What I Eat

I almost titled this “My Diet”, but WW has taught me to avoid that ugly word….

I have been following the WW since January 14, 2009, and have found it very manageable.  I love to cook, so I’ve been enjoying making healthy meals and discovering new recipes.  I currently get 24 points per day.

I try not to depend on convenience food too much, but I do have a busy and inconsistent schedule (ah, the life of a student), so it really depends on the day…But, I ALWAYS take a vitamin and drink 8 glasses of water a day (or more)!

Here are some of my typical selections:

Breakfast: Yogurt with berries and home-made granola, All-bran with berries and skim milk, home-made WW stuffed french toast (on special occasions) (NOTE: I don’t eat eggs, so I’m pretty limited at breakfast!)

Lunch: Whole-Wheat pita stuffed with turkey/chicken/hummus and veggies, carrots/other veggies, soup (homemade- have to watch that sodium! Plus, I make awesome soup), a big salad with tuna or chicken, or a pita topped with tuna, tomato, spinach, and a bit of low fat cheese- pop it in the oven- and voila! Tuna melt. Delicious.

Dinner: Some combo of the following: Proteins: Chicken, Ground Turkey, Shrimp;  Grains: Quinoa, whole wheat pasta, potatoes, and LOTS OF VEGGIES!  Bell peppers (roasted or fresh), Asparagus, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach…

Snacks: Melba Toast with tuna, veggies, yogurt, pita with hummus, FibreOne Bars, and Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches (in moderation- I try not to eat more than one fibreOne or skinny cow per day, and usually not even that often.

My Treats: Sushi, Vietnamese, Veggie Mediterranean pizza from Panago (3 points per slice)

My Challenges: I absolutely refuse to eliminate cheese from my diet. I love it too much! I have switched to low-fat cheese, though, and I don’t really find it different.  The one thing I’ve struggled with is Indian food. I love it, and I have eaten it a couple times since starting WW (I made it at home), but I know it’s a trigger food. If I were to go to a restaurant, I would eat until I made myself sick. I’m trying to avoid it until I reach my goal, and then only eat it on occasion.

I also love coffee- but I realized that I needed to stop using it as a crutch. I still drink it, but only when I truly want it, not because I need to wake up.  I am lucky in that I don’t like sugar in coffee, and I drink it with skim or 2% milk.  (I’m not going to lie- I do love cream in coffee, but it’s not worth stunting my progress!)

My Successes: I love that I can still eat what I want, as long as I have the points. Not feeling like I’m deprived or on a diet has been instrumental in my success.  I have learned to make low-fat versions of my favourites, like pizza, macaroni and cheese, curry, etc. They’re DAMN good, and don’t come with the fat or the guilt!