A Note on Diet

Since today is my rest day from working out, I thought I'd write a bit about the diet Amanda has me on. Before working with Amanda, I thought I ate pretty decently... cereal with skim milk in the morning, a couple squares of dark chocolate as a morning pick-me-up, turkey and cheese sandwich and some light yogurt for lunch, and then typically a light dinner-- one of my favorites was a "Greek" salad with tomato, cucumber, chickpeas, feta and some greek vinegarette. During the day I might have a few snacks, typically something sweet like a hot chocolate from the Graduate Programs Office at school, a piece of fruit once I got home, or some type of light frozen treat for dessert at night.

I usually came in around 1200-1500 calories per day, which, according to many magazines I've read in the past, is all women really need. As I mentioned, Amanda noted that the biggest red flag in my diet was my sweets and carbs. I told her I was a chocoholic with a sweet-tooth, but that I would love to hear her suggestions to help me get over my sweets obsession. So she told me to just cut them out completely for two weeks. The first few days were rough, but as the days pass, I haven't really felt many cravings for my chocolate and desserts. Yay!

She also told me to change my breakfast habits. Even though my cereal choices weren't terrible (usually Honey Bunches of Oats or Honey Nut Cheerios), she said they really had too much sugar and not enough nutrients. Skim milk is also very high in sugar compared to soy milk, so now my breakfasts consist of Special K Protein Plus or Kashi Go Lean Original cereal with light soy milk. The cereals aren't as sweet as those that I normally eat and they take a bit of getting used to, but they don't taste bad at all. They're also a bit more expensive, but I also find that I'm not snacking on cereal the way I used to with the more sugary cereals, so I'm going through a box a lot less quickly.

My lunches haven't changed much-- still having a turkey and cheese sandwich, but I just use one piece of bread and cut it in half. If I bought light bread or Sandwich Thins I could have two slices for the same number of calories as one slice of regular bread, but since I already had a whole loaf of the regular stuff, I decided to just finish it first. I also add a veggie like peeled carrots to my lunch just to get something extra.

Amanda told me I should be eating every three hours, so I've been having a cup of Kroger Carbmaster yogurt or a protein shake as a morning snaack, and then another type of veggie with some hommus as an afternoon snack. I don't get nearly as hungry as I used to, and my snacks are much better for me.

My dinners have included a lot more protein, either with chicken, ground turkey, fish or eggs. Favorite meals include grilled chicken and veggies; an egg-white omelette with green peppers, onions and tomatoes; or a taco salad with romaine lettuce, some extra lean ground turkey cooked up with taco seasoning, green peppers, onions and tomatoes and a sprinkle of mild cheddar. Still trying to figure out more fish recipes to add to the mix.

I've been tracking everything I eat on livestrong.com's "MyDailyPlate" application, and it's really helping to hold me accountable and think about my food. I have to send my food journal to Amanda every few days, and she'll send me her critique and suggestions for improving my diet even further.

I learned this past week that I'm allowed one "cheat meal" each week, which I haven't been taking advantage of yet, but if the occasion presents itself, I'll probably have a burger or a slice of pizza. The only thing I can't cheat with is dessert... figures. :)

Finally, my friends and I decided we're not going to drink alcohol for a month. There are quite a few social events in the MBA program that involve going out to various bars, but I've just been having water and enjoying my classmates' company. Hasn't been a big deal at all.

While I haven't necessarily been able to eat the foods I really love (Sweets and carbs in particular), I'm glad I at least have a better idea of what kinds of food I should be eating to help keep me healthy and fit!