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New Year Nutrition

Part of starting off with a new year, fresh start is taking a good look at nutrition. It’s no secret that I enjoy the holidays for more than sparkly lights and themed plates and napkins. I enjoy cooking and baking. I have absolutely no regrets for enjoying the results of my hard work in the kitchen. In all honesty, the most I’ve EVER gained from October-December was 7 lbs in 2009. I think that had a lot more to do with my father’s illness and my father-in-law’s passing. Those were terrible months and I was living between hospitals, home, and Stephen’s childhood town. The past 2 holiday seasons, my weight didn’t move much and I wouldn’t pass up holiday baking.

Now that all that is over, I have a plan of action. What I will NOT do is restrictive dieting. That never works and there is no need for it. I will NOT set a certain weight number. I never liked math and I’m not going to obsess over a number. I will NOT cut out food groups, or even specific foods.

What I AM doings is listing a few things that I want to work on.  A few things to emphasize throughout the weeks and months to come, to create habits, and to refocus on what is important and a priority for me.  Notice that these things have nothing to do with specific foods or groups.

  • Food journaling. Using the blog and my food/workout book, I know it’s a key tool for me. In the words of a great Weight Watchers leader, “If you bite it, write it!”. 
  • Breakfast. Lately, breakfast has been non-existent. If I’m not going to crossfit classes, I just don’t eat. I do get very hungry mid morning and then eat way too much at lunchtime. Days when I do eat breakfast, my day is much better. And I want to get away from the restrictive box of “breakfast foods”.
  • Prep/plan meals and snacks for work. The dependence on the school cafeteria increased during my weeks of the flu. For a few weeks, I slept as long as possible each morning and therefore, I usually ate whatever was gluten-free on the school lunch line and took some crazy risks with vegetables that had a mysterious seasoning that contained gluten. Not smart.

That’s it! Within these 3 things, I can tailor specific weekly goals as needed to keep my metabolism guessing and burning away, hopefully.