Eating out of boredom...first side-by-side picture

These past few days at work have been me sitting at my computer reading and taking quizzes for continuing education credits. Some of the information was interesting, but the majority of it was not. About half way through my second day of this, I thought I was feeling hungry. I wasn't really. I was bored. I never thought of myself as one who ate out of boredom, but a couple of days ago I could have snacked the entire time I was at my desk. I ended up having a couple of Altoid mints, walking away from my desk more frequently, and drinking lots of water. This curbed the sensations of hunger. This journey is certainly about learning and making better choices.

While at work yesterday, I felt good about myself in the clothes I was in. This didn't used to happen very often, but it is happening more often now. I actually went through my closet on Monday evening and tried on every article of clothing I owned. I have a garbage bag overflowing with clothes that are too big. I found that I now prefer to wear things that are less baggy and a little more form-fitting. This is also new for me.

I decided to try my hand at making a side-by-side picture. I downloaded an app on my phone called Photo Grid. It was recommended to me by a few friends and had pretty good ratings. It definitely does what I needed it to do.

The picture on the left is from the day before surgery - I was very tired and just wanted to get the pictures out of the way which is what my face reflects...(this was also posted in my before pictures post). The picture on the right was taken while I felt good about my outfit at work. It is by no means a professional outfit (yes, we are allowed to wear jeans at work), but it is a shirt with jeans like the first picture. The jeans in the first picture have been donated to a consignment shop; the jeans in the second picture are the ones from my recent NSV (jeans that I last wore about 2 years ago).
Side note: I also have determined that I need to purchase a full length mirror for home so I can take better pictures.

This is just a step in my journey and I still have some work to do, but it is worth documenting progress. This is also a reminder of where I have come without doing much exercise. I walk around when I can: extra walking at the grocery store, walking around the mall, parking further away at work, and occasionally going to the gym.
My goal for the next few weeks is to really try new foods (well, new since surgery) and to enjoy the holidays with friends and family. I will focus on adding some arm exercises on machines at the gym after the first of the year. This will not be a New Years resolution as so many people make. This is just the time frame that works for me.