My Diet

I realized not too long ago that I don't actually talk about my diet here like I used to...in the early months of this blog, food was the main focus. Why isn't it now? Sure, I like to post pictures of my favorite meals, but what has changed? I'm still trying to lose weight - I need to drop about 20 pounds and re-evaluate if that is a good weight for me - but have I become complacent after losing 100 pounds?

The answer to that is sort-of, mixed with a side of moderation and topped with a sprinkle of easy. Yes, I said easy! Don't hate me...it's just that I've been doing this for more than a year and a half and my "new" way of eating has become second nature for the most part and actually, I no longer consider it new. This is just what I do. It has become normal to hit the grocery store or Sam's Club a couple times a week to put fresh fruit and veggies in my fridge. I keep my basics on hand at all times so mealtimes are a breeze, even when I don't have anything planned. I rarely let myself get so hungry that I'm scavenging for food - and I never skip meals anymore. I used to not eat breakfast, be so hungry that I'd eat a huge lunch, and then be too full for dinner at dinnertime, but would end up eating later in the evening. Which would make me not hungry for breakfast, and the whole cycle would repeat itself! Now, I eat breakfast, even on the days that I meet my friend for lunch...the difference is that I have a small lunch - I found out you can do this, even at a restaurant. Did you know you don't have to eat everything they serve you?!? I'm joking a little, but really, I used to be a card-carrying member of the clean plate club at Johnny Carinos! Now, if I'm done, I'm done...no matter what my plate looks like.

As far as moderation goes, I still eat "non-diet" foods like chocolate, and when the occasion merits, I will have whatever special food is being served, as long as it's great. For example, we have an evening artist reception once a month at my work, and most of the time the food, while good, is bought from Sam's...things like pesto for crackers, bruschetta for little slices of sourdough bread, cheese platters, fresh fruit and little cheesecake bites. I make sure I bring something for a healthy and hearty late-in-the-afternoon snack on those days, and rather than mindlessly eat food that isn't all that special, I'll have some fruit and call it done. But if we go out to a nice restaurant, you can believe that I'll be eating things that I wouldn't normally have - but in the correct portion size, for the most part. This way I can partake without feeling stuffed and full of regret afterward.

Now, as for losing that last 20 pounds...I hear it's the hardest, and I wonder if that is really true. I have been doing an excellent job for the last month or so of maintaining my weight, although it's finally started dropping a bit. Is that because of the "last 20" curse? Doubtful. It's more likely due to the fact that I am a slow loser - and while that can be frustrating at times, especially when I compare myself to other bloggers who are dropping weight like nobody's business, I have to acknowledge that I also have not seen the scale see-saw up and down, so there's that. Plus, I will admit that I haven't logged every calorie into my food journal over the last few months. I used to, and it really kept me mindful of everything I put into my mouth. But the flipside is that without doing it, I haven't gained any weight, so my eating has pretty much been on track.

So, what's my plan (gotta have a plan!) for now? Well, with running, I'm working out more, so I'm hoping that will help with the calorie burn. The other thing I am focusing on is eating more...yes, you read that right! It seems that when I am working out a lot (like I did over the summer when we were bike riding 5 - 6 miles an evening), if I don't eat closer to 1500 calories, I don't lose. So I'm adding more protein and fruit to my diet. Honestly, it doesn't take much to go from 1200 calories (what I've been doing) to 1500 - and besides that, I'm hungrier now. I'll check back in on this in a couple of weeks to see if the scale has moved. I'm hoping it will, because I would like to be done with losing by the time my birthday rolls around in June - I've already told my husband that I want a shopping trip to the very nice mall in Austin for my present!