Year 2, Day 39

Week 10

Part of me doesn't even want to write this post. After all, if I admit fault - real, actual fault - then someone might think I'm (gasp!) imperfect!

I was lazy this week. There's no two ways about it, I was lazy. There were contributing factors, for sure. Jared was sick, and after finding myself in a temporary budget crunch with the emotional blech of a cold I resorted to those "good ol' " childhood favorites: Pasta, ramen, and grilled cheese. These things are definitely cheap and I really do think they have a place in life. However, that place is not three meals a day. Because of the carb-load, I got all sluggish (my body loves simple carbs but is not genetically designed to handle them well). Instead of exercising like I knew I should be to burn off the extra, I sat on the couch with my husband and watched Star Trek while he faded in and out of consciousness. (Ah, the sleep cycle of the germ-besieged)

On the bright side, we got lots of cuddle time!

At first my systems didn't seem affected by the turn for the worse in our diet. That only encouraged my lazy, self-indulgent momentum. -sigh-

No more!

Last week I got my 100 Days of Real Food cookbook in the mail and I used that, cross-referenced with my Habits of Health book, to create a cheap but also healthy menu plan for this coming week. There's not much variety, because I'm still figuring out the (cheap + healthy + not going to aggravate Jared's existing health problems + doesn't require a crock pot or more than 15 minutes to throw together) combination. Fortunately for us, Jared and I are pros at eating the same thing over and over for a while. Our minds like the routine of it. In fact, Jared could probably eat the same daily menu for months on end. I need variety from week to week, so we'll see what happens next week. I've also resolved to buy a crock-pot as my next home improvement purchase.

Here's the menu:

Breakfast - Rolled oats with 1/2c milk and 1/2 apple
Snack - String cheese
Lunch - 1/2 grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat, and 1/2 apple
Snack - 1c tomato soup
Dinner - Chicken tenders (homemade) with a hearty serving of broccoli
Snack - 1 square of dark chocolate and 6 cashews

That may look like it's not a lot of food. In the first week of transitioning onto a healthier, lower-calorie meal plan it certainly doesn't feel like a lot of food. But as the body adjusts you begin to see that it's really the perfect amount for a 2-3 hour interval.

I'm looking forward to getting back to a healthy eating style. I'm not a leafy greens kind of person, and I've actually been *craving* salads - which means that my body is in a pretty sorry state internally. My main focus right now is weight loss, but even if I don't lose a pound (which is unlikely), I'll be happy for a few weeks to just start feeling like I'm eating healthy again!

Yeah, I know, I'm one of *those* people. I never thought I would be one of *those* people, but I am now, and it's actually pretty nice. If I just listen to my body I should be fine weight-wise once I reach my goal. That realization is so exciting I don't even have words.