Salmon, Tuna, you and I will bond for the longest time.
We all know the benefits of oily fish in the body, hence the abundance of it in the diet. Salmon would be the best choice of course, especially good salmon from Alaska, which is hard to find here. However, if you don't like the taste of salmon, any good oily fish could be substituted like tuna, mackarel, trout, or sardines. Tuna mostly was my choice because it's readily available and of course, it's cheaper.
I prefer my tuna pan-seared lightly with garlic and olive oil with a little spice of my choice. Sometimes, it's fresh basil or dried thyme, depending on whatever I feel that day. This day, I take a break from the fish for breakfast and have omelette instead as my protein source. The omelette recipe called for 3 egg whites and 1 yolk. Again, i cooked this only with extra virgin olive oil. Whole wheat bread was becoming more appetizing and had I not supposed to have a whole wheat bread limit, I would have eaten another slice or two. For butter though, I made sure that I only use unsalted butter and if I want more butter, I should compromise by lessening the cheese.
Since I had my tuna prepared beforehand, it was time to keep my carb source handy for lunch. For carb source, I opted for a small bowl of whole wheat pasta, which is another discovery for me. Whole wheat pasta had much more bite to it than the white pasta and it's quite firmer. Of course I didn't make it a bland pasta but looked for a healthy but yummy version by cooking it in light olive oil and garlic, adding in some black olives and a bit of herbs and spices. I've realized too that I have yet to add salt to the food I prepare, which I try not to.
I was about to go to a party that time, and I was glad though that there were food I could eat there, particularly chicken breast, fish, and steamed brocolli and cauliflower, which were my veggie sources come lunchtime. I threw in raw carrots to my veggie mix, but I had to make sure that my protein intake was more than my carbs.
Remember how we get sleepy after a heavy meal? It's actually the carbs acting up. Increasing my protein gave me enough energy for me to still be up on my toes to play with the kids and run around and still interact with guests during siesta time. Again, this I do feeling full without any feeling of throwing up. Come my 4:00 p.m. snack time of dark chocolate and fruit (I chose strawberries this time with blueberries in yogurt, since I wanted a calcium source), I wasn't wolfing my dairy like the plague. My dinner was lighter than usual, and I noticed elimination of carbs from wheat or rice and I just paired my tuna with a light salad of greens.
Realizing that I'm halfway through the program, I'm glad I was able to sustain the lifestyle and habit of being hydrated and steering away from the cake, flan, and coffee. During this time, I am currently experiencing cough and colds and I had a tissue box with me all the time. When colds had me at my most sluggish moment, I wasn't all groggy during the day, and save for blowing my nose and coughing, I was able to go on with my normal activities. Once I saw the pattern, I saw how I could finally adapt this system to my lifestyle once I'm out of the program and back to my regular eating habits.
So now, my diet is quite strict, but what happens when I don't bring my stuff with me? My dinner on day 3 would be an example.
We all know the benefits of oily fish in the body, hence the abundance of it in the diet. Salmon would be the best choice of course, especially good salmon from Alaska, which is hard to find here. However, if you don't like the taste of salmon, any good oily fish could be substituted like tuna, mackarel, trout, or sardines. Tuna mostly was my choice because it's readily available and of course, it's cheaper.
I prefer my tuna pan-seared lightly with garlic and olive oil with a little spice of my choice. Sometimes, it's fresh basil or dried thyme, depending on whatever I feel that day. This day, I take a break from the fish for breakfast and have omelette instead as my protein source. The omelette recipe called for 3 egg whites and 1 yolk. Again, i cooked this only with extra virgin olive oil. Whole wheat bread was becoming more appetizing and had I not supposed to have a whole wheat bread limit, I would have eaten another slice or two. For butter though, I made sure that I only use unsalted butter and if I want more butter, I should compromise by lessening the cheese.
Since I had my tuna prepared beforehand, it was time to keep my carb source handy for lunch. For carb source, I opted for a small bowl of whole wheat pasta, which is another discovery for me. Whole wheat pasta had much more bite to it than the white pasta and it's quite firmer. Of course I didn't make it a bland pasta but looked for a healthy but yummy version by cooking it in light olive oil and garlic, adding in some black olives and a bit of herbs and spices. I've realized too that I have yet to add salt to the food I prepare, which I try not to.
I was about to go to a party that time, and I was glad though that there were food I could eat there, particularly chicken breast, fish, and steamed brocolli and cauliflower, which were my veggie sources come lunchtime. I threw in raw carrots to my veggie mix, but I had to make sure that my protein intake was more than my carbs.
Remember how we get sleepy after a heavy meal? It's actually the carbs acting up. Increasing my protein gave me enough energy for me to still be up on my toes to play with the kids and run around and still interact with guests during siesta time. Again, this I do feeling full without any feeling of throwing up. Come my 4:00 p.m. snack time of dark chocolate and fruit (I chose strawberries this time with blueberries in yogurt, since I wanted a calcium source), I wasn't wolfing my dairy like the plague. My dinner was lighter than usual, and I noticed elimination of carbs from wheat or rice and I just paired my tuna with a light salad of greens.
Realizing that I'm halfway through the program, I'm glad I was able to sustain the lifestyle and habit of being hydrated and steering away from the cake, flan, and coffee. During this time, I am currently experiencing cough and colds and I had a tissue box with me all the time. When colds had me at my most sluggish moment, I wasn't all groggy during the day, and save for blowing my nose and coughing, I was able to go on with my normal activities. Once I saw the pattern, I saw how I could finally adapt this system to my lifestyle once I'm out of the program and back to my regular eating habits.
So now, my diet is quite strict, but what happens when I don't bring my stuff with me? My dinner on day 3 would be an example.
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