Healthy eating for the long haul

• Tweet
• Sharebar

• Tweet

Two weeks ago I posted about an eating regimen that my husband and I were embarking on. I would love to tell you that we have lost 20+ pounds each, but that is not the case.

We are now 3 weeks into this regimen. We are not a TV show or documentary. We have definitely had our ups and downs.

During our 5 days of just juice, we found it fairly easy. We ran into a bit of a snag when we had an event to go to. It was a blogger’s event sponsored by, of all things, 3 Musketeers. Not the new movie, but the candy bars! It was a great restaurant with a nice little buffet spread and bowls of 3 Musketeers and lots of great people to talk to. We stopped on our way there (it was in Atlanta) at a juice bar and picked up juices to drink while at the event.

I will be honest, we DID end up eating a bit. There was some large homemade potato chips topped with an awesome salmon salad. And some croissants filled with barbeque brisket. We had 1 of each, but only ate the meat from each and did not eat the carbs. Hubby brought me a mini 3 Musketeer. He took a bite and I took a bite. We drank plenty of water. You’ll be happy to know we did not bring home any candy, even though there was PLENTY to go around!

We also ate a few sliced tomatoes that week as well. And they never tasted so good!

Family Reunion

The first day off of our juice fast we had a family reunion to attend! If you remember, we were supposed to go back to a fruit and veggie diet for 5 days. I have to admit hubby and I did a bit of cheating, but considering what we would have normally eaten, we did very well. Even though we did some cheating, a small piece of friend chicken each, hubby had some potato salad, we ate plenty of veggies and avoided all the pasta, biscuits and cornbread. I visited the dessert table and took a spoonful of a couple of the homemade desserts. (I had no interest in wasting calories on store-baked goods.) If I was gonna cheat, it had to be good! All things considered, we felt pretty good about ourselves.

As the days have gone by, we have proceeded to eat a more “normal” diet. We have a fruit-based juice for breakfast, a lunch consisting of a salad or a veggie-based dish. We have a veggie-based juice for our afternoon snack. Then dinner is another veggie based dish or soup. We add meat a couple of times a week. For snacks, we eat fruit, veggies or nuts and seeds, such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

Cheating is not failing

We have had a couple of other cheats. Last Saturday, we went to our very first (and probably only, lol) NASCAR race. We packed our own dinner and snacks, as well as juice and water. We did so well, until someone behind us came back with a roasted turkey leg! I digressed and sent hubby to get one. Lo, and behold, he comes back with a turkey leg AND a corn dog! The corn dog was for him! I did so enjoy the turkey leg!

We attended a music festival last Sunday. I had a really bad day emotionally, dealing with some adult siblings, and I had a weak moment. I got a butter pecan ice cream cone, and savored every lick!

I think the biggest thing we have learned is that once or twice a week, a small splurge is acceptable and should not induce guilt. Today, I met for lunch with an old friend. I had a great salad from the salad bar. As we sat and chatted, she suggested a peek at the dessert menu. I looked at it and searched for the smallest thing possible, and found a blondie for one. When I asked the server for it and to leave the ice cream off, he warned me it was tiny, lol! I told him it would be perfect!  I enjoyed having small dessert and coffee with my friend. No guilt!

Through all of this, our weight has fluctuated. My husband has lost 16 pounds and I have lost 11. While I would love to see more loss, there is more to this picture.

It’s not all about weight

We have also been exercising, so I believe we are building some muscle, which is heavier. Our exercise has caused us to have much more energy and mental clarity. I feel stronger physically.

As for my husband, he has suffered with sleep apnea for years. His snoring keeps me awake and I have to wear earplugs every night. He also sleeps fitfully, constantly being startled awake by his stopping breathing. Even though he has only just begun losing and needs to lose at least 30 more pounds, his snoring is almost all gone. He is sleeping much better and even remembers dreaming (sleep apnea interferes with REM sleep). And… I don’t have to wear earplugs anymore! With the renewed energy from eating well, and more restful sleep, he is not napping at all and feels like a new person!

I had posted what we were having for dinner last night on twitter, and everyone wanted the recipe! I am not a food blogger, so this not fancy, but I did snap a picture with my phone! This recipe is like most of our meals, something I saw somewhere and added my own twist to it.

Mediterranean Eggplant

I have been experimenting with eggplant. I don’t love its texture, but it tends to take on the taste of whatever you cook it with and can be substituted for pasta in many dishes. I LOVE pasta (my Italian heritage!) but for now avoiding it. This dish is one of a few I have come up with!

Ingredients

1 onion diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped or minced

2 Tbs olive oil

1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed

1 large zuchinni, cut into half moon shapes

1 can kidney beans drained

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 Tbs oregano

2 Tbs pesto (I have some homemade I bought at a local farmers market)

4 oz of chopped feta cheese

1/4 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil til browned. Meanwhile, put the rest of the ingredients in a 9 x 13 dish, except for the cheese and water.  Stir half of the cheese into the mixture.

After the onions are browned, pour the water into the skillet and stir and then pour the onion concoction into the dish. Stir all the ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, place the rest of feta crumbles on top and put back in oven til cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

This recipe should serve 4-6 people. We ate this, along with some roasted red potatoes.

I found this dish to be very tasty, eggplant and all! It is a fairly quick fix too, and then you can leave it while it cooks and do something else.

I have no idea of actual nutritional content, but most of the ingredients are fat free except for the olive oil, the pesto and the feta cheese.

~~~~~~~

I believe that lasting changes have to be slow and realistic. We will probably add more meat back into our diet, as well as dairy and cheese. I do not think, however, that we will foray much back into the land of processed foods, except on rare occasions.

What changes have you successfully made in your diet and exercise?