So here's the deal, I made a serious commitment to myself that I am going to change what I am eating, or at least how much. I am logging all my meals just like I tell my clients to do. I created a macro plan for myself and I have committed to following it as closely as I possibly can. Here are a few of the challenges I ran into this week:

1. It's very tempting to skip breakfast - When you're sleeping your body slows all the processes down and even when you first wake up, your body is still moving in slo-mo. It's really tempting to skip breakfast to "save" calories because you're not super hungry yet. This is a huge no-no in general, but especially if you're exercising. Your body needs fuel or it will burn muscle during your workout. Exercising or not, you need to get your metabolism moving ASAP to prevent your body believing it's never going to eat again causing it to store fat.

2. Eating enough food early on is critical - I made the mistake one day of not eating enough throughout the day and I was starving by evening. It felt like I couldn't ever catch up. I like to think of your fuel system as being similar to your hydration system. If you sip water throughout the day, you stay hydrated. If you allow yourself to get dehydrated, it can take a lot more water than you can comfortably drink in one sitting, to get you back to normal levels. Keeping the tank topped off is much easier than running on empty. Plus, eating enough early and often keeps your blood sugar levels stable and allows you to burn fuel, not store it. 

3. Extraordinary situations make it more challenging - I had a couple of days that were out of my normal routine and it created challenges because I wasn't in total control of my meals and times. I found that if I entered my food into my app ahead of time and planned out exactly what I was taking, I was able to not be hungry, or tempted to buy food on the road. I also was very frustrated when I went to a restaurant and they didn't offer nutrition facts for their menu items. I did my best to "guesstimate" what I ate but it was definitely not easy. In addition, they put other items on the plate that weren't listed on the menu (cheese) which were impossible to remove once added. This is when you accept that your best is all you can do and know that one meal won't sink your efforts. Move on and learn from it for next time. 

All in all, it hasn't been as hard as I thought and it's getting easier every day. When I have faltered or been tempted to eat something that wouldn't fit my plan, I've focused on the goal I have and how good it feels when others notice my changes. In that moment, I remind myself that it's not worth it and pop a breath mint in mouth!