Such Great Heights

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Unbalanced. October 16, 2007

Filed under: Eating or not — Clink @ 6:15 pm

I tend to live in extremes; I don’t think I’ve ever really grasped the concept of moderation:
 
I’m either at the gym for two hours a day, everyday or I don’t go at all for weeks.
 
I either turn casual “shopping” into a full-blown “spree” or I don’t purchase anything.
 
I either heavily restrict my calories to the point that maybe it’s not so healthy or I eat like a five hundred pound trucker at a roadside diner.
 
There’s really no in-between or if there is, it doesn’t last long. I’ve had a resistance to balance for most of my life and that’s something that I am desperately trying to overcome, especially when it relates to my eating habits.
 
Food and I? We have a shitty relationship. I am either in love with food to the point of stuffing myself long after I’m full or food and I go on a bit of a break and I only eat enough of it to live. For example:
 
On a day I’m not eating:
 
Breakfast: A coffee, if that. (Just recently I’ve tried to incorporate a bowl of cereal or oatmeal to get my metabolism going and so that I don’t overeat later. So far, so good.)
 
Lunch: A piece of fruit. A few almonds. Half of a Lara bar if I ate the other half for breakfast. I pull the “I’m too busy for lunch” card out entirely too often.
 
Dinner: A small salad. Or a bowl of cereal. Or a piece of grilled chicken. Sometimes nothing but a Diet Coke.
 
On a day I’m eating entirely too much:
 
Breakfast: Bacon, egg, cheese on a roll. If I start my day out with this, it’s all downhill.
 
Lunch: Pizza. Burrito. Huge-ass sandwich with chips. Something equally unhealthy and gluttonous.
 
Snack: Chocolate or chocolate chip cookies or maybe both. Plus ice cream.
 
Dinner: Usually at a restaurant and usually a pasta of some kind. With bread. Naturally.
 
See? See why I’m a freak? I can’t just eat in-between. It’s either eat a ton because I figure “eh, my day started out with a bacon, egg, and cheese, there’s no use trying to redeem myself” or barely eat. And I’m sick of it.
 
So I’m curious as to what you (yes, you!) eat on a typical day. Tell me how you balance, tell me how often you indulge and how often you restrict, if ever. (Also? The fact that I even feel comfortable asking this? Reason #14,673 that I love blogging. So please don’t ruin it for me and criticize. I have delicate feelings.)
 
Reading your responses will hopefully give me a sense of what’s normal, juxtaposed against what I do, which is not. And hopefully, I can learn a thing or two and food and I can finally reconcile.
 

 

65 Responses to “Unbalanced.”

  1. Samantha Says: October 16, 2007 at 6:40 pm

    I’ve been reading for almost a year and this is my first comment…the post struck a chord with me because I tend to have similar eating issues, although for the last 6 months or so I’ve been pretty good…this is a typical day for me:

    Breakfast: coffee and one of those frozen Lenders bagels with fat-free butter or some full-of-fat cream cheese. Or a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats or Cheerios

    1st Snack: Triple Threat Power Bar
    2nd Snack: Apple
    3rd Snack (on occassion): Pretzels

    (Breakfast is at 6am, lunch at 3pm)

    Lunch: Salad w/low fat dressing or tuna (usually without any bread) and a 100-calorie pudding pack

    Dinner: Pasta waaay too often, or chicken. My favorite is cooking boneless chicken breasts in roasted red pepper and italian salad dressing in a frying pan, then having some steamed broccoli or asparagus on the side…

    I have a horrible weakness for chocolate though…for example, today I had a chocolate cream donut and half a bagel at work…and a cookie for breakfast before that (hey, it was National Boss’ Day so I couldn’t say no).

  2. Pragni Says: October 16, 2007 at 6:40 pm

    I normally realize by the end of the day that I probably consumed too many calories in the day.. and then I moan about it all night and all of the next day and try to eat only salads. But somehow, something or the other made of chocolate manages to find it’s way to my mouth. Sigh. I even have a big banner which says NO CHOCOLATES, NO CHEESE, NO RICE AND NO WHOLEMILK on my wall, but somehow it doesn’t seem to help too much :( I desperately need to shed 10 pounds… :( :(

    Oh by the way, Hi!!

  3. littlespoon Says: October 16, 2007 at 6:45 pm

    I just can’t get myself to eat right or exercise. Since my husband usually doesn’t get home until after 10, I wait to eat with him, but usually by then I’m not hungry. Or I have snacked on completely unhealthy foods all night b/c I’m hungry, thus negating the perfectly good and healthy meal I prepared for my significant other.

    And the exercise thing? Non existant. I don’t have the money for a gym membership at the moment. I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment building so I can’t justify doing a workout video and thoroughly pissing off my downstairs neighbor. And I don’t have any good running/walking paths nearby.

    It’s always a struggle. But sometimes, just sometimes I find the time, reason and justification to do something right!

  4. Ashley Says: October 16, 2007 at 6:47 pm

    We are food twins. I eat exactly the same way and lately, its been a lot of food all the time. I snack snack snack then have big meals. Its not good! And when i don’t eat? I’ll literally forget to eat meals. It’ll be 10pm and i’ll be like holy shit i haven’t eaten in 24 hours, then I will fall over because I don’t really survive on no food.

    Speaking of food i think i’m going to go get some ice cream….

  5. Leah Says: October 16, 2007 at 6:55 pm

    I had a love/hate relationship for awhile with food and exercise but I seem to have reached a pretty good balance. I don’t know how I did it but it makes me feel sort of grown up when I realize I don’t eat like a toddler anymore :).

    For breakfast I usually have cereal or toast. Sometimes I have a small chai with nonfat milk, too. Especially if I know I am going to be studying.

    For lunch I do something along the lines of soup, a regular sandwich, a salad, or just some coldcuts and cheese. I usually eat a piece of fruit or some veggies with lunch.

    For a snack I have yogurt or cottage cheese.

    For dinner I generally don’t eat much more, or much differently, than I do for lunch unless I go out to eat. Part of that is that I am back in school and don’t have time to cook.

    If I feel like it I have a couple pieces of chocolate or some ice cream for dessert.

    It actually sounds really boring when I write it out but there are days that I eat more exciting meals. My BF and I go out to eat about once a week so something different gets tossed in the mix.

  6. julybug Says: October 16, 2007 at 6:58 pm

    I either eat normally or I eat like its going out of style.

    For example today was normal. Kashi and skim milk and banana for breakfast. Turkey on whole wheat with fat free mayo, granola bar, diet coke for lunch. Apple, fig newtons for snack. Chicken breast with BBQ sauce and sauteed green beans are up next for dinner.

    But last night I had a cheeseburger with onion rings and a chocolate milkshake. It was good and that’s the last I’ll speak of that.

  7. Miss M Says: October 16, 2007 at 7:09 pm

    I’m the same as you in the eating department. But I’ve found that if I don’t worry about what I’m eating and don’t count every single calorie that crosses my lips, I actually eat relatively normally. I think when you obsess over it and deprive yourself, you end up over doing it when you do splurge which leads to a huge binge. Then you feel like crap. I hate when I do that, so I try to just eat what I want (in moderation) and not worry about where it’s going on my body (mostly my stomach).

  8. beingmccrary Says: October 16, 2007 at 7:16 pm

    I have finally, (now 30!) have decent eating habits and have worked out regularly for the past 4 years. Working out is the one thing I need so if I do splurge and eat badly then working out makes me feel better again. I’ve also worked (sometimes still work) hard at giving up the idea of being at the lowest weight for my weight/height range, and can finally feel happy at being at the average weight for my range. Being married and having a husband who loves you know matter what makes this easier, he thinks I’m insane for all my working out! I try to concentrate more on health then skinny. I can run 5 miles straight, I can do 30 manly pushups!

    So basically, here’s what I eat in a day:

    Bfast-nothing, I have never been big on breakfast though so it’s usually coffee and an apple at work around 10.

    12:00: Tuna pack or peanut butter sandwich. I try really hard to eat a lot of protein at lunch to keep me full until my work out in the evening because I can’t eat before or I’ll get cramps and die right on the gym floor.

    Dinner: I cook at home a lot because I like to know what I’m eating. I sort of got hooked on making big dinners after I got married…you know to be all wifey but 8 pounds later I was ah, no, this can’t happen, so now I make light dinners like soup and sandwich or chicken/steak on the grill with veggies, and then on Sunday I make a big dinner and let myself totally pig out! And I said, goodbye 8 pounds!

    I try really hard not to eat when I’m not hungry either.

    After reading this I feel like I sound all high and mighty but trust me I still pig out on BK after the bar or I love me a good pizza, it’s just you have to try and balance it and create habits that work for you!

  9. Andrea Says: October 16, 2007 at 7:23 pm

    Clink,
    I have a similar body to you-5′8″ and a size 6. I can also relate to the go big or go home mentality and then in the snap of a finger eating nothing for days. What I seem to struggle with the most is the amount of food I eat versus what I am actually putting in my mouth. After gaining a bit of weight in college, (who knew you can eat a plate of brownies every night for dinner?), I finally found some balance in the last few years…sort of.
    Breakfast - oatmeal with soy and an americano with splash of cream
    Snack - non-fat yogurt or luna bar
    Lunch - turkey sandwich or salad with tortilla chips and salsa and a piece of fruit
    Dinner - variety of foods but I really try and always fill up on lots of veggies and lean protien and keep the starches to a small portion.
    Also, I splurge once a week. It seems to make the rest of the week a little easier. I drag my butt to the gym at 3 to 4 times a week and do the eliptical and strength training. I easily maintain my size 6 on this diet but don’t dip back into my 4’s anymore.

  10. elise Says: October 16, 2007 at 7:29 pm

    Hee, you totally wrote this for me, because I will make you feel like a food saint with my horribly crappy eating habits.

    Here we go:

    Breakfast (good): bowl of cereal, sometimes with a banana on top.

    Breakfast (bad): whatever cookies or ice cream I happen to have laying around from the previous event at our house (because I DO NOT buy this stuff otherwise. See: Breakfast (bad)

    Lunch (good - well, sort of): Nothing. Or maybe a smoothie or a salad

    Lunch (bad): Big-ass sandwich with full-fat chips, or pizza, or Chick-Fil-A, or Mexican food with lots of chips and rice and beans, and you know. Mexican food. Yum.

    Dinner (good): This so rarely happens. I really don’t even know what to put. If I ate a bad lunch, sometimes I’ll just eat popcorn or something like that. Every once in a long while I’ll eat something relatively healthy that I actually cooked, like veggies and couscous or something like that. Again, rare.

    Dinner (bad): See, Lunch (bad). Add margaritas, or wine, or maybe a dessert.

    Gah. I am awful. Possibly the worst eater ever. Don’t you feel better now?

  11. Lisa Says: October 16, 2007 at 7:29 pm

    Well I’m going into midterms, so I HAVE to eat ice cream whenever I want. It’s a rule. Midterms=eat whatever you want.

    Usually though
    Breakfast: cereal
    Snack: apple
    Lunch: something quick and easy, like soup, or left overs from dinner, or all too often: microwavable frozen pizza
    Snack: yogurt
    Snack: diet coke
    Snack: ice cream
    Dinner: If it has meat its grilled chicken. Favourite dinners include pasta with lots of vegetables in the sauce, or quasadelias with lots of vegetables. There is often a lot of pasta involved
    Snack: more ice cream
    Snack: another diet coke
    Snack: trail mix

    Soooo a lot of snacking!

  12. Jess Says: October 16, 2007 at 7:30 pm

    Okay, I won’t even get into my eating habits before I started Weight Watchers, which were at least as unhealthy as yours if not worse. But since I’ve started Weight Watchers, I have a pretty regimented eating schedule.

    Breakfast: 1 cup of Cheerios with half a cup of skim milk, a small glass of orange juice, and 2 ounces of lox.
    Lunch: 1 portion of whatever we had for dinner the night before. Usually about 2 ounces (uncooked) of whole wheat pasta in a reasonably healthy sauce (made with a bit of olive oil or goat cheese, plus maybe some chicken broth or tomato sauce, depending on the sauce) and lean protein, usually chicken or shrimp. A 60-calorie sugar-free Jell-O pudding cup.
    Snack: A low-fat chocolate chip granola bar.
    Dinner: One and a half portions of something similar to what I had for lunch, plus a side of vegetables.
    Evening/dessert: A 100-calorie ice cream sandwich or some fruit, usually raspberries.

  13. tattler Says: October 16, 2007 at 7:34 pm

    I am in love with cereal; I eat cereal and yogurt for breakfast everyday. For lunch, it’s usually a sandwich (peanut butter or cheese on whole grain bread or pita) and fruit. Snacks are low-fat frozen yogurt and pretzels/baked potato chips/goldfish. And sometimes powdered hot cocoa (it’s in the office). Dinner is usually a salad, veggie burger, and air popped popcorn … unless my boyfriend is cooking; then it’s fish and some starchy thing and we have chocolate pudding for dessert. (Hello, we’re 5.) On the weekends I go a little crazier. We eat out a lot. It’s New York!

  14. christa Says: October 16, 2007 at 7:34 pm

    i, too, am moderation challenged. and when it comes to food, i have a hard time eating solids before 4 p.m. … then suddenly i’m starving at 6 p.m. and i start stuffing my face with the most easily accessible thing i can find. [doritos? subway? the contents of a dollar menu?]

    so. recently i’ve started drinking a naked juice for breakfast — which for me is at about 2-3 p.m., after a ton of coffee.

    about two hours later i’ll be hungry again. at that point i let myself eat whatever i want: vats of pasta, a keg of pizza, a burrito bigger than my face.

    later in the night i snack on things like string cheese, crackers … then before bed i’m usually hungry again. the healthiness level ranges from cheese dip and tortilla chips to a bowl of cereal to leftovers to something like a baked apple.

    i’m sure this is all very terrible for me. i just try to focus on the naked juice.

  15. clinkny Says: October 16, 2007 at 7:37 pm

    I’m still at work, and I’m reading these comments and I’m sitting here just LOVING YOU GUYS.

    I was afraid to put a post like this up because it’s all “Hi y’all, here’s my freak flag, see it waving in the wind?”

    But apparently we’re all freaks, or have been freaks in the past. Or maybe we’re just all normal.

    Either way: hi, I’m Clink and I heart you all.

  16. onebigholiday Says: October 16, 2007 at 8:06 pm

    My office has a snack corner…holy snickers bars….even though they are small…my god do i love that area…i’m pretty good abput staying away from it during my good days but hello bad day…..hello snickersface

  17. onebigholiday Says: October 16, 2007 at 8:07 pm

    My office has a snack corner…holy snickers bars….even though they are small…my god do i love that area…i’m pretty good abput staying away from it during my good days but hello bad day…..hello snickersface

  18. Cassie Says: October 16, 2007 at 8:22 pm

    I think that this is one of your most fabulous posts. Often when you write, I’m genuinely concerned for what you eat, and how it seems like it could possibly affect the way you view yourself. I’ve had the same problem before, trust me. And once I broke the habit of not eating at all in high school, I’ve found that SOMETIMES I eat too much, but rarely nothing at all. I find I get cranky and tired if I’m not eating enough. The key? PLANNING. I know a lot of people hate planning, but studies have show that people who plan what they’re going to eat for the day tend to eat better, even if they stray from their plan a bit. My general day goes like this:

    Breakfast: coffee and oatmeal or cereal (you should shoot for 3 meals around 400 calories, and a couple of 100-200 calorie snacks. I KNOW that when you’re trying to lose weight it seems weird, but I promise, if you eat fewer than the calories your body needs to SURVIVE then your body will hold on to every single thing you eat and you will not be successful. I promise. Promise promise).

    Snack: granola bar or piece of fruit. sometimes a yogurt instead, but usually one of these. Lately I’ve been on a weird work schedule, so it involves candy. Way too much candy, but I try to avoid temptation.

    Lunch: a pb&j on a whole wheat english muffin (80% of daily fiber, 100 calories and whole wheat in an english muffin is the perfect size bread for a small woman eating a sandwich!), or a lean cuisine pizza, or some leftovers from dinner (tomorrow? grilled chicken from fajitas). You want to get in some protein, some good fat, and possibly more veggies and fruit.

    Dinner: whatever Brian makes. We figure it out ahead of time for it to be healthy, and we often have some pasta with chicken, or grilled tuna from the fish market, or lean ground beef burgers, or whatever. Generally it’s protein, veggies, and a starch (brown rice is my favorite). We use lots of strong spices so you don’t realize it’s not covered in cheese. :)

    But if you plan (like, pack your food for while at work and think “okay, this oatmeal is breakfast, and then 3 hours later [eat every three to four hours!!!!] this piece of fruit will be a snack and then at lunch i’ll have this small sandwich and some pretzels with diet coke and then before the gym some sliced turkey and for dinner we’ll have whole wheat pasta with sundried tomatoes, chicken and a salad”) then even if you substitute your pretzels for a fun size snickers, you are still on track, because you know what you have ahead of you! If I left myself to buy all my meals I’d never stay on track.

    I know it seems weird to eat a lot, but the key is eating a lot of things that are good for you. Trust me, since February I’ve lost 10 pounds. TEN! And I’m only 5′3″ and currently weigh 113, so it works. Combine that with 30-45 minutes of cardio 3x a week (and some weights when you can) and you’ll see results. And you’ll feel better about yourself, because you won’t be starving. And, if you’re consistently good and taking care of yourself, splurging on Mexican or Italian doesn’t make you feel so bad. :)

    Okay, I’m done!

  19. strange bird Says: October 16, 2007 at 8:33 pm

    Since I’m in school again, my diet has become really boring. I usually eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast (recently quit the orange juice). Lunch is a piece of cheese and some crackers or a PB&J with carrots, snap peas, and maybe an apple. Usually there’s a 20oz coke in there because I can’t stay awake in class otherwise. Recently I’ve added a snack of a few chocolate chip cookies in there (usually one of those 100 calorie snack packs which are almost as satisfying as nothing). When I get home, I boil a bunch of shelled edamame and eat it smothered in soy sauce. Dinner is usually some tortellini or something I can make quickly; sometimes I go out and get some Chinese food with my boyfriend. When I’m being excessive, it’s because I’ve also added some ice cream during the day, multiple days in a week.

    Now that I’ve posted that, I can see why my weight has never fluctuated very much. I’m quite the creature of habit. ;)

  20. strange bird Says: October 16, 2007 at 8:36 pm

    That sounded snarky. It never fluctuated much, UNTIL I STARTED AN OFFICE JOB AND GAINED 15 POUNDS. But that was when I was still eating an entire five-serving bag of popcorn everyday. ;)

  21. Jack Says: October 16, 2007 at 8:36 pm

    If it helps, my friend is a Libra and he’s just as extreme about a lot of things. Once he’s in he’s *all in* and he does crazy things like 6 straight hours of rock climbing or eating an entire loaf of bread by himself.

  22. notbubbly Says: October 16, 2007 at 9:33 pm

    Weird thing to think about because I don’t think I have your unbalanced problem but I eat so randomly. Here goes:

    Breakfast: Either a Pumpkin Spice Latte with soy milk and some cereal with 1% milk (hi, I just like the taste of soy with pumpkin spice) or a bagel with butter. On hungover days, a sausage mcmuffin and a diet coke.

    Lunch: My work staples are deli sandwiches that cost like 8 dollars at least, a shrimp quesadilla with all the fixins, or random free food leftover in the office.

    Dinner: This is a toughie for me. I eat out for essentially every meal so dinner is either a mexican, sushi, thai, etc. or soup/pasta/something leftover at home. I actually cooked last night though…grilled cheese and tomato soup. (sidenote: I thought it was “girl cheese” when I was younger…anyone else? anyone?)

    So, now I think that I eat a lot.

  23. OC Says: October 16, 2007 at 9:59 pm

    I’m here to make you feel more normal :) I eat like you do. Friday, for example, started with not just a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on a hardroll, but there was a hashbrown shoved into that sandwich as well. Insanely yummy. And since the day was already ruined, it was a burrito for lunch, steak fajitas for dinner, and the brownie explosion to top it off. Oh and a margarita.

    However, yesterday was the opposite - coffee and a 90-calorie Special K bar for breakfast, 1/2 turkey with no condiment and no cheese on a low calorie wrap for lunch and an apple for dinner.

    If you find the moderation key, let me know!

  24. ...BeccaLynn Says: October 16, 2007 at 10:04 pm

    I’m sorry I can be of no help here as I am just as bad. I either go all day and only eat a bowl of cereal and a bowl of ramen noodles (Yummy, and cheap. Because, I am poor)
    Or I eat fat on a bun for breakfast, a pizza or two for lunch and then Taco Bell for dinner. It’s despicable.
    I’m somewhat lucky because I’m not 300lbs yet. I should be though. I totally should be. :-)

  25. Triskit Says: October 16, 2007 at 10:13 pm

    Clink, you should check out weight watchers. It’s not just for the fatties, but for anyone who’s looking to learn how to eat and enjoy food in moderation, and make healthy choices about what they put in their mouth.

    I loves, loves, loves it.

    I’m a volume eater, so I tend towards soups, where I get to feel like I’ve eaten a ton, when really, the majority of what I’ve eaten is vegetables and water. I like to make a big pot every Sunday and eat it for lunch/dinner throughout the week.

    I’m also a huge fan of Fiber One.

  26. justrun Says: October 16, 2007 at 10:19 pm

    Hi- I’ve been reading for a bit but first comment ever. I guess this struck a chord in me, because I like egg sandwiches and if I start my day there, it’s never going to end good, either.

    But, over the last couple years, with the thought of turning thirty just looming I’ve gotten better. The key for me is to eat all the time (I know, duh), but just not a lot. Also, because I run all the time I tend to believe I’m hungry all the time. Sometimes this is actually true and not just me thinking I need a buffalo burger RIGHT NOW OR I’LL JUST DIE.

    Anyway, my days usually look like this: Breakfast, 1 packet of oatmeal and an apple or banana, snack celery with 1 tbsp of peanut butter. Lunch- turkey sandwich with at least 2 kinds of fruit (grapes, cantaloupe) or a salad if I go out. And you know, dressing on the side, no cheese, blah blah blah. Snack(s) in the afternoon: pretzels, yogurt and maybe some carrots. I usually run in the afternoon and can’t do it on an empty stomach. Then, dinner is usually chicken with something like whole grain pasta or brown rice. And, if I’m lazy, I will use the slow cooker (I know, how grandmotherly) and if I’m really lazy I will totally go with Lean Cuisine (not the worst thing ever).

    I also track my calories on FitDay.com because that’s really the only way that I figured out how much I should be consuming and burning to really maintain the weight I want to be. I read all these articles that said someone my height and of my activity level should consume something like 1,800 calories per day and that is just wrong wrong wrong for me. I’m more like 1400 if I want to maintain and 1200 if I want to lose. Took a while to figure that out, but it’s better now that I have.

    And I’m not at all an expert because less than a week ago I had an Oreo McFlurry for dinner and loved every second of it. Anyway, longest first comment ever, I guess. Thanks for putting up with it! :)

  27. Laura Says: October 16, 2007 at 10:35 pm

    Interesting Post and Interesting Comments! I am very similar…I am either super healthy and super aware of what I am eating or I just eat crap and pretend it is okay. Here is my daily food log:

    Breakfast: Corn Bran Cereal with Skim Milk and a Glass of OJ (with added Calcium)
    Lunch (good): Veggie Wrap & Carrots, sometimes some chicken breast in the wrap
    Lunch (Bad): Massive collection of snacks such as crackers, chocolate pudding, ice cream, cheese, granola bars and peanut butter on a spoon.
    Snacks (good): diet coke, apples, carrots
    Snacks (bad): chocolate pudding, cookies, ice cream
    Dinner (good): Pasta and Veggies
    Dinner (bad): Lots and lots of pizza (plus dessert of course!)

    Good days usually happen when i am working out a lot and have free time. Bad days happen when I have midterms or major projects. Today is a bad day…sigh!

  28. pbandrazz Says: October 16, 2007 at 10:51 pm

    You are not weird.

    My problem is that I snack way too much. I have to really go out of my way to plan my meals for the day otherwise I will just snack all the time (okay, it happens when I plan too). I have a lot of food at my desk, some good and some bad. But I turn to it whenever I get stressed out. Or, like tonight, I am at work late and thus am eating cereal, almonds, and crackers for dinner.

    Today?
    Pre-workout snack: 1/2 english muffin with a little PB
    Bfast: Kashi with a banana, coffee
    Lunch: salad, string cheese, a couple crackers
    Snack 1: organic fruit snack
    Snack 2: english muffin with pb, almonds
    Dinner: Kashi with a banana, coffee, crackers

    A bad day?
    Bfast: Bagel with cream cheese or a donut
    Lunch: Takeout from somewhere, especially bad if I am hungover because then I want fries
    Snacks: random food in the office that is laying around (baked goods usually), Pop Tarts or crackers or cookies
    Dinner: Usually it’s a bit healthier unless I am going out to eat. I eat a lot of veggie burgers or salads.

  29. A Lil' Irish Lass Says: October 16, 2007 at 11:02 pm

    I’m a BIG TIME phase eater. After I read Fast Food Nation, I was obsessively reading labels like nobody’s business. If it suggested that there was “natural flavor” in there, I didn’t buy it (the book said something - can’t remember what - about that being evil). I bought all organic, spent an million dollars, and then got out of the phase. About two days later. I’m pretty sure there’s still a $5 organic apple rotting in my fridge somewhere.

    Then there is my “healthy eating” phase during which I become a huge fan of sprouts, tofu, and other unexciting foods. I eat lots of fiber and am generally miserable for two to three weeks. Until I give up and go back to piggy status…

    …which totally includes a bacon-egg-&-cheese to start the day. Then something dinner-portion-sized at lunch followed by something dinner-portion-sized a few hours later for dinner. Just roll me away from the table.

  30. Lisa Says: October 16, 2007 at 11:23 pm

    I’d love to help you but I’m just as bad. Sometimes I forget to eat, or just not feel like eating. Half the time though (well, fine, most of the time) I eat whatever, whenever I feel like it. Plus, I eat RICE. Hello, carbs.

  31. mikesgotnothin Says: October 16, 2007 at 11:24 pm

    I need to do better…and am working up the will to actually try and be a non big eater all the time. Food and me? It’s love. And I blame it on the fact that my first job was at the CIA — the cooking school, not the government agency. Come to work each morning, basket of pastries waiting for you. Where to eat lunch? There are 35 kitchens….take your pick. Yeah.

  32. libby Says: October 17, 2007 at 12:32 am

    lately, i’ve def fallen under your latter category then tried to redeem with the former.

    sigh. i am in no position to give you any advice on this at the moment. in fact, i have taken notes from the preceding comments myself, so that i too, can get back to “normal”.

  33. Hope Says: October 17, 2007 at 3:44 am

    Clink, this was a great post because now I don’t feel like a freak. Or less of a freak, anyway. I am definitely an emotional eater. When I’m really happy, I just eat when I am hungry and don’t really think about food too much. When I am unhappy though, I use food as a security blanket and I think about what I am going to eat next while I am still eating. So, this basically means, that I stuff myself (with anything I find in front of me) until I am so full that I feel sick.

    So for me, my ultimate goal is to find some sort of exercise schedule that I can actually commit to. Plus, exercise makes me feel good which in curbs my appetite slightly. Because as long as I am exercising, I stop obsessing about food.

    I can’t write what I typically eat on an average day because it varies sooo much. But, I almost always start my day with a non-fat cappuccino and a cigarette. (Yes, I am an awful, stinky smoker!) Then obviously it all goes downhill from there…

  34. Brianna Says: October 17, 2007 at 4:57 am

    I’m impressed with your binge day: It’s not that much of a binge. Or if it is, than I binge most days. I don’t have the resolve to ever restrict the way you describe.

    A normal day for me starts with a smoothie or cereal for breakfast, with 2% milk. Try to find skin milk in a Queensland grocery store. Ha. The 2% stuff isn’t even called 2% here, it’s called “Diet/98% Fat Free”.

    Then some sort of restaurant meal for lunch such as sushi or noodles or a sandwich. But everything in this town is very, very greasy. Even at the “health food” stores. The local sushi roll here is–no joke–the tuna salad roll, which is exactly as it sounds. Canned tuna with mayonnaise and onion. Wha? And even the sandwiches are brushed with oil before they let you eat it.

    And on a bad day, I have a chocolate bar or cookies and a glass of milk at 3:30 pm. On a good day I suffer through the afternoon hating the world and desperately wanting my chocolate bar.

    And then for dinner, something easy at home like frozen pasta, instant noodles (with peas and egg added so I don’t feel completely gross), cereal, or a microwave dinner! Or a few times a week I order in curry. Ugh! Yes, I can’t cook at all. It’s shameful. Now you know all my secrets.

    And then if I get hungry later in the evening I have a spoonful of peanut butter then wait a bit to see if I need another.

    I’ve been trying to exercise but I’m not very good with it. Push-ups, sit-ups, and an attempt at a chin-up in the morning, and yoga two evenings a week. But I skipped it tonight to work late. And that happens too often.

  35. Beth Says: October 17, 2007 at 7:54 am

    I start out the day with 2 cups of coffee and a yogurt. If I’m starving because I didn’t eat dinner the night before AND I didn’t eat a big dinner, I’ll have a bagel. Lunchtime consists of a sandwich, carrots, and yogurt. I’ll have a mid-afternoon snack of a banana or a Special K bar. Dinner varies each evening, but it often involves cottage cheese with fruit, cereal, sandwiches, carrots, pasta with chicken, pasta in general, or crackers. My dinner choices really depend on if I went to the gym that day or not. If I did, then I’ll have pasta with chicken. If not, I try to limit my food intake.

    I’ve never been one to “skip” or “forget” meals. In fact, I get very very grumpy if I don’t eat. But, I’ve had great success with the above food combos and the gym. Of course, the real problem is when I go out with friends. Then my whole food selection is thrown off and I hope that the meal I choose is slightly healthy.

    :-)

  36. La Says: October 17, 2007 at 8:57 am

    I’m like you, living in extremes, especially when it comes to food. When I’m trying to eat heathily (to, say, fit into a wedding dress), I really try to limit my “bad” carbs (breads, pasta, rice, etc) and only eat two servings a day, but load up on fresh fruits and veggies, anything chick pea related, lean proteins (lots of dairy) and lots of water. And also, no candy corn. Which makes me very sad.

  37. Melissa Says: October 17, 2007 at 8:57 am

    I have to eat healthy most of the time because I can gain weight quite easily. So most days I am good about healthy meals, but that doesn’t mean I give up the M&Ms, pizza, cake, etc. I just try to limit them. And I have some sort of treat/sweet every day - just because I want to. Usually it’s ice cream in the evening.

    I also go to the gym regularly. Mainly it’s for weight reasons, but it also makes me feel good. I sit at a desk all day, so a good workout before or after work helps a LOT mentally and physically. I also try to take a couple walk breaks during the day to clear my head and stretch out a little.

    However, I am with you on the shopping thing. It’s like I’ll pick up one item and if I can’t find anything else, I won’t buy the one item. But if I find a handful of things, then it’s go time!

    PS - I don’t think you’re a freak.

  38. Molly Says: October 17, 2007 at 9:14 am

    Well, you basically know what I eat since I tell you all day long. But today, for example, I had a bowl of cereal and a bottle of water for breakfast, will have an apple for a snack, lunch might be a little heavy because I’m going out with a coworker, but then I’m planning on grilled chicken with a side of veggies for dinner.

    Have you considered writing it all down? Maybe if you plan (healthy) meal choices ahead of time it will be easier to stick to a plan.

  39. verybadcat Says: October 17, 2007 at 9:20 am

    Breakfast- Coffee. Always. Tons. About a half a pot, probably. Also, sometimes oatmeal. I try to be good and eat my oatmeal, but am not good at eating breakfast. When WH is home, breakfast is BAD. Like quiche. Or everything that goes into quiche. BAD.

    Lunch- What’s that? Sometimes I make myself a salad or sandwich to take, but more often I either eat out (Chick Fil A, Mexican, Taco Bell, Atlanta Bread Co.) or don’t eat at all.

    Dinner- When WH is home, we eat a normal dinner. Meat, starch, two vegetables. I only eat half the meat he gives me. We go out, and I do pretty well when we do that- I eat about half of what they give me. When WH isn’t home? Cereal, pasta, Pop-Tarts…

    Snacks- Dark chocolate. Potato Chips. Bagels with butter and/or cream cheese. More dark chocolate.

    I’m a lot like you, Clink, in that I will eat everything I can get my hands on for a week, then punish myself for another week. It’s WH’s fault. He’s always eating when he’s home, so I eat too, and then, pants are tight, so when he leaves? No eating. I had half a tunafish sandwich, some potato salad, some pasta with butter and parm cheese, and four truffles yesterday.

    At 5′7″, I have ranged from 180 to 108. I am currently around *gulp* 135. That’s 10-15 pounds heavier than I want. I’m working on starting to work out again. WILL NOT GET TOO FAT FOR CURRENT PANTS. WILL. NOT.

    I know that I look and feel best when I’m eating regularly and reasonably. How it is that I manage to do that for chunks of my life, only to resort to the nasty cycle I’m currently on? Beats the fuck out of me. Literally.

  40. Stephanie Says: October 17, 2007 at 9:39 am

    So I pretty much “diet” the same way you do, but I just started reading French Women Don’t Get Fat and it has great pointers that allow you to eat in moderation without it being too damn difficult - I highly recommend it!

    What I ate yesterday:

    Breakfast - a piece of garlic bread that was supposed to be for lunch

    Lunch - a slice of pepperoni pizza, 4 garlic knots and a Diet Coke

    Dinner - nothing

    Snack (at 11pm..SOO bad!) - a couple handfuls of Cheez-Its

    No freaking vegetables, no fruit, mainly all carbs. Oh god, I suck. I’m going to go find a banana or something.

  41. Princess Extraoridinaire Says: October 17, 2007 at 10:06 am

    Good Day:

    Breakfast: Eggs on toast
    Lunch: Yogurt with Special k
    DIner: Chicken Breast with veggies
    Snack: Protein bar

    Shitty/Fucked up day:

    Breakfast: Eggs and toast AND Special k with berries with yogurt
    Lunch: Homemade wrap wth cream cheese , turkey, cheese(2 of them)
    bag of chips ( pop chips as the bag is only 300 calories(ha))
    Snack:Something sweet
    Dinner:eating out - something not good for me
    Second snack: protein bar (ha)

    I am bad with food - can you tell? I sometimes go overboard but I used to have aserious eating disorder so I try not to never eat and besides I can never pull out the busy card as I can always find a way to eat…

  42. Anna Says: October 17, 2007 at 10:06 am

    God, you all make me feel so much better. I am a big student of the go big or starve school, and I kind of hate both of them.

    I feel kind of adrift in the food area, because I’ve been pregnant or nursing or eating to avoid an infant’s severe food allergies since 2003, and when you have those life circumstances imposed on you, you eat much better. But now I can eat anything, so, gulp, I am. Red wine, too much coffee with half and half, chocolate, cheese, gah! And even though I love fruits and veggies, I just can’t seem to get excited about them when I spent so many months eating basically just that, with a little rice or chicken.

    So..while this doesn’t answer your question of what do I eat, it answers the question why I am size 8 and not 6 where I should be. And maybe it will inspire me to work on that.

  43. cdp Says: October 17, 2007 at 11:13 am

    I think it’s possible that we share a brain. If this isn’t normal, then I’m not either. Sorry.

  44. Abby Says: October 17, 2007 at 11:20 am

    I have been reading your blog for awhile but have never posted. I am also a bride-to-be (January 2008) and have similar eating issues. I broke down and got a personal trainer for the wedding prep. Initially we met once a week and now are at twice a week and will move to 3 times a week starting November 1. She tells me what to eat and her ideas are fabulous and mostly reasonable. I am an attorney so I have little time to fret over what to eat and when. It has been pretty helpful to have someone else make those decisions for me. Her theory is moderation and lots of changes.

    For example, one week I will eat Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal and soy milk for breakfast with my coffee and a banana; mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks of cottage cheese with fruit and a bit of Kashi Go Lean crunch in it; lunch is a sub sandwich with lean meat with lots of veggies and no cheese or mayo on wheat bread; dinner is 3 oz of chicken or fish and veggies and salad.

    The next week I will have yogurt and 1/2 a whole wheat bagel and fruit for breakfast; mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks of fruit or those Dannon lit and fit smoothies; lunch will be a salad with some sort of protein; and dinner will be veggies and meat and salad.

    If I’m not feeling any of the above, I can have a small potato with salsa or cheese pizza and a salad or wheat tortillas and peanut butter or sweet potato fries (in the oven). I also keep fat free cool whip in the freezer in case I want something sweet — sometimes I can delude myself into thinking it is ice cream. I am not perfect with it and no one can be. If I am dying for a milkshake, I will go get a small one and drink it. I drink wine when I want, but no beer or mixed drinks (b/c of the sugar). :( If my boyfriend orders fries, I will eat a few of them. It is all about moderation — except when we have food day at work, then I am a total mess with two plates of donuts and chex mix. Oh well. :)

  45. kristen Says: October 17, 2007 at 12:54 pm

    I tend to eat healthy a lot. Basically because I’m a firm believer of you are what you eat (did you see my post about this?) anyway. along with trying to mostly gluten-free, i also take a really good multi-vitamin and this thing called Digest everyday (promotes better digestion).

    I stock my fridge with good things to eat: yogurt, watermelon, cheese, juices, etc. and my pantry with good stuff too: dried fruits and nuts, sweet potatoes, polenta, corn chips, etc. I think it’s all about moderation — you can get into a groove where you eat healthy, but can still eat the junk food (occassionally).

    My new favorite snack of the day is apple slices with peanut butter.

  46. Jill Says: October 17, 2007 at 1:17 pm

    I have only posted once to say ‘hi’ but thought this would be a good time to add a second. I joined LA weightloss in the spring, dropped 30 pounds and felt like I was eating ALLLLL day long! I am not doing it as religiously now but have maintained the loss and hoping to kick it back into high gear soon. Here’s a sample of my day:

    bfast: 1 slice wheat toast, 2 hard boiled eggs, yogurt and 1/2 a banana
    snack: 8 low-fat wheat thins, string cheese
    lunch: lean cuisine meal and a fruit
    snack: cucumber, cauliflower and tomatoes with light italian dressing
    dinner: usually chicken, steamed veggies and rice. I sometimes just ate what my husband and kids were eating, just keeping my serving small.
    snack: fruit and yogurt

    I was freaking eating all day long, but I was still losing weight. Drinking tons of water helped to, usually 2 liters a day (make sure a potty is near!). For me, LA was easier than Weight Watchers (I’ve tried them ALL). It’s more about getting the proper servings in and not about a point system. But it’s also a personal preference. Sorry this is so long, just wanted to add my 2 cents. Good luck and stop beating yourself up!

  47. Michelle Says: October 17, 2007 at 1:42 pm

    hmmm well for the past two days i’ve eaten nothing but half a poptart and a yogurt, but normally i’m just as unbalanced as you.

    one day i’ll stop at mcdonalds for breakfast, starbucks for a cider, and order pizza for dinner.

    the next i’ll only eat a banana for breakfast, yogurt and a sandwich for lunch, and possibly skip dinner all together.

    i think it’s a girl thing, you’re not weird :)

  48. a reader in brooklyn Says: October 17, 2007 at 1:43 pm

    i think you should get into whole wheat pasta - it only takes one serving to adjust to the slight dif in texture and it will change all this pasta guilt that everyone [and i used to] feel. it has changed my life! now my sunday [and monday and wednesday] pasta meals are a fiber-full “good for me” meal instead of something i regret all week…

    also, i just try to stay consistent with the work-outs, it erases all the damage i do with my [often]heavy drinking and subsequent bingeing [a blt at 3 am is AWESOME.] i really think working out [which i somehow only discovered a YEAR ago. why was everyone hiding this information??] has helped improve my food issues a lot… i used to starve because it was the only way to stay thin.

  49. DG Says: October 17, 2007 at 1:50 pm

    OK, you have 6 million comments but girl, you KNOW that I have a love/hate problem with food too. And you know what? I secretely think every woman does too! I try to balance everything by going to the gym. That way, I can “splurge” on a heavier dinner or lunch without wanting to murder myslef (although I still want to).

    The thing is, I know I’ll never be completely satisfied with my body and the way I look, and how I wake up and think about what I am eating that day. I guess you have to come to a point where you just treat your body with respect or as your child. Would you let your young daughter eat the way you do on a “eating” day? Didn’t think so. :)

  50. Froggy Says: October 17, 2007 at 1:51 pm

    I have a love-love relationship with food. Fortunately I was blessed with a metabolism to more-or-less match, otherwise I would not be a pretty sight. My eating habits do vary, as I occasionally go through phases where *everything* upsets my stomach, so I just stop eating for a few days until it goes away. But normally, let’s see.

    Breakfast A (I have time to cook)
    2 links turkey sausage
    1 egg scrambled in the sausage grease
    served on 2 corn tortillas w/ cheese and salsa

    Breakfast B (no time to cook)
    Cereal (I heart Trader Joe’s Strawberry Yogurt O’s!) with vanilla soy milk.

    Breafast C (no time to cook AND no cereal in house, ie- all this week)
    Nothing. Maybe a Luna bar when I get to work at 10

    Lunch A
    Sandwich packed at home, w/ chips or carrot sticks, or leftovers if I’ve cooked recently. Plus a soda, sometimes diet, sometimes not.

    Lunch B
    Sandwich from deli, from which I remove half the meat because really, who needs an entire pound of bologna for lunch? Soda again.

    Lunch C
    A mish-mash of things from the hot food bar next door. Definitely the least healthy option as it’s generally loaded with lots of carbs (mashed potatoes, mac n cheese), some protein (meatballs, fried chicken), and some sort of vegetable dripping in grease (chinese greenbeans or brocoli). And again, soda. I need caffeine in the afternoon.

    Dinner
    Whatever the hell I have around the house. Last night it was spaghettios at 10pm, becuase that’s when I got home and I didn’t want to cook.

    My eating habits aren’t healthy, but my schedule doesn’t really allow. Let’s just hope the vitamins in the Airborne I’ve been chugging all week (my pod-mate is sick) makes up for it…

  51. ruby Says: October 17, 2007 at 1:55 pm

    i try REALLY hard to limit myself to 1200 calories a day. (ps., i’m 4′11)

    which IDEALLY breaks down as such:

    spinach pita bread pizza frm TJ’s for breakfast: 140 cal
    some sort of chicken breast + salad for lunch: 400 cal
    sun chips for snack: 250 cal
    chicken & low-cab tortillas for dinner: 400 cal
    2.5 glasses of wine: 250 cal

    diet dr. pepper, coffee and sugar-free red bull throughout the day (very few cals)

    oh i guess that’s, like, 1440. see! i wonder why i can’t lose any weight.

  52. ruby Says: October 17, 2007 at 2:01 pm

    low cab = low carb.

    yeah.

  53. Artemisia Says: October 17, 2007 at 2:14 pm

    I used to be EXCELLENT at moderation. It came naturally; I never cleaned my plate and I ate slowly.

    In the past three years, that has changed. Now, one of the places I count on pleasure is in food. Now I overeat almost all the time. I am trying to remember how I used to do it; eat half to three-quarters of a meal and eat slowly, I guess.

    Eating breakfast does help, though. I’ve found oatmeal or hearty granola helps me out the most.

  54. Alison Says: October 17, 2007 at 2:17 pm

    I think that this is a common problem, especially for women in a fast-paced work environment. Don’t get down on yourself.. We all have our days with the egg, cheese and sausage bagel sandwich :)

  55. mcgee Says: October 17, 2007 at 2:38 pm

    um. so i pretty much just indulge all the time. ha.

    no seriously though, it really helps to eat a lot of little meals throughout the day. i make sure i eat snacks (veggie chips, carrot sticks, etc.) so i don’t get so hungry that’ll i’ll overeat at dinner.

  56. Leah Says: October 17, 2007 at 3:22 pm

    I sorta kinda hate food because my stomach is regularly offended by just about everything, but I know I need to eat healthily and steadily or else I’ll REALLY feel like crap.

    Breakfast: Bowl of cereal (healthy stuff but with berries or something sweet) and a mug of tea.

    Snack: Granola bar (140 cal, 2 g protein); sometimes two; sometimes a Ziploc full of raw veggies

    Lunch: LeanCuisine meal or half a vegetarian burrito (they make ‘em HUGE here)

    Dinner: Big-ass salad; steak and grilled veggies; pasta (one of the above, not all of the above)

    Snack: cereal or popcorn and CHAMPAGNE

    For me the key is small portions every few hours. Anything else makes me sick. I also can’t eat a lot of super heavy, greasy food or I feel it for the next ten hours. Would you believe it if I told you I weigh exactly the same as I did when I first got my driver’s license, twelve years ago? A lot of my dancing muscle has turned to flab, but I think the portion control and moderation has been the secret to my body maintaining its shape.

  57. jenny Says: October 17, 2007 at 4:54 pm

    i’m fascinated by all of this. i’ve had this weird eating too much/little problem for a while and never just considered it to be normal. i always chalked it up to what week i’m at (if ya know whad i mean). there’s one week where i’m hungry all day… not really, it’s more like starving all day, and every time i grab something to eat i can only eat a little then i’m starving again. then there’s the week(s) where i’m not even that hungry but i eat tons all day! i mean TONS! and then there’s about a week in there where i feel like i just eat normal. (whatever that is).
    no matter what though, i eat all day all the time. my desk is littered with snacks, like my apt. and my car. i always have to have something to snack on (Bear Naked is awesome! and plain almonds are the bomb!) it just depends what week it is how many handfulls count as a snack.

  58. Jessica Says: October 17, 2007 at 4:56 pm

    Whenever I eat too much during the day I’ll eat a small bowl of some random healthy cereal with soymilk for dinner so that I feel like I’ve “evened out” my eating for the day. [Cuz there's NO WAY I can skip a meal or else I'll go nuts! =) ] But now that I live with the boyfriend I have to defend my cereal dinners. “Ohhh, you know…I just didn’t feel like cooking.” When really I just feel like a hog.

  59. Anna Says: October 17, 2007 at 5:04 pm

    My question is this: why do we necessarily think it’s a problem to be eating heavily on some days and lighter on other days? We gain or lose weight based on calorie consumption over time. Some of us want to eat basically the same number of calories every day; others work like boa constrictors, demolishing an enormous amount of food one day and eating very little or nothing for a few days afterwards. I certainly don’t eat in the same manner every day, but I do maintain a relatively consistent weight, because I listen to what my body is asking me to give it. If it wants lots of salty junk right before my period? Well, okay–it’s not going to want lots of salty junk in a week or so, and everything will balance out. I think the key is considering what you’re putting into yourself over time. There’s nothing really the matter with eating very little on one day if you’ve eaten rather a lot the day before. I think the problem is in characterizing the eating-a-lot days as gluttonous or excessive: maybe you’re just hungrier on certain days, and less hungry on other days, and maybe that’s okay. We have some silly culturally-inflected notions about what is Correct Eating, and I think these notions are stupidly reductive. I know people who eat 6 meals a day and people who eat 1 meal a day, and they all seem to do fine health-wise.

  60. ...BeccaLynn Says: October 17, 2007 at 5:34 pm

    Wow! 60 comments! Amazing.

  61. LMizzle Says: October 17, 2007 at 6:23 pm

    Oh man, I eat the same way. If I have a big breakfast, I will seriously by gluttenous (is that even a word?!) all day. Other days (like when I am shopping out of control), I will forget to eat anything. Today I’ve had a small bowl of cereal and three chocolate Reisens. Oh yes, and let’s not forget a San Pelegrino, because it’s so nutritious, right?

    I shop the same way as you, too. Oh man. Love shopping, but I go to extremes when I do.

  62. Gisela Says: October 18, 2007 at 5:47 pm

    Breakfast: english muffin with egg, toast and cottage cheese or jelly, cereal or waffles (Something with protein is usually good)

    Lunch: Sandwich from home or from a fast food place…sometimes pizza

    Dinner: Varies…something substancial though, as to I am very hungry…a protein main course like chicken or turkey and some sort of carb side and maybe some salad

    Snacks: I rarely do. If I start…it is my DONWNFALL. I have chocolates at my desk right now (someone gave them to me). But, I have tried to ration them. I would eat everything and anything if I had around me.

    What helps me
    …portions…try to keep them down
    …eat healthily…try to keep the calories and fat down
    …I try to eat dessert/sweets mostly on the weekends

    It’s hard…i just have to have will power

    Nice blog btw…

  63. Slightly Disorganized Says: October 25, 2007 at 3:12 pm

    on a day i’m eating:

    Breakfast: 200 calories high protein smoothie with non fat low carb yogurt.
    Snack: 15 almonds
    Lunch: 300 calories, veggie Chili with 1 oz goat cheese and diet coke.
    Dinner: turkey sandwich / or grilled chicken parm

    If i’m at school i usually cave and get a TWIX bar from the vending machine. BAD BAD BAD.

    A day I’m not eating:
    Breakfast: same protein smoothie
    Lunch: same chili
    Dinner: nothing

  64. Barb Says: October 31, 2007 at 1:37 pm

    I have actually been doing weight watchers for about 5 months now…. (dropped about 15 pounds too) but the reason that it works for me is that I get to eat real food. My husband LOVES to cook (yeah me) but he cooks healthy… so a sample of my day might be something like this:

    Breakfast: about 7 strawberries cut up into my oatmeal, a yogurt, and an apple

    Lunch: a small salad of cherry tomatoes and olives ( i just happen to love this combination), and a ham or turkey sandwich on WW multigrain bread and the meat is healthy choice.

    Snack: either another yogurt and apple, or a banana

    Dinner: 4 oz of a chicken breast with spinach salad.. which consists of some blue cheese, bacon, red onion, parsley, lemon juice…and some kick ass dressing that my husband makes.

    Snack: WW Giant fudge bar…. these are HEAVEN!!

    It’s actually easy and you never feel hungry since you are eating all day pretty much… also it’s not like we have to go to food store and by all weird stuff..

    You don’t even have to do it for weight loss… it just incorporates alot of fruit and veggies into your daily meals… works for me!

  65. Kris Says: February 26, 2008 at 7:14 pm

    I’ve just started getting into your blog, so I know this is a later posting of yours. With that said, you may not need this advice that much now, but thought I’d share with you just the same.

    During my life, at least since my teenage years, I, like yourself, have battled body image issues. Right now I’m not freakishly working out or going on any drastic crash diets. However, I’ve been there before, and understand your need for balance.

    My advice to you is eat when you’re hungry, and stop when you’re full. I know, lame advice… easier said than done! Trust me, dear Clinky, it works! Even when I’m enjoying myself at a great Mexican restaurant with lots of burritos to go round the table with all my bestest buddies, I somehow figured out a way to stop the mindless eating. I put down my fork whenever I get that even slightly full aura taking control of my body. Instead of glutony, I just keep sipping the margs! Now if I could only figure out how to tame the drinking thing…

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