Branching Out!

I've been trying (as promised) to branch out a little food wise. For the last- oh, I dunno- 21 years? I've been eating pretty much the same thing every day. I switch it up every couple months, but I usually get in a routine and eat all the same foods all the time! Being so busy this semester has actually forced me to not do this, because I'm not at home as often as I used to be.

Like I mentioned in my post Adventures as of Late, I was pretty nervous about spending so much time on campus and having to eat school food. I didn't spend much time on campus last year (EXCEPT FOR CLASSES WHICH I ATTENDED EVERY ONE OF, MOMMY) so I didn't know that there were so many healthy options on campus! Today was another crazy day for me (on campus 9-6) so I actually ate two USC meals today. I had lunch at Colloquium Cafe again and branched out a little more! I did get the chicken ceasar salad with no dressing again, but somewhat begrudgingly. According to their menu, you can order half a chicken breast as a side item! But according to the lovely women working behind the counter, you cannot. So I got the chicken ceasar salad to get some protein and a small cup of corn chowder.

I realize that corn chowder looks pretty disgusting, but it was super yummy! I have never really been a big soup eater, except when I'm sick (which ironically I am now) but I loved it! I could definitely get used to eating it more often!

Now this morning I'll admit I was having a ridiculous craving. You remember that peanut butter cookie Luna bar I talked about in Back on the Grind?! I can't stop thinking about it. Literally. After Zumba this morning I took like a 30 second shower (quite a feat for me) so I could rush to campus and try and find one. I knew I'd seen some in the Russell House somewhere, so I was on a mission. Turns out, the Russell House carries EVERY SINGLE KIND OF LUNA BAR EXCEPT FOR THE ONE I WANTED. -.- Grr. I will have one tomorrow! So I bought a new one to have as my afternoon snack- the Luna protein chocolate peanut butter bar! 

It tasted like candy! Pretty darn yummy. I love being able to eat chocolate for under 200 calories :)

Like I said, today has been a whirlwind! After I got out of class at 5:15 I had a meeting with SGTV. Check out their website- so legit! I can't wait to get more involved! Anywayyy, I was in RuHo still at like 6:30 so I decided to see what they had to eat downstairs. They actually had a lot more healthy options than I anticipated! Some oven roasted potatoes caught my eye (one of my favorite foods!) so I ended up getting cajun catfish, potatoes, and a sauteed zucchini dish! For cafeteria food, it was soo good! I wish I had time to cook for myself, but when food like that is available to me there's no reason not to take advantage of it! 

Doesn't that look awesome?! I love zucchini too, so it was the perfect meal for me! 

I'm continually proud of myself for trying new things in all aspects of my life! I joined the Mountaineering and Whitewater club at school and am starting to work with the PR team for SGTV as well as Relay for Life again! I love being so involved and busy!

Friday marks the last day of boot camp, so y'all will have to keep me accountable and make sure I work out every day even when it's over! It's SO easy (painfully, dreadfully, horrifically easy) to slip back into old bad habits! I just have to keep reminding myself that I have made a permanent lifestyle change and I am simply not that chunky fourth grade girl who HATED to run the mile in gym class anymore! Nor am I the girl who takes shit from guys or tries to make other people happy before myself. That may sound bad, but I have made myself the number one priority in my life and it's liberating. Now making others happy is just a bonus, whereas before it was a necessity. Little adjustments make big changes! 

For exampleee, this may not seem like a big thing to you but I am noticing little changes in my body. All of the fitblogs I follow on tumblr, etc. talk about little things like their hipbones being visible, flat tummies, etc. But something that one of them mentioned several months back has stuck with me. HealthierEveryDay said that with her weight loss she had noticed an indent in her hand that hadn't been there before. I FOUND MINE! 

I acknowledge that it might be slightly ridiculous to be so excited about an indent in my hand, but it's something that is easier for me to notice than the big weight loss goals (like loss of inches). Since I look at myself in the mirror every day, it's easy to not see how drastically my body has really changed. But this is a big stepping stone for me, I'm so excited! Next... flat tummy :)

I hope I am showing y'all that it is 100% possible to do anything you set your mind to. A friend told me yesterday that he admired that I decided to do this and I DID it. I pride myself on that! There is a Fort Minor song that says: 

It's just ten percent luck
Twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will
Five percent pleasure
Fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name

While I do love that song, I think it's about 90% willpower! All you have to do is decide to do something and you can. Pushing through mental barriers is far more difficult than pushing through physical ones. Make a positive change. Everyone has room for improvement.

XO- Abigail