Holy crap.  6 TJ's Triple Ginger Snap cookies are 4 points.  The cookies are about an inch across.  I'm glad I took the time to calculate it out and write it down, as I was going to apply a point or two to the small handful of cookies I ate.  This is a good learning experience.

Day 5

Daily Reflection:
 /something profound

Pitfalls: 
Still feeling like merde.

Conquests:
Doing well with the smaller portions.  Helps that I'm not feeling well.

***

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast:  Mini Dutch baby, 2 sausage (pork).

Lunch:  1/2 turkey sandwich (grainy mustard/lettuce/tomato) on ciabatta.

Dinner:  Spinach salad, half a turkey meatloaf sandwich.

Dessert:   Remainder of chocolate pudding from yesterday...

Snacks:  Apple.

***

Recipe: n/a

Activity:  n/a  (Skipped yoga today because of allergic reaction bs.)

Moving Forward:
Uh, exercise.  

Day 4

Daily Reflection:
No reflection today.  Not feeling great.

Pitfalls:  Didn't get enough sleep last night.  Having some sort of allergic reaction (yet again) and woke up several times last night due to my eyes swelling shut.    Good times.

Conquests:
Ate very little of the chocolate pudding I made.

***

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast:  Herbal tea.

Lunch:  Indian buffet (mainly salad, with a little eggplant, rice, and chicken.)

Dinner:  Egg salad sandwich w/lettuce/tomato/pickles/peppers; handful of tortilla chips.

Dessert:  Home made chocolate pudding.

Snacks:  Mandarin.

***

Recipe:  n/a

Activity:  Walked 30+ min.

Moving Forward:

More veggies.

Day 3ish

Daily Reflection:
Technically day 3, but day 1 of a team weight loss competition I've joined.  And how do I start that?  With a piece of pizza... lol.  One piece, from a medium pie, thin crust... it's not the end of the world.  It's the start of a realistic eating plan.  If I say I must only eat organic kale, I'll screw myself within the first 24 hours.  (Although I do have organic kale in the fridge.)  I'm not on a diet, I'm changing my habits to something healthier.  It's my brain child... we shall see if it survives infancy.

Pitfalls: 
Buying too much pizza last night.  I love cold pizza.  Don't need to do this again though.  Also, had company for dinner and Hubs raided the new wings spot in town for dinner.  

Conquests:
Green juice.

***

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast:  Hawaiian pizza (1 slice), Earl Grey tea.

Lunch: Lara bar, juice (pear, celery, kale, cucumber, ginger).

Dinner: Spinach salad, boneless wings.

Dessert: n/a

Snacks:  Piece of homemade bread and butter.

***

Recipe:  n/a

Activity:  n/a

Moving Forward:
Off day.  We have company.  Focus on planning out meals, so it is balanced and complete.  Make exercise a priority.  

Day 2

Daily Reflection:
My ultimate goal is to avoid processed foods.  That, in itself, is so general a statement... but it's the basic gist.    Some things are more processed than others.  Olive oil is technically processed... but I'm still going to use it. I'm more referring to boxed dinners, cookies, breakfast cereals... things with long lists of ingredients I don't recognize.  Chemical laden packaged goods.

Our server last night brought me the wrong meal.  I had ordered the non-fried chicken on my salad and she showed up with the fried.  I ate it.  Had it not been her first day on the job, and had it not taken an hour to get the salad in the first place, I probably would have sent it back for the right meal.  As it was, it took me another 30 minutes to get the salad dressing... so I'm glad I didn't send back the dish.  The good news is, I suppose, is that I ate most of my salad without dressing.  Somewhat made up for the chicken mix-up.

Pitfalls: 
I ate a couple of Ritz crackers right before bed last night.  My stomach was not happy, and I did it out of habit... didn't even think about what I was doing until after I did it.  I need to work on being more mindful of what I'm doing.  I can't get rid of all the snacky stuff in my house, as I share my home with a husband and teenager.  So, it is up to me to be more conscious about what I'm doing (and putting in my mouth).

I realize that I'm blathering on about first world problems.  I'm lucky to have had a salad at all, and clean water to drink with it.  Being cognizant of what I am putting in my mouth means more than just not eating Ritz crackers.  It means I am aware that there are many who have nothing.  Many who either don't have choices as to what they will eat, or don't have anything to eat at all.  I try to be grateful for what I have, and mindful of my responsibility as a human being to help others.

Conquests:
I went to the grocery store yesterday for a brief trip (picking up Hub's meds, so picked up a few other things at the same time) and bought eggs, fruit, and vegetables.  Got the juicing stuff cut up, bagged, and ready for juicing.  

***

What I Ate Today:

Breakfast:  Earl Grey, 9 grain hot cereal, poached egg.

Lunch: Lentil soup, piece of homemade bread.

Dinner: Spinach/kale salad, Hawaiian pizza.

Dessert: Handful of chocolate stars.

Snacks:  Mango, coffee drink.

***

Recipe: n/a

Activity: 

Moving Forward:

I need to be more focused in the kitchen -- especially if I am intent on breaking old habits.

It is good to be mindful about my place in the world.  I am blessed to be where I am at the moment.  It behooves me to help, somehow, as I am able.

Day 1.

Daily Reflection:  
Funny how things seem to work out.  Life seems to be some odd middle-ground between along for the ride and making things happen.  I have this tendency to hold out in limbo for way too long, so this is my slow-but-sure attempt to break out of that nebulous state.  Hoping that the turtle approach will be successful, as the rabbit flash and dash has not been so to date.

Not being strict today, as I'm going out to dinner with friends.  I'm not being meticulous ever, really, as it is not the amount of focus I want to put on my food consumption, nor will it benefit me long-term.  I want my changes to be permanent, and if I try to do 100% clean eating, I will not succeed.  I am making changes, forgiving myself for the times I forget, and loving myself for intentionally making healthier choices.  Baby steps.

Pitfalls:  
Need to go grocery shopping.  Making due with what is in the house, for now.

Conquests:  
Wrote it down... gave it all the thought it needed.  Didn't mindlessly eat.  Planned what to order at wings place.  Exercised.

***
What I Ate Today:
Breakfast:  PB Oats, green tea.
Lunch: Handful of walnuts, brown rice, carrot slaw (carrots, red onion, cilantro, sesame seeds, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, nutritional yeast)
Dinner: Buffalo Wild Wings... 'nuff said.  (Tenders salad/ranch, iced tea, couple of bites from sampler platter.)
Dessert: No dessert.
Snacks:  2 Ritz crackers.  :(
***

Recipe:  
PB Oats.  Microwaved serving of 9 grain hot cereal, added 1/2 a banana, 2 Tb. natural peanut butter (or almond or whatever), and a sprinkle of cocoa nibs.

Activity: 
30 minute walk with husband. 

Moving Forward:
Portion control.  I need to give more thought to portion control.  Take the right portion the first time around, and don't go back for seconds (no matter how good the food is).  Also, more greens.

Yes, we have no cookies...

...we have no cookies today.  Or any other day this month, for that matter.  January 2012 is no-sugar month for me... and if it doesn't actually kill me, will quite possibly make me stronger.  We shall see.

My issue I guess, in the past, is that I start focusing on *healthy* and it's like an avalanche of information.  A floodgate, really, opening up and dumping a deluge of random unsubstantiated information on me.  Eat this, don't eat that, take these supplements, drink this concoction, alkaline tea, herbal tea, kombucha tea, etc.  I don't deal well with junk-drawer scenarios.  Hence the no-sugar start.

I really don't want to get overwhelmed.  I just want to be successful, and a small amount of success will be major in my eyes.  Baby steps.  January is sugar-free and exercise.  I am making an effort to walk every day for 30 minutes.  I can go over that, should I want to, but that is the minimum.  The one drawback is that it is Winter.  It was 23 degrees this morning, and even with good socks my ankles grow numb.  At least it isn't raining or snowy/slushy... so stop the whining and get out there, right?  Yeah, like the sugar, it is a no-excuses/no-exceptions experience.

I don't eat sugar this month.  I walk 30 minutes every day.  Period.

Next month I can worry about my gluten and alkaline.