I've been a bit more open about doing CRON lately, in that I am telling people that I am trying this new way of eating where you have a software program to monitor what you eat and aim to get all your RDA of vitamins and minerals in your food, rather than taking supplements. Mostly people think I am no madder than they usually think I am. I don't mention the calorie restriction bit though.
Today in the gym, the attendant and I had a long rant about obesity and poor food choices and the misrepresentation of healthy food in general. It was quite cool to not be given weird looks when I say I eat mostly veggies, mostly straight. Most of the time I really do believe I have a super-healthy diet, but sometimes...
Comments about the size of the huge salad at work last week have hit me harder than I thought, because now I am questioning whether I am actually being a CRON glutton or not. CoM can't lie, I hope. Or my food scales? I do seem to be eating huge quantities of veggies now, more than ever, and I'm eating almonds by the palmful. Well, up to 20g of course. But then I have cut out all grain-based carbs (except occassional oatmeal) and all dairy apart from yoghurt in my quotidian diet. So in food, I *have* to be CR'd, right? Because I really can't go any lower in cals.
Today's lunchtime salad practically fills a 3.75 litre box - spinach (no, really?!), mushrooms, yellow pepper, cherry toms, and lentils. I might even add to that with some chopped eggwhites, and something really low cal but crunchy like celery or cucumber. But it is.... huge. I mean, it really would serve 4 with leftovers.
But then I suppose when you only eat mostly veggies, mostly straight, you have to eat a lot to get what you need. My evening meals, when I make more of an effort and add in tofu or quorn and try and make something more elaborate, are smaller. They'd feed 2, say.
This ramble is brought to you courtesy of one teaspoon of cocoa powder in a cafetiere of coffee. *bounce*
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11 comments:
Sara,
You should see the size of the salad I eat every day. In fact, maybe I'll post a picture of it over on my blog. It's ridiculous. My husband laughs every time he sees me eating it. But there are actually not so many calories in that salad - just tons of nutrition.
I think this is the key to my success, actually. Eating a gigantic salad for lunch *really* fills me up. I honestly don't experience hunger until dinner time.
Anyway, do *not* feel like a glutton. You *need* every bite of your huge salad. I know it's hard when you see a non-CR person quickly snarf down a little sandwich and some potato chips in 5 seconds flat while you're still working away at a huge pile of greens at lunch time. Just remember, eating isn't supposed to be a hurried, mindless thing. And you *know* your salad contains *so* much more nutrition than what other people are eating - it's worth it!
-R
Big salads are absolutely the way to go. My only problem is that by eating such a large portion, I need more and more salad dressing to cover it all. I often use a fat free dressing with no cholesterol, saturated fat or trans fat and only 50 calories in 2 tablespoons -- but because of the size of the salad, I often use much more than 2 tablespoons. Any suggestions for even lower calorie dressings that -- and don't get me wrong -- actually taste good?
Al
Al: I swear by equal volumes of minced ginger, lime juice and soy sauce on my salads.
R - Thanks... :-) Actually today after the gym I was starving and wobbly, so it was good to have something to pick at all morning, which I did. And yes, about 200 cals and 70% nutrition! It's all gone. :-)
Al - I put all my salad in the box, then add lemon juice (half or one squeezed lemon) or balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp flax or olive oil (forgot it this time though), 1 chopped clove of garlic, 1 tsp of wholegrain mustard, and grind pepper over the lot of it. Then I put the lid on the box and shake it, a lot. Voila - perfectly dressed leaves and veggies and no wasted dressing hanging around at the bottom. And it tastes good to me!
Sara,
MR eats such huge volumes of food that it takes him half an hour to consume his breakfast salad. I could write the great American novel in the time it takes my partner to eat dinner. Luckily, I like watching him eat. Or watching him do much of anything for that matter. Or just watching him stand still. But then again, I am a little boy-crazy when it comes to tall skinny beasties.
Worry not about your volume! It is for many people the key to success!
As to salad dressings, I love to make dressings by combining wine with vinegar. One of my favorites is a champagne and red wine vinegarette with dried basil and oregano. Another fun one is a dry white and balsamic. Then you can add oil on top. Another dressing I make that you have to carefully measure since it has oil is 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to 1 teaspoon of hazelnut oil with some cinnamon.
a
I am stretching one teaspoon of olive oil & one T of balsamic vinegar to the absolute limit these days so I'm so pleased your post generating lots of dressing ideas.
Remember which peers you are feeling pressured by,..the one who are NOT paying any attention to what they eat. Yugh!
Huge quantities of veggies are what it's all about. This is where our minerals and health is to be found. You are def. doing the right thing! Yeah!
D
Al: Balsamic vinegar packs a lot of flavor in a small number of calories. I have a little of it with some flaxseed oil and olive oil on my salad each and every day.
Speaking of dressings..I forgot mine today and had to ask a colleague if she had any. Thankfully she's really into her health and she had this homemade dressing left in her little 1/2c container. I scrapped that out (probably did not get more than a teaspoon and a half) and shook up my container and wow! was it ever good. So I'm sharing it here (Sorry Sara..no TJ's by you, but I bet you can find the equivalents.) My salad was all cabbages BTW, Kale, Savoy an Endive, tomato and ham and this really worked well.
Dressing:
2 parts Trader Joe’s Alioli Garlic Mustard
3 parts Traders Joe’s Organic Mayonnaise (not soy or anything else- real mayo)
1 part lime/ lemon juice
Dried crushed parsley
Pepper to taste
Yes, you really are CR'd! And you absolutely should not eat less than you do now, 1000ish in food calories is VERY low.
I eat vast quantities of veggies as well. I'm sure most of us eat a lot more food (by volume and weight) than most people, though fewer calories.
Think about it this way - your giant, giant lunch salad has less calories than some chocolate bars that get eaten in 3 minutes.
Oh, and I use lots of rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, or lemon juice as dressing. Garlic or green onion are also flavorful and low cal. In the summer, fresh basil adds interest.
April, booze on my salad -- I like that idea! Sounds like that answer is that there's no commercial product with fewer calories that tastes good so everyone seems to be making their own ....
Al
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