Food Journal: Day Seven (The Last Day!)

Hi everyone,

Today is the last day of my food journal experiment!  What an eye opening experience!  I really do think that everyone should do a photo food journal for a week.  There is something about (1) the act of consciously taking a photo of everything you eat and (2) seeing a visual of your diet that serve to make you so much more self-aware.  What is it a very wise man once said about an unexamined life not worth living??  If I had to grade my eating habits in the past week, I would give myself a B.  I think I do alright.  I don't eat too much and keep my portions small.  I try to get f & v's in when I can, but a busy lifestyle and probably a lack of planning hold me back.  The good news is that I only need to tweak a few things about my diet to bring myself back up to an A.  I definitely need to include even more f & v's, and eat less sugar.  Sure, I eat fewer sweets than I did when I was overweight, but these sweets that I eat every night are processed foods full of chemicals and artificial everything.  I try to eat granola bars and dried cranberries, but I am still vulnerable to the Red Vines, Starbursts, pizza and creamy pastas.  I will be more concious of these tendencies in the future and try to change my habits a little bit at a time, day by day.  I will definitley be hunting for healthy alternatives to my favorites, so look forward to yummy recipes coming soon! 

Also, my back is finally feeling better!  The muscles don't hurt anymore!  I still want to take it nice 'n easy, so expect light to moderate workouts from me for a second, but I want to be back to my healthy active energetic self very very soon!

Take care of yourselves,

Monica

My only day off during the week, I actually was able to leisurely drink my coffee at home instead of taking it on the run.  Ahhhh....to relax :)

I scrambled up two eggs for breakfast.  I whip the eggs with a dollup of soy milk and mozzarella cheese for a protein boost.  I find that when I eat eggs for breakfast, I feel energized and don't get hungry for hours!

And my boyfriend whipped up another amazing smoothie, same recipe.  What a sweetie.

I went out to dinner at the restaurant I work at and started the meal with bruschetta--tomatoes, basil, and gorgonzola cheese tossed in balsamic vinegar on toasted focaccia bread.  Yummy yummy yummy.

I had a small salad before the pizza came.  Anytime I eat carbs, complex or simple, I make sure to eat a salad to aid in digestion.  This is a practice commonly followed in Germany that can benefit all of us (I'm not positive, but I want to say that much of Europe follows this practice).  A little side note: In Germany they usually have the salad at the end of the meal, contrary to here in America where we usually eat it before.  There is an argument for both methods.  The German method is supposed to be better for digestion and is supposed to make you feel less bloated.

My favorite pizza-that I have been eating all week.  I started with two slices but..

....ended up leaving a little bit behind.

And then reheated one more slice later in the evening.

I had my standard oats 'n dark chocolate granola bar in the evening.  I'm really trying to be more conscious of eating sweets in the evening.  I honestly didn't realize how much I was eating until I kept this photo food journal.  But if I have gotten into this great of shape while still satisfying my munchies, then imagine how my health will improve by tweaking this little habit!  Always try to be better than you were yesterday, last week and last month.  Baby steps and moderation are key.