PhysicsDiet.com

Ttfg talks about eating out.

This is probably a first for me. We had Chinese takeaway for dinner a few nights ago, and I didn’t gorge myself. I had one nice-sized plateful, and didn’t go back for seconds. It turns out, you don’t actually starve to death during the night if you do this.

I know what he means. It is amazing how much you adapt. When we used to go eat Chinese I'd order a large entre + an egg roll and eat all of it. I was always miserable afterwards, but I'd eat it all anyway. My wife would order a large and eat half and take half home.

Now we both order smalls and we rarely eat it all. Some times we take leftovers home but a lot of the time we just leave them. We spend a lot less money. But more importantly we actually enjoy the meal a lot more.

Portions have gotten so big that a lot of times we just share a meal. Panera Bread has a new California Mission Chicken Salad. It is wonderful. But it is plenty of food for both of us. Especially when you consider that it comes with a side and we usually get the French or Whole Wheat Baguette. It is amazing that we can go have a cup of coffee, salad, and use the free Wi-Fi for just a little more than $10. We used to spend $50 or more when we'd go out to eat by ourselves.

Even more amazing is that we'd rather go for an hour long bike ride than going out to eat. The money we're saving by not going out to eat should pay for our bikes before the year is up. In fact it will probably pay for them in the first 6 months.

A lot of people recommend that you drink a glass of water before you eat to fill your stomach so you don't eat as much. I've never understood this advice. Water, or any beverage really, just doesn't fill me up the same way food does.

Eat fresh fruit or raw vegetables first

Fruit and vegetables are bulky foods that have few calories. They are incredibly filling.

Try to stick to raw vegetables. Cooked vegetables aren't nearly as filling. And depending on how they are prepared, they may have a lot more calories than the same vegetables in their raw form. If you must cook the vegetables then steam them.

Drink a protein shake first

My daily protein goal is 195 grams. My normal diet usually doesn't come close to this so I supplement my diet with Whey protein powder. After I drink an 8 once protein shake I'm stuffed. If my meal include a protein shake I eat it first.

I love carrot cake. It is my all time favorite dessert. So I was prepared to be disappointed by the Carrot Cake flavored Clif Bar.

I tried one yesterday. It was ok, but it suffered from the same problem as the Lemon Poppyseed. It not sweet enough so all that is left is the bitter taste of carrot. Don't get me wrong. It wasn't disgusting and I didn't have to spit it out. But I won't be buying the Carrot Cake flavor again.

I'm still eating 6 small meals a day. I like to keep a few nutrition bars around in case I need to eat on the run. And sometimes a nutrition bar is a good way to add a little variety to my diet. I don't eat them often, but when I do I like something that tastes good.

Clif Bars usually don't have enough protein in them for me to consider them an entire meal. I usually drink a serving of Syntrax Nectar with them. But in a pinch, on the run, they work fine by themselves.

This week I bought a variety of Clif Bar flavors. I've had them before and I generally like them. But I wanted to sample a lot of the different flavors to see which ones I like the best.

This morning I tried Lemon Poppyseed. I love poppyseed bread and poppyseed muffins. I expected the Clif Bar to taste similar. But it didn't. It was much more lemony than I expected. And there wasn't much sweetness. I was able to finish it, but I will never buy the Lemon Poppyseed flavor again.

Before I get to that, however, I want to highlight what I feel is the really important aspect of this journey. Namely, that my interest in, and enjoyment of, vegetables came about from a sort of palate-shift that I went through once I started eating fewer calories and began focusing on healthier habits. Its not so much that I discovered secret new ways to prepare vegetables that somehow made them more enticing. Its more that I began realizing that candy and snacks were not providing me with satisfaction or energy I need.

[Skinny Daily Post]

I know exactly what Jonathan is talking about. I now crave vegetables and fresh fruit the way I used to crave bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes.

I like some frozen vegetables. But I don't like frozen broccoli. I hate the way they chop up the entire bunch of broccoli, stalk and all. So I buy fresh broccoli. It is really easy to clean and cut.

I usually cut up two bunches all at once and put it in a Tupperware container. It keeps in the fridge all week. Then I can eat it raw with some dip or dressing. Or I can steam it and have fresh steamed broccoli with dinner.