One Week Down: Lara and Leslie speak up!
Our Two Challengers (and the other 24) are making great strides this week. We asked them a few questions so that folks out here on the internet could get a sense of the challenges (and the good things) that come along with this process. We’ll let them take it from here: (Here’s the link to their first blog post)
What have you missed the most and how are you dealing with it?
Leslie: I knew I was going to miss dairy – I didn’t realize how much I actually ate day to day until I wasn’t eating it at all. The panini press I got for the holidays from my parents is sitting unused and sad looking for a grilled cheese. What I am surprised to find I am missing is sugar. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, I rarely eat dessert and don’t use sweetener in my coffee or tea (unlike someone I know, ahem, Lara.) …but this week I have been craving anything sweet like it is my job.
Lara: So in terms of what is affecting me the most, I would say it is giving up artificial sweeteners. I put Splenda in everything…and when I say Splenda (as Leslie can vouch), I don’t mean one or two packets…my morning coffee at the office gets four or five, black tea usually three and even two in green tea. As far as how I am dealing with it, I grin and bear it. I’m hoping that I become accustomed to the taste of not sweetening my drinks because if I take nothing away from this challenge but breaking my Splenda addiction that will definitely be worth it.
What have you tried and been surprised that you liked?
Lara: I have been making overnight oats with almond milk, chia seeds, a banana and some walnuts for breakfast since this challenge began. This is huge as before breakfast for me was a banana (I knew I should eat something). The idea of oatmeal to me has never been appetizing, but I am enjoying the overnight oats and find that they leave me satiated until lunch time (whereas before I would be ready to eat my arm by 10am).
Leslie: Like Lara, I am doing overnight oats for breakfast, which is a big deal since I’m not much of a breakfast person. I have been pleasantly surprised with them. (After these 28 days however, I will be leaving chia seeds to counter top pets. I can’t get on board with them). My plan this week is to attempt the millet that we had in our bags from the first week. (My mom informed me that millet is what we feed our pet bird, Petri, thanks mom.)
What’s the biggest challenge so far? Eating out? Cooking for yourself? Almond milk?
Leslie: The biggest challenge so far is just being in a food rut. I tend to eat out 5 nights a week and I’ve found theres not a lot of options right now that are close to home so I find myself eating the same thing everyday which gets boring. My other issue is that while I love cooking, cooking for one is something that I can’t seem to master so I end up with pumpkin soup that will last me for a week but I really am only going to want it a couple of days before I get sick of it, no matter how great it is. Also as I mentioned above, just finding something to satisfy that sweet craving (that I have never had before) I’ll get there, but its killing me right now. I’m glad Lara is nice and doesn’t mind when I’m cranky and just laughs at me.
Lara: My biggest challenge has been cooking for myself. I have been eating the same things so far everyday…overnight oats for breakfast, big salad and soup for lunch, and then sort of scrounging up something for dinner (or eating out)….so since, it’s the weekend, I’m determined to make some things to bring with me to work over the next week. I started this morning. I made chick pea/fava bean humus. My mother is Lebanese and sometimes I think humus runs through my veins. I get angry when I see store varieties of humus adding so much extra stuff to humus, because it’s really the most simple thing to make and many extras are unnecessary.
Thanks again to Leslie and Lara for doing this in public! Give them some encouragement in the comments. And other challengers: feel free to answer the questions for yourself in the comments!
I used most of a drained can of fava beans, most of a half drained can of chick peas (unorthodox to keep the water, please don’t tell my mother), a large teaspoon of tahini and one crushed clove of garlic (I didn’t use lemon juice, also unorthodox, but after this morning’s yoga class, I was too lazy). I put everything in the food processor and whirred until smooth. I tried it and realized it was missing something so I added some red pepper flakes and processed again. It turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. I enjoyed it on top of a salad of spinach and raw brussel sprouts and look forward to enjoying it later on with some of those crazy good crackers that were part of our starter pack (I forgot the brand, but not before I bought some more).
- Filed Under:
- Healthy Eating Challenge
The overnight oats sound good, would you share the recipe? Kudo’s to Lara and Leslie for being so honest in your blogs yet sticking to the committment. Way to go! I would like to reassure Leslie that adding millet to her diet will not make her start cheeping like a chick..