I weighed myself as usual Saturday morning, and haven't since, so I have no idea how the holiday has affected it. Regardless of what it is, I've resolved to not let it trip me up. I haven't binged on anything, but I have celebrated the holiday by allowing bread, cheese, potatoes, dessert, wine.... I have to keep reminding myself that it's all part of the natural ebb and flow of life.
We've been incredibly busy here lately, which is great for eliminating the "bored hunger". It's not great for getting hot, well-balanced meals put on the table. I gave up my egg white omelettes, and scrambled eggs with mushrooms and peppers for two boiled eggs with chipotle sauce, an orange, and maybe a yogurt for breakfast. In my mind I had the lurking thought that there was no way I could last all morning on just two eggs (and I am not a big fan of the flavor, thus the chipotle sauce), but eggs really are incredible. Protein helps reduce sugar cravings, and is best paired with a grapefruit, which works as an appetite suppressant. So many marketed "quick" breakfast foods are loaded with sugar and chemicals that set you up for failure as the day wears on. You really can't get any quicker than a hard boiled egg, especially when we boil a dozen at a time to keep in the fridge.
I recently downloaded the MyFitnessPal app because so many people have recommended it. I forgot that I had tried it (before it was an app) back in 2009, and my account was still active. I think I used it for one day before deciding that I still prefer pen and paper. Picking up my phone to record calories multiple times a day when I can just jot down already known calories in my journal is maddening, while pen and paper have always been cathartic for me. If you're a more digital-geared person, MyFitnessPal has an extensive database of foods and their nutritional value, whether you're eating out or cooking at home. They even have a water intake tracker, weight tracker, and an exercise tracker (with the ability to sync with a step tracker...though they don't recognize mine...grrr.) It's a great health tool if you're not the pen and paper type of person.
I've been debating whether to share this with you or not. My perfectionist tendencies are screaming at me it's so sloppy! You didn't try at all to write neatly! This was not meant to be public! What if your math is off and someone catches your wonky addition? They'll see some of your poor food choices! However, the following photos will help answer some questions about what I eat and how I track it.
*Notes: My daily caloric goal is to NOT exceed 1400 calories. However, my average daily calories are usually around 1100-1200.
As I mentioned what my breakfasts have been, I want to also mention that my largest meal of the day is eaten midday, usually by 1 pm. It's generally the one meal that includes meat, most of the carbs for the day, and the core of my daily calories. Supper is mostly a mix of carrots, peppers, nuts (28 *tiny* almonds equal 170 calories, so just watch portions!), and sometimes a yogurt if I feel a strong need for a treat.
My exercise goal is 30 minutes of jogging/running a day. It's always around the house; I still do not own any exercise equipment. I never meet this goal. I generally get about 15 minutes done before someone needs me/the phone rings/I see a chore that seems more important at the moment. I do, however, walk most the day just doing my regular chores. Once a week I get my (supposed to be daily) floor exercises done: a rotation of 20 leg lifts per leg, 40 scissor kicks, 30 seconds each of regular and reverse planks.
In the journal entries where you see the calorie total ending in the 600's, it's because I forgot to add supper, but knew in my mind where I ended the day at. The same with the days ending in 800-900 calorie ranges are because I didn't add the carrots/peppers I finished the day with. (A whole small bag of baby carrots totals less than 200 calories.) The days I didn't add calories at all are most likely days I binged on something and gave up.
My coffee contains so many calories because of the creamer and sugar I still use. It's a ray of sunshine in my days, and one I'm not ready or willing to part with at the moment. I have cut my coffee sugar in half, though. Pretty much the only other thing I drink is water, which is why you won't find many beverage calories recorded. If you're a juice/milk/pop/alcohol drinker don't forget that those all can add a lot of invisible calories to your total.
Apparently I had Doritos with my eggs for breakfast one morning...and then fell off the wagon. Ha!
I also keep track of where my weight and measurements are in the same journal. It goes back eight years. Eight years. I record every time my weight moves, up or down, each time I step on the scale, and the date. I also track total pounds lost per month and per year (the "-__" number to the right of my weight), and when I hit personal goals. It's both inspiring and depressing, depending on the day!
Eli joined me for about a week, which is why his name appears at the top.
"SS" stands for "Scale Saturday".
No comments:
Post a Comment