I’ve never been a person with an extraordinary sweet tooth; the infamous sweet treats such as cookies and candy never really struck my fancy. However, picking was the name of the game for me. If I had entered a contest with the goal being how many appetizers can you eat before your main course, I would come out number one every time! As I started to construct a healthier living and eating pattern for myself, I realized that snacking was doing me no favors and that if I planned my eating habits more carefully, I was destined to forge a healthy relationship with my body* as well as maintain a favorite past time.
I was responsible for working the afternoon and evening shifts; this being a deadly combination when trying to figure out an eating schedule conducive to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. My eating habits for the first year while employed, could possibly be considered abhorrent by many. I would ingest a late breakfast, usually consisting of a full-size bagel (sometimes two) with cream cheese and orange juice (totally the processed kind). I would then eat lunch an hour later, typically ordering out with chips on the side. After theses two huge meals, I was still not satisfied, however suffered through an eight hour shift forcing myself to wait until I arrived home to cook dinner; this was a catastrophic mistake! I was so ravenous by the time I got home that while dinner was cooking, I was snacking (and those items that I was putting into my mouth were far from health-conscious).
In addition to my many odd (yet lovable) idiosyncrasies, I am a creature of planning. I thrive on structure and organization; so when I utilized my talent and discovered there was a way to snack during the day without ruining everything I was working toward, I was elated!
During this whole journey, I have managed to add each step along the way, creating a very natural, calm and effective process. I now eat a wholesome breakfast in the morning, granola, oatmeal with a piece of fruit (very rarely eat bagels anymore, however if I am craving one, it will be a mini whole wheat with fruit or Dannon Light and Fit yogurt to supplement my carb intake). Lunch is perhaps less exciting,; (that’s ok, considering breakfast is my favorite meal anyway), tuna, pb&j/almond butter (natural pb from skippy, almond from maranatha), or Amy’s soups. I definitely love my salads and try to incorporate those into my diet as much as possible for either dinner or lunch. Snacking is still my weakness but I have found that with this new approach to what I put into my body, I am not as frequently hungry as I used to be and the urge to “pick” whether it be tootsie rolls (one candy that always makes my heart melt), or chips and dip is no longer as strong. I substitute these tempting food items with other articles that have become part of my life (and heart). I will have a yogurt and/or a banana during the late afternoon to satiate my hunger. I will drink loads of water (I told my coworker I should work from the bathroom) to fill me up and more importantly stay hydrated.
I will always love nibbling on tasty things, but I have developed a deeper understanding for what my body can feel like and the increased energy I have due to better snacking habits!
*I will try to refrain from using the term “losing weight,” because a healthy lifestyle is more about physical appearance. It is about the emotions and mental aspects of aspiring to develop and cement a responsible relationship with food as well as understanding and appreciating what you can do for your body and vice versa.
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