1. I am consistently low in fiber. This was actually a huge shock to me. See, in my head, I eat fruit and whole grains often but looking at what I actually eat verses what I think I'm eating regularly is a different story. I realized that on average I am about 5 grams low on fiber each day. I have my goal set at 23-25 grams which should be cake to get! This is why keeping a journal is so useful. Sure, there are days that are shameful but unless you are honest with yourself about what you're eating and how you're eating then it's hard to know where you need to improve.
2. I am consistently high in my sugar intake. Duh. I've got a sweet tooth and even when I'm not eating candy and dessert I think food just has a lot of added sugars that I don't even think about. Ultimately I need to find a different way to quell the sugar addict in me. Working on that one...
3. I am totally scattered in my way of eating. I have so little structure in my life. This has been a problem for years and years for me. I over-book myself, over-stress myself, and just flat out don't live by a schedule. I am like most working women in the sense that I enjoy being busy and productive and achieving my goals and dreams. In fact this week I didn't teach a single student and by the end of the week I was bored, grouchy, and wishing I had something to do. The problem with my lifestyle is that no day is the same. I eat breakfast within the same 1-2 hour timeframe each day but lunch and dinner? what? Are those sit down meals? Do people set the table for dinner? What happened to my menu? My challenges are that I am a foodie so something simple for lunch or dinner doesn't usually entice me. I want flavor, variety in texture, and something very tasty, especially for dinner. Dan could be 100% content with pretzels and peanut butter but I want something that says WOW. I could learn to simplify. I could set a goal to at least sit down and eat lunch, even if I pull off the road and eat it in my car. My lunch and dinner calories are all over the place because at those times of day I am a circus. This one might take awhile to figure out.
4. As I mentioned in my previous post, I am not eating vegetables. I used to try to center every meal around vegetables and snack on them and now I am rebelling. I love asparagus but I feel guilty spending our grocery money on such a luxury. I love squash but forget to cook it for dinner because I'm too distracted from lessons to even remember I bought it. I love peppers. I do love a good spinach salad. I love fresh diced tomatoes on almost anything. See, I love veggies, I just haven't been eating them because I don't make time to prepare them. I think I'm going to start chopping them with my Vidalia chop wizard, which BTW you should all own. It dices everything and it so fast and easy.
See, if I use the tools I already have, set some time aside to chop veggies and put them in baggies, I am about 99% more likely to eat a wide variety of vegetables every day.
Now to the things I am proud of. I am proud that I am good about keeping my calories low. I am proud of myself for tracking almost everyday. I noticed there were a few meals that I didn't track, like Christmas eve dinner, but overall I have tracked really well. Sometimes I just do quick add calories if I'm in a hurry but it doesn't tell me what I was eating so I will try to avoid that. I have done excellent in my exercising as well. I think making a few changes to my diet like adding more fiber and decreasing my sugar will help me feel better and more alive. I am proud of having fewer binges. I am proud of not going hog wild on "bad" foods. I am proud of all the homemade stuff I've been making like bread, yogurt, bagels, and granola bars. yay!!!
Happy new year to everyone and tomorrow I'll try to post Homework #5!!
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