Challenge Day 2

Today it was much harder to listen to my body because I had quite a few distractions. I was busy at work and I keep thinking about all my upcoming plans this week for my birthday. And I seriously think I need a detox from Facebook (future challenge perhaps)!

This morning was easy. I knew I wanted yogurt + fruit, which usually doesn’t happen in the a.m. but I’ve been seeing everyone’s parfaits and I got jealous 😉 Plus it’s been warm here in KY and when I’m warm, I like to eat something cold.

Here’s what went in:

The Kashi Summer Berry granola comes courtesy of my blog buddy Alex, who sent me a package of goodies in exchange for some PB & Co! Thanks again Alex. I’ll post more from that stash soon!

I am pleased that this fat free Stonyfield was thicker like the French vanilla. It must just be Stonyfield’s “lowfat” line that’s too runny to eat with a spoon!

Here’s what it looked like all together…like the glass? 

Side view:

The yogurt and granola were AMAZING! These flavors all went together so well and I was really pleased with my new breakfast even though it didn’t last me very long. I think making this with higher protein Greek yogurt would do the trick. But that granola kicks butt!

At work, I had my usual 1 cup of coffee and then I got pretty hungry for a mid-morning snack, just shy of mid-morning, haha. I’m listening to you body, okay?!

I broke into another new product Alex sent me all the way from California:

Mrs. May’s Naturals The Cube, Cranberry Crunch

These were so good, I loved the flavor, they were like granola bites, only more dense and nuttier. Plus they’re cute 😉

These held me for a while, but I got ravenous just before 11:00, so I went ahead and ate lunch early (still listening)!

I had a can of Bumblebee Tuna (anyone else thinking of Ace Ventura 2 right now?) in spicy thai chili (sorry no pic) on a whole wheat English muffin and the Green Giant digestive health blend of veggies (yellow carrots, spinach, white beans).

I went for a 50 minute walk outside with some co-workers, which was nice because it was a day off from running and the sun was out after raining for nearly 7 straight days!

When I got back I was already hungry again (hmm) so I had another Alex goodie, a Luna Sunrise Bar!

I’d had this one before but its been years. I was really in the mood for chocolate so I didn’t go into it with the best mind set.

I liked the bar ok and the nutritionals are great, but its not going to be a favorite. I think I prefer the chocolate-y Luna bars even if they all do start to taste alike after a while. I still love though how this bar is designed with women’s health in mind. But it didn’t really rock my socks this time.

Unfortunately, after this, I stopped listening for a while. Or maybe not. But I had a bag of peanut butter M&M’s, a small one, haha. Like I said, hormones probably. No negativity here though! They were good.

When I got home and started up the oven for my dinner recipes, I munched on two carrots and finished off the container of Just Hummus, there were only a couple tbsps left anyway. Yum. I am really into fresh veggies right now, especially carrots and cucumbers. I also bought some kale that I’m ready to try now since I never have!

Dinner was awesome! Check out my post on New Recipes to see what I had that was so delicious and filling.

I’m nowhere near wanting dessert yet, so we’ll just wait and see what happens the rest of the night.

What I’ve learned today:

• Its okay to eat lunch early if I’m really hungry, no one will know but me!
• Eating smaller portions every 2-4 hours works great for me
• My biggest culprits to keeping calories/portions in check are boredom and dissatisfaction (i.e. Luna Bar today)
• I can get through two days without counting calories!

This is definitely a learning experience and one that I hope sticks with me beyond this week. Not counting calories definitely takes the stress out of eating healthy, which should be fun and adventurous! I am somewhat worried about putting on weight, but I have to remember to listen to my body both with diet and exercise, and finding that balance which will result in weight balance as well.

Back to The Biggest Loser!