a big, fat post about food

Hey, all! I know, I know - so far, I really haven't been making good on my goal of posting more often in 2010. Sorry! Hopefully, this post will redeem me a little bit. :)

So, over the past few months, I've been struggling with an extra few pounds. Now, don't get me wrong - I realize that a few pounds is really no big deal, and that I shouldn't complain. So, I'm not complaining! I'm simply going to do something about it. I would like to weigh about 5 pounds less than I do now. It might seem like a small difference, but I just know that I was satisfied with my weight when it was 5 pounds less, and now, I'm a smidgen dissatisfied. So, I'm finally going to do something about it. That something is comprised of continuing to work out most days of the week and limiting myself to 1600 calories most days of the week. Measuring food and counting calories works, but it happens to be a pain in the bohunkus, which is why I have resisted doing it again for some time. I have finally decided to just put on my big girl panties and deal with it, though, and today marks the first day of counting calories again.

On several occasions, people have asked me about what kinds of foods I eat and in what proportions. It seems like once you lose 60+ pounds, your eating habits develop a certain cache and become quite the object of intrigue! I will be the first to admit that my diet is not at all perfect - for one thing, I eat alarmingly few veggies. I would like to think that I make up for that somewhat by eating a lot of fruit and taking a multivitamin. :) Also, I don't really cook, and rely on a lot of convenience food. I'll just come right out and say that some of the food I buy and eat is downright exorbitant. I realize that this won't work for some people, who either can't or don't want to spend that kind of money on food. I came to the conclusion long ago, though, that while I'm VERY frugal in lots of areas, food is just one area where I am willing to splurge. If I will end up throwing away the whole grapefruit but will suck down the expensive jar of grapefruit sections, then to me, it's worth every penny to buy the jar. What it all boils down to is that I know myself, and I know that I'm sort of lazy when it comes to preparing food. I have made peace with that, and instead of constantly struggling to change it, I have just given in. If there is a convenience food that will make it more likely for me to eat a certain food group or get certain nutrients, then I'm going for it!

Other than maximum convenience, here are some things that I look for when grocery shopping: With very few exceptions, I buy only whole grain products. The only time I buy non-whole grain is when I can't find a whole grain version (For example, I can't find any whole wheat pretzels around here!). I always buy skim milk and low-fat cheeses, yogurts, and ice creams. When I buy meat, it's always lean, such as 93% lean ground beef. And when buying prepared/convenience foods, I always compare labels to try to get the lowest level of sodium, fat, and sugar that I can find and the highest level of protein and fiber. Yes, I do fork over for low-sodium and no-salt-added products. It's just another one of those areas where I am willing to spend the money. Interestingly, I am NOT willing to spend the extra money on organics, although that day may come. I do my very best to avoid products with high fructose corn syrup and/or hydrogenated oil, and in general, I try to buy products with the shortest, simplest lists of ingredients.

In my current weight-loss quest, I am limiting myself to 1600 calories a day. No one should ever go below 1200 calories a day, and even that amount would be hard to maintain. I am not, at this point, worrying too much about keeping track of sugar, fat, or sodium - I buy foods with lesser amounts of these to begin with, and I know that unless I eat out, I am staying more or less within healthy limits of these with the foods I keep in my kitchen. I AM keeping track of fiber and protein, because these are two hugely important factors in having enough energy, feeling fuller for longer, and staying regular. I am shooting for 30 g of fiber and 70 g of protein each day.

I thought that it might be neat if I actually posted the foods I'm eating today for everyone to see. This will definitely not be a daily thing, as that would be too time-consuming. but I might do it every so often, just to offer up a "slice of life" picture of my eating habits. So far, I have had breakfast, a snack, and lunch, which have totaled 1000 calories. Notice that I eat the majority of my calories by early afternoon. I've said it a million times, and I'll say it again here - you've got to eat a good breakfast!!! So many women I know don't have breakfast or have a tiny, piddling one - this is not good! It's imperative to have a well-rounded breakfast rich in carbs, protein, and fiber to stoke your metabolism for the day and give you energy. My breakfast comes in at about 450 calories, which really surprises some people. But, you'd be amazed at how much better you'll feel if you'll eat a big (healthy) breakfast and shift more of your calories to earlier in the day.

Without any further ado, I'll stop rambling and get to the actual food log:

Breakfast:
1 cup Cheerios w/ 1/2 cup skim milk and a small banana (This combo is a powerhouse of fiber, protein, calcium, whole grain, and potassium.)
1 Thomas' 100% whole wheat mini-bagel w/ 1/2 Tbsp. Promise activ margarine (This margarine is one of those very expensive foods I buy. I like it because it has plant sterols, which help control cholesterol. It also has no trans fats and is very low-calorie.)
a cup of instant coffee with 3 tsp. of flavored Coffee-Mate powdered creamer and 1 heaping tsp. of Metamucil Clear & Natural fiber supplement (adds 5g fiber to my morning!)
1 multivitamin, 1 1000-mg fish oil capsule, and 1 400-IU vitamin D supplement

This breakfast was 450 calories and had 13.5 g of fiber and 13 g of protein, for a very good start!

Snack:
1/2 cup Fage Total 2% Greek yogurt (This is packed with protein!! Some people eat the 0% fat-free version of this yogurt, but I don't like the taste, and I like a little fat in my snack - some fat is needed to help the body absorb other nutrients and to promote satiety. Warning - this yogurt is also very expensive.)
1/2 cup frozen peach slices
1/8 cup Trader Joe's High Fiber Cereal sprinkled on top (This adds a little fiber and crunch to the "parfait". One could also use Fiber One cereal or something similar.)

This snack was 120 calories and had 3 g of fiber and 10.5 g of protein!

Lunch:
2 slices Nature's Own Double Fiber Wheat bread (whole grain with omega-3s and only 50 calories and 5 g of fiber per slice!) with 1 pouch Starkist Sandwich-Ready Tuna Salad (another convenience food that I'm willing to fork over for, and packed with protein and omega-3s!)
1 serving Snyders of Hanover mini-pretzels (20 pretzels)
1/2 cup Del Monte Sunfresh red grapefruit (This is that expensive jarred grapefruit I mentioned earlier.)
1 Sargento reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese stick (only 60 calories and packed with protein and calcium)
1 calcium supplement with 600 mgs calcium and 400 IU vitamin D

This lunch was 430 calories and had 11 g of fiber and 28 g of protein!

ADDENDUM:
Sometimes I like to sort of split dinner up and have a couple of mini-dinners, spaced apart, so that I don't get too hungry in the late afternoon and evening.

First Mini-Dinner:
6 slices Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh shaved chicken breast (high in lean protein for satiety; unfortunately somewhat high in sodium, but it's a convenient, yummy way to get some protein, so I overlook the sodium in this case)
1/3 cup Coco Wheats hot cereal with 1/2 cup skim milk (the cereal is high in protein and iron, and has no sugar or sodium!)
1 fish oil capsule, 1 calcium supplement, and 1 vitamin D supplement

This mini-dinner had 285 calories, 1 g of fiber and 19 g of protein.

So far, I'm up to 1285 calories, 28.5 g of fiber, and 70.5 g of protein. I've basically hit my fiber and protein goals for the day, and I have about 300 calories left, so I shouldn't be going to bed hungry tonight - whoo hoo!

I'll wrap this up later after I've eaten the last of my calories for the day...

ADDENDUM:
Here's my final info:

Second Mini-Dinner:
1 cup Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk and a small banana
2 Dove Promises dark chocolate squares (Dark chocolate, in moderation, is actually good for you!)

This mini-dinner had 320 calories, 6.5 g of fiber, and 8 g of protein.

So, drum-roll please.........here are my final totals for the day.........:
Calories: 1605
Fiber: 35 g
Protein: 78.5 g

Whoo hoo!!!! I didn't end up working out today, which tarnishes my record a bit in my eyes, but I'm still pumped about my success at meeting my food goals. And I'm going to Pilates class tomorrow morning, which will redeem me a bit. :)

So, there you have it - a day in the life of my stomach. Hope it wasn't too boring!