week 1 of clean eating

Last week I bought a book on eating clean by Tosca Reno.  I read the first couple of chapters and decided to dive right in.  I did not throw away all of the junk food in my house....mostly because I want to do this, my family is not totally convinced.  The main premise of this way of eating is two fold: 1. avoid processed foods and white flour as much as possible.  Eat whole foods and/or organic whenever possible.  2. Eat 6 smaller meals per day vs. 3 meals.  Each meal should consist of a lean protein and complex carbohydrates.  Smaller portions, more often, with unprocessed foods.  

I dove right in and went to the store to stock up on the right foods.  Here is an example of one day's worth of food for me: 

Breakfast: 1/3 cup oatmeal  (with flax seed and wheat germ) with a portion of frozen berries and 3 egg whites and 1 whole egg scrambled with hot herbal tea. 

Morning snack: an apple with 2 tbsp of natural peanut butter. 

Lunch:  a nice portion of salad with dressing (I am starting to make my own) with leftover chili-lime chicken and brown rice from the night before. 

Mid-Afternoon snack: 1 cup of low fat plain yogurt with frozen berries. 

Dinner: Salad with dressing, whole grain pasta with sun dried tomato chicken

Evening snack:  1 cup cottage cheese with berries. 

Throughout the day I am constantly drinking water and/or herbal tea.  

my breakfast one morning!

I am finding that I am not really hungry...I may sometimes think I am hungry, but it is usually just boredom or my mind playing tricks.  I try to drink a glass of water and that normally helps.  The  fact that I get to eat every 2 1/2-3 hours usually helps with any "hunger pains".  Here are some pro's and con's that I have found after 1 week. 

Pro's: 

~I cook extra with dinner every night and that becomes my lunch for the next day...so no eating out!

~I get to eat every 3 hours or so!  

~I am eating fresher/organic/whole foods more often. 

~ I feel good!

~ I have lost about 5 pounds this week.  (More on that later.)

~I am experimenting in the kitchen...(this could probably be a con once in a while too.  :))

~My kids are eating better...still could change some things, but I am seeing improvement.  

~No calorie counting!  

Con's: 

~Making dinner every night.  

~Packing my food for the day takes a little longer and more planning. 

~If I don't eat when I am supposed to, it can throw me off for the rest of the day. 

~Breakfast takes a little longer...but it is still manageable!

~There are some things I just will not eat!!

I truly believe the pro's are outweighing the con's at this point.  For the last 6-8 months I have steadily seen my weight climb....and it is not muscle.  I have been very frustrated by the fact that I am very active and try to eat healthy for the most part.  I did not feel like I should be gaining weight!  The fact that I have seen this kind of weight loss already, is a big motivator for me to continue!  I am also taking part in a challenge for the first 4 months of the year, and would really like to see my body fat percentage come down to the lower end of acceptable, rather than the high end!  

I will try to post once a week or so with how it's going!