Don't let all your hard work go to waste

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” 

-  Beverly Sills

So for the last 9 months or so being unable to do very much working out of course I was paranoid about gaining weight. I have pretty much had an obsession about this since I lost all my weight about 4 or so years ago. Even though I know I know better or at least I thought I did, I started not eating very much. Pretty much just grazing maybe eating 3 times a day. Well I have been losing weight so its working right? But then when seeing my natropathic doctor the other day she mentioned to me that I wouldn't want this beautiful metabolism that I have worked so hard for over the years to go to waste. It might be working for me now but what's going to happen later. Something else to consider is the weight I am losing fat or muscle. Well I don't think I had very much fat so chances are its muscle since I haven't been able to lift anything with my back. My exercise routine has pretty much consisted of some gentle yoga and short 1 mile walks. My focus now in order to be successful still needs to consist of healthy foods and mostly eating foods that decrease vs. increase inflammation since I want to keep the inflammation as low as possible I will need all the help I can get. I do recall that I used to make fun of people who ate like I am eating now. You may be thinking what has your diet been like. Ok, so even though I am very embarrassed saying this cause I would of never thought of eating this way before I will confess.

Breakfast:
A small bowl of cereal with milk
(yes, I know me eating cereal!)

Lunch:
A half of peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Dinner:
A chicken breast and veggies
(now that's more like it I know)

So of course I didn't eat the exact same everyday but some days were probably this bad. I know what was I thinking? Or was I thinking. My thoughts existed behind the wanting to not spend so much money on food. I get lectures from my financial adviser all the time wondering how I could possibly spend so much money on food. But when you are eating like 5 chicken breast a day and lots of veggies and sweet potato which is not even including the food my husband eats this tends to get very expensive.

So all in all my intentions were good but I have come to realize that I am probably going about this the wrong way. Chances are that I will be more successful keeping my weight off correctly by eating small more frequent meals. I can still experiment with cheaper options such as using other sources of protein like beans and nuts. I never would of counted things like that toward my protein source but I have to remember I am not a weightlifter anymore which means a lot of adjustments and changes have to be made.

Goal: Improve my nutrition while still searching for money saving options. Eat more of an anti inflammatory diet to keep the inflammation in my back down and drink more water.

As stated on web md and anti inflammatory diet consists of:

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
• Minimize saturated and trans fats.
• Eat a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish or fish oil supplements and walnuts.
• Watch your intake of refined carbohydrates such as pasta and white rice.
• Eat plenty of whole grains such as brown rice and bulgur wheat.
• Eat lean protein sources such as chicken; cut back on red meat and full-fat dairy foods.
• Avoid refined foods and processed foods.
• Spice it up. Ginger, curry, and other spices can have an anti-inflammatory effect.

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/anti-inflammatory-diet-road-to-good-health

Sample diet idea:

Breakfast:
2 eggs with veggies or fruit

Snack:
Handful of nuts

Lunch:
1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup black beans, and 1/2 avocado

Snack:
Greek yogurt

Dinner:
4-6 oz chicken and veggies

Snack:
Nuts and Fruit

Now that I struggled to come up with just a sample diet I can see I will have to get more creative. Part of me enjoys cooking and part of me doesn't like to deal with the stress and cleanup cooking leads to. I am definitely not a natural cook which means I have to put a lot more effort into it then some. But I still do believe in whole foods and eating 5-6 times a day. It's time to get back on track.

What is your favorite money saving meal?