Coming clean

Okay so back to food.....

I mentioned in previous posts that I've been trying to make changes slowly so that they would stick. The best example is drinking my coffee black rather than loaded down with sugar (artificial or real) and creamer. I know, I know...I probably should give up the java all together, but I'm not quite there (and not sure I'll ever be).

My diet for the past year has been quite consistently the following...

Breakfast: coffee, one egg, and either 2 whole grain low fat waffles OR 1 alternative bagel with 1/3 less fat cream cheese. Sometimes I'd vary and make an egg, cheese, and bagel sandwich...but you get the idea.

Lunch: veggies (peppers, mushrooms) on a Joseph's pita, on a alternative bagel, maybe with cheese OR soup OR salad with some tuna.

Afternoon snack: typically 5 ak-mak crackers with a Diet Coke

Dinner: usually a grilled meat, a salad, and a hot veggie (green beans, eggplant, asparagus, califlower, broccoli). Sometimes I'd sub in another side like couscous, red potatoes baked like fries, baked potato, sweet potato fries, whole grain rice, etc. And I usually have a glass (or two) of wine with dinner or while preparing.

After dinner snack: bag of 94% FF popcorn OR baked tostidos and salsa

From what I've encountered, most people would say I'm a healthy eater, right? But, I feel like I could still make a TON of changes. I need to be eating "cleaner". I need to be eating on a different schedule (i.e. more frequently and having breakfast be my biggest meal). I need to stop snacking after dinner. I need to cut out soda (even though it's diet) and wine. And on, and on, and on.....

So, I've decided to ramp up and make some more changes. I need to because I've really hit a plateau on the scale. I'm sure that I'm still losing inches and changing unseeable things like BMI, but I need and want to see more progress on the scale too.

I had my body composition done the other day and I chatted with the fitness director afterwords. She suggested/reccommeded reading "The Eat-Clean Diet" by Tosca Reno. I went out and bought it and have made it through 3 chapters so far. Most of what she's covering is not new to me, and in theory it's what I've been trying to accomplish in this past year. But, she ramps it up a bit and so it is helping me see some areas in which I can make subtle changes.

So far this is what I'm gathering:

• 6 smaller meals/day (each consisting of lean protein and complex carbs, ever 2-3 hours)
• make breakfast your biggest meal, and never skip it
  
• drink more water and be sure to start the day with 16 oz. before eating
• eat only "clean" foods....nothing that man has had a hand in making other than to plant or slaughter (sorry, maybe too graphic for some of you).

And as a result here are the changes to my diet so far:

Breakfast: 16 oz. H2O first. Then coffee, 2 egg whites (sometimes with veggies if scrambled) and a bowl of oatmeal with fruit in it. This is actually equivalent to what I was having before in terms of points/calories, but it is "cleaner"....less fat, cholestrol, and processing (like what happens with the bagels and waffles when they are made). It's adding more fiber (which satiates better), leaner protein (without the added fat of the egg yolk), and complex carbs from the fruit.

Mid-late a.m.: Water. Joseph's pita with lettuce, slice of turkey, and cucumbers OR apple with 1/2 Tbsp. of almond butter. I still need to investigate turkey's "cleanness" in terms of lunchmeat. I also need to investigate Joseph's pitas vs. Ezekial products, which are what Tosca reccommends. In addition, since I just started I don't have EVERYTHING I want to use in the pantry and am making due...I'd like to get flaxseed and wheatgerm to add to the oatmeal at bfast and almonds for a snack. I'm sure I'll keep figuring out new things to add in as time continues.

"Lunch": Water. Since I'm trying to eat more often, lunch is more aptly named meal 3 because it doesn't happen exactly at the "normal" lunch time. I've been doing salad with tuna, and soups that have veggies and lean meats. I'm going to have to figure out adding the protein in more...maybe doing a protein smoothie (which is something she reccommends...as long as there aren't alot of other additives).

Afternoon: Water. carrots (or other veggie), fruit, and almonds, OR yogurt (which can contain protein). Again, I have to work on this. And I'm going to have to work on giving up diet coke...ugh. I really LOVE that one/day, but I know that I would be SO much better off without the artificial sweetner and since it's proven to make you crave more sweets I really need to ditch it.

Dinner: Water. since we eat dinner so early (due to the kiddos) I feel like I can fit one more small meal in by the end of the day. Dinner will mostly likely stay the same but maybe watch portions a little more and try to cut down or out the wine.

After dinner: stop the water so I don't have to get up ALL night:) I've yet to figure this one out...maybe it will help to keep reading the book, eh?

Okay, so that's just to give you an update, maybe help you see someone else's day, and more importantly put it out there so that some of you can give me some input on other ideas and changes...help!

I'll have to let you know how it goes!