Pursuit of Healthfulness - Week 1

Hello Friends. Today Melissa over at My Red Tutu and I are doing our weekly check in for our Pursuit to Healthfulness. Here are some things I discovered this week while tuning in to my eating habits.

1. If there is any candy in the house, I WILL eat it, just a fact. I love chocolate.
2. Breakfast is oatmeal with non-fat yogurt, honey and cinnamon. I usually eat around 9am but find I am hungry again around 11am.
3. If I don't bring lunch to work, it can be anything from soup/salad to pizza from takeout joints.
4. I arrive home between 2 and 5 pm and I am STARVING. I open the fridge and start grazing immediately.
5. Dinner is usually a good mix of whole grains, veggies, and lean protein, though I noticed I do not get nearly enough veggies as is recommended.
6. If I have chocolate (which I do, everyday!) I crave bread, if I have breads I crave chocolate, it must be a sugar thing.
7. I have confirmed that I am an emotional eater.  I noticed a few times this week if I was upset, angry or insecure about something, I reached for the chips.
8. I just LOVE food.

 Some things I am thinking of doing to work on the above:

1. Only have the best dark chocolate in the house and treat it like a treat, not a food group.
2. Bring some snacks to work so when I am hungry at 11 I can have a little something and then not overdo it on lunch. Maybe a handful of almonds, cheese stick, apple.
3. Try to brown bag it as much as possible and when I can't keep it to soup and salad. Maybe have pizza once a week so I don't feel deprived.
4. On the weekend build some snack packs, maybe nuts/fruit or single servings of carrots and hummus so I don't just open the refrig after work and grab a bite of everything not nailed down!
5. Come up with some ways to incorporate more veggies, maybe have a big soup with lots of veggies one night, adding greens to omelettes. There are also a ton of smoothie vegie recipes online to try.
6. When feeling emotional I might start by writing in my journal or putting on some great music before automatically reaching for the food. This one is going to be tough but I am committed to changing some of my patterns.
7. Watch portion sizes and try one new recipe a week, I love Ellie Krieger's book (see below link) to make eating fun again.
8. It's great to love food and be nourished by it as long as it's in a healthy loving way and not being used as a crutch or a way to beat yourself up.  

Some resources I checked out this week:

1. Kris Carr's blog - Crazy, Sexy, Life. She has great recipes, tips, advice and support on her blog.
2. Dr Weil's anti-inflammatory food pyramid, something I am thinking about as some of my health issues are directly related to inflammation in the body.
3. Ellie Krieger's cookbook: "The Food You Crave" I love this cookbook and she has a great way of looking at health in relation to diet.

I did weigh myself and I gained 0 and lost 0 and that is just fine. I am learning how to tune into my body and that was my goal for the week.

Now I know realistically this may be a long journey and I don't want it to be all about numbers and diet. I am hoping to make even one small change a week that will lead to a healthier lifestyle. I am also going to be gentle with myself when I take those steps back and start each day anew.

Thanks for listening and if you want to join us please add your blog post to the below link widget. I'd love to hear about your Pursuit of Healthfulness. Now let's jump on over to Melissa over at My Red Tutu and see what she has to share this week.

Namaste,

Karen