Food is Fuel

This is my new motto. When I think about how much I’d like some chips, or some fast food, I am asking myself why. Why do I want to eat this right now? Am I bored, am I seeking emotional comfort, or am I legitimately hungry. 9 out of 10 times, it’s the first two reasons. If I’m actually hungry, I will ask myself another question. Will this food fuel me for the morning/afternoon/my workout? If the answer is no, I try to seek out other options. Sometimes it’s simply stepping away from Wendy’s, and going to Subway instead, but there I know I can get whole wheat bread, and load up the veggies. Tina from Carrots N Cake posted a health.com article about Moving Beyond Diet Foods this morning. She talks about what she has found best fuels her body, and I will be taking some of her substitutions into my own meal plans.

My main problem with fuel is breakfast. I eat a variety of breakfasts, but nothing keeps me full. I usually eat around 7am, and am hungry by 10. at 10 I have some fruit, but then have to dig into my lunch early. It feels like I’m playing catch up all day, and then I end up eating too much at dinner. Especially if I eat cereal/milk. I eat way too much of it to start with, and then I’m hungry by 9am. Not worth it! This morning I ate a biiiig bowl of strawberries, with about 1/2 cup of cereal, and a few chocolate chips, mixed with about 3/4 cup of greek yogurt. It kept me full until about 11, and I dealt with a hungry tummy until noon. When I tried oatmeal last week it did help me stay full, but I need to play with the portion size and toppings to find the best mix.

I’ve made it to 5 pm and I am absolutely starving. My lunch was a little weak, a pbj and an applesauce. I has a small bag of salt and vinegar chips at 3 too, which were basically eating very tangy air, for all they did to keep me full.

What are your suggestions for staying full? Everyone I talk to suggests something diffrent, so I’m interested in what you think!