Diet

I feel like the blog has been focused on writing a lot, so I thought I'd made a post about the other half of this blog's inspiration -- health.

Lately, I've been making a real effort to squeeze in time for the things that I love, i.e., writing and reading. And at the same time, I've been making excuse after excuse when it comes to health and fitness: I'm still nursing so I can't diet. That doesn't, however, mean that I need to eat everything I see. I can't take my walks at lunch time, which was always my preferred exercise, since I'm pumping -- but that doesn't mean that I have to give up all physical activity. I'll swear I'm giving up all sweets and processed foods after [The Annual Clam Steam/Nick and Melissa's Wedding/The Garlic Festival/et cetera ad nauseum]. I need to freaking STOP lying to myself and make some real commitments.

We all know that it comes down to diet and exercise. Which one is more important is something that I see debated frequently, but personally, I feel like diet is going to be the angle that's easier for me to tackle at this point in my life, although I'd like to have a game plan for both. I think I'll dedicate this blog to diet and then later this week talk about exercise.

So. What I'd like to be eating:

Breakfast:
My morning smoothie (non-fat yogurt, skim milk, a banana, frozen raspberries and flax seeds)
Healthy cereals with skim milk (making sure to exercise portion control)
Oatmeal with raspberries and raw honey
Homemade Granola with skim milk or non-fat yogurt
Fruit
Eggs, turkey bacon and whole grain toast with Burmmel and Brown.
LESS: muffins, second helpings of cereal, morning sweet tooth fixes, Dunkin Donuts

Lunch:
Healthy Leftovers
Amy's Organic Burritos
Broth-based low-sodium Soups
Kashi Frozen Entrees
Salads with protein
LESS: Processed frozen entrees, fast food, lunching in downtown Albany

Snacks:
Nuts
Fresh Fruits
Cut up Veggies
String Cheese
Hard Boiled Eggs
Air-Popped Popcorn
LESS: processed snacks, sweets, carby crap

Dinner:
Home-cooked healthy meals with whole grains, lean proteins and lots of veggies, especially ones that I can make big batches of for lunches and leftovers.
Less: Take-out, processed frozen dinners, seconds.

On the surface, this looks deceptively easy. I love all the things that I should be eating! I know they fill me and make me feel good. I have two big problems that I need to figure out solutions to:

1. Since grade school, I have a time of day that I have serious binging issues -- the "After School" period, from when I get home from work until dinner time, I feel like my stomach is a cavernous pit that cannot be satiated. Oftentimes by the time I am done snacking during that period, I'm too full for dinner, but since I cook for Frank, I usually wind up eating with him anyway because I feel guilty. How can I stop wanting to eat everything in sight when I get home from work?

2. I feel like, while all the food I listed is delicious and good for me, I'm missing something. Specifically after lunch, I get cravings for something sweet and/or carby like cookies or pretzels. What can I eat to fulfill these cravings while still staying on track? Or should I try to hold out and kill the cravings?

Let me know if you have any suggestions for solutions to my problems or any good dinner recipes to share!