For week 3 we planned to try not eating fried foods but were thrown off by the Superbowl. As I noted in
this post I noticed a big difference in how I felt. So for week 4 we crossed deep-fried foods off the list, and tried to eliminate soda. I'm also became more aware of artificial sweeteners (it's not something I ever really think about) and how many meals and when to eat (thinking four to six smaller meals or three meals, three snacks will work best for me)
. I tracked this week to see where I go right and where I go wrong--and Valentine's Day indulgences didn't count :)
Saturday:
Breakfast: Granola bar and banana running out the door to rescue
Lucky; coffee with Bliss natural vanilla creamer
Lunch: Bowl of cottage cheese, fresh blackberries and blueberries, sprinkled with a walnut/pumpkin seed/sunflower seed blend; ice water
Dinner: Vegan Boca burger on one slice of whole wheat bread, topped with ketchup (store-bought), lettuce and fresh avocado, served with baked sweet potato fries and apple slices; organic grapefruit Italian soda from Whole Foods (finished it off; it's water and juice from here on out!)
(The family had McDonald's; I promised my daughter she could have it before we officially started this week's challenge. Then I stuck my hand in the french fries and it was downhill from there the rest of the night. So close!)
Sunday:
I decided yesterday was just a practice run and started fresh today.
Breakfast: Cottage cheese with fresh blackberries and blueberries, topped with walnuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds; coffee with Bliss natural vanilla creamer
Lunch: Homemade whole wheat French toast made with one organic egg, 2% organic milk, and cinnamon
(notice the breakfast-foods-for-lunch trend). No syrup but I did use butter--and dropped the middle piece, the one where all the melted butter deliciousness pools, on the floor :(
Snack 1: Baby carrots, celery and baby oranges (this snack left me hungry with lack of protein)
Snack 2: Half an avocado with dry-roasted edamame. I like the edamame for two reasons: 14 grams of protein in a 1/4 cup, and they make me thirsty so I'm forced to drink (I am definitely guilty of eating instead of drinking when I am thirsty).
Dinner: Sauteed chicken breast (can't wait til grill season!), sweet potato ravioli from Trader Joe's with a little bit of butter (wasn't sure what to use for a sauce and didn't have time to research it...any future suggestions?), brussel sprouts, ice water
.
Something I've noticed lately is no matter how much I eat I never feel satisfied unless I have something sweet after dinner. Fruit usually does the trick, but I need to research why.
Monday:
Breakfast: Organic oatmeal with berries. Forgot my banana on the counter as I was running out the door (late, as usual!)
Lunch: My typical work lunch of deli chicken breast on whole wheat, pretzels, and a clementine. I was totally craving a diet Arizona ice tea today but settled for ice water instead. At least we have that yummy Sonic/hospital ice at work!
Snack 1: Pear
Dinner: Had my heart set on leftover sweet potato ravioli...and then as I was about to heat it up I realized that I'd finished it last night. Blerg. I had bok choy, tofu, and a Greek yogurt with fresh pineapple. Totally weird combination. I always need fruit at the end of a meal to feel satisfied.
Snack 2: I really missed carbs at dinner and there was a 6-hour gap between lunch and dinner with just a piece of fruit in between, so I ended up eating a small turkey sandwich on whole wheat with an orange and fresh berries. Oh well. After the fist-fight I almost got into with my computer tonight, it's a miracle I didn't eat 16 pounds of chocolate!
You get the picture.
I did pretty well on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, following roughly the same menu plan for breakfast, lunch and snacks as earlier in the week. I threw some dinners in the triple crockpot on Monday and that really helped with the rest of the week. I had chicken and black beans with green enchilada sauce (on a flour tortilla) with salad on Tuesday, and chicken tikka masala including potatoes and cauliflower, with jasmine rice for dinner on Wednesday. Thursday was Valentine's day, I made seared scallops with a balsamic reduction and seafood pasta (shrimp, clams in shell, white wine, garlic and butter). Too much butter and refined pasta with that meal, followed by chocolate and ice cream indulgences. What I noticed is that I woke up on Friday feeling a little puffy and really craving things that I hadn't craved all week like chips and soda...I had leftovers for lunch and dinner, then I finally cracked and ate some hummus chips, which were delicious but fried. Still, it's the ONLY fried thing I had this week, and I didn't have any soda (although what I would have done for a Coke!)
It's really interesting to notice the differences in how I feel between the days I get it pretty close to right and the days I go really wrong. I just really need to find the right balance for my blood sugar, appetite and body chemistry.