food, lately

I mentioned in my last post that I've been hitting the gym pretty hard lately, and I'm going to be honest; it's because I put on some weight over the last 6 months. Most of it was due to winter + depression, but I have to take blame for smoking because it deterred me from going to the gym. (I've since stopped for good! I can't even remember the last time I bought a pack, I think it was in January.) Anyway 5-10 lbs later, I felt my clothes hugging my body a little tighter than I like them too, and I decided to make a change. I started working out with a trainer in February, and I've since continued on my own. This combined with a nutrition plan has me back where I need to be.

I changed my diet a lot this year, and it's working for me. Most of my adult life I've suffered from disordered eating. It wasn't until last summer, when I took a nutrition course, that I learned how negatively a low carb diet affects your brain function. I've always limited carbs, and even went gluten free for a very long time, only to push myself at the gym with little to no results because I didn't have the energy to keep a regular routine or the nutrients I needed to build muscle. Not only that, but when you deprive yourself of certain foods, you will eventually binge on them, and it's an endless cycle. Our bodies have evolved since the paleolithic era, so it makes no sense to eat like that.

As of now I'm eating 6 smalls meals a day. (Meals, not to be confused with snacks.) Every time I eat I make sure that I'm getting a healthy carb (whole grain), a healthy fat (nuts, seeds, avocado, coconut oil, etc.), a fruit and/or vegetable, and a lean protein. The downside to this is that eating 6 times a day takes some effort, but since I'm not working right now, I can manage it without having to do a lot of meal preparation. It did feel weird at first to be eating so much. I kept thinking there's no way this is going to help me lose weight, but after just one week, it did. Not only does it boost your metabolism, but when you're working out you need food to fuel your body, or you will end up lacking the energy to get through your workouts/day. The upside is that I enjoy the food I'm eating, and because I've gone without grains/gluten for so long I don't feel like I'm dieting.

It's hard for me to admit that after 30+ years of life I'm still trying to figure shit out. Balance has never, ever been easy for me, but I have to say this has changed my mindset. When I was in Chicago I was walking 10-12 miles a day, and I didn't beat myself up over enjoying a donut, or cookies, or a Chicago dog, but I also didn't continue to treat myself when I got home. I had to go out of town over the weekend, and it's a task to eat healthy when you have to eat out, but I didn't use that as an excuse, and I made it happen.

Anyway, I'm going to start posting food related stuff here every week, because let's get real; my food blog has pretty much gone the way of the dodo. I have a hard enough time keeping this one up! I would love to hear your favorite healthy meal if you feel like sharing. I'm always looking for new ideas!

Here's a little bit of what I've been eating lately:

1 whole wheat English muffin, topped with marinara sauce, and mozzarella//roasted broccoli

homemade pho made with brown rice noodles, bean sprouts, and flank steak

tandoori chicken over brown rice//grilled zucchini & green onion

Special K protein cereal//strawberries//golden flax seed

Toasted whole wheat bagel//chive whipped cream cheese//2 egg whites//sliced tomato//half grapefruit

Barilla protein plus pasta//chopped asparagus//dollop of pesto//apple