Today I did really well with my eating. I've been pretty good all week, but today I was really mindful of what I ate. I did especially well with my snacking.
I used to think of snacks as "treats". Candy, chips, junk food items. Now I treat snacks as something filling and healthy, about 100-200 calories, with the purpose of keeping my blood sugar normal. It also is to help me fend off hunger. When I don't eat every few hours I feel really sick. And I eat a lot more at my next meal.
Most of the time my snacks are fruit. Apples, bananas, oranges... they are portable and filling.
Today I had to stop at the grocery store after work, It was already 7 and I hadn't had dinner yet. On the way home I was really hungry. I had "splurged" and bought Goldfish crackers. I haven't had them in a long time and I love them!
Now, this is the kind of snack that I could eat the whole bag in one sitting! But, instead I looked at the serving size. 55 fishies for 140 calories, And that was all I was going to have.
So I counted them. Instead of shoving a whole handful in my mouth I ate one or two at a time and counted them. When I got to 10 crackers eaten I thought, you're about 1/5 of the way through your serving. At halfway I thought, wow that lasted a lot longer than I thought. I get to eat that same amount again. I enojyed the control I had, and I enjoyed the food much more!
Now, I think of this as more of an indulgent snack. A serving of goldfish probably won't keep me as full as fruits or vegetables, but I think it's okay sometimes.
Another thing I've learned about snacking is to expand my view.
I like these snacks:
Soup!- 140 calories I don't like all Progresso Light Soups. In fact, I think several have a bad aftertaste. But I love this one! Chicken Vegetable Rotini. Only 140 calories per CAN. It's a great light meal to compensate for heavy meals, or have a cup or two as a snack! Very filling.
Half a sandwich- about 150 calories depending on how you make it.
Cheese Quesadilla -150 calories. I buy delicious tortillas that are only 50 calories, add an oz. of cheese (100 calories) and have a great snack! It's also great with bell peppers.
Laughing Cow Original Swiss wedge with whole grain Ritz crackers. 130 calories. A serving of crackers is not filling enough to tie me over to my next meal. But eating it with the cheese is perfect. 7 crackers is 100 calories and the cheese wedge is 30.
Awesome idea for snacks! Another idea on the goldfish crackers is to get the multigrain ones. They really don't taste much different, and they are a little better for you. BTW- I have started (today) trying to eat better, due to your inspiration. Love ya! :)
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