Hi all,
I'm new here, trying to follow the Wild Oats superfoods helthy eating plan. Today we are having a big luncheon at work, but I brought my own lunch just in case there is nothing there I should eat!
B-slice of multigrain toast with peanut butter, banana slices
S- same (basically a long grazing breakfast)
L - 1/2 pita with tuna salad, homemadge veggie soup
S - 3 whole wheat crackers and two pieces string cheese
D - chicken and veggie stir fry with brown rice
I everyone! I'm a long time lurker and have been following a Super Foods RX diet at your suggestion (which I think is fabulous).
I've noticed that quite a few of you post your whole foods menu for the day first thing in the morning, or at least I'm assuming those are for today and not yesterday. Do you always plan your days food in advance? Is this to keep you on track with your weightloss or maintenance goals? Are there those of you out there who don't plan ahead but still eat whole? I'm just curious how others work their plans. I've been practicing Intuitive Eating of Whole Foods. I love this way of eating, so far so good.
I've noticed that quite a few of you post your whole foods menu for the day first thing in the morning, or at least I'm assuming those are for today and not yesterday. Do you always plan your days food in advance? Is this to keep you on track with your weightloss or maintenance goals? Are there those of you out there who don't plan ahead but still eat whole? I'm just curious how others work their plans. I've been practicing Intuitive Eating of Whole Foods. I love this way of eating, so far so good.
Hi Beth, I usually have a rough idea of what I'm going to eat in any given week. I plan what the main courses for all suppers will be to get the shopping accomplished, although we often shuffle nights depending on how much time we have, if the vegetables have been cut, and what we feel like. I keep staples on hand for breakfast, lunch, and snacks, and then I just pick what I feel like on any given day. Supper is probably the least whole meal of the day, since DH will not accept many whole grains and most vegetables, and we compromise. There just isn't time/energy to make two meals and I think it sends mixed signals to DD, and honestly, while we do the best we can, I'm not sure that white rice with healthy veggies at a sit-down family dinner is gonna kill her or any of us. Once I've packed my lunch and snacks for the day, I have a pretty good idea of what I'll eat that day.
I need to start posting my menu here again. I found it helpful to make a public commitment, but I keep track in a food journal and sometimes I get lazy (or just feel like I'm doing the same thing over and over, which I am).
I used to eat whole foods and count calories as I ate throughout the day with some minimal advance planning. Recently, I've been planning my entire day's food the evening before and it has helped me to face day-to-day stress without bingeing because I am able to say, "okay, I'm hungry, I'll eat _________ which I have already planned..." In fact, I had that experience today. I was driving my older daughter to her ballet class after numerous errands and I thought how much I'd LOVE the jumbo chocolate-dipped coconut macaroon at the coffee shop across the street. My mind started doing all kinds of rationalizations as to why this might be okay. Then I thought, I'm hungry! It wasn't stress (which I used to attribute cravings to), or sugar addiction (another thing I've blamed binges on), or lack of willpower... I was just hungry. So I thought of my planned meals/snacks that I had left for the day and drove home and prepared one. As soon as I ate my healthy, whole foods, moderate-sized meal, I felt FINE and had no desire to binge or overeat. For now, I'll keep planning in advance. At least until I get through this season when bingeing is so tempting.
I've noticed that quite a few of you post your whole foods menu for the day first thing in the morning, or at least I'm assuming those are for today and not yesterday. Do you always plan your days food in advance? Is this to keep you on track with your weightloss or maintenance goals?
I am a huge huge fan of planning and having healthy food on hand and eating every 2-3 hours. It wouldn't be easy for me to eat whole foods without planning - the vending machines at work don't stock carrot sticks.
I do my menu planning for the week on Sunday and plan out breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks. Then, I go to the grocery store and buy everything I need for Mon-Fri lunch (due to the large amounts of produce I buy, I shop for Fri-Sun on Friday after work - hate for stuff to go bad).
After I get back from the grocery store on Sunday night, I could probably post my daily menus in advance. Things do come up, maybe a friend will invite me to lunch or maybe the orange I brought for a snack turns out to be gross and I eat some dried fruit out of my desk, but that's rare. If I buy 5 days worth of carrot sticks, I'm going to eat them that week.
I make really terrible food decisions when I'm hungry. I also don't like feeling hungry, I sometimes get really light headed. It's important for me to plan to eat every 2 hours so I am always ready! I don't know what I would do without planning, really. Get home from work, no ingredients for dinner, no plan...easy to make the decision to order pizza. I know what I'm having for dinner every night, it's probably something I really like and I'm looking forward to it
Cooking for one also makes it easier to plan, if I make a pot of soup or pasta sauce, I'm going to have pasta sauce or soup for DAYS. That also makes it easier to plan!
Whole Foods Menu 12/12
