Bless Her Heart

“Bless your heart, you are gonna dry up and blow away!”  That’s the usual response from my loving Memaw when I come visit.  She’s convinced I’m starving.  I appreciate her sentiment (and the once a year feast of homemade biscuits and sausage gravy she so lovingly prepares) but in reality, I do eat.  (Pretty much all day).  Growing up, if it wasn’t prepared in lard, smothered in gravy, or deep fried,  it probably wasn’t on my plate.  My mother is from a long line of down home, southern soul cooks.  Southern Fried Chicken, Biscuits and Gravy, and pretty much Crisco laden deliciousness were on the everyday menu.  Paula Deen has nothing on my Memaw and her cooking, but unfortunately, that food isn’t good for my health or my waist line.  Now that I’m eating healthy and exercising regularly, I eat differently to foster my new healthy lifestyle.  

I’m definitely not starving.  I honestly eat every 2.5 to 3 hours during the day.  The more often you eat, the better.  It keeps your metabolism fired up and discourages extra energy storage because your body isn’t apt to think it’s going to be a while before your next meal.  So what do I eat?  I eat small, healthy, (and delicious!) meals throughout the day.  I also make sure I enjoy each bite.  Fuel your body, but also fuel your mind.  Here’s what a typical day of meals looks like for me:

Breakfast:  A scrambled egg,  2% milk cheese and a couple of slices of lean turkey on a bagel thin (or sandwich thin, or English muffin, whatever Publix has on BOGO special *lol*)

Post-workout snack:  Protein shake or Greek Yogurt

Mid-morning snack:  Apple with 1 TBS of peanut butter

Lunch:  Field greens with half a cup of strawberries and chicken breast with my favorite dressing (right now I’m loving raspberry vinaigrette),and a greek yogurt (told you I’m obsessed)

Afternoon snack:  A banana

Dinner:  Lean protein (chicken, lean beef, pork, etc) with rice (I love basmati, jasmine and brown and wild rice mix.  Ah, let’s be honest, I love all rice) and a vegetable (Green beans and asparagus are my favorites)

Evening snack:  100 calorie popcorn, ¾ cup of Kashi cereal or any number of low sugar snacks.  Find what you like the best.  Even frozen yogurt is good on occasion to get your ice cream fix without all of the calories and fat.

You can tweak this to fit your tastes.  Enjoy your food and you won’t feel like you are depriving yourself.  The feeling of deprivation will usually lead to a Ben and Jerry’s binge followed by an ice cream headache and stuffed rumbling belly.  

One last note:  Every once in a while, eat that cupcake/cookie/brownie.  If you eat healthy most of time the time, that occasional “splurge” isn’t going to kill you or pack on the pounds.  Just exercise, eat a healthy diet, and on those special days when your loving mother-in-law/husband/co-worker makes red velvet cupcakes stuffed and covered with cream cheese frosting, you can indulge and eat one.  Moderation is the key.  Eat.  Be healthy.  Be happy. Take a look in the mirror and like what you see.  Ultimately, you are doing this for you and no one else.  

 "...I am the master of my fate.  I am the captain of my soul." - taken from Invictus by W.E. Henley