Tidying my Temple End-of-Month Update

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I made the change in my eating habits on July 3rd and I am amazed that I've had no sugar, no processed food nor any sort of fried foods or white flour in a month. Other than once or twice I haven't really had the desire for them either.

I'm learning to cook with different ingredients. This salad had a tofu dressing on it instead of mayonnaise. It was really good the first night and reminded me a bit of ranch dressing. However, I wasn't crazy about the texture the next day. Some things are a win and others aren't.


The couple of times we've gone out I have made sure that I know what's on the menu ahead of time so I have a plan going in. I know that if I wait until I get there and am not prepared then I will be more apt to make a wrong choice. It was a challenge the other night when we met another couple at a place that's geared toward college students and the main choices on the menu were pizza, burgers and deep fried everything. I ordered a salad with grilled chicken and had the dressing on the side. I had to laugh when the salad came with nothing but iceberg lettuce and fries on the side. I gave the fries to someone else and stuck with the salad.

For the most part it hasn't been difficult because the only meal I cook for the family is dinner and they just eat whatever I give them without complaining. So they've been eating much healthier as well. 






I've been finding healthier ways to make old favorites. This was an oil-free granola using unsweetened applesauce to bring it altogether instead of oil. I have to play with it a bit as the texture wasn't as crunchy.


One morning I made sweet potato pancakes for breakfast which were gluten-free. They were delicious!
 

Bit by bit, I've been making progress. I lost 2 lbs. this week for a total of 10 for the month of July. My clothes fit better and I have more energy which is a win.

I'm going to continue to plug away each day and find ways to get myself back to good health.


Comments

  1. obscureJuly 31, 2023 at 10:56 AM

    Bon Appetit had a wonderful recipe for oil and butter free granola - it uses egg whites to make it crunchy. If you google it it will come up - it's the only granola recipe I use now and everyone loves it! It uses honey as a sweetener and has some brown sugar in the recipe but you can easily skip it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TerriJuly 31, 2023 at 11:07 AM

      That's a great idea and I never thought of the egg whites! Thanks for the tip. :-)

      Delete
  2. ElizabethdJuly 31, 2023 at 2:04 PM

    Well done Terri!

    ReplyDelete
  3. RhondaJuly 31, 2023 at 2:34 PM

    Hi Terri, my cardiologist has told me to eat low sodium, only use olive oil for fats, beef no more than once a week, to eat fish at least 2 times week, to eat desserts and cheese rarely
    So I’m eating mostly fruits, vegs, whole grains.
    I don’t really miss meat but it does make meal planning trickier.
    I do miss desserts and I’m not doing nearly as well as you.
    He also told me stop diet sodas and TylenolPM and both were things I used often. I have 100% stopped both of them.

    Hope you’ll keep showing things you cook

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TerriJuly 31, 2023 at 5:48 PM

      I find that initially it's hard to go without the things we have always enjoyed. As I'm learning the science behind this I'm finding it easier. The problem with sugar and most oils or processed foods is they flood your blood stream quickly which spikes dopamine in the brain. Whereas if you are eating whole grains, fruits and veggies, the nutrients are released slowly and over time in your blood system. But our brains keep looking for that quick flood of dopamine and that takes time to retrain the brain. That helped me to understand why I want certain foods that are bad for me.

      Keep on plugging away! You can do it!

      Delete
  4. AnonymousJuly 31, 2023 at 9:06 PM

    Yes, when John and I go out to eat, I check out the online menu. Having a plan going in when you go out is essential to saying on track or at least not getting totally detailed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TerriAugust 1, 2023 at 6:47 AM

      Absolutely! No plan and hunger = certain failure!

      Delete

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