The Journey Continues...New Job, More Weight Lost, and my battle with the Paxil Munchies

So, I promised I would be sharing more blog posts throughout my Choose 2 Lose experience but did not follow through on that promise. I give you no more promises, but I do come bearing an update.

A big part of the reason I have not been posting much lately is because I have changed jobs (yet again...yes, I know). I got hired as a cook at Wilder's Bakery and Bistro around mid February, and for a while I was working there and at the Hutchinson News (65-70 hour weeks, yikes). Even after I resigned from the News, I was still getting used to being on my feet all the time and the more physical nature of working in a kitchen. I was tired all the time and pretty much all I did was eat, sleep, work, watch movies on Netflix and do laundry. I'm finally starting to get into the routine of having a somewhat physically demanding job.

Working a job that requires me to be on my feet 40 hours a week has definitely helped with achieving my weight loss goals. Since starting at the restaurant, I have lost about 15 pounds. Yesterday I weighed in at 309 pounds. I have lost 37 pounds since I went to the doctor before my trip to Panama.

About 2 weeks ago I started taking generic Paxil (anti-anxiety/anti-depressant) which I think is affecting my metabolism. I am hungry all the time. It's seriously so bad I've started referring to the phenomenon as the "Paxil Munchies." They come on almost without warning and I feel like I'm starving even if I just had a snack a couple of hours before. In order to deal with this constructively, I try to eat about 5 small meals a day. I also make sure I have high-fiber granola bars on hand at work for a healthy snack, because we don't really get designated breaks, and it's a "grab what you can and stuff it in your face while trying to do 15 other things" situation.

Despite constantly eating, I have lost 8 pounds in the past 2 weeks (before I was losing 1-2 pounds/week). Something has reved my metabolism up, and for now I'm not complaining. Last night, I went out dancing with some friends and I wore a pair of jeans (2 sizes smaller than what I was wearing last fall) that I have not been able to wear for about a year and a half or two years. It was great motivation to continue eating healthy!

Sample day of Amy's Paxil Munchie diet
Breakfast:
2 cups of coffee w/2 tablespoons of heavy cream
1 1/2 cups Active Lifestyle red berry cereal
1 cup skim milk
1 cup lowfat plain yogurt
4 sliced strawberries

Mid-morning snack:
1 cup skim milk
1 medium banana
1 Active Lifestyle granola bar (high fiber, high protein)

Lunch:
Turkey Sandwich:
2 slices light wheat bread
1/2 tablespoon light mayo
1/2 tablespoon stone ground mustard
4 oz turkey
few thinly sliced red onions
few spinach leaves

1 cup low fat yogurt w/ sliced strawberries
1 medium apple

Afternoon snack:
1/8 "cookie cake" (equivalent to about 2 2-inch chocolate chip cookies)
1 cup skim milk

Later afternoon snack:
1 cup lowfat plain yogurt with 1/2 sliced banana

Dinner:
1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
1 cup black beans (cooked with tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and spices)
1/8 cup shredded cheese

Night snack:
4 cups popcorn popped with 1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup pomegranate juice

Okay...that was actually 7 small meals. Did I mention that my meds make me hungry? All. The. Time. My strategy is to be prepared with something healthy to munch on so that I don't give into the temptation to run to Burger King or order from Papa John's.