I want to make sure I record what I am eating but I also want to make sure it doesn't become obsessive. In my quest to be a healthier me I want to live balanced with a relaxed relationship with food with appropriate boundaries. So, occasionally I would like to give a food update. I have been keeping with the extra goals of abstaining from sugar for thirty days, white flour for twenty days (likely to become for good) and dairy for fifteen days. Last tuesday I reintroduced dairy with the addition of a small serving of milk to my day. I have decided to continue to abstain from cheese just because I am still craving it and have had problems using it in the past as a binge food.
A typical day of food for me is:
Breakfast (6:30 AM) one cup of raisin bran with one cup of soy milk.
Snack #1 (10 AM) one sliced apple and a home made latte (2/3 cup of low fat milk + 2 shots of espresso + a tiny bit of splenda).
Lunch (12 PM) two lunch meat wraps (about 200 calories of lunch meat + mustard+ pickles) with a heap of steamed string beans or raw baby carrots and a sliced piece of fruit (apple or pear) and 4 corn tortilla chips. I usually try to drink about 32 oz. of water during this hour.
Dinner (6 PM) bbq chicken (around 4 oz.) with either roasted potatoes or a whole grain (brown rice, bulgur, barley) and a heap of steamed vegetables. I usually add a tbsp. of butter and a cup of chopped onions to the whole grain mixture (about 1 tbsp of butter for four servings) and if we are having roasted potatoes about a tbsp. of olive oil (again 4 servings). My husband eats the leftovers for lunch and I always try to make extra.
Snack #2 (9 PM) 2- 4 cups of popcorn ( two if it is a higher calorie kind and four if it is fat free).
So, that is pretty typical and pretty consistent. It is very important for me to have a snack at night. It was a huge binge time for me and if I get too hungry before bed I have HUGE anxiety issues. I would like to phase that out eventually but for right now it is important to me to learn to live without bingeing. I try to listen to my body and add a few extra calories if I get extra hungry or a little light headed.
I truly believe that everyone's successful weight loss comes from their own mixture of healthy foods and portion control. I am sure that my needs will change nutritionally as I get further along. It is why all of the diet programs, books, t.v. shows- whatever don't seem to work. It really boils down to you and I as individuals. Listening to your body and trial and error and making adjustments. It is important to study about nutrition and it's various philosophies. I have leaned so much over the years. I have read every diet scheme and theory there is and not a single one appeals to me to follow religiously. BUT there are aspects of some that I can take and use. What it is really about is- finding YOUR OWN PATH.
