tea/lemonade again today, but I fixed my Brita pitcher (I dropped the old filter and it was not lining up correctly-finally put a new one in and now it is all better!), so I will start drinking more water again tomorrow.

My meals are planned for tomorrow because my day will be very, very busy-pretty much just going from 7am-10pm.

64oz of water: Not completed
Journal food & drink: Completed
Read something health related: Completed (found the college section of WW)
Write something positive: Completed

 

[bellebookworm9]

As you will see, breakfast and lunch were totally on plan and then after class ended at 2:15 I just started craving carbs.

Breakfast

• 1 banana
• Dannon Light & Fit Pineapple Yogurt
• Quaker Instant Oats Blueberry Oatmeal w/ skim milk

Lunch

• 1 slice whole wheat bread
• 2 oz 97% fat free ham
• 1 slice swiss cheese
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 cup lettuce
• 1 tbsp honey mustard dressing
• 1 orange
• 1/2 cup sherbet

Junk that I've been snacking on since 2:15

• 3 zingers (13 points!)
• 2 bowls extra raisin raisin bran w/ skim milk
• 1 Smart Ones Key Lime Pie
• Boxed mac n cheese (1/3 box?)