It’s not even New Year’s and Tom and I have started to turn over a new leaf. As you know we joined the Y at the end of August and in two months I have lost 15 pounds (that’s the good news, the bad news is I have 40 to go) but fitness is only one aspect to a healthy lifestyle, nutrition is the other (OK, I know there is more to it than that, but for the sake of this post we are talking fitness and nutrition).
After seeing an episode of Oprah featuring Dr. Oz, Tom and I purchased You on a Diet. We are taking the month of November to read the book, get familiar with new (healthier) food choices, learning how to read nutrition labels, and getting a general understanding of how things work. By December we want to hit the ground running – and still one month before New Year’s Resolutions are due.
The book was a wake up call. Our dutiful trips to the Y and longer dog walks aren’t cutting it. We must change our diet. And so far so good. We have already replaced our pasta with whole wheat pasta, our rice with brown rice, we even replaced our peanut butter and syrup both of which contained high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and we avoid partially hydrogenated everything. Without even going full speed ahead Tom has, in one week, lost an inch and a half from his waist.
So what does my daily diet look like now that I have seen the light?
Breakfast: Oatmeal and coffee. Sounds good but not perfect. I take milk and sugar in my coffee. Prior: pop tarts, donuts, muffins, croissants, french toasts twist or ham, egg and cheese sandwiches from Dunkin Donuts. I’m gonna say all in all I’m ahead on this one.
Mid morning snack: 6 walnuts. A trick from the book – they take away your hunger signal just before lunch and are a good source of omega-3 (especially since I don’t eat fish). Prior: cheese and diet coke.
Lunch: Turkey on whole wheat bread, raw veggies from the salad bar and a piece of fruit for dessert. Prior: Huge servings of the hot meal served in the cafeteria at work. Anywhere from mac and cheese, lasagna with bread and butter, philly steak sandwiches, cheeseburgers and fries, it went on and on, day after day.
And here we are, 3:00. What are my options? Fresh strawberries, yogurt with grape nuts, an apple, grapes, pear or orange. But no. When 3:00 rolls around I want saturated fats, sugar, HFCS, and partially hydrated ANYTHING. Which conveniently can all be found in the first five ingredients of Zingers and Hostess Cupcakes. Keep in mind, I don’t raid the vending machine for these, oh no, I actually leave my building, get into my car and drive to a Mobile Station. A Mobile Station people. That’s how desperate I get at 3:00. I even read the nutritional label before I eat them and say to myself WOW these are REALLY bad for me. But that thought goes away with the first bite as my eyes roll to the back of my head with delight. So pathetic. 3:00 sucks.
Dinner I am back on track, maybe the portions are still a little too big, but no more take-out. And by the end of the day I have had 64 ounces of water and a diet coke.
So here’s to turning over half a leaf and trying hard to get it all the way over. Unfortunately at this very moment…Zingers still rule.