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So, my roommate's being pretty awesome about my new food plans. She's joined in and is more than willing to eat the things I'd like to eat,especially since she wants to maintain her weight and she has problems doing so because of how her body is wired. She even joined SparkPeople and we're both keeping track of what we put in our mouths a lot more than we were before. It's shocking to see how things add up when you thought they were just trivial little add ons. I actually didn't even have my reward last night for doing my workout because I figured no amount of chocolate or ice cream,for any kind of work, is worth going over my calorie limit for the day.

I've had comments that I eat very lightly for breakfast and dinner, but have a fairly large (in comparison) lunch. Well, there's a few reasons for that. In the culture I come from, it's customary to eat very lightly for breakfast just to start the day. Then you have a big, filling lunch that will keep you full and working well. Dinner's light because it's usually served fairly late into the day and you don't need the energy nearly as much. Also, with where I work and the hours I work, it's not really in my best interest to eat a big breakfast. I never know when I'll get my break,and if it's early and it's a long work day, I'll be screwed over because I won't be hungry and I'll have to force myself to eat, which is never a good thing, just so I won'tget sick later on.

Dinner's usually light for me because I end up eating it an hour or two before bed.

Also, I have odd times for my meals.Breakfast is anywhere from 10am-12pm, lunch is from 1pm-3pm, and dinner's anywhere from 8pm-12am. Again, because of where and how I work, my meals are based around my schedule. I've fallen into the routine and it seems just as natural as eating at what is considered a more 'respectable' meal hour.

Before I moved out of my parents' house, I used to snack all the time,literally. I was usually eating something 'small' that wasn't a 'big deal'. Fact was, however, that I could usually tell myself that a huge sandwich was just a snack and that a bag of chips was just a little snack. Now that I've moved out and haveto manage my own money, snacks aren't bought nearly as often. They're just too expensive and not worth it. The only snacks we keep around now are 100cal packs and Light Laughing Cow cheese wedges. We also have applesauce and yogurts in the fridge. We're determined to buy and actually eat more fruit, too, as a snack.

On another note, I'm trying to wean myself off soda. I drink a lot of stuff in general because I become very dehydrated very easily, so I more or less HAVE to drink something two to three times every hour or two. If I don't, I'll have migrains and get faint and weak and nauseas. I used to be really sick in the beginning of high school because I didn't know that. Once I started drinking more, the headaches and the nausea started going away and I started feeling better.

But of course, that means I drink a LOT of soda. I can go through a twelve pack of cans in about three days if you let me. A two-liter bottle will only last about two days. It's not good for me and I know it, especially since I tend to drink only diet sodas and those are full of aspertame,which is fairly horrible for you (not calorie wise, but it's just bad stuff). I've made a decision to switch over to flavored waters and tea (yes, thewaters have aspertame too,but not in the same quantity as diet sodas). I'm also using sucralose to sweeten my tea and not aspertame or sugar.

That's all for now!