You Certainly Are What You Eat

I've never been one with stellar eating habits. I have a sweet tooth and have always chowed down on chocolate, cookies, cakes, ice cream, and other desserts. On top of that, I also am a big fan of fatty foods --ribs, fried chicken, steak, lechon, etc. You name it and I eat it. This past week, my eating habits have just been horrendous. I think it's due to stress from my job and thinking about home improvements. On a given day, I think I consume about 2,500-3,000. This is a lot considering I'm only 5'2. Okay, I'm really 5'1. It's not that I don't try to eat healthier, because I do. In fact, I do have days where I eat breakfast, a salad for lunch, and a small dinner. But days like that are numbered. This week alone, I've had cupcakes for breakfast, filipino food for lunch (and I'm talking 2 cups of rice, 2 ulams, and dessert --this is why I practically fall asleep in court), and chinese take-out for dinner. Completely unhealthy. Talk about a smorgasboard of unhealthiness --fat, sodium, cholesterol, oh my!

It takes willpower to change your diet to a healthier one. That, and you can't live on "eating healthy" alone. You must also get regular exercise. The most exercise I've been getting lately is climbing the stairs to get to my floor at work (6 flights); this I do everyday. If I know all this, then why don't I follow it? Pure and simple: I'm lazy. It's easier to order chinese food rather than make your own healthy meal. It's easier to blow off the gym than to make the effort to actually drive there. My laziness outweighs my vanity at times. It's no secret that I've gained weight. I see it. It's not that I'm fat. I know I'm far from being obese, but I do know my body fat percentage is getting up there. I am certainly heavier than I was 8 months ago. I know that my pants are tighter; I can't wear my favorite pencil skirt because I'd have to give up breathing; I have to forego one suit altogether because the skirt is too tight and rides up all the time; I get winded pretty easily (oh those stairs!); and I just feel less energetic. The heaviest I've ever weighed was 125 lbs. That is fairly hefty for a chick my height. I gained that weight because of the "freshman 15" in college, plus I had surgery the year after that and recuperated by lying around a lot and doing nothing but eat. I lost 25 pounds gradually and normalized my weight. I have no clue how I did it, but heck, I figure if I did it once, I'd do it again! So this will be the start of a new "Kat" (I say this to my husband almost every weekend after chowing down enormous amounts of food). I just want to be healthier and not end up with heart disease at the age of 35. So these are my health goals:

Go to the gym at least 3x a week.
Limit beef and pork to only once a week.
Eat at least 2 kinds of vegetables a day (I actually like veggies more than fruits).
Avoid sweets/desserts after lunch.
Lose 8 pounds.
Gain more muscle and tone body.
Avoid processed foods.
Limit carb/sugar intake in general.
Cook at least 3x a week (I actually like to cook, but rarely do out of laziness).

That should put me on the right track.