Day 230: So unaware....

I am not sure I have ever stated that I hate counting calories. I do not want to put that much time and energy into my eating. I just want some guidelines.

However....I noticed that when I was on the liquid diet that I felt very light...by the time I got fully back into my normal eating habits I noticed....not so light. Rather full & sluggish, actually.

So, sigh, I decided to keep a food journal this week & record all the calories. I hate food journals almost as much as counting calories. Who cares a year from  now what I eat today!

Yet...my 2 days of counting calories & keeping a food journal has been rather eye opening. Case in point - I had for dinner last night a 1/2 sandwich - whole wheat bread, thin layer of miracle whip, spicy Gouda cheese, 2 thin slices of ham & lettuce. With that sandwich, I had a 1/2 cup of carrot sticks and a full serving of Mission Tostitos (13 chips)....this came to 401 calories.

I had no idea calories add up so quickly.

With my food journal, I am writing down how I could make my meal healthier (with the above example, instead of tostitos chips I could have had more raw veggies or a fruit bowl, I could have skipped the cheese or miracle whip, I could have used turkey or chicken instead of ham; I could have added a tomato...there are things to do to improve a plate) and noting the difference in total calories. I don't mind if a meal is high in calories as long as everything in it is healthy (or practically healthy).

I am also noting down what time I eat and what time I get hungry. For example, at breakfast, if I don't have a decent amount of protein than I get hungrier sooner - not a ton sooner (maybe a half hour or so), but enough for me to notice.

Finally, with the food journal I am noticing that I am forcing myself to make good choices - who knows if that will last, but hey it is working right now.

Man, all I can say, is that it is way easier being a child. I miss those days when I could eat anything and not gain an ounce (trust me, the doctors were always telling my mother to fatten us up...no I am fattened up and now I need to skinny up!).

I really don't want to keep a food journal for life or count calories for life, but I do want to train myself to eat the healthier options and see serving sizes for what they are (not what I think they should be) - this is especially true of eating out, because let's face it, that is probably not going away any time soon...

Happy Walking!