Monday, March 7, 2011

Week 8, or is it week 9?


Who's keeping track anyway? It doesn't really matter because I don't have any goals from my "diet", I'm just playing around, and I'm still digging the organization of it all. I still don't miss grains during the week. I comtemplated buying raisins today, thought better of it...but finished the prunes in my cabinet. Let's talk about the raisin situation....

I can eat raisins, and have eaten raisins like candy. Handful by handful, and/or I put them in everything from roasted cauliflower soup, lentils, salads, whatever! There is nothing wrong with raisins, there's nothing wrong with any food in moderation. But I eat what I buy alot I eat alot, and fast! Yummy. I started buying them in the bulk section about 1/2 c. at a time, and that was fine, until I started to trust myself again, lol!

Almost for sure if I go too long between meals and without prepared food, that's a recipe for overeating. I always have prepared food these days, but I confess I still stretch out my meals, especially my first one because I still haven't committed to a regular yoga schedule, and I do not like to eat too much before yoga. The 12 noon class was too late, and the 11:30 class is borderline... Anyway, I'm working it out.

I've got so many other choices anyway, I'm not exactly suffering! Speaking of choices, here is my main menu plan for this week;

butternut soup
smoothies...love my guac smoothie...seriously!
poached chicken, tuna, italian sausage
(proteins)
lentils
cabbage salad w/curry dressing
grapes, apples, prunes
(obviously...I already ate the prunes!)
risotto w/mushrooms, leeks and cauliflower
candy, if I want it

I think that's it.

I spent this morning before yoga PC'ing lentils, roasting butternut, shredding salad mix and making curry dressing. I poached the chicken a few days ago...that's where I got the chicken stock to make the risotto....risotto? Yep, I made a huge yummy batch Sat night and there was so much left over that although I would not normally eat it during the week, it's not a big deal. Same with the sausage...I wouldn't normally eat it as a main weekly protein, but no biggie.

So getting back to the fun of all of this. When I use the word "diet", I don't mean "weightloss diet", I mean "nutritional diet", I'm not trying to lose weight, but it a nice side effect (I had a couple of pounds to lose). I have to eat, and want to eat well. Eating well means fresh healthy homemade foods. Healthy means a healthy balance of nutrition which should result in a healthy bodyweight and body composition...right?

It is interesting to me that I have seen and felt changes in my body, positive changes. Changes that I want to keep, and for now it doesn't feel difficult and I don't feel at all deprived. It's exciting! So whether it's week 8, or 9, or 10, it's just another great week in my life....raisins, or no raisins!

9 comments:

Jen said...

and wine? :)

your food choices always sound so good (and are!.. you're the best cook I know!)

I'm making stuffed bell peppers right now..lots of veggies and beef. yum!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Jen,

Goodness, stiffed bells? My mom used to make them when I was growing up, but she used green bells...yuck! (I hope you're not using green bells, lol!)

Basically, if I want meatloaf, one of my favorites, then I want the ctust!

of course wine...that's a given, like water and salt!

FitwithLizzie said...

Tracy, one of the things I have always loved about your eating is how deliciously veggie rich it is (and like you I tend to overdo a good thing).

It seems a lot of people in the fitness industry say you need to eat at certain times after a workout (usually some sort of powdery shake thing that costs a lot of money). I know your opinion about protein powders, but do you buy into the notion that you have to "refuel" your body when you're not hungry?

One more question, if you don't mind... these same fitness people encourage a lot of meat-eating. I'm not against meat eating, per se, but it's difficult for me to afford good quality, humanely raised animal protein. I would rather have animal protein at my evening meal and maybe just a few times a week. Is it possible to be lean and mean and not eat a bunch on animals?

Jen said...

Red bells it's one of Greg's favorites...I think cuz his Mom made them for him :) Easy, quick and I like them too... I get to eat the container!

Tracy Reifkind said...

GG,

I never eat, on purpose, when I'm not hungry....I do it enough by accident, lol!

Seriously, everybody is different, but I would guess that anyone who feels they need to eat to refuel has never had a excess weight problem. If they did, then cutting back on foods eaten when they're not hungry would be the first step.

As far as animal proteins...meat! I love meat, all kinds, and eat it everyday at almost every meal. You gotta eat protein to build muscle, but not to be "lean". Soemtimes lean = skinny, and I see "skinny lean" everyday at the Club. Rare to see "muscular lean" on a woman.

Mark says there's always eggs, cottage cheese and other kinds of protein. When I put meals together, protein is my second consideration, after veg. Next comes fat.

I never buy lean meat for the purpose of it being lean. I always buy the highest fat ground meats, and when I can I would choose dark chicken meat, but you can't buy a whole chicken with only dark meat! I never buy breast meat only.

Tracy Reifkind said...

Jen,

I hope you make extra for lunch the next day.

Good to see Greg eats other things besides tacos, lol!

Maribel said...

Not eating enough and then scarfing everything in sight is my biggest problem. I love your bountiful food selection...it's plenty, healthy and satisfying. It's one of the things I'me learning from you. So many times I've tried to "diet", I starve and then that leads to a binge. Like you show us, it doesn't have to be that way.

Jen said...

Tracy,

Greg loves burgers over tacos...but definitely a taco man! LOL!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Maribel,

I'm convinced this is most "overeaters" problem. I hope to write about it in my book, but waiting too long to eat, and trying to eat as little as possible almost always ends badly!