Re-Post: Pictorial Food Log

by Heidi Bylsma | Jun 21, 2013 | Blog

This is a repost of a previous blog post.

But before you read on, please know that WE ALL ARE DIFFERENT. My body has different requirements than yours. In fact, now, a long time after this was posted initially, my body might respond differently than what I share here. Our bodies are FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made!

The reason I share this is because many of us think our bodies need a lot more food than they really might need. So just prayerfully consider this, ok? 🙂 You might want to evaluate if the amounts of food you think you need is based on truth or not. If not, then renew your mind about that! 🙂

—

Hubby has been observing my eating and releasing of weight for over a year. He mentioned last night that had he not seen it, he never would have imagined that someone could survive on so little food. But he sees me doing precisely that. He suggested I take before and after pictures…but of FOOD portions!

So for fun :-), I am chronicling that today–what I am eating and what I would have prepared for myself in the past to show the differences. He is helping me to serve up the “before” servings so I don’t fail to include as MUCH as I used to eat. This is what we have so far:

In October of 2006, I would have easily chowed down what we have in the photo above–three donuts and at least one tall glass of 2% milk (if not two glasses!).

There is nothing at all wrong with donuts. Donuts are good, they are our friend :-), but I would have eaten THREE easily and been stuffed to the gills…and not given a flying fig! It takes a lot of food to sustain 250 pounds. So, this would have been the ticket to start the day.

This morning, what I actually served myself is seen in this photo above. I love love love winter wheat bread, slathered in peanut butter, sprinkled generously with granola complete with almonds in it. This is chased with a small half mug of milk. YUM! This is a whole body pleaser for me. I find that if I start the day with a donut now, I crash and burn quickly. I *can* do that if I want, but I don’t feel it is the best thing. “Permissible” yes, but not beneficial. In fact, sometimes I have a donut for “second breakfast” but that is another story! I didn’t eat for the first time until 9am this morning…which would typically be about the time I get to a 0 for “second breakfast!”

LOL! So…when I was all done eating breakfast, the photo above shows what was left after I ate.

Presto! I went from 0–totally empty, to a “I am not hungry any more” and I call that a 5 or satisfied. I used to have a really hard time “finding” 5…I discovered that it was a place I would fudge quite a bit…to see how much I could *stuff* in before going too far. Now I generally stop where I am comfortable…and that is marked by not being hungry any more. It makes it much simpler.

My husband pointed out that the amount of food it takes to sustain a healthy person really is not much at all. The problem is we WANT to eat more! We WANT to be able to justify it! But our bodies are SO efficient!

This isn’t about anorexia either.  If I get hungry, I am delighted to go eat whatever I desire. My goal, however, is to stop when I am not hungry any more or move around rigorously (cantering on one of my horses?) without having that erppy, burppy feeling that comes from jostling a stomach that is too full. Does that make sense? 🙂

So lunch in the past would have been at least what is pictured above. This is four pieces of pizza on a dinner plate with a couple of tablespoons of real butter for spreading on the crusts. Each and every bit of food would be gone…and probably a bit more than this. I would have gone back for more! Again, this is what I served myself in the PAST. I would probably read while I ate it, too, and not even “register” in my mind that I was eating. I wouldn’t enjoy my food. I would inhale it instead. I would probably have “dessert” afterwards. After all, eating lunch and dinner always were followed by something sweet–often a heaping bowl of ice cream. Nothing wrong with pizza, donuts, ice cream. But that was a LOT of food!

Above is what I actually served myself today when I was at a 0 at noon. Two pieces of pizza and about one tablespoon of butter (yes, the real thing) on a salad plate. I prefer to serve myself food on a salad plate.

One other note about this pizza. In the past, we would have gotten a Papa Murphy’s pizza.  I don’t know about you all, but I have noticed how grease pools on it–a LOT. It even grosses my kids out! (You know there is a problem when your child starts blotting grease off the pizza and you never taught her to do that!) So, we use Boboli pizza crusts and each person gets what they want on their pizza and the amount of cheese they want. I feel a lot better about that choice for a pizza than about the oozing goozing liquid orange grease all over the plate kind. Nothing wrong with that, per say. This is a choice we make.

My son pointed out that the Papa Murphy’s pizzas are so much bigger, too. I had forgotten about that. So, anyhow, while this may not be on anyone’s “wholesome food” list, it is definitely a step upwards from Papa Murphy’s or Round Table. My family even agrees!

Above shows what was left of my lunch today after I was through. As you can see, I didn’t eat all that I served myself. There is almost one full piece of the two I served myself left. (Bits from both pieces as I had to have the crust…my favorite part. Gosh! I even left some of the butter! LOL!)

I have a policy of leaving some food on my plate no matter how little I serve myself. It keeps me from a sense of entitlement eating at other times and it diminishes the likelihood of greed. Besides that, the dogs like the results of Mom eating this way!

 In fact, I recently put my dogs on a “diet” so they could still enjoy the table scraps they get. I figure dog food meal after meal can’t give them all the nutrients they need. It has to be far better for them to get a bit of cheese, bread, granola and peanut butter on occasion, ya think? They agree!!!

So, I hope this little food log of sorts helps show some of the differences that I have made in my eating.

What do you think…are there changes to your portions that you might be able to make? Do you need to renew your mind about how much food you think it takes to satisfy your body? What IF you were to give yourself less food? What IF you were to leave some of it on your plate each time? What do you think?