Trying to committ to healthy eating/Day 1

I have struggled with my weight for a long time, and this blog will document my latest of several attempts to lose weight. I find it is easier to manage my diet/lose weight when I keep a journal of what I eat.

This is not some fad diet or lose weight quick scheme. My plan is to gradually adopt a healtier diet and lifestyle - eat more vegetables and fruit, eat less processed foods, sugary foods and high-fat meats, and incorporate moderate exercise.

I finally replaced the battery in my bathroom scale. My last weight check was July 28, 2010. I weighed in at 346 pounds, my heaviest weight ever. Today my weight is 334.6 pounds.

In the past 11 weeks I have lost an average of 1 pound per week (probably more while I was in Panama due to increased walking and decreased appetite from the Malaria prevention antibiotics). This is a healthy rate of weight loss. The medical community has concluded that a loss of 1-2 pounds per week is a healthy rate.

Breakfast today (9:00 a.m.):
1 1/2 c. Special K Red Berries
1 c. skim milk
2 c. coffee w/International coffees f.f. creamer

Lunch today (12:00 p.m.):
1/4 leftover homemade chicken pot pie.
2/3 c. homemade roasted cauliflower soup garnished with smoked almonds

About my homemade pot pie:
This pot pie is approximately 7 inches in diameter. The filling consists of 1/2 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 large carrot, 1 rib onion, 2 tablespoons extra virgion olive oil, 1 cup frozen broccoli pieces, 3 tablespoons flour, 3-4 c. fat free, low-sodium chicken broth, and 1/2 chicken. There is a top crust only and it is a traditional pie crust (yes, lots of butter).

About my homemade roasted cauliflour soup:
To make this soup, I cut 1 head of cauliflower into florets, tossed with olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin and salt. I then roasted the florets on 400 for about 30 minutes. I then pureed the florets with water in the blender. The mixture was put into a pot, brought to a boil, reduced to a simmer for 20 minutes. The soup was flavored to taste with additional paprika, cumin, salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Snack (3:45 p.m.):
1 medium apple
1 slice Tilamook Medium Cheddar

Snack (4:45 p.m.):
2 oz smoked almonds

Dinner (5:30 p.m.):
1/4 homemade chicken pot pie

Snack (9:20 p.m.):
1 1/2 c. homemade cauliflower soup

Evening Drinks (11 p.m.):
3 glasses wine

Today I have consumed approximately 2580 calories. I used the food intake tracker at mypyramid.gov to analyize the items I have eaten today. In order for me to loose 1-2 pounds per week, I need an average daily caloric intake of less than 2680 calories per day. 1 pound of fat = 3500 calories. In order to loose 1 pound per week, I must decrease my calorie consumption by 3500 calories per week or increase my activity level so that my body burns an additional 3500 calories per week.