Eating Patterns

One of the most interesting things about this journey has been the way my thinking about food has changed.

I have breakfast food for "breakfast" a lot because it's habit.

I eat eggs, sausage, ham, etc. quite a bit and I add veggies where there would otherwise be potatoes or toast.

One thing that has changed, though, is that since I'm rarely hungry early in the morning, I've pretty much crossed over the lunch threshold by the time I feel hungry.

So, that being the case, I've discovered that it really doesn't throw things off by having last night's leftovers for "breakfast."

If I make rotisserie chicken (like I am tonight...YUM!) chances are excellent that "breakfast" tomorrow is going to be chicken salad.

I also like incorporating last night's meat with eggs. It is not uncommon for me to have pork loin and eggs or salmon and eggs with side of sautéed spinach and mushrooms.

I've also discovered the rapturous joy of steak and eggs. Them southerners are definitely onto something.

The important thing when it comes to eggs is to keep the fat and cholesterol to a minimum so I usually make one egg with two egg whites.

I also try to keep dairy to a minimum: just enough milk for my coffee and a little cheese to make an omelet. Sometimes I also put about a half-tablespoon of bleu cheese crumbles on my steak.

Most important is balance. Are you eating a lot of protein? Then you need some veggies if you don't want to get bound up like Fort Knox.

Do NOT forsake the veggies but keep them to equal or lesser portions to protein. I like eating veggies with lots of fiber like broccoli and asparagus. They keep things processing right and they go well with everything.

Ever had eggs, salmon and asparagus for breakfast? Try it sometime. You'll have a great meal that won't make you fat.

So that's "breakfast."

The strange thing is that my body seems to want all its food for the day within about an 8 hour period.

I get hungry around 11:00 AM. I eat. By 2:00 I'm ready to eat again.

So I eat.

"Eat when you're hungry, not when you're not."

By 6:00 or 7:00 I am SO ready for dinner.

Then I'm good until 11:00 the next morning.

At night I do get a little peckish but I almost never eat after dinner. Why? Because I'm craving things. I start thinking about food I can't have and my brain tells me "eat."

Notice it's saying, "eat," not "you're hungry."

There is a difference between being hungry and just wanting to eat.

If I'm hungry, I'll eat. Sometimes you just can't shake it so it's time to grab another chicken wing or two. Usually, though, it's just cravings at 9:00 at night.

Those you have to learn to ignore. If I start thinking about chocolate glazed Dunkin Donuts I can't use pork loin to fill the void. I just have to say no and go back to watching the Twilight Zone.

That has been the biggest challenge through all of this: figuring out when hungry is actually hungry. The best way I've discovered is just looking at the time. Is it between 11:00 and 7:00? Chances are it's time to eat. After or before? Stop dreaming of donuts and do something productive...

By the way, I pulled on an XL shirt yesterday and it fit. I'm down to a 1X from the 4X I was wearing almost exactly 8 months ago.

I Survived the Holidays... and all I got was a smaller waist!

Yes, I know I've been AWOL for a while.

I have been busy on a couple writing projects.

First and foremost, I'm a professional freelance copywriter. That means that I write for money and then I keep it. I don't share with a boss. :-)

That takes up an inordinate amount of my time but I've finally reached a place where the job is legit. I make good money at it and I subsequently have to give it my full attention most of the time.

I'm also in the middle of writing two books: one fiction, one non-fiction.

That's how a blog falls by the wayside.

Anyway, I thought I'd give an update.

Yes, I'm still losing weight.

I'm down to a 38 waist now. I was in high school the last time I was a 38.

Now, that's impressive in and of itself but there is something about it that makes it even more impressive.

I was in a holding pattern for a while. I was a size 40 waist for a good four months.

Suddenly, it occurred to me that my pants were once again getting baggy so off I ran to Savers for some new-to-me 38s.

What's significant about this is that I dropped a pant size smack dab in the middle of the holiday season.

It was as if my body was mocking the wall-to-wall food, gallons of hot cider, egg nog and cocoa along with the non-stop parade of pastry, candy and yuletide treats.

I didn't eat a single spritz cookie.

I didn't have so much as a sip of cocoa.

I didn't lick a single candy cane.

No desserts.

No carbs.

Meat and veggies from Thanksgiving straight through New Year's Eve and beyond.

You bet your ASS I wanted those things.

But I STILL want to be well more than I want sugar and carbs.

So, the more I resisted, the more I slapped away the cravings, the more times I literally said, "NO!" out loud to the ton of Halowe'en and Christmas candy that piled up in this house, the further off the plateau my body climbed.

I'm finally feeling well enough to exercise and I'm at the gym about 4 times a week now.

The ankle still won't let me walk on the treadmill but I'm doing weight training and swimming.

And I'm losing weight like crazy again.

The holidays are over. I win. Again.

It can be done.