the first week of the rest of my life

The turkey/veggie meatloaf is baking in the oven... with a pan of roasted parsnips and kale with honey and ginger. The meatloaf has turkey, chickpeas, kale, zucchini, parsnips, celery, red pepper, onion and ginger... with teriyaki sauce on top.

That's a good way to summarize this week - lots of veggies, lean meat and grains in my diet. Not one second of hunger. I took ambien to sleep on Saturday night and again on Tuesday night - but other than that, I'm going to sleep like a normal person. My energy level is dramatically different and even though I still have a little congestion, I feel good.

Ultimately, I want to be able to wear the cute clothes that I have packed away that are too small. As far as being a certain size or a certain weight - it doesn't make a huge difference to me. I care far more about how I feel than how I look at this point. If I feel good, get to eat good food, don't need to spend half my paycheck on medications and actually have more than three decent outfits to wear to work... I'll be happy. That's my goal.

But... without really dieting and by only increasing my activity by about 15 minutes a day... I've lost three pounds this week! It was so easy! Yes, there is some extra organization required in food preparation. I'm having to think about what to cook and plan my meals. I'm having to cook... which I don't do well or often. But the payoff (besides the obvious scale victory) is not having to scavenge for food at every meal... or eat unsatisfying meals... or waste money on fast food... or feel uncomfortable because of what I've eaten. It's an incredibly rewarding lifestyle.

Simply put - if you love to eat as much as I do, you need to find a way to eat that won't make you FEEL bad - either physically or emotionally. It's no-guilt eating. There is not one single transfat in my house. Other than Jamie's birthday cake on Saturday and the hot chocolate Austin made me last night... I've avoided sugar all week and I haven't missed it. I haven't had withdrawal headaches (except for the ambien and that's gotten better).

(I am having sugar in my coffee... it's less than a teaspoon a day and it makes me happy. I think the reason most people are unable to adopt a healthy diet is because they give up so many things that they enjoy that they are miserable. My goal is to eat in a way that I can easily maintain for the rest of my life.)

The cool thing is that Austin enjoys eating this way. He doesn't complain a bit. He asked for soda so I bought him some caffeine free stuff. He has loved the stuff I've made. He asked me to make him "more of that awesome tuna salad"... (made with fat free greek yogurt instead of mayo!) and he's been eating it either on triscuits or in a wrap instead of on white bread.

I'm learning... I've mentioned that I'm not the best cook so some of it has been experimental, hit and miss... but it has been a great way to eat.

Ok... here's your test... whether you're trying to lose weight or not... think back over the past week and count how many different types of fruits and vegetables you've eaten. Post a comment with your list and the person with the most will win some unspecified prize to be determined later...

Hope you're having a great day! *hugs*

OH! I forgot! Here's my list:

pomegranate
blackberries
parsnips
avocado
tomato
onion
scallions
red bell pepper
green bell pepper
celery
spinach
kale
parsnips
carrots
green beans
chickpeas
lettuce
cucumbers
black olives
banana peppers
cilantro
garlic
ginger (maybe that doesn't qualify)
lime
broccoli
pear

that's all I can think of...