I'll start tomorrow...

Have you ever said that? You know, the whole "I'll start my diet tomorrow" thing. Or "I'll start my exercise routine tomorrow." Or "I better cram as much food into my mouth today, because starting tomorrow it's on..."

Well that was me today, except for the workout part. I just couldn't get motivated to start tracking my calorie intake today after my vacation binge. I was just hungry and bored...well mostly bored. I didn't eat anything that was terrible for me, it was all pretty healthy, but I ate a lot. I couldn't stop. My mid-morning snack was more like a meal. My late afternoon snack may as well have been dinner. If I had to guess, I bet I ate 2,000 calories, maybe more. Mindless eating. Totally mindless.

My mother-in-law is reading a diet book (can't remember the name) and she said that the book taught her to only eat when she is hungry. Then your body will be able to signal you to stop (when you are full). If you eat when you aren't genuinely hungry [enter boredom eating here] then your body cannot signal to you that you are full, and thus you keep eating. Wish I had remembered this little factoid earlier today, because I ate a lot of random stuff. Shall I list it? No, I won't. But take my word for it, I just kept eating. And I kept telling myself that I would "start tomorrow." But what exactly did I plan to start?

I decided this evening that I needed a new goal. I did so well the week before vacay with my bikini debut looming and it worked. So what this time? Ok, I know that health is usually my overarching goal, but I just needed a short-term gain to get me going again.

In two weeks we are going to go to visit the in-laws for Memorial Day weekend. (Don't worry 24HF Valley Ranch folks, we will leave after my classes!) Anyway, since Baby E is in love with water, I figure I will be spending quite a bit of time in the swimming pool...in a bikini...again. I know that everyone will still love me even with the baby belly that Baby E built, but I wish it to be flat again. And my gorgeous sister-in-law will be there. She has just about the best figure of any girl I know and a perfectly flat stomach [insert jealous sigh here]. What I love though, is that she is so healthy (both with nutrition and exercise), so I don't mind that she has such a flat tum. She has earned it. But still, I would like to see what I can do in the next two weeks.

Hmmm...ok, so motivation is set. Now what is the plan?

Well I decided that I needed a snack to help me determine my course of action. I was "starting tomorrow," so I nibbled on some Special K crackers. And there it was staring me in the face - the Special K Challenge!

So, I'm not really a fan of fad diets, I firmly believe that good nutrition and exercise (moving more, eating less) is the key to success. But the cute lady in the red bathing suit was smiling back so convincingly that I decided to give it a shot. The claim is that you can lose 1 inch on your waist in 2 weeks (and lose your bikini cover-up). Well, I've got two weeks and I sure would like to lose an inch in that particular area...

What the heck! Naked Stretchers, I am going to test the Special K diet for you. I will let you know what I eat, how it works, how hungry I am and ultimately whether or not the claim is true.

You basically replace two meals each day with Special K cereal, a protein meal bar or a protein shake and then eat a sensible dinner. You are also allowed two snacks - either Special K crackers, protein snack bars, cereal bars or protein water.

And the best part, you can eat fruit or veggies as another snack. Three snacks - hooray! Oh and you can eat fruit with breakfast and still have your coffee. I think that my nutritional needs will be met with this given the high protein content, dairy with the cereal, fruit, veggies and whole grains. I just need to ensure that I get lots of good stuff packed in there for dinner.

Special K did a great job with their microsite, too. Go to specialk.com/challenge and you can customize your plan based on your needs. I already have a box of cereal and the crackers, I just have to hit the store tomorrow to stock up on some meal bars, shakes and cereal bars.

My goal is to lose at least an inch around my waist and to lose 5 pounds. Totally doable in two weeks. If I can lose 3.5 in a week, 5 in two will be a piece of cake...or a bowl of cereal, as it were.

So there you have it, I will start the Special K Challenge...tomorrow...