It’s not all about the calories. It’s about what’s in those calories. Are you eating enough green foods? Are you eating a moderate amount of yellow foods? Are you being sure to add in just a dash of red foods? My personal answer?
Sadly, most all of my meals consist of red foods. And red foods. And more red foods.
Food addiction is real, yo. I’ve written about it before but let me reiterate: Food addiction is as real as any other addiction out there, with one exception: Everyone does not need alcohol or cigarettes to stay alive, but everyone needs food. Thus, you cannot just avoid the object of your addiction. You can’t quit cold turkey. You can do your best to avoid the red foods, but you still need food to live. Thus, while you’re contemplating whether to have the 6-cheese pizza in front of you or the salad you’ll have to prepare, your brain may tell you, “It’s just this one meal for tonight.” The next thing you know, your cravings and addiction turns “just for tonight” into, “It’s just this one meal for the rest of my week” which turns into, “It’s just this one meal for the rest of my every-single-day life.” (Yes, I know that probably didn’t make a heck of a lot of sense but stay with me here.)
Yesterday I posted about my pretty low valley after not blogging for almost a month. Guess what? I haven’t been on my Noom app or here on SparkPeople in just as many days. But my yesterday is not my today! Today I am back on my Noom app and playing a little catch-up. Today’s (or rather, by the time of this posting, 13 days ago’s) article is on building your breakfast – the right way. “With a handful of green foods, a sprinkle of yellow foods, and a dash of red foods” (Noom article “Build Your Breakfast”), you can curb your hunger before you’ve even started your day. Sounds good, right?
Tell that to my taste buds that only want cold pizza for breakfast.
Tell that to my brain as I muddle through that first cup of coffee.
Tell that to my body as I feel too tired to cook up those scrambled egg whites with spinach and tomato. (Did I mention I’m still muddling through that first cup of coffee?)
So what’s the solution? I’ll just grab that everything bagel. It’s got the same amount of calories as that egg & spinach & tomato concoction I was about to whip up, right? It’s all the same for my calorie count!
Cue the dancing red flags.
Not all calories are created equal. While the eggs and the bagel may end up having the same calorie count, protein is the most satiating macronutrient around. Thus, eggs trump bagel. For breakfast anyway.
Keeping in mind that this post is starting to get really long, I’ll make the next part short.
Have I recommended the Noom app enough times yet? If not, here’s another reason to get it and use it along with SparkPeople. Noom has really good examples of healthy and satiating breakfasts for every breakfast hunger size out there; when coupled with the meal plans that SparkPeople is already making you, making an easy breakfast plan is, well, easy!
Do you like snack-sized breakfast, mini breakfast, fueled breakfast, or no breakfast? Me, I prefer a hearty, fueled breakfast. I tend to eat less during the day if my blood-sugar’s not dropping before I even get to work. But if a snack is all you can tolerate in the morning, try Greek yogurt or a pre-prepared hard boiled egg, or a banana and some berries. If a mini breakfast is more your style, try a breakfast “salad” with strawberries and turkey bacon, or avocado toast, or a tofu scramble with tomato. Me, my fuel in the morning would need something a little more caloric and protein-packed. Let me tell you, a sweet potato with scrambled egg whites and some ginger? Just trust me. It’s good stuff.
Now the kicker. Am I likely to get up early enough in the morning to actually prepare any of this? Not likely. But, that’s what having Greek yogurt and bananas on-hand in the mornings are for. Maybe make some hard-boiled eggs on Sunday and eat one or two with the sweet potato you cooked the night before. Check out your SparkPeople meal plan and see where you can add in some black beans in the mornings or add some peanut butter to your quick oats.
This week and next, I am committing to drink 80+ oz of water every day, meet my Noom step goal every day, and learn to befriend breakfast. Conquering that mountain one crag at a time.
Originally posted on SparkPeople.com at https://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=6569438
Brokenness in the Beauty 