New thing: The moment Ben gets home from Peoria, we go out for a drink. ONE drink-- that's it. It's quick and easy and a perfect way to take a beat and catch up for less than an hour before we jump back in the the fray.
Conversations about who is taking Minnie to swim team or what homework Dorothy might have to be cajoled into doing after dance are much more entertaining AT A BAR with a beer or an old fashioned.
Even in a prolonged calorie deficit, I can have a drink or two, and not figuring out where to go based on what food they might have and how I can possibly wait until 8 pm to eat dinner when I am hungry by like 5:45 (lol) is lovely. It's like it just occurred to us tat we could go to a bar just for the dranks.
Speaking of calorie deficit! I actually have no idea if I have lost weight because I haven't weighed myself-- which is weird, I get it. But I can say that my clothes fit much better.
Something that is really hard for me is treating the weekend like any other part of the week. I am TOTALLY the person who under eats all week, OVER eats on the weekend, and ends up at maintenance without enjoying being at maintenance. Sooooo, I have been trying REALLY HARD to not be that person and also to LIVE MY LIFE-- especially since we have been visiting the boys on the weekend, etc. I want to break out of the "starting Monday" mindset.
Things I love to eat right now:
Plain Chobani yogurt with 15g Purely Elizabeth chocolate chip cookie granola and a chopped up nectarine
Chobani Flip yogurt when I need something sweet
Tru Fru choc covered frozen strawberries
Whole Foods deli turkey in Carb Balance wraps
Honey crisp apples
Roasted broccoli
Sweet potatoes
Cottage cheese with pears and cinnamon
Oatmeal with peanut butter mixed in
Egg whites and spinach with chicken sausage links on a whole wheat bagel
Built Puff bars
I am eating around 80 grams of protein a day (sometimes as many as 115-ish), 35-40 grams of fiber and less than 15 grams of saturated fat. Most of my fiber comes from fruits and veggies and beans and seeds, but the occaisional multigrain English muffin or wrap boosts me over the edge (I try to make sure I get 25 grams from fruits and veggies before I eat a Carb Balance wrap).
I am still bakig, but it has really been working for me to make a quadruple batch of cookie dough and freeze the balls. I can pop cookies in the oven ANY TIME someone wants cookies, and I only have the huge (for me) temptation of a giant open bag of chocolate chips and a vat of cookie dough (I freaking love raw cookie dough like no other, health risks be damned) every couple of months. I am also WAY MORE LIKLEY to eat just one cookie fresh out of the oven (one of life's true pleasures) when I am only making a dozen or 18 of them-- when I make a huge batch it feels like I can eat and eat and eat and eat for some reason.
Speaking of moderation! I was craving candy corn and peanuts (IYKYK) so I bought some and ate exactly 8 pieces of each and haven't touched either one since. LOOK AT ME MODERATING!
yay!!! Did you hear Emma's latest one about maintanence? I thought it was brilliant and something not enough people talk about!!!
ReplyDeleteYay! Sounds like you're succeeding with your eating plan and not feeling deprived and cranky. I agree, the key is finding things you can eat and enjoy. I don't do well with moderating though- I couldn't just eat eight pieces of something delicious. It's easier for me to eat zero.
ReplyDeleteWeirdly, I am good at moderating alcohol, and I agree going out for one beer is perfect!
I love the novelty of going to a bar just to have a drink. That really sounds like a fun connection point for you and Ben.
ReplyDeleteI also adore raw cookie dough, health risks be damned. My biggest problem with freezing cookie dough is that then I want to eat the frozen dough. Ugh. Such a bad habit!