Whatcha Eatin'?

I get questions from people about how to start eating right. Where to begin? It all seems overwhelming. The information we read is varied and often contradictory, which can be frustrating in itself. The important thing is not that you get this perfect right off the bat. The important thing is that you start. Maybe you want to start by looking up how many calories are in your favorite foods; or cut out soda; or most processed food?

This is how I do it, but keep in mind, I’ve been at this a couple of years. I arrange my food differently to accommodate different situations – like a night out. I’ll save calories throughout the day, make sure I get my fiber before I go and check out the restaurant’s nutrition facts early in the day so the whole day can be planned around those calories I’ll have later. Most days, though, I plan the day so I’m never too hungry. That’s when I feel the most in control and healthy and satisfied.

I don’t think there’s one prescription for everyone, but this is what works for me. I eat under 1500 calories/day – never much under that, though. I usually divide my calories between breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and the creamer I have in my decaf coffee every night. I don’t have the time or organization to eat six meals a day – but I can’t go the six hours between lunch and dinner without a snack to sustain me.

I eat the Big Sky Oatmeal with coffee and creamer every morning – that’s 381 calories. Lunch is between 360-420 calories. An afternoon snack is anywhere between 180 and 220 calories. Dinner is 380-450 calories – roughly. Then, my creamer at night is 140 calories and I’m done for the day.

There are so many different ways to do this right. It takes experimentation – knowing not only when it feels best for you to eat but what food both tastes good and satisfies you. Being satisfied is different than being full. I don’t belch from being full anymore, I don’t have to lean back in my chair or unbutton my pants (I know – attractive!), I haven’t taken TUMS in 2 years. I used to use a large bottle of them every month; it may have been the effects of the gluten but it was also the volume of food I was eating.

It’s a mental thing, yet again, adjusting to the way satisfied feels and making that okay. Resisting the urge (or habit) to stop at a vending machine or a drive-thru because that’s not been planned in today’s food. Or, getting something from the vending machine or drive-thru – but being able to count it – and adjust your numbers for the remainder of the day. When you make that type of choice, you have to know that you’re probably going to be a bit hungry later and be okay with that, too.

Knowing how many calories your body needs and sticking to that is vital. Getting a food scale so you can be accurate is the start. Making sure you record everything you eat is necessary or, if you’re like me, you’ll fudge your numbers – a little here, a little there and you won’t make the progress you want.

The picture below is what I’m eating today. I can’t say it’s a typical day because I usually don’t have the delicious scones I made this morning or the lemon bars I made yesterday! I’m having the square of dark chocolate caramel in place of the chocolate chips I usually have with my afternoon snack. The mug is what I drink my coffee from – I have two of them in the morning and two of them at night. This picture represents 1486 calories. In addition to this, I drink at least eight glasses of water every day.

As you can see, I’m not suffering in order to lose weight or eat a gluten-free diet. I’ve had to adjust the way I cook and some of the things I eat. But, I love food and I eat well. You can, too!

Clockwise: Orange/berry Scottish Oat Scone with bacon, coffee, loaded baked potato, 

lemon square, chili with shredded cheese, blackberries, orange and dark chocolate caramel