The Best-Food Thanksgiving

I realize eating properly helps when you have a family who is "with you on it" or you live by yourself. I am somewhere in between. Rick has been really into eating healthy as of late (he is a food-pro so when I have nutritional questions I ask him) and so for the first time, I came away from Thanksgiving feeling completely happy and not over-stuffed!

We prepared a small, organic chicken with lemons, garlic, and thyme stuffed inside of it. Simple.

Fresh brussel sprouts and asparagus roasted with garlic and salt/pepper.

1 loaf of pumpkin bread.

Individual apple pies (so we could avoid left-overs).

I ate a small portion of each item and was done eating.

Aaaahhhh. So that's what Thanksgiving not being stuffed feels like? Nice.

(this is NOT a complaint against other Thanksgiving meals I have experienced - they are usually SOOOOOO good I forget "diet rules"!)

________

But, on to daily food decisions. Laying a good foundation during your daily routine will help you when food is the main source of celebration. Cementing your decisions for food and shrinking your stomach NOW so that when the option to stuff yourself isn't as appealing.

So, two weeks ago I sat down and did some research. I read this blog and was completely encouraged. I wrote out all of my favorite foods on a spread sheet along with the calories.

I used a calorie calculator to estimate how many calories I should consume.

I followed the advice of the blog writer and scheduled in to eat approximately 360 calories of fruit/veggies and 250 calories of meat/fish.

For me, I estimate in approximately 1,000 calories/per day. That may sound like a very small amount to you, but in all honesty, when you are cutting into 5 small meals with lots of fruits and veggies and the proper amount of protein and carbs, it is VERY satisfying. I only had one day where I went to bed hungry and I think that was because I didn't space the meals out properly.

I made two charts: DAY 1 - I wrote out one menu plan; DAY 2 - another menu plan (so that I have some options).

As an example:

breakfast

2/3 cup Cascadian Farms granola

1/2 cup skim milk

snack

apple

1 Tbs natural peanut butter

lunch

1 4 oz piece of salmon

1 cup of broccoli

snack

2 cups of mixed green salad

1 can of tuna fish

dinner

1/2 piece of chicken

1 large red potato

Now, you may look at this and think, "That looks like a lot of work."

Well, yeah. It is. At first. Eventually, it will just become your daily routine.

If you work a normal job (unlike me) and you have to bring your food with you: put peanut butter in a Tupperware bowl, open and drain tuna fish and put it in another Tupperware... bring your snacks with you and eat breakfast/dinner at home. Some people prepare all of their food on Sunday night for the entire week so its not as much work.

Motivators:

Find quotes that keep your focus and hang it in the kitchen.

Find a picture of yourself when you felt you look your best and hang it somewhere you will see it often.

Go to bed 30 minutes early at night and wake up 30 minutes earlier to work out. Just think: IT'S ONLY 30 MINUTES.

(this is more of a pep-talk for myself today... haha!)