Week #1 Progress Report…

So far my diet goals for January are right on track. I must admit that I have been missing alcohol, but so far all is well and I feel pretty good. Every single morning this week, I cooked a delicious omelette with mushrooms and bell peppers. Along with this, I had 1 piece of whole wheat toast w/ butter, a large glass of milk, and 1 banana (usually eaten at work around 10 or 11am to help me make it until lunch).

I also managed to stay on track at work. Lunch every day was baked chicken with corn, along with my usual side snack of sliced bell pepper, and pear slices. In the afternoon when I hit my 3:00 slump, I had apple and mango slices. Sometimes I also had an extra banana or orange on days when I was a little extra hungry.

I didn’t cook dinner as much as I was hoping to this week, but I still did not cheat on my diet on those days. I did, however, cook 1 dinner this past week for myself and the roommate. It was healthy and delicious, and now I have 1 new recipe to add to my growing file. It was super quick and easy, so I am extremely happy about that. If you want to try it, here it is:

Sauteed Shrimp with Asparagus

Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a skillet. Scatter 1 clove of thinly sliced garlic and cook 1 minute. Add 10 oz. peeled shrimp, 1 cup chopped asparagus, and some chopped scallions (my addition). I also added broccoli and cauliflower for some variety. Cook 2 minutes, until shrimp is opaque (I used already cooked frozen shrimp that had been thawed). I just sautéed everything together for a few minutes until the veggies seemed nicely cooked. Topped it off with squeezed lemon and ground pepper. Yum!

I will definitely be adding this into my regular rotation. 

Getting Back on Track

The Plan…

I took a little break from the blog for a while, but now I am back! I guess things started to fall apart during my trip to Finland and I couldn’t quite get myself back on track during the holidays. However, I resisted temptation many, many times throughout December, so I feel as if I didn’t fall off the wagon completely!

Anyway, to kick-start my new sugar-free lifestyle back into gear, I am going to follow a strict, very low sugar diet for the entire month of January. In a way, it’s just going back to the original plan I started last September, but the rules are stricter this month. In my original plan, I allowed myself unlimited complex carbs, such as whole wheat bread, pasta, crackers, etc. I also allowed myself alcohol. For the month of January, however, I am eliminating alcohol and reducing the amount of complex carbs as much as possible. I will be focusing more on sources of protein, fruit, and veggies.

I am hoping that by doing this, I will develop healthier habits to fall back on rather than my unhealthy habits from the past. Not only will it help me cement healthier habits into my lifestyle, it will also help me feel the difference of how this new diet affects my body. I already know that avoiding sugar has a significant positive effect on my body and mind, but I want to see if there is still an even more positive effect when I eliminate the slight cheating I allowed myself before.

This month will be difficult because I will have to plan each meal carefully, and will have to actually cook at night (gasp)! After a full month of doing this though, I think it will be easier to stay on the wagon once I find some easy, healthy meals and snacks I can fall back on or throw together really quick when I’m busy and tired and don’t feel like spending a lot of time cooking (which happens quite often).

I will share my progress through the month and will share any delightful and easy recipes I come across. Also, if you have any ideas or recipes to share, please pass them along. I welcome any help and/or advice I can get!