Food Goals

As much as I'm a supporter of the body positivity movement, I don't feel it in my gut. I would like to lose weight. I would like to be thinner. The real reason for that is because I want to look better and wear clothes that show it, though I know losing weight would also bring some benefits about being healthier and feeling better.

I also have learned and explored what it takes to lose weight, and I'm currently not really ready to make that commitment. I am committed to better health and being stronger through exercise - weight training and walking and running. I am seriously committed to that. (I know that following through on being fit will also make me look better, but that is not my primary motivation for the exercise.) I'm not yet ready to make the huge mental commitment of the planning and cooking and, yes, denial and self-control that weight loss demands. But I can take some baby steps toward what it takes, focusing only on the process. The results on the scale will be what they are.

My immediate goals include tracking my food. I'm back on My Fitness Pal, after having deleted it from my devices a while ago. I have tried other ways of tracking my food, and this big database and always-with-me app is the way I want to go. Tracking does so many things, and foremost among them is making me conscious of what I am eating. Awareness can be a precursor to change.

My next goal is to enjoy every bite. Mindful eating also leads to awareness. Making sure that every bite that goes in is enjoyable should also make my life, well, more enjoyable! So, I may try to eat very mindfully, as in sitting down, no book or radio or tv on, conscious of chewing thoroughly before swallowing and preparing the next bite on the fork. This is not likely to a resolution I would stick to for every meal for very long, so I'm setting the minimum standard a bit lower - just keeping track of enjoyment, trying to make eating conscious rather than automatic.

Lastly, I want to re-emphasize cooking and reducing food waste. It seems to be able to eat vegetables a lot, I have to buy and cook them myself. Prepared or frozen foods from the supermarket to eat at home are not big on vegetables. I've drifted away from vegetables, and I think relying on convenience foods is what has done that. (I can steer towards vegetables when eating in a restaurant with friends, so this is about the choices I make when solo).

I'm having to learn about volumes, since I mostly am cooking for myself. I go to farmer's markets and overbuy, and end up ditching what used to be lovely vegetables, or even tasty leftovers that have been too long in the fridge. I'm getting better. I'm in an eggplant and zucchini phase - using the mandolin to slice very thin (wearing my protective steel mesh glove since I have injured myself in the past!) and then roasting or grilling after some time marinading. This week, I only bought one each of the eggplant and zucchini, instead of three. I bought the smallest cabbage I could find, and I shredded half of it and made coleslaw, and sliced the other half for sauteing with eggs for a hot meal.

I am nuts on seasonal fruit right now. In my kitchen are a watermelon, peaches, blueberries, and cherries. All but the cherries are from the farmer's market. I'm not shy about pigging out with the fruit, but I still need to maintain vigilance about not over-buying. Only two peaches this week, and the blueberries are from ten days ago. The watermelon was cut open three days ago, and I need to finish it up tonight.

My newest  breakfast is yogurt and fruit. I have often aspired to eat more conventional breakfasts that don't require cooking, but I've never had any luck with any form of cereal or granola or bread for breakfast. I always seem to end up outrageously hungry and craving carbs for the rest of the day. I found a brand of high protein, full fat yogurt (Icelandic skyr) and served with my peaches and blueberries, nuts and chia seeds, so far so good.

So current goals: Track, Enjoy, and Cook with less waste.