*I used a piggy bank to represent my daily calorie bank… I’ll just pretend that the little round colored things are jelly beans?!
The other day I blogged about getting off track with night time grazing. Since November 1st, I’ve worked hard and been diligent at getting my protein in, logging my calories on The Daily Plate, and staying within the allotted calorie bank. I’d like to share some thoughts with you as to how this plan is going so far.
- I feel more energetic and alert, not as sluggish. Carbs make me tired. Getting off carbs helps regain awareness, concentration, and energy. It’s more stable, rather than being the roller coaster effect where you get a sudden burst of energy when overdosing on carbs, then come crashing down to the ground, and needing more carbs to bring you back up again.
- I feel a new freedom from food obsession. I’m not chained to the refrigerator in the evenings. Before, I constantly looked in the fridge to see what I could eat. I wanted something… but what? These past few days I have not done this.
- I enjoy meals more than I did. Tim and I used to eat out all the time. While there are great choices that can be made in restaurants, truth is that you don’t know what they use to prepare the food. They could add all types of oils or butters with lots of added calories without your knowledge, and this could prevent correct food logging. I now cook at home. But when we went out to dinner Weds. evening, oh it was such a treat. The food tasted divine.
Now here are a few theories that I have tried to test this past week.
- I was not getting enough liquids. As a result, I mistakenly read this as hunger and wanted to eat. I’ve made a conscious effort to drink, drink, drink. It seems to be helping.
- Around 3:00, I need a high protein, low cal/carb/sugar snack that will help me feel full until my supper time (which is 5:00). I tried having a protein drink at 2:00, but by 5:00 I am ready to gnaw the legs off the dining room table! I tried having a protein snack (a small piece of bbq Ostrim jerky stick and a slither of Oh Yeah Vanilla & Caramel bar) at 3:00 just to test my theory. Once I arrived home, I was able to patiently prepare dinner without getting all moody, edgy, shaky, or grab any food that may be around me.
- On my way home from work at 3:45, I continued the drinking theory. I will now always have a liquid with me on the way home. This will create a feeling of fullness for me as well, and help me get my daily allotment of liquid.
I think my eating plan just needing a few tweaks in it… if you are experiencing night time grazing problems, I would like to hear from you. I’m interested in knowing what you find helps, what doesn’t, etc.
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