And this time, I'll keep it off.

After about a month of eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, I needed some serious detox. It was like I allowed myself to have an eating vacation. Being busy really does make it hard to eat healthy. Between surprise 50th birthday parties, graduation parties and family reunions, I've been pretty much surrounded with junk food, also known as my favorite food. I ate my body weight in cheesy potatoes and pizza last month. I'm done. Not only do I want to eat healthier, I want to be in better shape. I have a 5K coming in two weeks and if I don't want to be the laughingstock of the whole race...well, I will probably do something embarrassing enough for that to still be true, even in the best shape of my life.

You know you have been eating too much junk when you actually crave carrots. During these past four weeks I've had little to no water each day. It's much easier to grab a pop from the fridge and go. That's where I started, cutting out pop.

I don't need pop and when I don't have it in the house I rarely drink it. I normally choose unsweetened iced tea or water with lemon. The more I drink pop, the more I crave it. So, no more pop.

I don't have the strength or will power to go through another fruit and vegetable cleanses so I just decided to eat right. What a concept, huh? I don't want it to be about "I'm not allowed to have this, I can't eat that." I just want to make better choices in general and improve myself and my diet in time. I don't think that's too much to ask of my brain. My taste buds are a different story.

So here, I'm vowing to myself that I will try my darnedest to drink at least 64oz of water per day. To choose healthier options. To eat more fruits and vegetables. To not have empty calories. And to be more active. Being busy and being active are not the same thing, trust me. I've been on the go all month but I haven't worked out once. That's all about to change. I've pinned a bunch of quick workouts on my Pinterest boards, read every page of Undressed Skeleton and acquired all the motivation I need to start. You really do have to be ready in your mind before you will actually stick to something and believe me, I'm ready.

So here's what I had to eat today. It's not perfect but it's a start. I'm thinking of doing these posts every few days along with some grocery hauls, just to hold myself accountable. What do you think?

Breakfast: coffee, of course, and oatmeal with raspberries, a banana and a teaspoon of honey (it didn't really need it)

Lunch: strawberry Activia yogurt, baby carrots, strawberries, trail mix and sweet potato kettle chips.
I also drank 3 Camelback water bottles

After work I had a Tazo black iced tea, lightly sweetened.

Dinner: we had guests tonight so I didn't have much of an option. I skipped the bun but had a hamburger with a piece of sharp cheddar, mustard and ketchup. I also ate a lot of grilled asparagus. The lighter asparagus is pickled. So good!

Other than this, I might have a bowl of cereal later. I don't go to bed until late and I'm working on not eating right before I sleep. Wish me luck!

-Liz