7 days = 1/3 way to a habit

I think it's the theory (or maybe it's a proven fact) that it takes 21 days to make something a habit. It is possible I made that up or messed it up completely, but I'm going to go with it. I have been at this clean eating experiment for 7 days, so, theoretically, eating healthy will be a habit for me in 14 more days. I hope so!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Saturday. I spent mine with my favorite little man. I didn't get much accomplished, though. I tried to get our stockings monogrammed today, but the stupid place closed at 2:00. What kind of business closes at 2 on a Saturday? The only other monogramming place I could think of is in the front of Walmart on Hwy 64 and I would rather take a bullet than go to Walmart on a Saturday, especially this close to the holidays. It would be a veritable madhouse. After the failed monogramming incident, Carter and I headed over to Target, which was a zoo. I wanted to get a little Christmas shopping done, but one look at the toy section and I decided that my shopping would have to wait...preferably until a weeknight when the store is not so crowded and I don't have Carter with me. I got some spoons and bowls for Carter to use for cereal and got out of there as fast as I could. Then we went to the clubhouse for some football. It was fun, but it is definitely different for me there now than it was last football season!

As you can tell from my post, I made it through today with my plan. I mixed it up with scrambled egg whites with spinach and turkey for dinner. I didn't have any cooked chicken or sweet potatoes and I really didn't want that anyway. The eggs hit the spot.

One week down, one week to go (of the strict stuff).

Things Got a Little Dicey

Well today, things got a little dicey with the new plan. I didn't eat anything that wasn't on the plan, but I also didn't stick to my meal schedule. I started off okay, in fact, I ate my oatmeal (with scrambled egg whites of course) and it looked like things were going to go as normal. I was even super proud of myself because I got up at 6 to run to Kroger and get some eggs as I had used the last of them yesterday. Commitment points for sure. I had to take Carter to his 4 month checkup this morning and that is where I got off track. I totally missed my midmorning snack altogether. Then, I came home for lunch before heading to court in the afternoon. I had cooked a few chicken breasts the night before and was afraid they would not be tasty because they looked to have a little bit of frostbite on them and then I thawed them in the microwave and I always think that is a bad idea. I was right. I started with baked chicken on top of romaine lettuce and 1/2 baked sweet potato. The chicken was totally inedible and I was in a time crunch. In a stroke of genius, I decided that I would use egg whites as my protein in a pinch, so I cooked up some egg whites. They tasted a little funny. A very familiar taste....hmmm....yes that was it, I clearly didn't get all of the dish soap out of the pan before I cooked my eggs. Gross. By that time, I was out of time, so I headed out the door for court with my apple in hand. My court appearance was really quick and I had already paid the babysitter, so I headed to Whole Foods to get my groceries for next week. By the time I got home, I wanted a little nap (a certain little boy woke me up in the middle of the night because he had a tummy ache). I slept right through my mid afternoon snack. For dinner, Billy wanted to go out to eat. I was reluctant, but like a good little dieting wife, I looked up the restaurant choices that Billy gave me and picked Outback because I was able to stick to my diet there. I even came home with a meal for tomorrow! I had Grilled Chicken on the Barbie with no bbq sauce and "served lightly." I had steamed vegetables and baked sweet potato, plain. I started off by cutting the chicken portion and the baked sweet potato in half and requesting a to go box so neither Billy nor myself would eat it. It was delicious! I swear, it is the exact same thing that I make for myself and it tastes 100 times better. The texture of the chicken was better (read: not chainsaw chicken...I am terrified of undercooked poultry). Even the baked sweet potato was better and it didn't have anything on it! That is how celebs stick to these diets...they have professionals hired to cook for them. I need to ask for cooking classes for Christmas!

That's a good idea, actually. I wonder where I could take a healthy cooking class? Anyone know of any in the Memphis area?

I will keep you posted on how the weekend goes. I was nervous, but now that I have made a grocery run and my fridge is stocked with healthy options, I am ready! I am so proud of my fridge when I open the doors. I should post a picture. It is literally teeming with yummy organic produce. Just a week ago, I only had condiments and beer in the fridge. I feel like a bona fide grown up!

a l m o s t there

I feel like if I make it to Friday with my new experiment, I have made it. I think it's because at work, we have a tendency to talk each other into going to lunch pretty much every day, just to get away from the insanity of our clients. I knew that if I made it through one week at work, I would show myself and my coworkers that I am serious and I really want to stick this out. So, yay! 4 days down! I know my coworkers waistlines and wallets will thank me if we all stick to eating at the office every day.

For those of you who have been on the edge of your seats waiting for my oatmeal update, today, I tried steel cut oats topped with fresh blueberries and two sliced strawberries. I will say this, I think that if the berries were in season, it would've been pretty good. The berries were a little sour, I think, because berry season is in the summer. Sour berries aside, the oatmeal was tolerable today. I was able to tolerate several bites of oatmeal without wanting to gag. Progress.

Also today, we ate dinner with my in-laws. We usually eat with them every Wednesday but this week, we moved it. Anyway, I took my dinner (and made Billy warn them ahead of time so that they would not think I was an a-hole for bringing my own dinner), and they had vegetable soup. I have only been asking for vegetable soup since it started to get cold and right now, I cannot eat it (especially not the way they cooked it :(

Okay well it's time to put the little one to bed so for those who are interested, here is what I ate today (sidenote: once I am through the strict period of this experiment, I will probably only notify my readers of truly delicious--or truly disgusting dishes)

Breakfast

Steel cut oats with fresh blueberries and strawberries

Scrambled egg whites with one yolk

Mid Morning Snack

1/2 apple

(I was in court so I couldn't very well whip out a chicken breast to nosh on)

Lunch

Leftover baked chicken with chipotle seasoning

steamed broccoli

1/2 baked sweet potato

Afternoon snack

1/2 apple

sliced baked chicken breast with some delicious jalapeno hot sauce

Dinner

Spinach salad topped with baked chicken, avocado and tomato, and balsamic vinegar

1/2 baked sweet potato

I think I can I think I can

Well, today is day three of my experiment. I stuck to it, but let me tell you, this first "strict" phase is no joke! You're just so limited in what you can eat. I am especially limited because I don't like fish. I know, I know...eating fish is good for you. I am going to try and force myself to like fish but not right now. Right now, my focus is on making myself like oatmeal. To that end, I had steel cut oats this morning and they have a much more palatable texture than the rolled oats. They still, however, do not taste good to me. I think they will be much better when I add some flavorful things. Today, upon a friend's suggestion, I went by Fresh Market and got some blueberries, raspberries and strawberries with hopes that I will actually start to like oatmeal. I tried to think while eating my oats today (just like a cheesy diet book) that I was eating to fuel my body and not just for my own gluttonous pleasure. I was able to choke down a few bites. I'll let you know tomorrow if the fruit helps. I also got some good tips from readers about what to add once I am no longer in the strict phase.

This is not intended to be a project to force myself to like oatmeal, so I will move on. Although I feel like I have been doing this forever in a day, it has only been three days, so there are no results to report just yet. I can tell you this: I read in the book that your body goes through a detoxification of sorts when you start this plan and I believe it. I had a horrible headache yesterday and I truly feel like it is grueling, at times. I know it will be worth it so I am ever hopeful that I will keep it up! I know it will be much easier and more pleasurable after next week, when I can add some more food choices to my repertoire. I also bought a cookbook and some of the recipes truly look delicious! I can't wait to try those and report to you all how wonderful and delicious and easy this plan is instead of constantly complaining about oatmeal. In addition to the withdrawal symptoms, I also noticed today that I had a lack of appetite. I could not eat the protein with my morning or afternoon snack and I was not really hungry at lunch. I am not sure if that is part of the plan, if my portion sizes were too big (I don't think that is the case) or if I was just sick of chicken and sweet potatoes. Whatever the case, I struggled to eat the suggested diet today. Here is what I actually consumed:

Breakfast

Steel cut oats with cinnamon and 1 tsp vanilla extract

Scrambled egg whites with one yolk

Mid Morning snack

1/2 apple

Lunch

Spinach salad topped with baked chicken, avocado, tomato and balsamic vinagrette

1/2 baked sweet potato

Afternoon snack

1/2 apple

Dinner

Baked chicken with chipotle spice

Steamed broccoli florets

1/2 baked sweet potato (although I only ate a few bites)

After dinner

1 small spoonful of natural peanut butter

Conspiracy Theory

Well, it's my second day on my clean eating expedition. Today was also the second day that I tried to force myself to like oatmeal. Actually, I have tried on multiple occasions and I still find it the most repulsive substance on earth. Tomorrow, I think I will try steel cut oats instead of rolled oats. I have tried steel cut oats before, but they can't be worse than the oats I had this morning.

I do not plan on continuing to torture myself with the oatmeal, in case you were wondering. I am just trying to stick to the strict phase as closely as possible for the next two weeks. I did not realize at all that next Thursday was Thanksgiving. Excuse me, November, just where do you think you are going? I guess I will have no choice but to cheat a little on Thanksgiving but I promise myself that I will not eat ridiculous portion sizes like I always do. Also, I think I will eat my regular breakfast (egg whites and oats) and even possibly my mid morning snack (protein and complex carb). We do lunch at Billy's mother's house and then dinner at my aunt's house. I always save up to eat dinner since my mom cooks what her kids like the best. I think I will try to either just eat a teeny bit of some type of protein (turkey or something even though I don't really like Thanksgiving turkey. I know...I am weird) and maybe some green beans or something. That way, I will only be cheating for the one meal. I'll let you know how that turns out for me.

Today I realized something very scary...grocery stores are set up to make you fail at all diets and to make you FAT! I went to Kroger on the way home to pick up some rice cereal for Carter (he's getting so big!) and as I walked through my neighborhood Kroger, I was astonished at the things I saw. It's not like I've never been to the grocery store before, or even this one, but for some reason, now that I have started this new plan and been to the local health food store, I was totally shocked at what Kroger had to offer! For example, I headed straight to the produce section just to see what they had to offer since I am sure I won't ALWAYS be able to go to Whole Foods when I need some groceries. The produce section was okay, but not great. Then you have to travel through the baked goods section where the grocer tries to entice the diligent dieter with all sorts of yummy baked confections, not to mention the casseroles and unhealthy whatnot they serve at the deli counter! I went on around the store and as I made my way towards the baby aisle, I noticed that every single end display was for cupcakes, poptarts, chips and other assorted junk food. Not one single end display had anything of any nutritional value. In fact, the "healthy food sections" in the local grocery stores are hidden in and amongst the junk food rubble. Then, every single checkout line is fully stocked with an array of candies. No wonder we're all a bunch of fatties. (By we, I mean Americans...specifically Memphians). I was really scared from my visit today that when I do need to shop for my groceries, perhaps I should try and frequent the health food store every time. I am not sure if anyone has the willpower to say no to all that unhealthy goodness every single time she frequents the grocery!

Scary grocery trip aside, I stuck to the new regimen again today...two days down, a lifetime to go! If you're interested, what I ate today was:

Breakfast

Scrambled egg whites with one yolk

Oatmeal with cinnamon and vanilla extract

Mid Morning Snack

1/2 apple

sliced oven roasted turkey

Lunch

Romaine Lettuce salad with baked chicken and lemon juice

1/2 baked sweet potato

Afternoon snack

1/2 apple

sliced oven roasted turkey

Dinner

Baked chicken with chipotle pepper spice on top of a bed of spinach leaves, topped with avocado and tomato salad with lemon juice. I also put a teeny bit of balsamic vinegar on the salad (it was delicious!)

1/2 baked sweet potato

Day One

A success! I am pretty impressed with myself because we had to go to lunch as an office for a birthday party for our former partner who moved to Dallas. Basically, to be a clean eater, you are supposed to eat 5-6 small meals a day. For breakfast, I had oats (oatmeal) and scrambled egg whites. For my mid-morning snack, I had 1/2 of a delicious apple and a few slices of oven roasted turkey (that I roasted this morning before work--turkey breasts). For lunch (out to eat) I had an asian dish that had chicken, broccoli, and snap peas with brown rice. It was delicious! I wish I could hire a chef to help me on my journey! For my afternoon snack, I ate the rest of the apple. You're supposed to have a lean protein as well, but I am having some sinus drainage issues and I just didn't want it. For dinner, we had baked chicken, steamed broccoli, and 1/2 of a baked sweet potato. Dinner was good as well. Throughout the day, I have been drinking as much water as I could. You're supposed to drink a ridiculous amount of water, but as I mentioned earlier, I am having some sinus issues and it has been a chore for me to choke down the required amount of water. I'm still sipping, though.

While I am super proud of myself for making it through the day with the temptations of birthday muffins in the morning and yummy restaurant food at lunch, let me be completely honest. This morning, even though I was in no hurry to be at work, I was TOTALLY overwhelmed trying to get everything ready for the day. I think in order for this to really work and for me to stick to it, I am going to have to prepare for the day the night before. I also plan to cook what I can for the week on Sunday.

Well, so far, so good. I know it's only been one day, but I can already tell that this is going to be a huge commitment on my part. The person who wrote the book that I read about this diet claims that it will make me feel wonderful, fire up my metabolism and help me get and stay lean and healthy forever. I hope she is right! I guess now that I have put it out there for my 6 readers, I will have a little bit more motivation to stick to it! I will let you know how it makes me feel after I've been on the plan for a few days!

Eat Clean Experiment

Things at work are crazy (not in a good way) and I am now doing what I always do when some part of my life is making me unhappy: I am diving head first into something that I can preoccupy myself with. This time, however, I am doing something that is GOOD for me. I will use my blog to update my progress.

Basically, I have decided to start "eating clean." It's not really a diet, so much as it is a change in my eating lifestyle. I mean, it's not a diet in that there is no calorie counting, etc. It is a diet to me, though, as it is so dramatically different than the crap I have been putting in my body for the past 29 years (especially the past 5).

The basic premise of "eating clean" is that you eat foods that are nutritious and whole and good, such as fresh, organic produce and lean meats and avoid all over processed foods, especially white flower and sugar.

As with all diets, the first two weeks are super strict, meant to help break addictions to sugars and other bad things. I wanted to dive into this project whole heartedly, so I went straight to Whole Foods to stock my fridge and pantry.

First, let me say this: I always feel like people at places like Whole Foods are staring at me and thinking that I do not belong there. I do not know why I have this self consciousness, but I faced my fear and went to WF (on a weekend, no less!) and got lots of organic and yummy goodies and (shockingly) did not spend all that much more than I would have for a normal trip to the grocery.

I will keep you all posted on my progress. Wish me luck!