Random diet thoughts

A couple of my neighborhood friends and a blog reader have asked me if my diet was expensive. Buying more fresh foods has been more expensive than what I usually do, and I have bought some oils (avocado and olive oil) and complex carbs (Ezekial bread, ground flax seed and Quinoa) that are more expensive than the vegetable oil and wheat bread from Aldi that I usually buy.

Lunch today: Spinach with grape tomatoes, avacado, black beans and chicken topped with a dash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Melba whole wheat toasts.

However, to a certain extent, those additional costs have been counteracted by the fact that I am not drinking Chai Tea Lattes (my vice) like I was. I am not drinking any pop, so that saves money as well. We have not been to McDonald's in these two weeks either, and you can imagine that saves money with 4 kids to feed. We've been stocking less junk snacks in our pantry as well.

I am also trying to counteract the additional expenses by watching the grocery store flyers for sales and stocking up on pantry items when they are on sale. I am learning that Aldi does not always have the cheapest prices. I am going to try to buy more produce that's in-season as well.

I am really enjoying my food and trying out new recipes and foods I haven't had before. My parents tell me that when I was a child, my favorite food was broccoli. I've always liked fruits and vegetables, but in my adult life, I haven't eaten as much of them as I should. This diet has made me more conscious of eating properly from each of the food groups and less processed foods. And because I am enjoying my food, I am encouraged to keep eating this way.

Yesterday morning before school I had to take Henry to get his allergy shots. Fortunately, Dave was working from home, so he was available to help the other kids get ready for school. Because it was such a busy morning, I forgot to eat half of my breakfast. Usually I have a bowl of oatmeal with ground flaxseed and blueberries, as well as a 4 egg white omelet. It is a big breakfast, but I do think that what satiates my hunger until my snack is the combination of the complex carbs and lean protein. Usually I am not hungry at all on this diet, and that is a good thing because when I'm not hungry I'm less tempted to eat other things. Not having those egg whites threw me off all day. I was HUNGRY all day, and wanted to eat items not on my diet. To stop myself, I drank more water (because sometimes that helps to satiate too) and had an additional snack of carrots and hummus. I'm glad that I didn't cheat because I came close :), but that experience also illustrated to me how important it is to not set myself up for failure by not eating enough of the right foods.

I am continuing to exercise, and am feeling plenty of energy for my workouts (because I eat every three hours). I am doing my back exercises too, and thankfully have been experiencing little if any sciatic pain. I've begun lifting weights (just two exercises for my arms). While I am exercising, I'm watching my tivoed (sp?) shows, including The Biggest Loser. I've never watched that show before. It's been so motivating to see how hard the people on the show work, how they resist temptation, and their amazing results.

My kids have been snacking better, and as my sister-in-law, Tanya, pointed out, that has been motivating too. :) I love seeing them grab for more fresh fruit, nuts, yogurt and even kefir. At the recommendation of one of my friends, today I reorganized the refrigerator, getting the healthier foods, fruits and vegetables out of the crisper drawers and at eye level for the kids. I've washed some veggies and cut them up, ready to be grabbed. My friend's theory is that they'll eat more of what they see and can grab fast. We'll see how that goes this week.

Before I started this diet, I was exhausted in the morning and had a HUGE early afternoon slump. I combatted that tiredness with caffeine, and lots of it. I was addicted, so much so that if I went without it, I would get a big headache. I am amazed that with the help of this diet, I don't feel that exhaustion even without caffeine.

All in all, I'm continuing to feel great and definitely motivated. To top it off, after these two weeks, I've lost 11 pounds too!

Thank you for all of your encouragement! :)