Today has felt like the first day back at school after the summer holidays. The weather is feeling particularly autumnal, it was really dark when we got up this morning, plus I don’t have any more holidays planned for the remainder of the year. I’ve even started to wear some of the clothes I bought in Brighton and London that I’d been keeping to wear for A/W season. I know we still have a bank holiday next week here in the UK and I’m hoping for some sunshine but lets just say I’m not going to hold my breath!
My right leg is not in a good way after my 13 miler yesterday, its really tight and achy so I just took it easy at the gym this morning. I still managed some intervals on the cross trainer and step machine and a few strength exercises which actually worked to loosen me up a little.
Breakfast was a delicious chocolate cherry green monster smoothie (spinach, frozen cherries, chocolate whey, maca powder and soy milk) topped with desiccated coconut and some cacao nibs.
Lunch was a quinoa salad left over from Saturdays dinner minus the feta cheese.
It was still delicious. One of my work colleagues made a comment about how big it was – ‘are you really going to eat all that?!’ I know she didn’t mean it in a tasty way but its actually made me really paranoid about my portion sizes. They have been increasing and I know I can really put away some food, but I believe in volume eating – most of what is on this plate is veggies after all. I still felt pretty crap though :-( I also had a peach.
Mid afternoon I snacked on half a tub of quark cheese with some pecans and dried blueberries.
Luckily I had been paid early so I could go and get a grocery shop in, I hate it when I’m running low on fresh fruit and veggies!
I didn’t want to spend forever and a day preparing dinner tonight as I have quite a bit to catch up on so I decided to try out the salad bar at Sainsbury’s.I got a medium pot of two different bean salads and some cooked chicken. Tonight I had the Moroccan Chickpea salad mixed with some chopped chicken for extra lean protein on top of cos lettuce.
The chickpea salad included lovely sweet sultanas and went really well with the chicken. I’m going to have the other bean salad for lunch tomorrow. For desert I had a chopped apple and a chopped peach with soy milk and cinnamon.
I definitely think I’m going to have to start keeping an eye on my portion sizes as well as the general amount of food I consume. I really can eat for England! Sometimes I feel a bit embarrassed to post what I have eaten (take yesterday’s Asian buffet as an example) but if I didn’t I wouldn’t only be misleading you guys but I’d be lying to myself. At the same time, I believe that hunger isn’t something we should feel ashamed of as long as we are eating healthy and nutritionally dense food. I workout a bit and I know I need to eat more to fuel this. What’s your thoughts? Do you ever feel embarrassed by the amount of food you eat? Sorry for the little rant but I guess my work mates comments really got to me!
Oh, and before I go – Teapigs are offering 20% discount before midnight tomorrow (24th August) – quote ‘crazy sale’ at check out. I love their tea but it is on the expensive side (you do have to pay for good quality I guess) so now is the time to buy if you’ve been thinking about it. I decided to use some of my monthly pocket money budget to finally try out some of their Matcha Green Tea powder. As a huge green tea fan I can’t wait to try it and its amazing nutritional benefits. I also ordered some more of my favourite Liquorice and Peppermint tea which is naturally sweet, some Popcorn Green Tea and some Yerba Mate to try, which apparently keeps you alert and supports detoxification and weight loss but tastes a bit funky, we shall see! Also keep a look out for my Tea Pigs Review coming soon x
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Argh I hate that kind of comment, one of my friends from uni said something like that to me about a bowl of cereal when I was in fairly early stages of recovery from my ed. I could have punched him in the face, and 4 years on it seems I haven’t forgiven him hehe. Worst thing was, he ate loads, once we went to an all you can eat restaurant and he ate more than everyone else plus 2 sandwhiches before hand, I was so insulted.. can you tell I’m still bitter!
Remember your foods are healthy foods the portion sizes might look big but they’re probably so much more nutritious and less calorific than the foods most people eat. Think about the nutrition you’re putting in not the size!
I really want some matcha powder, I can’t afford it at the moment but it’s good to know where sells it as I’ve been unsuccessful finding it so far! I’ve got a recipe for matcha cupcakes I really want to try, yumm!
I totally agree – we should never be ashamed of being hungry, after all it’s a series of complex physical processes in the body! As long as we eat healthily and slowly, then we have nothing to feel guilty about. xxx
Damn it, my comment just disappeared!!
Basically it said not to worry what other people think of your food. It is all healthy and nutritious so if you are eating out of hunger then there is absolutely nothing to worry about. You do a lot of exercise and you need to fuel that properly. I think what you eat is perfectly fine!
I complete understand the way you feel about that type of comment, I feel funny myself sometimes when I have a big portion – but remember all the exercise you do, you’ve just ran a half marathon! You need a lot more food than the average person that doesn’t workout half as much as you.
I sympathise, I often go to restaurants with friends and they never finish their food…. and then when I am clamouring for dessert, they give me funny looks! You have been been training hard plus the physical exertion, excitement and emotion of the half marathon will make you hungry. FWIW that portion of food looked normal to me!
I’ve had that said to me hundreds of times and yes i sometimes think my portions are on the large side but they’re usually filled with so many veggies its hard not to make them big! Don’t worry about what others think your obviously on the right track your weight is coming off and you look fab so stick with it lady x x
Oh my goodness! I have never looked at what you eat and thought that it was too big. Looking at the picture of your lunch- it is nutrient rich, volume filled, LOW Calorie and healthy. It is also no bigger than the lunches I eat, or the lunches I see elsewhere in blogland!
You know that you are a healthy weight, and that you eat healthy meals. I wonder if your colleague could say the same?
I would be annoyed by a comment like that too. People just don’t think sometimes. But you know it was all nutritious and not too calorically dense. Plus you workout hard and need to fuel that body. I wouldn’t be worried about. If you are hungry for that much food…enjoy!
I can totally relate.
People always comment on the amount I eat, after a while you start to feel quite self conscious!
I used to feel embarrassed by the amount I ate, but it used to be mainly crap! Now I probably eat less, but it’s definitely a bit healthier.
You work out a lot and what you eat is amazingly healthy so I wouldn’t worry too much unless you start piling on the pounds.
You are a total inspiration to me, I just wish I could be as focussed and as healthy :)
x
Laura – he sounds like a tosser! I think your right I know I’m getting better nutrition in those big portion sizes. I’ll let you know what the matcha is like – I’m going to try making some cakes with it too!
Parisa – your so right, it seems daft that we can feel ashamed of something that is natural!
thehabitofhealthy – thank you! I guess I just needed some perspective. Most of the time it is eating out of hunger although I know some snackies are boredom and stress and its then that I need to watch myself I think
Becky – I know I need more for working out than other people, I just need to keep reminding myself!
neigeblanche – Oh I totally know what you mean! Its awful when that happens, you feel really bad don’t you, but we shouldn’t! I’m glad you think my portion sizes look ok, sometimes I just need some perspective!
Tam – thanks, I think if your portions (just like mine) are big due to veggies then thats a good thing! I’m maintaining my weight at the moment but it just means that when a have a week when I’m eating out or drinking a couple of times then I gain :-(
Jo – thanks your comment (along with everyone elses) has made me feel so much better – sometimes we just need to regain some perspective!
Tina – thanks for your comment – I think I shall continue to enjoy my salad beasts!
Jess – sorry that this is something you can relate to it sucks! I think we just need to say sod them as long as we are eating healthy stuff. I might even try explaining the volume eating concept to some people so they understand!
Linz – thanks for that lovely comment, I’m sure your focus will come. I do have to watch the pounds – as I said in response to Tam, I’m at the point were a couple of naughty meals seem to stick on me!
Arghhhh i hate that!! people say to me alot ohhh are you going to eat all of that? or oh your good to yourself, its alwas said jockingly and never nasty but still its not nice makes you feel a little ashamed! but when you eat healthy and mainly veg and fruit etc like we do you need more volume! Emily at the Front Burner has covered this issue a few times, her and her husband eat HUGE portions. its perfectly normal when you eat a diet like ours and work out as much as we all do. alot of the population are a bit clueless about nutrition and fitness, and so to them big portion = putting on weight etc, but its just not true! you stick with what your doing! when a nutritionist/dietician/or someone with alot of experience and knowledge starts commenting in the negative about what you eat/portion sizes thats when you need to take a step back and look closely! sorry super long reply! i just feel strongly!!
If you’re genuinely hungry and have a healthy appetite, go ahead and feed it I say!
I’ve been meaning to try that matcha green tea pwd for ages!
xoxox
I really wouldn’t worry about your portion sizes Laura. You are eating tonnes of VEGGIES! Not chips! You are doing fine. Don’t listen to other peoples snipey comments – it’s your body, and you are listening to its demands! Intuitive eating and all that ;)
It’s a running joke amongst all my mates how much food I consume/buy! I can’t help it, I was raised on big portions and with the notion that no food should go to waste at meal times! It used to make me paranoid when my mates would comment but then I realised they probably joke about it because they’re surprised at how someone can put away so much food and not gain weight, so now I just take these jokes as a compliment :-D
I’m lucky that I don’t need to exercise to stay slim and if I eat big portions, then someone who exercises on a daily basis such as yourself should definitely be eating a substantial amount. An extra few veggies probably equates to, what – 10 calories??!
Laura, I hate to say this but… have you ever considered ditching the scales? A number is a number and you shouldn’t allow your life to revolve around a few digits. Quite a few bloggers have covered the issue of using scales to measure your health and weight, and I wholeheartedly believe life is too short to be worried about a few numbers. As long as your clothes still fit perfectly, and you feel healthy and good in yourself, why worry about whether an extra meal out is going to make you ‘gain’?
Don’t let your colleague’s comment get you down – try taking it as a compliment that you’re still slim even though you can eat a lot, which is something many people cannot do :-)
I’ve never been embarrassed about my portions because I like to eat a lot. These days it’s mostly healthy food I eat, so there should be no harm in eating a lot. You’re a very active person, you need your fuel!
Neen – I haven’t seen the Front Burner but I’ll be checking it out! Your absolutely right, I think so many people think big portion size = bad. Don’t apologise for the long comment, I love them x
Cosmic – thanks – I think your right!
LME – thanks, your right, sometimes I forget that I am eating loads of veggies! I won’t be listening to any more comments from now on!
Joolz – your so right, I’ve been thinking about ditching the scales for a while now but I think after all these years I’m kind of hooked on them. I think I might finally be ready to move on but I guess if I’m honest I’m a bit scared too. Watch this space! x
Thanks Anne, I think your right I do need my fuel! I guess we should not be ashamed of enjoying good healthy food!
Don’t ever be ashamed of being hungry, I spent so man years feeling embarrassed about eating in front of other people and it’s so pointless as most of the time people don’t give a damn about what you’re eating. There are just a handful of people that feel it necessary to comment on EVERYTHING! I get it a lot as if I eat at work, I eat at my desk and I have patients saying “oh, eating AGAIN?” I just say “yes – aren’t I lucky that I can eat so much an stay so slim” – they normally hate that ;)