CamoQueen's Clean Eating Journal

[CamoQueen]

Okay, so I'm finally down to a weight I want to be, but I'm still not eating in a way that I want to be. I am lean but I don't think I'm very muscular, and I would love to be as strong as I was when I was still in the military!

So my goal is to eat clean through the rest of 2009, at least. I guess a more short-term goal is to eat clean for three weeks to set a pattern, because clean eating isn't really a diet so much as a way to eat. I'm not setting any restrictions on calories or anything like that, just limits on foods (nothing fried, no refined carbs, no added white/brown sugar, etc). I also want to add some kind of daily exercise in my life, because I have been skipping out on that a lot lately! General goal is 30 minutes of exercise a day, to start.

Will I mess up? A lot, I'm sure! But I think if I can clean up my eating habits I can set a good example for David. I don't want to be one of those moms that eschews veggies but is trying to force them on their kids. The other day at the store, I saw a woman give her baby girl -- maybe 1 1/2, I'd guess -- a big bottle full of sugary soda (I mean, it still had a nipple on the bottle and everything!)!!!!!! Dear God, let me never be that woman!

DH has decided to join me in trying to eat clean, which really surprised me. He loves his white bread and red meat, lol. But I love him for trying, and for being my partner in this. And I also decided to start this journal, because I really think it will help me track what I'm eating and how I've been exercising, and if I'm neglecting it and slipping into my old ways, it will make me feel guilty! Maybe guilty enough to get back on the wagon...

So, anyway. Yesterday I took my measurements, so I can have an idea of what changes my body is making. Here they are:

Height: 6'
Weight: 145
Bust -- 39
Waist -- 28
Hips -- 36.5
Arm (flexed) -- 10.25
Thigh -- 20

Hopefully I'll see some loss at the hips/waist and some gain in my arms! DH took his measurements too, and was pretty unhappy. There's a lot of work to be done!

 

[CamoQueen]

Okay, so here is my eating plan for the day.

Breakfast -- Bowl Kashi cereal with no sugar added soy milk; tea
Snack -- Whole wheat pita with natural PB and drizzle of honey
Lunch -- Tofu scramble w/ garlic, onion, and salsa
Snack -- Pineapple and kiwi; handful pistachios
Dinner -- Whole wheat pasta with tofu and veggies

Exercise: 30 minute resistance band workout

 

[CamoQueen]

Yesterday went well, despite my longing desire for sweets (I was daydreaming of cake and cobbler all day). I had a sugar-free flavored sparkling water last night as a fill-in for my usual diet Coke. I want to wean myself off all this stuff eventually, but I am so in the habit that on top of all I'm doing, it's too hard to stop right now. I figure after 2-3 weeks I'll start cutting down. I figure at least the water doesn't have phosphoric acid like soda does, which I know leaches calcium from the bones, so it's better in that way. Or so I tell myself...

So here is today's menu:

Breakfast -- Kashi cereal with sugar-free soy milk; cup of tea
Snack -- Pineapple and blueberries; stalk celery with natural PB
Lunch -- Tofu scramble with salsa and veg
Snack -- Whole wheat pita with PB and honey drizzle
Dinner -- Tikki masala chicken and veggies over brown rice

Exercise: 30 minute dance workout DVD

I also might grab a cup of coffee with some sweetener and soy milk later... I guess I'll just have to see how I feel. Mmm, I love coffee... and I can enjoy it because of the antioxidants, right?

 

[CamoQueen]

So yesterday went well... sort of. I made the chicken curry and it turned out really tasty, but I ended up getting sick right before bed. I gotta figure it's the oil I used, maybe it was too much for my stomach. I love curry and I'm normally just fine with it, and DH ate a lot and he was fine, so it can't be that anything I used had gone bad. It was just not fun in the most extreme way; I hate throwing up! Blargh.

So here's today for your/my viewing pleasure:

Breakfast -- Coffee with soy milk; tea; Kashi cereal with soy milk
Snack -- Whole wheat pita with natural PB and sliced strawberries
Lunch -- Tofu scramble with veggies and salsa
Snack -- Sliced mango and strawberries; stalk celery with PB
Dinner -- Pan-seared lemon pepper salmon, mushrooms, and brown rice

Exercise: Yeah friggin' right. Not in the mood this morning, but we'll see how the day progresses.

 

[CamoQueen]

Well yesterday went off without a hitch. The salmon was soooooo good, and I used the microwave instructions on the brown rice because whenever I make it on the stovetop, something always goes wrong. Well it turned out perfectly!

There was leftover brown rice, so I found a recipe to use it for breakfast, and it's what I made today (https://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Brown-Rice-Breakfast-Porridge/Detail.aspx, with soy milk instead of lowfat, fresh blueberries instead of dried, and no butter)! Mmm... So here's the day, as planned out for your pleasure:

Breakfast -- Brown rice breakfast porridge; tea; coffee
Snack -- Papaya and blueberries; stalk celery with natural PB
Lunch -- Tomato and avocado salad (1 chopped tomato, 1/2 chopped avocado, drizzle balsalmic vinegar and a handful of crumbled feta)
Snack -- Whole wheat pita with PB and drizzle of honey
Dinner -- Chicken paprikash with spaetzle (this recipe: https://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1739,155185-230198,00.html using storebought spelt flour spaetzle, only 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, and subbing nonfat plain Greek yogurt for the sourcream)

Exercise: Ehhhh, let's not go there today...

 

[CamoQueen]

Yet another day down. Resisting the 'bad' foods has been pretty easy thus far, but DH is off of work Friday and Saturday and those were usually our pig-out days. If I can get past those days without stuffing my face, I think it'll be smooth sailing through next week. If only I can muster the willpower...

So here's today's plan, read it and weep:

Breakfast -- Brown rice porridge; coffee; tea
Snack -- Whole wheat pita with natural PB and drizzle honey
Lunch -- Tofu scramble with veggies
Snack -- Sliced plums and strawberries with greek yogurt; stalk celery with PB
Dinner -- Quinoa and black beans (this recipe: https://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quinoa-and-Black-Beans/Detail.aspx, sans corn because I'm not a big fan of it)

Exercise: Probably not.

 

[CamoQueen]

Oh my gah, last night's dinner was SO GOOD! I think maybe next time I'll shred some chicken to go in it (per DH's request), but it was really tasty.

So this is my day planned out. The weather is really nasty outside, so hopefully I won't be too tempted to go out and splurge. Anyway, here it is:

Breakfast -- Plain yogurt with mixed fruit and walnuts; coffee
Snack -- Mango and kiwi; handful of nuts
Lunch -- Quinoa and black beans (leftovers)
Snack -- Small bowl Kashi cereal with soy milk
Dinner -- Whole wheat penne with shrimp, tomatoes, garlic, and feta cheese

Exercise: 30 minutes on eliptical tonight.

 

[Pyrrhic]

You're doing so well! Great to see someone taking such a good attitude to food! I clean eat too as much as possible, but OH isn't really on board.

How often are you weighing and measuring yourself?

 

[Pyrrhic]

btw have you seen this? You can get it where you are

https://www.cleaneatingmag.com/minisite/ce_index.htm

 

[CamoQueen]

btw have you seen this? You can get it where you are

https://www.cleaneatingmag.com/minisite/ce_index.htm

Yes, I love that magazine! They have some really great recipes.

 

[CamoQueen]

Well yesterday was a triumph; I avoided all the tempting foods that I usually chow down on and stuck to my plan! Today is the grocery shopping day, so that might be a challenge. I'll just have to pack a snack to eat before I go in the store so I'm not shopping hungry.

Here's today's plan:

Breakfast -- Plain yogurt with mixed fruit and walnuts; coffee
Snack -- Banana and stalk of celery with natural PB
Lunch -- Tomato and avocado salad
Snack -- Bowl of Kashi cereal with soy milk
Dinner -- Burrito on whole wheat tortilla with chicken breast, brown rice, avocado and salsa

I'm so proud of myself for doing so well. After today I will have stuck with this for a week! One week down, two to go 'til it becomes more routine. Although, like I said, the urge to binge eat is less than it used to be now that I've cut down on fat and sugar. My real plan (honest) is to let myself have one splurge food in September after a month of healthy eating. Basically, I'm going to let myself have a piece of cake on my birthday (Sept 16), and I'm hoping by then that I will be strong enough to limit myself to just one piece!

Once clean eating has become the norm, I would like to settle into the routine of one splurge food a week -- something small, like a fancy coffee or a cookie or doughnut. Just so I can still eat a lot of the stuff I like, but in total moderation. But I think I know myself well enough right now to realize that it's not a good idea to say "Oh, it's been a week, have a splurge", because I have done that before and then just fell off the wagon totally.

 

[CamoQueen]

My willpower is strong! Well, at least strong enough to avoid the tempting processed foods I normally chow on. Although last night, I did have a second tortilla to munch on after I'd eaten the burrito. I make 'em homemade and they're so good, I couldn't resist!

Here's today's plan:

Breakfast -- Meusli with soy milk; tea; coffee
Snack -- Homemade protein bar (this recipe: https://sweetteaintexas.wordpress.com/2009/03/15/no-bake-protein-bars/, with steel cut oats instead of rolled oats)
Lunch -- Egg salad on Ezekiel bread (this recipe: https://www.eatcleandiet.com/food_and_recipes/clean_recipe/eat-clean_egg_salad.aspx)
Snack -- Sliced mango with plain fatfree yogurt
Dinner -- Chicken black bean chili (this recipe: https://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-and-Black-Bean-Chili/Detail.aspx, with 2 cups less water and 1 can diced tomato added)
Snack -- Pumpkin tofu pudding (the recipe entitled "Pumpkin pie without the crust" seen here: https://www.cleaneatingonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=61&Itemid=65)

I've decided to start doing an after dinner snack thing because I was getting too hungry at night before I went to bed. And hey, who doesn't love dessert? Mmm...

 

[CamoQueen]

Yesterday went well, despite my serious, serious craving and whining at DH that I wanted/needed chocolate, he told me to be strong so I didn't cave and ate what I planned. I'm so glad to have DH to be strong for me! On another note, my skin looks really good today. Maybe a result of the eating? Whatever reason for it, I'm happy!

Here's today's plan:

Breakfast -- Meusli with soy milk; tea; coffee
Snack -- Protein bar
Lunch -- CE egg salad sandwich on Ezekiel bread
Snack -- Fresh pineapple chunks with plain yogurt
Dinner -- Leftover black bean chicken chili
Snack -- Tofu pumpkin pudding

Exercise: 30 minutes cardio

Feeling really fit and healthy today... it's good stuff!

 

[CamoQueen]

Here I am again, everything's going according to plan.

Here's today's eating, as it is:

Breakfast -- Meusli with soy milk; coffee; tea (I tried this apple cinnamon kind that was just AWFUL and super tangy, eww)
Snack -- Protein bar
Lunch -- Tomato and avocado salad
Snack -- Sliced pineapple with mixed nuts
Dinner -- Lemon pepper salmon with fresh garlic green beans
Snack -- Tofu pumpkin pudding

Exercise: Baby weight lifting!

 

[CamoQueen]

Dinner was so good yesterday! I made a sauce for the green beans that was very simple -- 2 T low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tsp each natural peanut butter and honey -- and it was just delish. DH licked his plate clean, and then he licked mine!

Here is today's meal plan (the dinner was DH's fondest desire):

Breakfast -- Meusli with soy milk; coffee; tea
Snack -- Protein bar
Lunch -- CE egg salad on Ezekiel bread
Snack -- Sliced mango and kiwi with plain, nonfat yogurt
Dinner -- Sloppy joes (this recipe: https://www.drgourmet.com/recipes/maincourse/beef/sloppyjoes.shtml, using ground buffalo instead of beef) on Ezekiel buns
Snack -- Tofu pudding (love that stuff!!!)

 

[Pyrrhic]

I have a recipe for you for brekkie. I'll look it out this afternoon

 

[Pyrrhic]

btw have you weighed yourself since starting? I used to weigh myself everyday to get a better idea of how my eating was affecting my weight.

 

[CamoQueen]

btw have you weighed yourself since starting? I used to weigh myself everyday to get a better idea of how my eating was affecting my weight.

No, I haven't weighed myself yet. I was really tempted to this morning... I'm thinking I might this afternoon after I take a swim. I used to weigh myself every day too, but now that I'm staying out of state in this hotel with DH while he's TDY, the scale is four stories down in the workout room and it's not as easy to just step on it in the morning.

Funny enough, I took 'before' pics the day before I started, and I'm going to take pics a month in. Lol, I figure if there's any real difference I will post the before/afters. But I'm too chicken now!

 

[CamoQueen]

Sloppy joes last night were really so-so... not sloppy enough for my tastes (too dry), but DH said he liked them fine. Tonight the recipe is more my cup of tea, so hopefully it will turn out better!

Today's menu:

Breakfast -- Whole wheat pancakes with honey; coffee
Snack -- Protein bar
Lunch -- CE egg salad
Snack -- Sliced mango with yogurt
Dinner -- Balsalmic glazed chicken with tomatoes and parmesan asparagus
Snack -- Tofu pudding

 

[CamoQueen]

Yesterday was good. The dinner was yummy and the asparagus was awesome (I love veggies, seriously). Today's meal plan rocks -- last minute adjustments has me grilling burgers at lunchtime, and I'm so looking forward to it! But for some reason, I'm not hungry AT ALL this morning. Dinner last night was pretty big...

Here's how it looks:

Breakfast -- Coffee
Snack -- Protein bar
Lunch -- Lean beef burger on whole wheat bun with veg
Snack -- Blueberries with light whipped cream
Dinner -- Pesto whole wheat gnocchi with feta and tomato
Snack -- Tofu pumpkin pudding

Yumyumyumyumyum!!!!