Self Goal Challenge: Days 1 and 2

Day 1, Monday~
I was not hungry when I woke up so I just went straight to the gym. After a warm up and light stretching, I did 20 minutes of strength training (3 sets each of cable squat to row, push ups and ab floor work.) Then it was on to my first magazine workout, Cardio 2, the fat eraser on the elliptical. 30 minutes of varying intervals and it was awesome. I worked up quite the sweat.

Breakfast: banana custard oats for 369 calories and a big mug of genmaicha green tea with 1 packet of stevia.

Lunch: 1 chicken apple sausage (leftover from Sunday dinner) with apple cabbage cole slaw and homemade dressing for 296 calories

Snack: 1 slice of raisin Ezekial toast with almond butter (one serving weighed), it's really important to weigh energy dense foodstuffs like nuts and nut butters, they are so yummy and so easy to overdo.

Supper: (at work) Kashi sweet and sour chicken frozen meal, steamed broccoli, an crunchy apple and a 6 ounce cuppy of Fage 0% Greek yogurt for 538 calories

Treat: (at work) Kashi pumpkin flax crunchy granola bar for 170 calories

Water: 2 liters

Total calories: 1643

Random thoughts~ The photo of the fitness model on the elliptical trainer is a bit much. It would be nice to see real women working out in the pages of fitness magazines, not just fitness models.

I'm not keen on how fitness magazines like to throw around words like "sculpt" and "tone" when referring to muscles. These are myths that are totally busted by New Rules of Lifting for Women. Toning is what you do to your hair after your bleach it and sculpting is what Michelangelo did with his David.

Day 2, Tuesday~
I worked last night so I slept in, which was nice. I got up and made breakfast, banana custard oats again for 362 calories. 10 calories less than the same breakfast yesterday. That's because when you weigh your food you get a very accurate calorie count. Then I went food shopping.

First program lunch: Spicy Tomato Soup and Goat Cheese Sandwich

Heat 2 cups low-sodium tomato soup in a microwave; add 1 cup fresh spinach leaves, a few drops of your favorite hot sauce. Top 1 whole-grain English muffin with 2 oz herbed goat cheese and 1/2 tomato, sliced.
449 calories, 14.8 g fat (8.9 g saturated), 61.1 g carbs, 8.2 g fiber, 21.1 g protein

It did not breakdown exactly as written. If bought Amy's organic cream of tomato soup, at 110 calories per 1 cup serving. Had I eaten the whole can my lunch would have come in at 520 calories. I ate a whole tomato, 1 cup of soup + 1 cup of spinach seasoned with aleppo pepper, the toasted muffing with 2 ounces of plain goat cheese for a total of 420 calories. It was delicious and satisfying, if a little salty. I'm surprised the sodium content of each recipe isn't listed, I think that's quite an important thing to look at when eating healthfully.

My workout: It's an impossibly beautiful day, so I hit the neighborhood for a 45 minute walk, I moved fast with long strides and pumped my arms. It's hard to call it a workout when it's such a pleasure to be outside on such a picture perfect early fall day.

Snack: Crisp and sweet Jazz apple with 1 tbs of cashew butter for 168 calories.

For dinner I'm making baked, lightly breaded turbot and a minted pea puree for 480 calories and I'll have enough calories for an extra snack or treat after dinner and I'll be right at 1600 calories for the day.

Water~7 cups so far, but it's only just gone 4pm.

I'm tired and bit sore from yesterday's strength training but I've not been hungry and feel pretty good overall. I won't be having such a specific diary for every day of the month, I don't want to write them and I'm sure you don't want to read them. But I will have them periodically along with "Reader's Digest" versions throughout the month highlighting the program recipes and workouts.