Fitness - Day 21: Home Cookin' Size

Thoughts on portions.


I'm pleased that over the first three weeks of my plan, I've made major changes into where I eat.  Shifted from almost always out to almost always home.  It's still a dangerous time, and the changes made are fragile, but it's a strong start.

I came into this change with the notion that I'd always be hungry.  Each time over recent years that I've tried to eat at home more, I ended up eating significantly less at home, and mentally bound those concepts of "eat at home" and "eat too little."  That hasn't been the case.

Which is fine!  Eating at home is a necessary but not sufficient change.  Now that I've laid a foundation of eating and feeling full at home, I want to start cutting back a bit.  Let's look at yesterday as an example, at what I'd do if I were to re-do yesterday with portion size in mind.

• Eggs and bacon.  Great.  No change.
• Tuna sandwich with chips and a banana.  Again, great.
• Bagel with cream cheese for a snack.  I had a small bag of crackers, and would have eaten that.  Or even if I really wanted a bagel for that snack, a half would've been enough to scratch that itch.
• Lean Pocket.  (Basically, a Hot Pocket.)  Surprisingly, fine.  Didn't feel like I overate with it.
• Roast chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, green beans, ice cream.  Two things I would change here.  I ate two chicken breasts, but one was filling enough really.  I ate the second because it was there.  If I were doing the day over, I'd have saved it for sandwich meat.

          The ice cream is another thing.  I'm not at the NFA level where I cut out sweets yet, but it was still more than I needed to scratch that itch.  I already made a change of not eating straight out of the container, which I used to do regularly, but I could put a smaller amount into a smaller cup rather than a bigger bowl, and be just fine.

          Going forward, I'll try to reflect on this in my daily meal tracks when it's relevant.

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Breakfast, 6:30am: Two scrambled eggs and four slices of bacon.  Earlier breakfast than usual to give myself time to walk into work. - DONE

Lunch, 11:15am: Chipotle burrito bowl with white rice, fajita vegetables, steak, mild salsa, cheese, guacamole. - DONE

Snack, 2:00pm: Cheez-its. - DONE

Snack, 6:00pm: Chips and salsa. - DONE

Dinner, 7:30pm: Pasta with tomato sauce and green beans.  Small serving of ice cream. - DONE

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Walk to Mordor - Bag End to Rivendell

http://home.insightbb.com/~eowynchallenge/Tools/Bag_end/bag_end.html

Today: 8.87 miles. (3.85 miles in the morning over 1:18:05.  1.10 miles at lunch over 22:30.  3.92 miles in the afternoon over 1:18:58.)

5	2	Cross The Great Road from the Brandywine Bridge. Enter Tookland.
7.5	2.5	Look back at lights of Hobbiton from first slopes of the Green Hill Country.

9	1.5	Hobbiton hidden as slopes rise and fall.
11	2	Stop in a birch grove. Eat a frugal supper (ca. 10 p.m.).

Cumulative: 13 miles.