I lied on my Weight Watchers list. I put down that I had 3 eggs… but they were Cadbury chocolate eggs. ~Caroline Rhea
One of the questions that people ask me most often now that I have lost weight is “what do you eat?” I eat a variety of foods. I try to stick to natural non-processed foods since they are more healthy. I make sure that I have a balanced diet that has all of the food groups represented.
I don’t count calories. I count types of food. Each day I eat the following: 2 servings of protein, 4 servings of vegetables, 3 servings of fruit, 3 servings of starch, and 1 serving of dairy. Some people will say, “you are not getting the daily number or recommended servings.” My response to that is, “based on who’s recommendation?” The people who make up the rules can not even agree. Additionally I now get more vegetables and fruit than I have in the past, so I am doing better than before at getting enough of the right stuff in my diet.
Serving sizes vary based on the item. I have a book produced by “The Biggest Loser” that I follow to determine serving sizes. I also supplement my diet with a few packaged diet snacks such as protein bars and shakes.
I write down EVERYTHING that I eat. If it goes in my mouth I write it in my food journal. I record not only what I ate, but when I ate it, and how much I ate. During the first few months of my weight loss journey I did not record my food intake. I wondered why I was not dropping weight and it was suggested to me that I should write down everything I eat. When I started recording what I ate I realized that I eat more than I thought. I also realized that I do too much taste testing when I am preparing meals. After a few days of recording my food intake I decided that taste testing is no longer allowed.
The hardest hurdle for to overcome has been the break room at work. We have two corporate sponsors that provide us with goodies every week. One of our sponsors owns a speciality bakery. The owner brings in fresh baked goodies every Tuesday. Our other sponsor is Kroger Supermarkets. Every Thursday we receive a large delivery of baked goods that last all day Thursday and Friday. I have decided that it is best for me to avoid the temptation, so I stay out of the break room.
Being honest with myself by writing down everything I eat has been eye opening and has helped me to make the changes I need to make to continue to be successful in my weight loss journey.
Tags: weight loss, weight loss journal