One of the last comments made to me after my post about "The Diet Swing" from Alison and Larry was a request for a sample of my own food journal. Here is my reply:
Allison and Larry,
I have years of my food journal on my original blog, to which you will find a link in the side bar. I also have food journals at the very beginning of this blog (and intermittent throughout.)Monday 5/21 (today)
7:00am 50 min walk
10:00am yoga (90 min)
coffee/cream (150)
1 dried persimmon (80)
3 soft boil eggs (210)
1 lg Honeycrisp apple (100)
steel cut oats (1/4 dry, 150)
1.5 oz feta cheese (150)
2 cups plain yogurt (240)
blueberry/cherry compote (200)
I'm up to 1280 right now (2:00pm) ad I have only dinner left. I already know what I'm going to eat, which is;
1 c. corn chowder (150)
w/4 oz roasted chicken (200)
The eggs were pasture raised. I buy my feta and yogurt from a woman at the FM that makes it from her sheeps milk. I made the blueberry and cherry compote last fall and pulled it out of the freezer just about an hour ago. Same with the corn chowder, it's the second to the last batch that I froze last fall. (same with the roasted chicken, now that I think about it!)
I'm not really a food snob, but since I can get some really good quality foods conveniently and reasonable (for me) I'll sometimes I let my nutrient balance get out of whack when I have these food choices around. For instance, today is kind of high in carbs, but I couldn't resist the feta AND yogurt, and the only kind of soup I had pre prepared was the corn chowder.(but tons of veggies in it besides corn...which isn't actually a veg)
I do not have any salad prepared so that will wait until tomorrow.
I've been up since 3:45am, went for a 50 min walk at 7:00am, Bikram yoga at 10:00. I ate the dried persimmon and eggs at 9:00am before yoga (highly unusual that I would eat that early AND before yoga, but I woke up earlier than normal and sometimes waiting until 12:00noon is even a stretch for me! The rest I started eating at 12:30. I'll eat one more time around 4:30 and that's it.
My total calories today will be around 1600, low for me. I average around 1900-2200 calories to maintain 136-140lbs. That average does NOT include my high calorie day (Sat).
A few more things I want to add.
I don't keep a hard copy journal anymore, it's all on my computer, and has been since I started blogging. Not sure if that's better or even if it's a good thing. I already know the bulk of my meals tomorrow because I always plan ahead to have plenty of choices. My meals are almost all "mix and matchable"! Leading with veg or protein (today was unusual), flavoring with fat, and/or sweet and then adding in the carbs.
I'll be away from home most of the day tomorrow. I'll pack eggs (3), veg/pnb/raisins, soup. I also have some chicken liver pate that I may take instead of the soup, because it's easier to pack and does not need reheating. Hopefully I'll get my salad done tonight or in the morning and that will be my main meal after I get home. I may pick up a steak since I've been hooked on rib eye lately!
No yogurt or oats/feta tomorrow! Today was a little bit of a splurge for me! It was a trade-off deal I made with myself earlier!
Planning for me extends further than the next day. I can look at my calender and plan weeks ahead and it's easy. I believe in eating the same basic foods everyday, that even on my high calorie days I usually just eat more of the same foods because I love them so much....or should I say that I love how I feel about myself when I eat good quality homemade foods...and besides they are super yummy! I never feel deprived, ever. Taking a look at what I eat, would you?
* update I started writing a blog post and never got to my soup, enjoying some red wine instead...I still may slice up some of that chicken though.... 5:45am workout in the morning!
