Readers Who Digest

I'm back!

Some of my readers have expressed an interest in seeing more food in my posts. So here is a little culinary discussion to encourage readers who digest the contents of my blog.

My breakfast pictured left is one of my best ever high calorie meals. Raw oats, raisins, walnuts and almond milk. Almond milk is amazing. One cup is only 30 calories, while a serving size of Milk is about 110, depending on which fat % milk you buy. Now there is a savings.

As you can read, today I am focusing on the food. I am a food addict, so this should be fun. For most "habits," the addict could potentially never "use," drink, smoke or have sex ever again. They could live their entire lives without ever going back to that personally destructive habit that is difficult to quit.

I can't recall the person who said "Food addiction is like opening a cage to pet a tiger three times a day, hoping each time that the tiger won't pull you in and devour you."

With every bite that goes in my mouth, I am one blank thought away from losing control, shutting off my mind, and eating without restrictions.

This is what makes me hesitate to open a fridge. All the food is there waiting and needing to be used before it spoils or before I am forbidden to eat it because of the latest dietary restrictions or fads or because it is Monday, or someone gave me the stink eye or that stink eye person knows its there and is going to get to it first, or I saw a horrible picture on Facebook and I can't erase it from my memory, or I might be going swimming because it's summer.... There is a food for that.

Dieters love to talk about food. When "dieting," I spend quite a bit of time thinking about it. I have to plan ahead and make sure I am prepared for what is next. I need plans A, B, and C at the ready in case things change, like at work when lunch is on the warehouse, or the crew wants to dash across the busy street like we are in a video game called Frogger, the goal is not being smashed by semis and delivery trucks as we run for our lives so we can spend our lunch break away from work.

My experiment is actually going very well. I am enjoying the way I must eat. Because I am eating less, I am required to eat more often. Bully for me! Eating more often is a great way to feel like I get more food, even though I am consuming less.

On this Serving Size Plan, I don't eat out as often, which has helped my cause and my budget. Coworkers are more aware of serving sizes and offer me snacks, asking if I can have them. I can, as long as its a serving size.

Portion control has been my issue more than anything else. I actually love to eat salads and spinach is a favorite salad choice for me... also, a serving size is two cups raw. I love that. When I have eaten many high calorie snacks, like the chips and the ice cream bar pictured in my 07/03/2014 nutrition graphic, (I know, this is not healthy... but it was sure yummy and I ate portion sizes... you know, the rules and such) I am able to make a salad from veggies that are low in calories and filling enough to satisfy me.

Elizabeth, with her baby Dash! 2014 

Our dinner, pictured above, was a special 4th of July request for fresh rolls from my daughter and her husband who came up from Portland for a visit on the 3rd, and it is one of my all time favorite meals. I ate fresh rolls for three days in a row until I ran out of ingredients.

I made the determination of how many to have by the serving size info on the rice wraps. One serving is four skins. Hooray! I made four and was completely satisfied... a normal thing for me to do in the past is to eat eight rolls. They are mostly veggies anyway, right?

And that might be the answer to my question in my last post, "how did I get to be 281 lbs?"

Well, since January, I have lost 25 pounds... 9 since I started my Serving Size Summer blog. I feel better physically and emotionally I am happier. Remember, being in control of my food intake is a huge thing for me. I can still have ice cream and candy if I choose to do so, as long as it fits into my calorie budget.

I went over my budget July 3rd, but it didn't hijack my success. I am letting it be okay because I did my best for that day. Part of being present in this process is allowing myself to enjoy the food I eat and not beat myself up for not being perfect. And really, 17 calories? I probably sneezed them out at 2:27 PM when the wind blew something up at work and half the office had a round of "achoos."

Hannah ready to climb?

Okay, one more note about food today: I thank my daughter, Hannah for sharing her friend's recipe for fresh rolls. We have prepared this meal over and over again until our son, Benjamin has asked if we could please eat something else. They are the best!

Happy Digesting. I hope this went down smooth.