{WIAW} + {Love Yourself February} = Happy Eating

I have been debating on how to go about this union of themes…I feel the need to address a couple more topics for this month’s Love Yourself February.  (For the last post click here.)  One of them is food.

We often get the idea of food skewed in my mind when we are setting out for the perfect body.  Calories seem bad and we aim to achieve the lowest number possible in hopes it will change the number on our beloved scale.

The thing is, that is not how our bodies work!  We need fuel!  The less calories you consume, the lower your metabolism will be, therefore the lower amount of calories you will need to consume to not gain weight.  This is a terrible cycle friends, don’t get in it!

(More on my Semi-Healthy Philosophy here.)

WIAW {What. I. Ate. Wednesday.} is a day in the life of me and my food.  I will never claim to be perfect, but I feel I have achieved a balance for myself in my eating habits.

I try to consume plenty of whole grains, lean protein, healthy fats, vegetables and fruit (a current goal as my fruit intake is so sad right now).

I also have dessert every stinkin’ day.  Why?  Because it is something that I love and I refuse to cut it out of my life for the sake of calories or sugar.  I know myself, and I know that if I cut it out, or even forbid it for a certain number of days, I will crave it all the more!  Eating is a very psychological thing and when we learn to listen to our bodies, we will be much happier.

Check out my WIAW and my notes below for happy eating habits.

{Breakfast 9am}:  The usual peanutbutter toast but accompanied by Chemistry homework…not so fun.

{Pre-class snack: 11:30 am}:  Not hungry enough for a full lunch, but I knew I needed to get something in me before the 3 hour Chemistry class.  Silk soy yogurt with 1/4 cup bear naked granola.  I have to measure out the granola so I don’t eat the whole bag!

{Late lunch: 4pm}: I was pretty hungry by this point and decided to break out my Olive Garden leftovers.  Portobello mushroom ravioli with meatsauce.

{Dessert}: Some fudgey oatmeal cookies

{Post-workout: 7pm} After a great treadclimber workout I had a yummy chocolate protein shake to tide me over for dinner.

{Dinner: 8pm} Breaded chicken, fresh broccoli, and a garlic pasta with vegetables (forgot to bring my camera to the BF’s, so the following are courtesy of my good ol’ blackberry)

{Late night snack: 11:30pm} Special K with almonds cereal and silk soy milk

Semi-Healthy Notes on Happy Eating:

• Eat breakfast within one hour of waking.  
• I have known many people that don’t eat breakfast, and almost brag about it like they are being calorie-conscious.  I also hear these same people talk about how stuffed they are when they consumed a 1500 calorie meal for dinner.  
• Get your metabolism started correctly in the morning and don’t wait until night-time to consume your calories!
• Eat every 3 or 4 hours.  The exact timing is different for everyone, but I can tell when I haven’t eaten in 3 hours.
• Pay attention to your hunger signals!  
• This may be tough if you have been a chronic dieter, because those on diets often learn to ignore their hunger pains, but it will really help in the long run to pay attention to your hunger.
• If it doesn’t make sense that you are hungry, maybe you are thirsty.  Drink some water and see how you feel after 10 or 15 minutes.  If you are still feeling the hunger, eat something, please.
• Try to get protein and whole grains with your meal.  These items will make you feel satisfied for a longer period of time.  Satisfied belly means you will be able to concentrate better at work/school AND you won’t be searching for a snack an hour later.
• Eat dessert with your meal, as opposed to by itself. 
• One of the worst cycles you can get into is eating sugar or caffeine on an empty stomach.  You will get the sugar high and crash an hour later and be hungrier than before.  You might grab the closest carbs you can get your hands on at the moment…and the cycle continues.
• Eating dessert with the meal lets your body use the protein from the meal to balance out the sugar high/crash.

Like I said, I’m no expert, however these rules of thumb help me to keep myself on track, not to mention help me keep in good spirits because I’m not ravishingly hungry all the time.

If you haven’t already, take the 21 Day Challenge!
Simply make a commitment to love your body for 21 days straight, because it takes 21 days to create a habit.

Let me know how the 21 days are going!  I love hearing from you all! 🙂

Discussion Questions:
What are your biggest food obstacles?


Brag a little…what aspects about happy eating are you really good at?

Linking up to my friend Jenn at Peas and Crayons!!