Went a month without suppers, then life got busy and I got lazy, so now I'm back to no suppers. This time around though, it's not as difficult. I don't find myself waiting to go to bed so I won't hear my stomach grumbling. Very grateful for that! It also helps that I'm not being as strict about my oil intake, so that helps me to feel full longer.
Am slowly working towards being a full vegan. It's something I know is best for my health, best for the animals, and I really don't mind eating this way. The challenge is when I either can't be bothered, I find my favourite childhood snack, or I'm eating out. Then I forget, and by the time I remember it's too late. I mean, who wants to bother reading every single label to be sure there isn't any dairy in there?
Oh yes, am growing herbs. At this point I have two tiny sprouts, one of cress and one of basil, but am hoping the other pots of dirt that I have faithfully been watering will yield some greenery as well! It really isn't my thing to garden, at least I didn't grow up doing it so I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing, but I'm always up for an adventure, and it would be awfully nice to have herbs readily available instead of having to drive 30 minutes to the store to buy exorbitantly priced bunches that go bad in three days!
Lest you think this city girl is completely changing, don't worry, I'm still me. Only now I'm figuring out how to be a healthier me, and so far I'm enjoying the results! Am really learning that a lot of it comes about through experimenting to see what works and what doesn't. No suppers didn't work for me before, but after readjusting my blood sugar levels through weight loss and healthier foods, no suppers now works. So to all your experimenting, keep at it and enjoy the experience!
Friday, May 31, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
Tada!
Okay, so here's the big secret I've been hiding for more than a month now! It's something so simple and yet because of it, I have been able to see serious results!
I decided to do it for just a month. I knew I wasn't losing any weight, eating supper in the evening took up too much time, plus suppers were my binge time. I really have a hard time binge eating for breakfast because it's way too early in the day to eat a large meal anyhow, and at lunch time I'm pretty good about having a balanced hot meal with veggies and protein and carbs. But suppers were just doing me in! I'd come home, be tired, not want to prepare anything healthy but just grab whatever was convenient, and I craved carbs and sugar. So I figured, since I couldn't do portion control and just eat a bowl of fruit in the evening (believe me, I've tried, I just can't do it), I would just cut out suppers altogether. I knew theoretically it would be good for me, but realistically I wasn't convinced. Until I did it.
Going to 2 meals a day has helped me in all those ways I listed above and I'm sure more that I'm not aware of yet. I am learning that even on 2 meals a day you can put on weight, even if you're vegan you can put on weight, so I'm trying to eat as healthily as I can. I still go out to eat, but I'm excited because now I have a friend who is also trying to be vegan so it's easier to pick restaurants that are vegan friendly. I'm also careful about my portions because that can be a major pitfall.
I still have 8 pounds to go to reach my 2nd weight loss goal. The plan is to continue with the 2 meals, keep sugar and oil on the down-low, and prioritize the exercise. When I reach that goal, I have a 3rd goal that is a weight I'm not sure I've ever seen. At least not while I've been obsessively recording my weight these past 15+ years! So I'm excited! Here's to better health!
- Lost an inch around the waist
- Lost 10 pounds
- Sleep deeper at night
- Less hungry at breakfast
- Blood sugar dropped 10 points
- Feel better about myself
I decided to do it for just a month. I knew I wasn't losing any weight, eating supper in the evening took up too much time, plus suppers were my binge time. I really have a hard time binge eating for breakfast because it's way too early in the day to eat a large meal anyhow, and at lunch time I'm pretty good about having a balanced hot meal with veggies and protein and carbs. But suppers were just doing me in! I'd come home, be tired, not want to prepare anything healthy but just grab whatever was convenient, and I craved carbs and sugar. So I figured, since I couldn't do portion control and just eat a bowl of fruit in the evening (believe me, I've tried, I just can't do it), I would just cut out suppers altogether. I knew theoretically it would be good for me, but realistically I wasn't convinced. Until I did it.
Going to 2 meals a day has helped me in all those ways I listed above and I'm sure more that I'm not aware of yet. I am learning that even on 2 meals a day you can put on weight, even if you're vegan you can put on weight, so I'm trying to eat as healthily as I can. I still go out to eat, but I'm excited because now I have a friend who is also trying to be vegan so it's easier to pick restaurants that are vegan friendly. I'm also careful about my portions because that can be a major pitfall.
I still have 8 pounds to go to reach my 2nd weight loss goal. The plan is to continue with the 2 meals, keep sugar and oil on the down-low, and prioritize the exercise. When I reach that goal, I have a 3rd goal that is a weight I'm not sure I've ever seen. At least not while I've been obsessively recording my weight these past 15+ years! So I'm excited! Here's to better health!
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Blueberry Chips
It's late at night when I often feel inspired to write. I'm excited. One of the pieces of my journey to health has been an experiment that I've been carrying out for almost a month now. In about a week I shall expound more on it, but for now, suffice to say that I have seen a significant change in my bloodwork which is quite exciting. My blood glucose has dropped 10 points since January, and I have an inkling that it is due to this change I've made in my lifestyle.
Am also working hard on adding more fruits & vegetables to my diet. I realize that a huge part of it is sheer laziness. I can't be bothered to cut up the fruits and veggies when I can grab a pastry or a slice of bread instead. I do eat a diet rather heavy in carbs, and while I am learning that sustained weight loss will happen with a diet higher in carbs rather than attempting to eliminate carbs, I also realize that I still need to swing the balance a little more towards the whole plant foods. A meal should ideally consist of 70% fruits & veggies and 30% carbs/proteins is what I read/heard somewhere recently, and I tried it. For about 2 days. Then I realized that I didn't have time to calculate it all out, neither prepare enough foods or get to the store to buy the fruits & veggies to have enough variety. So I scrapped that.
I'm still cooking without added oil, though, which I'm also excited about! I've found it is so easy to dry-fry if you have a good non-stick pan, and if you don't, just add a little bit of water to the pan and stir vigorously. A great combination to start a dish is to try garlic, onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers. The peppers and garlic really help to flavour the dish and mask the rather strange smell that onions have when they are sauteing in water.
And as I'm learning as well, keep experimenting. Keep trying. Don't be afraid of new things; you may find that you really love them! I picked up a tub of quinoa tabbouleh salad at Costco on Friday and I'm excited to have that as my main dish one day. Super healthy and great on the calorie side too!
Become aware of labels. Even learning little things has helped me. For example, keeping sodium below 200 mg is a great idea. It's difficult to find tomato sauce, though, so I try to keep it as low as possible. Or reading up on how many servings are in a bag of whatever it is you're purchasing. When you calculate how many servings are in a bag, and realize that you'll probably eat half the bag by the time you're home (which would be me), then it is just easier to put the bag back on the shelf and walk on by. But do find foods you enjoy and treat yourself with them. Buy the $9 box of fresh blueberries and leave the $3 bag of potato chips in the store. I know, I know, the chips taste sooooo much better. But seriously? The last bag of potato chips I bought a couple of weeks ago had a warning label on them: may cause cancer. Blueberries don't come with that kind of warning!
So till the next update, keep eating healthy and having fun!
Am also working hard on adding more fruits & vegetables to my diet. I realize that a huge part of it is sheer laziness. I can't be bothered to cut up the fruits and veggies when I can grab a pastry or a slice of bread instead. I do eat a diet rather heavy in carbs, and while I am learning that sustained weight loss will happen with a diet higher in carbs rather than attempting to eliminate carbs, I also realize that I still need to swing the balance a little more towards the whole plant foods. A meal should ideally consist of 70% fruits & veggies and 30% carbs/proteins is what I read/heard somewhere recently, and I tried it. For about 2 days. Then I realized that I didn't have time to calculate it all out, neither prepare enough foods or get to the store to buy the fruits & veggies to have enough variety. So I scrapped that.
I'm still cooking without added oil, though, which I'm also excited about! I've found it is so easy to dry-fry if you have a good non-stick pan, and if you don't, just add a little bit of water to the pan and stir vigorously. A great combination to start a dish is to try garlic, onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers. The peppers and garlic really help to flavour the dish and mask the rather strange smell that onions have when they are sauteing in water.
And as I'm learning as well, keep experimenting. Keep trying. Don't be afraid of new things; you may find that you really love them! I picked up a tub of quinoa tabbouleh salad at Costco on Friday and I'm excited to have that as my main dish one day. Super healthy and great on the calorie side too!
Become aware of labels. Even learning little things has helped me. For example, keeping sodium below 200 mg is a great idea. It's difficult to find tomato sauce, though, so I try to keep it as low as possible. Or reading up on how many servings are in a bag of whatever it is you're purchasing. When you calculate how many servings are in a bag, and realize that you'll probably eat half the bag by the time you're home (which would be me), then it is just easier to put the bag back on the shelf and walk on by. But do find foods you enjoy and treat yourself with them. Buy the $9 box of fresh blueberries and leave the $3 bag of potato chips in the store. I know, I know, the chips taste sooooo much better. But seriously? The last bag of potato chips I bought a couple of weeks ago had a warning label on them: may cause cancer. Blueberries don't come with that kind of warning!
So till the next update, keep eating healthy and having fun!
Friday, April 12, 2013
Trial & Error
So I'm finally back again, now that the internet has been restored to a semblance of normality. Super excited to blog about some of the changes that have been happening in my own life as I continue on this journey to whole-health living!
About 10 months ago I wrote out my birthday goals. I do it every year, on my birthday (which occurs mid-year) and around January 1st. I write out what I plan to achieve in the next year, and then when each anniversary comes around I have great fun looking back and reading what I wrote. Amazingly enough, it seems that when I write down my goals I have a greater chance of achieving those goals. I am learning to move to more concrete plans rather than idealistic dreams, but I still enjoy the process.
One of my birthday goals was to become vegan. I was happily writing down about three or four different things that I thought were reasonable and doable, when the thought popped into my head and I obediently wrote it down, not really thinking about what I had just written. "Become vegan." I looked at the words in amazement. I wasn't sure I was ready for such a huge leap. I was raised vegetarian, and while I did do a stint of veganism for a period of time out of necessity, I hadn't made being a vegan a complete lifestyle choice. I still enjoyed my marionberry Whole Foods pastries, my Round Table pizza, my Ranch Doritos, my Chipotle burritoes with sour cream and cheese, and my Subway chocolate chip cookies. Now, ten months later, I try hard to think what my favourite foods were before I began this phase of my journey. As I look back, I realize that it wasn't a decision that I made overnight but rather happened slowly as I learned how to make healthier choices.
I first made the conscious choice to monitor my diet last year when I learned that I was pre-diabetic. Diabetes runs in my family and I was freaked out at the thought of having to poke myself with a needle and try to monitor insulin levels if I didn't take care of my health right away. Though it takes about 5 years to move from pre-diabetes to diabetes, it was enough of a wake-up call to get me into some serious action. On the advice of my Newstart doctor, I cut out all oils and sugars for four very long months.
At first it was super hard, but when I started to see results I realized that it was the best thing I had ever done. I used to love the smell of frying onions, which is how I started every dish I made, and found it difficult to adjust to frying the onions in a small amount of water. As I began to read and research, I bought a non-stick frying pan from Ross and learned how to fry onions oil-free. I've learned how to cook without using oil now and find that I don't really notice that it's gone.
Here are some helpful tips that I've learned from my journey:
It's not easy to make a switch and go against the grain of what you've done all your life. I've had many battles with myself where I wanted to just give in and eat the food I was craving, rather than make a healthy choice. And there were times when I couldn't remain true to principle, or there were times I forgot. But I didn't beat myself over the head with those trip-ups. Instead, I tried to learn and I determined to move on, and it has all been worth it. Because I'm worth it. . .and so are you!
About 10 months ago I wrote out my birthday goals. I do it every year, on my birthday (which occurs mid-year) and around January 1st. I write out what I plan to achieve in the next year, and then when each anniversary comes around I have great fun looking back and reading what I wrote. Amazingly enough, it seems that when I write down my goals I have a greater chance of achieving those goals. I am learning to move to more concrete plans rather than idealistic dreams, but I still enjoy the process.
One of my birthday goals was to become vegan. I was happily writing down about three or four different things that I thought were reasonable and doable, when the thought popped into my head and I obediently wrote it down, not really thinking about what I had just written. "Become vegan." I looked at the words in amazement. I wasn't sure I was ready for such a huge leap. I was raised vegetarian, and while I did do a stint of veganism for a period of time out of necessity, I hadn't made being a vegan a complete lifestyle choice. I still enjoyed my marionberry Whole Foods pastries, my Round Table pizza, my Ranch Doritos, my Chipotle burritoes with sour cream and cheese, and my Subway chocolate chip cookies. Now, ten months later, I try hard to think what my favourite foods were before I began this phase of my journey. As I look back, I realize that it wasn't a decision that I made overnight but rather happened slowly as I learned how to make healthier choices.
I first made the conscious choice to monitor my diet last year when I learned that I was pre-diabetic. Diabetes runs in my family and I was freaked out at the thought of having to poke myself with a needle and try to monitor insulin levels if I didn't take care of my health right away. Though it takes about 5 years to move from pre-diabetes to diabetes, it was enough of a wake-up call to get me into some serious action. On the advice of my Newstart doctor, I cut out all oils and sugars for four very long months.
At first it was super hard, but when I started to see results I realized that it was the best thing I had ever done. I used to love the smell of frying onions, which is how I started every dish I made, and found it difficult to adjust to frying the onions in a small amount of water. As I began to read and research, I bought a non-stick frying pan from Ross and learned how to fry onions oil-free. I've learned how to cook without using oil now and find that I don't really notice that it's gone.
Here are some helpful tips that I've learned from my journey:
- Find fun foods you like to eat and keep a supply of those on hand. I love Dole peach bowls, Mediterranean olives, and creamy honey. What I love to eat changes, though, which also makes it fun because then I can switch it up a bit.
- Read, watch movies, or go online and research. Educate yourself as to why you are making the decisions you are making so you own your choices. Vegucate is a great documentary, Neal Barnard has informative yet easy to understand books on how to eat, diabetes, and more, and there are scores of easy tasty recipes online.
- Commit to change. I can't do portion control, so instead of buying a bag of potato chips and "portioning it out over the next week" when I know that I will finish it in three nights, I don't buy that bag of potato chips.
It's not easy to make a switch and go against the grain of what you've done all your life. I've had many battles with myself where I wanted to just give in and eat the food I was craving, rather than make a healthy choice. And there were times when I couldn't remain true to principle, or there were times I forgot. But I didn't beat myself over the head with those trip-ups. Instead, I tried to learn and I determined to move on, and it has all been worth it. Because I'm worth it. . .and so are you!
Friday, December 7, 2012
Worthwhile
My power word for today is "worthwhile". There's a lot packed into that small word. Worthwhile. This journey is worthwhile, it means something to me, it has value. I am worthwhile, I am special, I have value. Being healthier and losing weight is worthwhile, I'm achieving my goals, I'm giving value to those goals.
Last night I tried on two pairs of size 12 dress pants and they fit. Sure, they're still a little snug, and I have a theory that a size 12 today is closer to a size 14 ten years ago, but regardless, I could zip them up and not have to hold my breath. I was pretty amazed!
Today I stepped on the scales and saw a number that I had seen only once in the past, oh, at least 3-5 years or so. I was sure there was a mistake so I stepped off the scales, reset them, then stepped back on again. Same number. I stepped off, and this time I stepped back on with my other foot instead. Same number. I moved the scales around on the floor, stood a little closer to the front, and yet every single time of the 8 times I weighed myself this morning, it was. . .the. . . same. . .number.
While disbelief and just a tiny bit of excitement were there, the most prevalent emotion I found myself feeling was fear. I was shocked to realize that I didn't want to weigh the number I was seeing on those scales. I wasn't ready for that number. It wasn't me. Even though I had spent the last 15 years battling with my weight, now that I found myself squaring off with my enemy "failure" with a strong chance of winning I was suddenly scared of actually doing so.
I'm going to admit that over the past couple of months, as my weight has been dropping a lot slower than the first two months, I was actually not worried about the slow in pace. I was starting to feel more comfortable with who I was, I knew I was getting healthier because of the food I chose to eat and the exercise I prioritized, so actually losing a lot of weight wasn't as important to me. I tried to focus on long-term sustainability of my lifestyle, rather than a sprint-and-burn approach to lifestyle change. I was happy with where I was.
Now I was still losing weight, don't get me wrong. The difference was that instead of losing 2 pounds a week, I had slowed to 2 pounds a month (still a healthy weight loss). I had started to mentally relegate myself to living in my "fat clothes" for awhile longer, and I think I had decided that maybe I was okay where I was now. I think I had decided that it wasn't going to work this time around either. Then I saw that number on the scales.
Even in the midst of my yo-yo dieting, I have grown comfortable with blending in and going unnoticed because of my weight. I was the classic excuser, I couldn't achieve any of my life goals because if I couldn't even manage something as little as my weight then how could I expect to do anything greater? I was still single because people only saw my weight instead of who I was as a person. I couldn't live a healthier life because my weight controlled my life instead of me controlling my weight.
Now the scales were telling me otherwise. They were saying, "You can do this. You are doing this! And if you keep on doing this, you will be successful." Those are words I'm not used to hearing. Now my friends will probably look at me incredulously, as I am a rather determined choleric, but reality is that I'm a dreamer who has all too many times seen those dreams shredded to bits. Then the sanguine side of me has taken those "detours" and "U-turns" and turned them into knells of finality. Every time I tried something and it didn't work out, I decided that nothing would ever work out. So when it came to being healthier, I had pretty much decided that I couldn't do it. Since I couldn't look like the models on the checkout magazine stands, I might as well not even try.
I'm learning to change those tapes in my head. I'm learning to recognize that my healthy lifestyle goal is valuable and it's because I am valuable. I'm learning that I can achieve my goals, but they take a whole lot more hard work, dedication, persistence, and patience than I cared to invest until 4 months ago. I'm learning to allow myself to dream again and this time to believe that those dreams can be realized.
Tomorrow I will step on those scales again. From past experience, my weight tends to plateau for about 3 weeks, then drop 2 or 3 pounds, go up a pound or two, then plateau again. So I'm expecting to see a higher number tomorrow, rather than lower. But it's okay. Because there's going to be another day when that number will go down, and then another one of those days, and then another. . .
Last night I tried on two pairs of size 12 dress pants and they fit. Sure, they're still a little snug, and I have a theory that a size 12 today is closer to a size 14 ten years ago, but regardless, I could zip them up and not have to hold my breath. I was pretty amazed!
Today I stepped on the scales and saw a number that I had seen only once in the past, oh, at least 3-5 years or so. I was sure there was a mistake so I stepped off the scales, reset them, then stepped back on again. Same number. I stepped off, and this time I stepped back on with my other foot instead. Same number. I moved the scales around on the floor, stood a little closer to the front, and yet every single time of the 8 times I weighed myself this morning, it was. . .the. . . same. . .number.
While disbelief and just a tiny bit of excitement were there, the most prevalent emotion I found myself feeling was fear. I was shocked to realize that I didn't want to weigh the number I was seeing on those scales. I wasn't ready for that number. It wasn't me. Even though I had spent the last 15 years battling with my weight, now that I found myself squaring off with my enemy "failure" with a strong chance of winning I was suddenly scared of actually doing so.
I'm going to admit that over the past couple of months, as my weight has been dropping a lot slower than the first two months, I was actually not worried about the slow in pace. I was starting to feel more comfortable with who I was, I knew I was getting healthier because of the food I chose to eat and the exercise I prioritized, so actually losing a lot of weight wasn't as important to me. I tried to focus on long-term sustainability of my lifestyle, rather than a sprint-and-burn approach to lifestyle change. I was happy with where I was.
Now I was still losing weight, don't get me wrong. The difference was that instead of losing 2 pounds a week, I had slowed to 2 pounds a month (still a healthy weight loss). I had started to mentally relegate myself to living in my "fat clothes" for awhile longer, and I think I had decided that maybe I was okay where I was now. I think I had decided that it wasn't going to work this time around either. Then I saw that number on the scales.
Even in the midst of my yo-yo dieting, I have grown comfortable with blending in and going unnoticed because of my weight. I was the classic excuser, I couldn't achieve any of my life goals because if I couldn't even manage something as little as my weight then how could I expect to do anything greater? I was still single because people only saw my weight instead of who I was as a person. I couldn't live a healthier life because my weight controlled my life instead of me controlling my weight.
Now the scales were telling me otherwise. They were saying, "You can do this. You are doing this! And if you keep on doing this, you will be successful." Those are words I'm not used to hearing. Now my friends will probably look at me incredulously, as I am a rather determined choleric, but reality is that I'm a dreamer who has all too many times seen those dreams shredded to bits. Then the sanguine side of me has taken those "detours" and "U-turns" and turned them into knells of finality. Every time I tried something and it didn't work out, I decided that nothing would ever work out. So when it came to being healthier, I had pretty much decided that I couldn't do it. Since I couldn't look like the models on the checkout magazine stands, I might as well not even try.
I'm learning to change those tapes in my head. I'm learning to recognize that my healthy lifestyle goal is valuable and it's because I am valuable. I'm learning that I can achieve my goals, but they take a whole lot more hard work, dedication, persistence, and patience than I cared to invest until 4 months ago. I'm learning to allow myself to dream again and this time to believe that those dreams can be realized.
Tomorrow I will step on those scales again. From past experience, my weight tends to plateau for about 3 weeks, then drop 2 or 3 pounds, go up a pound or two, then plateau again. So I'm expecting to see a higher number tomorrow, rather than lower. But it's okay. Because there's going to be another day when that number will go down, and then another one of those days, and then another. . .
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Walking Beside the Wagon
When I started exercising and eating super healthy 3+ months ago, I was excited to see the pounds dropping away. But the one thing I wasn't ready to give up was my weekly eating out. Unfortunately there have been a few more of those eating out occasions lately, along with holidays and all that. The weight loss has slowed drastically as well.
Happily, though, when I looked back over my log I realized that even though the loss is slow, it is still a LOSS!!! Losing 3 pounds a month is so much better than putting on 3 to 5 pounds a month, which is what I was doing, hence my predicament and need to make a serious lifestyle change.
The past month or so hasn't been the easiest. I will readily admit that I got discouraged several times, along with binging for a day or so. I kind of gave up, since the scales persisted in going up for about a week or so (ahem, due to eating out). So I was kind to myself emotionally and allowed myself to slip into familiar eating patterns for a day or two.
You know what I found out? I don't enjoy the foods I used to crave as much as I did before. I think my tastebuds are actually changing and I am learning to appreciate quality foods. It's been so much fun to have some free time to experiment and try different recipes, finding out what tastes good and what really doesn't work. It is hard to make really good tasting dishes without oil, so while I've stopped adding it to my food, I haven't completely eliminated it from my diet. I still enjoy a good piece of chocolate and jelly beans and pie (okay, so maybe it's my sweet tooth that hasn't changed quite yet!).
It's also neat to see how many more fruits & vegetables I'm incorporating into my diet. I've heard the word "volummetrics" being thrown around, and whenever I have a chance to, I try to fill out my plate with plenty of low-calorie food items. A fun breakfast or supper is a pita bread or whole grain sandwich roll stuffed with my vegenaise substitute, tofurky deli slices, and thick cucumber sticks with a huge handful of cherry tomatoes & green olives to munch on.
I had the goal to lose 20 pounds in 4 months, but sadly I will come short. It's okay, though. Because I will still have lost a substantial amount, and the exciting part is that by this time next year I shall have lost even more! And hopefully I shall be even healthier, fitter, and stronger than today. So yes, I've "fallen off the wagon" when it comes to adhering strictly to my diet. (I simply had to have the jumbo white chocolate peanut butter cup at Jelly Belly Factory!) But instead of getting back on, I'm just going to walk beside it. I'm going to take things slowly, but keep slogging along. Because that is the most important thing, after all. Remaining faithful to the journey.
Happily, though, when I looked back over my log I realized that even though the loss is slow, it is still a LOSS!!! Losing 3 pounds a month is so much better than putting on 3 to 5 pounds a month, which is what I was doing, hence my predicament and need to make a serious lifestyle change.
The past month or so hasn't been the easiest. I will readily admit that I got discouraged several times, along with binging for a day or so. I kind of gave up, since the scales persisted in going up for about a week or so (ahem, due to eating out). So I was kind to myself emotionally and allowed myself to slip into familiar eating patterns for a day or two.
You know what I found out? I don't enjoy the foods I used to crave as much as I did before. I think my tastebuds are actually changing and I am learning to appreciate quality foods. It's been so much fun to have some free time to experiment and try different recipes, finding out what tastes good and what really doesn't work. It is hard to make really good tasting dishes without oil, so while I've stopped adding it to my food, I haven't completely eliminated it from my diet. I still enjoy a good piece of chocolate and jelly beans and pie (okay, so maybe it's my sweet tooth that hasn't changed quite yet!).
It's also neat to see how many more fruits & vegetables I'm incorporating into my diet. I've heard the word "volummetrics" being thrown around, and whenever I have a chance to, I try to fill out my plate with plenty of low-calorie food items. A fun breakfast or supper is a pita bread or whole grain sandwich roll stuffed with my vegenaise substitute, tofurky deli slices, and thick cucumber sticks with a huge handful of cherry tomatoes & green olives to munch on.
I had the goal to lose 20 pounds in 4 months, but sadly I will come short. It's okay, though. Because I will still have lost a substantial amount, and the exciting part is that by this time next year I shall have lost even more! And hopefully I shall be even healthier, fitter, and stronger than today. So yes, I've "fallen off the wagon" when it comes to adhering strictly to my diet. (I simply had to have the jumbo white chocolate peanut butter cup at Jelly Belly Factory!) But instead of getting back on, I'm just going to walk beside it. I'm going to take things slowly, but keep slogging along. Because that is the most important thing, after all. Remaining faithful to the journey.
Crunchy Chickpeas
Yay, I'm excited! I was watching Rachael Ray today, and a chef was showing her how to make quick easy snacks using the microwave. I tried the chickpea (garbanzo) recipe today and it worked out pretty good. Now I'm looking forward to trying the kale chips recipe, since kale chips are my new favorite (but expensive if bought in the store!) snack.
Crunchy Chickpeas
Crunchy Chickpeas
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line baking tray with parchment paper.
- Drain (& rinse) two cans of chickpeas. Shake dry.
- Spread in an even layer on baking tray.
- Bake for 40 minutes.
- Spray a microwaveable plate with cooking spray.
- Place half the chickpeas on the plate, sprinkle seasonings generously, and mix.
- Pop in microwave for 6 minutes.
- Store in a glass jar or tin.
- Cinnamon & a dusting of powdered sugar?
- Curry powder
- Chili powder
- Agave syrup
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