Day 3

Per my nutritionist's request, I will no longer be tracking my food intake in numbers. She thinks that rigid caloric monitoring inhibits intuitive eating (the goal of the challenge). From now on, I will track what I eat, without focusing so much on specific numbers. 

Breakfast: 

- oatmeal with almond butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar

- glass of non-fat milk 

Lunch: 

-pita with eggplant humus and corn 

-carrots

-banana 

-Greek-style yogurt 

Snack: 

-trail mix bar 

Dinner: 

- Chicken skewer 

- black bean soup (1 cup) 

-apple

- corn-on-the-cob (1 ear) 

- dried fruit and almond mix (1 cup) 

Snack: 

-diet hot coco 

-Greek-style yogurt 

Exercise: 90 minuets of power yoga 

I feel really good about today. For the first time in a VERY long time I have NO idea how many weight watchers points I consumed! Also, I felt satisfied all day. It's really nice not to have the nagging background noise of continuos counting. I also feel generally happier. I think constantly calculating calories, points and grams of fat takes a toll on one's mental well-being! 

Work day trails...

I'm at work, and I am suffering from an awful caffeine headache! In my rush to get to work on time, I neglected to pack the caffeinated crystal lite I put in water. I swore off soda as part of this little venture, but I am VERY tempted to have one. It is hard to concentrate when your head is pounding!

Day 1: June 14th, 2009

Today's diet

Calories: 2,048

Fat: 21

Protein: 78

Sugar: 195.25

Fiber: 58.5

Carbs: 452

Sodium: 2814

Calcium: 123%

Breakfast: 9 AM

- Oatmeal (with brown sugar and cinnamon) 

- Eggbeaters 

- Walnuts 

Lunch: 2 PM

- Pita with tofu ("pulled chicken") 

- Banana 

- Strawberries 

- Candied ginger 

Snack: 6:45 PM

- Bar ("trail Mix") 

- Apple

- String Cheese (light) 

Dinner: 8:45 PM

- Lettuce wraps with small amount of chicken, mango salsa, re-fried black beans 

- Apple

- Banana 

-Cranberries 

Snack: 10:30 

- Diet hot coco 

- 1.5 cup cereal (puffed wheat)  

Today's Exercise: 

2 hours of pick-up Basketball

Definitely good exercise but I don't know how it compares to running or yoga in terms of calories burned. 

Thoughts... 

I was surprised by the protein count, 78 seems high to me. I had no idea I ate so much protein! I still need to work on increasing the fat intake. I did notice that I felt satisfied all day-- there was never a moment were I felt preoccupied by hunger. This might not seem novel, but it is. Typically, I will feel hungry only 1 hour after eating. To go a full five hours between breakfast and lunch without feeling hungry is unheard of for me. I want to know more about the recommended amount of protein, sugar, carbs, fat, fiber, and sodium. 

The Challenge...

I used to be fat. I was never obese, but I was large, in a stocky-athletic way. Then I found Weight Watchers. I was 15 years-old when I began the Weight Watchers "Flex Points" Diet. Over a two year period, I lost 40 pounds. Though a weight loss success by definition, I had no real nutrition knowledge-- I simply counted points. To me, a "good" food was low fat (all fats being equally evil) and high fiber. After two years of counting, I was a Weight Watchers guru, eating only foods that maximized my daily point allowance. Essentially, my diet moved away from meat and toward things that fit my criterion for "good" food but were also filling. Oatmeal, Fruit, and Weight Watchers brand frozen foods became favorites. 

Five years after the onset of my Weight Watchers diet, my weight continues to fluctuate. I am still 40 pounds lighter then I was at 15, but I am a full 30 pounds heavier then I was at my lightest (last year). I have no desire to return to the lightest weight I have seen on the scale (not healthy!), but I am about 10 pounds heavier then I would like to be, though still well within the healthy range on the BMI scale. 

I exercise daily, from Bikram and Power Yoga to running, I make a point of doing something physical everyday. Despite my above-average daily exercise regiment, I cannot seem to take off those 10 pounds and keep them off! After meeting with a nutritionist (goddess), I am convinced that my weight issues stem from the high-cal, high-carb, low-fat Weight Watchers inspired diet. Though counter-intuitive, I believe that if I make a conscious effort to incorporate healthy fat sources and more protein into my diet, I will see results. 

So there's the challenge: Eat "wholesome" food, ditching the weight watchers mentality, for a full 30 days. 

The details: 

1. Eat protein-carb-fat at every meal 

2. Exercise Daily

3. weigh in a couple times a week 

4. blog the results!