Lunch in the Park

Breakfast lasted me until 11 today and then hunger hit me like a brick. I polished off my Luna bar fast for snack : )

Had lunch in my favorite park spot. Today there were two sketchy guys though who were making me nervous. They were making inappropriate comments that I obviously was supposed to “overhear.” There were other people around (not too many, but enough) so I wasn’t scared for my safety, but I would have preferred to be left alone! Thankfully they left after about 15 minutes.

Today’s menu included:

Homemade rye bread sandwich with 1 oz roasted pork, 1 slice low-fat cheddar, lettuce and mustard:

Banana creme yogurt with grape nuts:

1 oz of sourdough pretzels:

1 cup of fruit (grapes and cantaloupe):

Celery sticks with 2 tbsp plain hummus:

All-together (including diet orange drink – BAD!)

I saved my fruit for later.

Somehow I’ve managed to eat 1200 calories already today. I’m supposed to be on minor cut-back from Saturday’s dinner out, yesterday’s day off of exercise and homecoming events this weekend, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen. I guess my goal will be to stick to 1800 today, which seems reasonable.

I’m having a major mental struggle trying to decide if:

A) I should continue to count calories. It WORKS. It’s simple. It’s proven. But it’s restricting. And I’m tired of it.

B) I should count food groups. It allows for more flexibility in restaurants. It’s easier to do because it requires no math. But it’s easy to eat too much. And it still has the “here’s my allowance for the day” mentality.

C) Just try to EAT for HEALTH. There’s no counting, worrying, totaling. It could potentially be life-long. But is it the most practical? Would I gain? Is it even possible to do this as a self-proclaimed boredom eater who tends to eat for reasons other than hunger?

Ahhhh…the struggles of food. I’d tell anyone trying to lose weight to do Option A. It’s the most effective. Option B is appealing, but it’s just as constricting as calorie counting, which I think is actually easier and allows the “participant” to relax because you know how well you did each day by the numbers.

I really want to try Option C, but I’m terrified that I’d over eat. Take today for example. I’m already at 1200 and I feel like I’ve done pretty well “eating for health.” If I have a snack or two, don’t keep my dinner low, and have dessert (even if it’s a healthy dessert like fruit or yogurt), I could easily be over my limits. How would I ever know if I’m not counting??

Your comments are welcome : )