I’m sure you’ve all heard the saying, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” I can tell you from experience that is SO true when it comes to dieting and weight loss endeavors. A procrastinator by nature it is difficult at times to tailor an eating plan. This time around I had time and motivation on my side – finding out I’m at high risk of developing heart related diseases and complications and I have two beautiful daughters to live for plus the need to get relief for my aching back and hips. The whole family had been sick for almost a month. One person would get better then another would be down for the count. Because of this our pantry and refrigerator were getting empty. What normally would be a big problem turned into an opportunity. An opportunity to plan to make better food choices, look for healthy, family friendly recipes which would allow me to stick to 1500 calories a day.
While the rest of the family was tucked neatly in bed I took the time to research, compile and prepare a list of foods we would have to get on our next shopping trip. We already eat whole grain bread, avocados, cheese, olive oil, olives, salad greens, but I think I was relying too much on pre-prepared options, frying foods and too much bread to get by. Excessive condimentation, eating red meat too often, too many potato and corn chips and too much butter were getting me. Occasionally, I’d sneak a candy bar ( I rarely keep them in the house because I know I’ll eat them). Getting full fat lattes and adding too much half and half to my coffee was really adding alot to my daily intake. During one diet attempt I gained 10 lbs. instead of losing and I think it was because I was drinking the majority of my calories.
The junk food is a definite no-no, but if you notice the rest was just mindless eating of food NOT in moderation. There is nothing wrong with a little mayo or a lean burger once in a while or a non-fat latte on occasion, but not every day three times a day. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I hate diets because I always end up feeling deprived, hungry, headachey, and super-cranky. I’ve had headaches off and on this past couple weeks, but I think it was because my ratio of protein vs. carbs was off. When I make sure to eat enough protein I don’t seem to have problems with headaches or satiety. I do get really hungry between meals but knowing that I have a tasty, healthy, high protein, and low calorie snack waiting for me makes me feel OK about being hungry. That’s probably the way it should be before I eat.
Anyway, if you know that grocery day is coming soon do some research on new and tasty recipes that will help keep you on track and happy. Yesterday at lunch I made a Mediterranean Tuna Panini and it was delicious. It’s something I never would have thought to make in times past. So I guess taking the time to plan your food intake is a delicious and healthy way to live.
Firstly, I’m a mom and wife. Professionally, IT consulting is my job and blogging is the outlet for my passions. I write about things that affect the everyday life of a stay-at-home parent or any parent for that matter such as parenting, relationships, discipline, the media, product reviews, giveaways, social media, food, cooking, gardening and anything else that might come my way.
