Food & Numbers

I've become a little obsessive with my food routine these days...um, these past MONTHS actually. It seems weird and crazy to some, but because my actions have become routine, it's real EASY. Anything that you do enough will become habit-forming and it's no longer a chore. Basically, I've been trying to figure out my body and the best ways for it to lose weight and stay healthy. I'm into nutrition. I read the books, nutrition labels and count calories. I'm no expert, and of course there's a chance that I'm not doing things right...but I play the trial and error game until I find the right plan that works for ME. Here's what I've been doing...

I noticed that eating 3 main meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) with a small snack in between wasn't agreeing with me. After the main meals I'd feel bloated and heavier which would then cause me to feel a little more sluggish and wanting a siesta mid-day. And I also wouldn't know which meal to make larger. I've heard to make breakfast the biggest meal, lunch next in size and dinner the smallest of the 3. This got me thinking, why not make all my meals exactly the same? And...make them smaller and spread them throughout the day so that I won't get hungry. I've been playing around with my daily calorie intake and I still don't know what's preferable for me in terms of getting enough energy to burn for as much exercise that I do. Currently I'm eating 1,400 calories a day, which I think is too small but I'm trying to drop some pounds before a camping trip coming up so I've decreased it. I'm thinking 1,600 might be ideal. Anyways, I take 1,400 calories and divide it into 6 meals which gives me about 230 calories per meal.

The time I wake up and when I eat breakfast determines how often I eat. Today I ate meal #1 at 6:40am so in order to have meal #6 before 7pm I should eat each meal 2 hours and 25 minutes apart. I usually write down these times on a post-it before I start my day so that I don't forget. If I'm eating these small meals with only a few hours in between, not only do I not get/feel bloated and heavy but I'm constantly fueling my body which is giving it a consistent amount of energy. If I stick with the times, I don't get hungry either. The tricky part was coming up with meals that equal the desired calories. It's true that I mostly eat the same foods day to day to keep it easy and effective. I've already taken the time to do the measuring and calorie counting of these meals so now in the morning before work it's easier and quicker for me to prepare my meals for the whole day. If I will be away from home I always make sure I carry my lunch bag with me along with what I've prepared. Some meals include, but are not limited to:

1) 1 sliced apple with 1/2 cup non-fat yogurt, squeeze of lemon and about 1 1/2 tbsp chopped walnuts

2) 1/2 cup non-fat cottage cheese, 1 cup sliced strawberries, 1/2 cup blueberries, about 10 whole natural almonds

3) 1 whole grain pita pocket (or 1 slice whole grain fiber bread) spread with 1 tbsp all natural peanute butter and a 1/2 banana sliced

4) 1 slice whole grain/fiber bread with 1 piece of swiss cheese and a few oz turkey or ham (about 70 calories worth)

5) 1 cup Special K cereal (w/extra protein), 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk, tsp cinnamon, 1/2 banana sliced

6) 2 eggs, 1 slice of whole grain/fiber bread (toast) w/barely any butter and sprinkled cinnamon

7) Egg salad (1 hard boiled egg, 1/2 tbsp mayo, squeeze of mustard, salt/pepper) on 1 slice of whole grain/fiber bread, lettuce

8) Few oz. tuna mixed with half tbsp mayo, chopped celery, pepper, on a slice of whole grain/fiber bread and some lettuce and tomato

*It's important to try to balance your carbs, fats and proteins. The more proteins you eat while working out and doing some weight training...the more muscle you build..and the more muscle you build, the more calories you burn naturally throughout the day!

I also drink 2-3 cups of green tea dail

I think once I get to my ideal weight and shape I won't be as crazy about all of this as I am now. I'll be more flexible and just focus on maintaining rather than losing. There's a method to the madness...and it's working =)