Stuffed

It's funny. When you're looking at healthy eating, meal plans, etc, or you consider what a portion size actually should be, most of us think "Wow - I would starve if that's all I ate - I'd be hungry all the time". This was certainly the case for me, anyway, and is still the case with many people I know. It's funny what our bodies can adjust to, though.

I've been eating "healthy" for 4 weeks, now. The first 2 weeks were much more limiting in terms of both what and how much I ate, but the last 2 weeks have included a greater variety of foods. Portion size is still a key factor, though (for everything other than low-cal veggies - you can eat as much as you want of those).

As an example, today at lunch  I had a glass of almond milk, a mix of sweet red peppers with mushrooms, and an apple. I was stuffed. I actually found myself thinking that next time I had to buy smaller apples, because I couldn't finish it all.

For dinner tonight, I had a 4oz serving of chicken breast (baked with a little Frank's hot sauce on it), about 1-2 cups of sauteed fresh mushrooms, and a fist-sized serving of baked sweet potato. I was stuffed. I practically forced myself to eat the last bite of chicken and sweet potato, and that was just because it was so yummy I wanted to taste more of it :)

This has been a huge eye-opener for me. I used to over-indulge ALL the time. I truly believed that those "recommended portion sizes" were an absolute joke, and that no normal person could eat that little. My body must be used to it by now, though. This in an of itself feels like an accomplishment for me. The fact that I can enjoy a meal that is made up of the right foods, in the right amounts, and feel full & satisfied, means that these eating habits are something I can maintain long-term, without ever feeling hungry.

Programs today seem all about the buzzwords. Gone are terms like "diet" and "exercise" as a means to reach your goals. They've now been replaced by "healthy lifestyle" and "active lifestyle" - oh - and don't forget the "total lifestyle change". I used to scoff at these things. They were just fancy packaging and terms attached to basic concepts, weren't they? I'm not so sure now... I've been on the PINK method for 4 weeks now, and I'm starting to believe the hype.

I have more energy, I don't feel hungry, I feel healthier - and I feel like the changes I'm making are ones that I can maintain for a lifetime. Proper portion sizes of nutritious foods don't leave me feeling starving, as I once thought that they would. The actually leave me feeling stuffed. I'm pretty excited about that right now.