Yesterday I took on a challenge posed by some of my Weight Watchers friends.  For one day we this we were challenged to eat only whole, real foods.  No fat free, no processed, no packaged stuff…IE no stuff I normally eat.  I did not realize how much of this stuff I actually eat until I attempted this challenge.  It was a lot freaking harder than I thought and I’m proud to say I did it but don’t know if I want to do it again anytime soon.

 

Breakfast was easy because I usually just eat oatmeal with a teaspoon of olive oil made in the microwave with water and blueberries.  I add some greek yogurt after it’s done cooking.  How yummy my purple mess is!  But then I went to grab my coffee and remembered I was screwed.  I normally put in some almond milk with some Fat Free French vanilla Creamer.  How sad it was to not have my half-caff coffee to wake me up. 

I completely forgot my snack because I was in a rush so I wolfed down an apple while cooking lunch.  Not bad but I usually keep a Clif Zbar in my desk for the days that I’m super busy and can’t make my snack.  It was crazy to not be able to just grab it because my stomach started flipping and knotting.  Does that count as exercise?

Lunch was an interesting to say the least.  I usually have a salad but some of my favorite toppings were a no-no yesterday.  I like to put Reduced Fat or Fat free cheese (feta, gorgonzola, cheddar, etc) on it.  It gives it that cheesiness I love without all the points.  And since I don’t use full fat cheese I didn’t have any to add.  I love my cheese like product that tastes just fine to me…it just didn’t fit the challenge. 

And yesterday was supposed to be my weight lifting day so I would normally grill up a TJ’s Chile Lime Chicken Burger to chop on top.  Nope…that got thrown back in the freezer.  So I ended up with roasted corn, peas, and roasted red peppers on top of my salad with a dressing of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and olive oil.  I had a side of an apple sprinkled with cinnamon.

 

Dinner should have been easy but I still have my aversion to really cooking because of how stressed out I am.  I sure hope I get over this soon because I have some great proteins in my freezer and some great recipes to cook but I don’t wanna and I’m using the excuse that I don’t have time.  I have been eating my version of an egg burrito made with Egg Beaters, hummus, Laughing Cow Cheese and salsa on a Whole Wheat wrap.  So I ended up steaming a HUGE potato in my microwave.  This is no exaggeration… this potato was the size of my dog’s head.  But it was yummy and sweet.  I had to sub out my normal Reduced Fat Land ‘o Lakes butter with canola oil for some salsa, garlic salt, greek yogurt and half an avocado.  Tasted so much like Mexican food of some sort.  I think I’m repeating this meal tonight even without the challenge

 

Later I was hungry for a snack.  I skipped things that I would normally eat like pretzel thins and made myself a Whole Wheat Wrap with a sliced Fuji apple, Peanut Butter, cinnamon and a splash of honey.  So yummy.  And I had a small bowl of Cheerios and milk to finish off the night.

 

I was so busy and didn’t get in my exercise.  It was supposed to be weights night and without all the protein I am used to I decided to skip it.  And I just ended up working on my quilting projects.  It was a good night so I’m okay with it.

 

I realize after yesterday that I rely on a few substitutes quite regularly.  But I don’t really mind.  When I do use them it’s only a bit here and a bit there.  I’m not eating a pound of fat free cheese or chugging a gallon of Bolthouse Protein drinks on weights day.  I use the to supplement my already healthy diet.  I eat plenty of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins.  I think this day just made me aware of them so I can make sure I don’t overdo it.  Over course if I was more prepared yesterday would have been easier but I didn’t want to spend money for food I was going to only eat for one day.

 

All in all I think it was a good day.  For some people they don’t like substitutes but for me they fit just right.  It is important to pick what works for you so that you can live with it.  I would totally avoid things like cheese if there wasn’t a reduced fat version for daily use.  So for me I like my choices and need to be more conscious of them.

 Question: Do you eat food substitutes?  Have you ever tried a full day with no substitutes?

Hip Update:  No I’m not hip, far from it…come on I quilt in my spare time   But my tendonitits in my hip isn’t really getting better.  I have rested and iced it all week.  I have taken my regular doses of Advil and not run a single day no matter how much it pains me not to.  But it’s not working so I called the doc back this morning.  I don’t want to go into the office if she is just going to tell me to rest some more and take more Advil.  So I called and I’m waiting to hear back.  Hunni and I will be out in Colorado next week so if I need to see her I need to get in today.  Hopefully it’s no big deal.  I’m still hoping to run my 10K.  I’ll keep you posted.