Progress is good

So I guess I'm in one of those moods where I am going over what I am eating and trying to improve or rather trying to identify some areas of concern, address them and look at some possible solutions. One of my biggest struggles is with my sweet tooth, I think it's genetic, because my mom is the same way. I've mitigated it mostly by a combination of opting for sugar substitutes and outright abstinence, but I don't feel like I am being as successful as I can. I would love to be one of the people where moderation works well for them, but I just ain't it. Usually it 100% or 0%. The biggest sugar hurdle I conquered some time ago was with sugary beverages - sodas, drinks, etc. I just don't do them anymore, it's almost habit now, but what makes it such an easy habit is that it is really easy to find alternatives for full sugar drinks. Such is not the case for everything.

My biggest cravings usually have to deal with pastries and baked goods. It seems like I can be fine for days on end, but then I get hit with intense cravings for something sweet & buttery or something rich & chocolatey. It's like an overwhelming urge that is hard to just ignore and let pass, especially this time of year. I'm really worried about becoming complacent and letting the next few months slip away, I've done that the past two years, I don't want to do that now. I am doing really well right now because I've settled into a routine, the problem areas seem to pop up over the weekends where my time isn't as structured. I'll have to think about that some more and come up with something. I've made it a point to get out and go run or play tennis on the weekends to make sure that even if I do eat crappy, I can burn a good chunk of it off.

With Halloween coming up and freakin' candy everywhere, I think I've found a solution that will really help me in those moments where I feel like I want to swallow bite-size chocolate bars by the handful. I was at the grocery store today and saw South Beach Living Dark Chocolate Covered Soynuts Snack Pack Delights. I picked them up and have since tried them out. I dig 'em. They're chocolately and candy-like. So awesome. I am going to keep them at work because that is where the temptations are so if I just can't resist, I have a backup plan.

I've been almost completely gluten free for almost two weeks. I haven't had any low carb tortillas or bread, nor any low carb pasta. Cheese is still in my diet, but in much lower quantities. Lately it's mostly been in Alfredo sauce, one of my favorite dishes at the moment is to make chicken thighs, slice them up, cook them in some butter, onions, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Then I'll have my five containers for lunch for the week and then I'll put 1/2 a can of french style green beans in each one. Then I'll add around 1-2 tablespoons of Alfredo sauce and 1/5 of the chicken. At work, I'll nuke it all, stir and enjoy. Yum! I like eating real food for lunch at work and this makes it easy to knock out lunch for the week and it's damn delicious. The only other cheese I'll have is a slice for my lettuce wrap for breakfast. I don't have time to cook in the morning so I usually just have a shake before I leave and I actually pack my breakfast. Lately it's been lettuce wraps, a variety of 3-4 lunch meats, a slice of cheese, some pickle slices and a dab of mustard tucked in a romaine lettuce leaf. Not your typical breakfast food fair, but works for me.

I'm back down to 2 protein shakes a day with no signs of edema, so that's good, although I do sometimes get hollow leg syndrome and feel like there is not enough food in the world. It's weird because I usually have to wait at least an hour or more between feedings, but sometimes it feels like I could eat again after 15 minutes. I feel like that way now. Part of that is because I went running today and nearly ran 1/2 a mile non-stop, then did the same for two 1/4 mile intervals. I've never done that before so I was sweating big time by the time I finished. By the time I got home (after the grocery store) I was feeling seriously depleted, even a couple of hours afterwards, so I've been eating & drinking water like crazy.

Had a late lunch with some friends, so that was fun and then came home and took a nap. It's laundry time right now so I'm chilling and getting mentally prepared for the week. It might be a doozy. I have to pick up a few technical skills over the next few weeks so I'll have to keep my ADD in check. Tennis drills tomorrow night and I plan to be more prepared than last time. My energy stores tend to bonk around an hour so I gotta find something that I can digest mid-drills that'll prevent me from being sluggish.

I just tried on a size 14 skirt...and it fit. :)