Many of you have asked about my daily routine and what I eat. About three years ago I lost forty pounds. If I stray from the routine outlined below, I immediately start to see the weight creep back on.
A long walk every day is an essential part of my physical and mental health. The earlier, the better! I normally walk/run/jog three miles at about six o'clock every morning in the warmer months. In the colder months, I walk in the warmest part of the day. I move around as much as possible during the day and never take the parking spot closest to my destination. That's it for exercise.
Two cups of tea before my walk is part of every morning—no cream or sugar.
During the day, I sip bottled water with either fresh lime or lemon juice squeezed into it. No ice or sugar. (The bottled water is distributed by Mr. Mickey's company.)
I often make a green smoothie using frozen peas, kale (Russian Kale shown here is my favorite), a banana, yeast flakes (for B12), almond milk, yogurt, and a teaspoon of some flavor of All Fruit by Polaner for sweetness.
I use this plain yogurt as if it were mayonnaise, sour cream, or ice cream, depending upon what I am adding it to.
I have half of the smoothie with breakfast and the other half at lunch. I just put the blender in the fridge until lunch and then give it another whirl on the blender base to remix it.
I have some version of this hot cereal every morning with whatever fruit is in season. The recipe is here.
I sometimes crave a bite of dark chocolate, so I will have one truffle occasionally.
Dates with yogurt are one of my favorite desserts!
Lunch is normally more kale cut up in small ribbons (julienned) with whatever vegetables I have in the fridge. Heirloom tomatoes from my parent's garden are the centerpiece of every lunch right now. I eat vegetables raw whenever possible. Purple Japanese sweet potatoes or quinoa are often part of my lunch. Here is another version of lunch.
A little olive oil and balsamic vinegar are the only condiments I add to salads. Fresh herbs and garlic also give some added flavor. Eating whatever is in season and local as often as possible is my goal. I also buy organic if it is available. On rare occasions, I may eat a piece of chicken or fish if I am at a restaurant I know serves free-range or wild-caught.
Lunch is at about two in the afternoon. I try to eat nothing after three in the afternoon. If it is date night or some other social occasion in the evening, I will order a salad and a glass of wine. I am mindful of portions at all meals, but I eat the least amount of food possible in the evenings.
Food is nourishment, not entertainment, not therapy, not reward. If I eat high nutrient foods during the earlier part of the day, I rarely feel hungry in the evening. I sleep much better when I go to bed with an empty stomach. I also feel less hungry the whole next day.
For more information about healthy eating, read these books:
'Eat to Live' by Doctor Joel Furhman
'Clean' by Doctor Alejandro Junger
7 comments:
Great information. Dates with yoghurt! What a great idea for a sweet. Love your hair in the fabulous after 40 blog. Long on top and shorter on the sides and the back. I have hair that misbehaves in humidity as well. The Sydney summer is a killer for any hair style. Ann
Good ideas for me in your post. I have a different diet plan (have done so many) but always on the lookout for good ideas. Never saw peas in a smoothie before, going to try it. Wanted a delicious green smoothie for a long time, had one once with coconut in it, trying to recreate that flavor but still be acceptable weight control food. We'll see. I'm older than you.
Do you eat alone, mostly? I think it's so much easier when we're not influenced by other people in the house. But I guess that's no excuse and I'll keep trying. I think I have actually influenced my husband, some, to eat better, and I try to keep him happy with desserts that I am not interested in (like ice cream). I just wish he'd stop buying chips - they CALL to me, when I get home from work.
Also wish I had a prettier place to walk. I sound like a grouch and I'm really very blessed.
Interesting information. I like the smoothie and your breakfast, and I love Greek yogurt. But I don't know if I could not eat after 3pm. That's a long time till bedtime and I don't think I have the willpower.
Looks like you have a lovely place to go for your walks. Lucky you!
I'm interested in your choice of tea. I love the name. :) I'll have to see if I can find that.
Susan- Do you follow a recipe for the smoothie or do you just "eyeball" it?
I don't have a recipe for the smoothie. I just put a little of each item and then cover it with the almond milk.
Thank you for sharing more of your daily routine. You do have a beautiful neighborhood in which to walk and a few hills (albeit small) to make it interesting. I'm in the market for new walking shoes. Any suggestions? BTW, put a pecan half with a pitted date and you have a dandy treat.
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