Happy Friday!!! 
Let’s recap my tornado of a day yesterday, shall we? I inhaled a lunch as fast as I possibly could as I was getting ready for work. It was a simple, small salad of romaine, salsa lentils and leftover fajita veggies, black olives, more salsa and some tortilla chips.
Confession: I’m not sure what I was thinking with my lunch. What I wanted was this salad and a sandwich of Ezekiel bread, fruit juice sweetened jam, and almond butter. But, because I am trying to lose weight and be more conscious of calories, I knew that the sandwich would add about 250-300 calories. But I wanted the salad, and I didn’t want to do just the sandwich alone. So I opted for the salad and at last minute threw on some tortilla chips because 1. they were there, and 2. the smaller amount had less calories than the sandwich would have. But honestly? This was stupid. I know my Thursdays are crazy, and yesterday was no exception. If anything it was much crazier than usual, with more attendees, less volunteers, tornado warnings, more physical activity on my part and so much more. I knew that the salad and the sandwich would have been the proper fuel to hold me over from 11:30 AM to 8:00 PM. But I didn’t eat it. And because of that, my energy was shot. I had to resort to a snack of pretzels, because it was the only vegan option at work. Between the pretzels and the tortilla chips, I ended up calorically equal to the sandwich I originally wanted, but I substituted a substantial, more nutritionally-balanced sandwich for nutritionally-void snacks.
Moral of the story: I know my body and my schedule and needs, and I need to do what’s best for me. I do think counting calories (ballpark, no need to break out the scale to weigh every gram of everything) is beneficial for weight loss. After all, weight loss is calories in have to be less than calories out, so it makes sense to keep track. However, I can’t let the desire for less and the desire to lose outweigh my knowledge of the fuel I need to perform at work (and other daily functions) well.
Honestly, I wasn’t going to share all that on the blog, but why not? I’m sure others have been/ are in the same situation that I’m in, so let it be known that whoever is trying to lose weight, can do it smart and efficiently! And of course, continue to learn as we go.
When I came home I was (obviously) starving, so I sampled a new (to me) product I was sent (full review later!).
Dinner was so healthy and delicious, I cannot wait for leftovers at lunch today! Ross rinsed and cooked some quinoa with lots of water (and a sprinkle of salt), so all the liquid made it extra fluffy. I cooked up some onions, red bell pepper, black beans, black olives, corn and spinach with some lemon juice, loads of garlic powder, cumin and chili pepper. We combined the quinoa and veggies and voila! This also would have been great with some hummus or vegan cheeze mixed in to make it extra creamy!
Then dessert!
Just kidding, that was my BREAKFAST! Looks decadent, right? So healthy (and substantial!). This was a frozen banana (maybe a little over one, they were in uneven chunks) with 1/2 a Tablespoon of almond butter, 1 Tablespoon of chocolate brown rice protein powder and a Tablespoon or two of unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Seriously awesome ingredients that gave this breakfast a great combination of carbs, protein and healthy fat! Taste wise, it was out of this world, especially with a few unsalted roasted peanuts on top to give a crunchy contrast to the creamy meal. Love!
Now I need to tackle my day! My mission?
- Article Review for Nutrition class
- Gym: hour on the stationary bike while reading my nutrition textbook (followed by a weights session)
- Clean the casa!
- Prepare a couple product reviews for the blog
- Prepare for the wedding tomorrow! (Get directions, make a card, etc.).
- Grocery store for a few things
See you all later!!
Breakfast looks great! It’s been so cold here that I haven’t been able to stomach smoothies, but that looks fab
There are often times when I do the exact same. And when I don’t fuel my body properly before a long day at work or school, my body feels it immediately. I struggle with extremely low blood sugar issues if I don’t properly fuel myself so now I know that I need to suck it up sometimes and eat MORE food despite how badly I want to lose (30-40 lbs!)
Sorry for my rambling but I’m glad you posted. It really helps to see that I’m not alone out there! Calorie counting has really helped me. I’m also counting the calories burned during exercise (I use a HRM) and that helps too. Now I understand why I’m so hungry after certain workouts.
Have a good friday!!
I know a lot of people in the blog world seem to freak about counting calories, but if you need to legitamately lose weight, counting calories is a very effective way to track calories and fat, protein, carbs. Not everyone gets obsessive about it…some people can just use counting calories as the tool that it is. Glad you are aware of what works for you and are true to it (except for not eating that sammy of course!).
Courtney
adventures in tri-ing
Your quinoa salad looks to die for, and so refreshing! I bet it would even taste good with some tofu, yums! I feel you on the calorie counting, I kind of need to restart but just am afraid to get all consumed. Sometimes it’s hard to listen to our bodies but we really should. Especially when it says: I want chocolate.
That breakfast looks amazing, I need a VitaMix!!!! Praying I win Chocolate-covered Katie’s giveaway. It’s essential I MUST HAVE BANANA SOFT SERVE. Okay..I’ll calm down now.
Where do you get the brown rice protein and what brand is it?
That quinoa combo looks really good! Thanks for being so open and honest about your weight loss efforts. I’m currently working hard to get back to my goal weight after having a baby and it’s nice to follow what others are doing.
I agree when watching one’s weight you need to be aware of how many calories you consume, but I also feel it is important to not let it get out of control. Counting calories can be good and bad, and be active helps too. Remember you are beautiful ; ) You will be able to reach your goal!!!
Somewhere in between obsessively counting calories and not paying attention at all, there is a healthy balance. It seems you’ve found it.
Quinoa dinner looks fab!
Alright, I just re-read and it sounded like I was saying all calorie counting is obsessive, which is not what I was saying. Having a decent estimate of calories in is not obsessive!
I have in the past, though, counted every single last calorie and it made me cranky.
I like knowing a ballpark range of what I’m eating, too, and think it is very useful when trying to lose weight.
I am so glad you made that confession. I love reading blogs that have that honesty factor because 9 times out of 10, I can relate. And this is definitely one of those cases! I’m also trying to drop a few pounds by the summer. Nothing drastic, but enough for me to want to pay attention to what I’m eating more than I usually do. But I’m facing the same dilemma as you: do I let myself lack in energy for the sake of “saving calories?” Does that mean that my body doesn’t really *want* to lose weight? Should I fight it anyway? Clearly I’ve been struggling with all of these thoughts for a while. My solution right now is eating as many FILLING but low calorie things as possible, i.e. Greek yogurt, egg whites, oats, etc. and so far that has done the trick.
Best wishes girl! xoxo G
Your salad looks SO yummy! I’m glad that you realized how important it is to listen to what your body is saying. I’ve had that happen before too…you want to stay on track but it ends up leaving you famished.
you go girl. I’m really glad you included what you were thinking about the salad/sandwich dilemma because frankly I think things like that too but am just too embarrassed to admit it sometimes. Great blog! I’ll be back again.