Happy Hump Day! I slept really well last night for whatever reason. I practiced guitar right before bed and maybe that had something to do with it? I was ready to get to the gym. I was raining steadily, so no biking.
I walked on the treadmill and then I jogged for a few minutes. My knee is doing so much better, so why not bring back the thing that irritated it? 🙄
| Exercise | Set/rep/weight | Muscle worked |
| Lying Leg Press | 3 sets of 10 at 100# | Lower Body |
| Plank | 3 sets of 70 second holds | Core |
| Flat Dumbbell Fly | 3 sets of 15 with 10# DBs (20# total) | Chest |
| Good Mornings | 3 sets 10 with 55# bar | Low back and hammies |
| Single dumbbell row | 3 sets 10 with 20# DB | Back |
| Stationary lunge | 3 sets of 10 each leg with 35# plate | Lower body and balance |
| Lateral Raise | 3 sets of 10 with 8# DBs (16# total) | Shoulders |
| Seated calf raise | 3 sets of 12 at 140# | Calves |
I met John partway as he started walking to the gym (It’s 2 miles away) and we hit up Orange Cat for Bagel Wednesday!
I love this giant stuffed animal there.
Looks a lot like this one:
I wonder what it is like to live with no shame?
Anyway, I had a blueberry bagel with cream cheese.
The cream cheese was really cold, so it didn’t spread very well at first. This blueberry bagel is really good. It is a downstate bakery bagel. Soft and chewy, but not too chewy and very blueberry tasting. I commented to John about how much I enjoy these nice mornings out.
I have alluded to this a bit over the last month, and I think I am noticing a pattern now. As most of you know, I have been lowering carbs and increasing fat since about February. I have done that mostly by eliminating breads and grains except for 2 or 3 days a week. I have begun to notice that on the days that I do not have grains and get my carbs through fruits,veggies, and dairy, I have no snack cravings. On the days that I have a bagel for breakfast (protein drink before doesn’t matter) or crackers, I get cravings to snack during the day. I am pretty sure this is happening on those days. Is that not weird? For instance on Monday and Tuesday, I was grain free and absolutely no desire to snack (nibble of macaroon was all I wanted). Today? I wanted to snack in the afternoon and some in the evening. What I need to notice now is if this is a wheat (gluten) thing or a grain thing. I need to try a day with non-gluten grains and see if I feel the same way. I don’t know if this is in my head or what, but I definitely am really going to pay attention now.
Lunchtime included more of that socca bread (recipe coming Thursday). I toasted up a slice and put some BBQ chicken and an LC wedge on it.
I quite enjoyed that. I like the socca bread very much and think it has a lot of potential as a base for things.
Speaking of snacks, this is what I had with my almond milk latte this afternoon:
Plus some nibbles of homemade granola bars that John made to take to his poker game tonight.
With such a dreary day, I wanted a bright and colorful dinner. I did up some sweet potato topped with LC (2 wedges in a day!) and sauteed broccoli.
One thing about sweet taters, they are filling. This was 100 grams of sweet potato, which seems dinky when you have to slice a hunk off a big potato, but quite filling.
I need more protein today, so a protein drink will be quaffed later.
Working on the room tonight. Here is a pic of our new wall!
It actually looks like a room now!
That is the pocket door opening. I really hope it works LOL
Question: Do you ever notice certain foods setting off cravings for you?
I stopped eating bread for a long time. We didn’t buy any bread, the only “Bread” items we ate were the homemade pizza we did once a week. Well after my post about crashing after the pool and I think you suggested I eat carbs before I swim and protein after…I’ve been eating bagel thins before I swim. It has helped A LOT with the crashing however I now crave bread again. Like a lot. And other “snacky” things. It’s so weird!
I notice the same thing about breads, Lori. For me, it’s either breads or sugars, or maybe a combo of both, that set off my cravings. I do notice that when I eat Ezekiel breads/english muffins, I don’t have the problem. I should go back to eating those exclusively! Duh!
I grew up eating Socca. My Gram still makes it! I have to get her recipe and make it soon!
The room is looking great!!!
Absolutely. I do best when I eat grains to only have them later in the day. The less of them I eat the less of them and other things I crave.
Bread, pasta, cookies, anything with grains does the same thing to me. The more I minimize these, the easier it is to eat within the calorie range I shoot for. (And, of course, these are my favorite foods–pasta, pizza, bagels, etc.!)
And here I am… Bread, pasta, or not – it does not affect my cravings! I guess I’m lucky!
Great photo of Pixie – that little cutie. How can you not just grab her and give her the biggest hug!?!
As for your craving questions, consider that the carbohydrates in flours, granulated sugar (a lot of times, present in bread – even whole grain breads), pastas, cereals are refined carbs. The body takes less time to break them down so you get cravings quicker and maybe more intense due to the insulin response.
I wonder about the insulin, although it doesn’t seem to matter about the glycemic load, ie if I eat protein and fat with the wheat product or not. It’s a puzzle, that is for sure.
So does your diet consist of a lot of fruits, veggies, meats than? For me it seems like I need some sort of a carb to keep me full throughout the day, so if I do have carbs I try to have something whole wheat. I try to incorporate protein as well, but I think I’d have a hard time getting rid of the bread!
Meat, eggs, fat, fruits and veggies, dairy, nuts and seeds. I get a good chunk of carbs through dairy, fruits, veggies, and nuts. I do eat grains a few days a week. The fat is actually what keeps me full.
I actually miss bread a lot less than I thought I would. Of course, I still eat bagels twice a week, so I haven’t eliminated it totally. I have found some nice substitutes like socca bread or coconut flour biscuits.
Oh I think Joanne hit it on the head with her explanation. Do you think that eating some kind of protein alongside your bagel might reduce the craving problem? Because I’m thinking that everything else we eat with grains, we try to add protein to (custard oats, etc.) Just thinking out loud.
It doesn’t seem to matter if I have protein with it or not. Many times before a bagel I have a protein drink (not to mention the fat in the cream cheese) and I still get the same cravings.
Honestly? I don’t really have that many cravings. The only one I’ve noticed is a monthly craving for chocolate (not just sugar, chocolate), which I always take as a sign to check the calendar. It’s almost always tied to my cycle.
I’m wondering if Debby might be onto something with the protein…maybe there’s too much time between the protein shake and the bageliciousness?
Lori, thanks for this post, because I’ve been struggling with my carb cravings, and I try to convince myself that they don’t exist. Like it must be stress or boredom that makes me so “hungry.” It’s not. I started playing around with too many grains and processed carbs, and not only am I craving them like a drug addict, but I also gave myself a yeast infection (sorry for the TMI) so I know it’s a problem for me. I’m with Marisa about the Ezekiel breads. They don’t bother me at all. God bless you all who said you don’t have a problem with carbs. I wish I didn’t but then again, if I have to have an “affliction” I can live with carb sensitivity.
I have never been a big bread lover. In fact, I really don’t like sandwiches. I crave chocolate and other sweets, such as cake or bars. I also crave coca cola. Love the Pixie look-alike!
Love the Picture of your cat!
Looking at the picture of your coconut maccaroon makes me want to snack!
But yes I notice if I eat bread I want bread too.
I am reading this book now called the Truth about Beauty by Kat James. And she talks about that very thing and says not to eat breads.
I might have to seek out my own Pixie substitute! I absolutely have cravings prompted by breads, etc. The only that thing doesn’t seem to set them off are flax-heavy flat breads. I seem to be okay with them.
So funny, when I was reading about your dinner I was thinking “that’s not much protein” and then you mentioned the protein drink. Tada! Very interesting observation on the snack cravings. Wonder if it’s also due to more fat satiety on the non-grain days?
Would that we ALL could be as content as Pixie. That cat is too much! Love her. 🙂
It looks indeed there’s a pattern in your snack “attacks”. Might be interesting for you to keep a diary for a few weeks but I do think you already know what’s causing it.
The renovation is really going well and it looks better and better every time.
About my Garmin, I don’t think it’s the charger. I charged it Monday night and checked it when it said it was ready charging: battery icon was full. I took it of the charger and the next evening I thought to check it again as I wanted to use it Wednesday morning and the battery was totally empty.
OK – the stuffed cat & Pixie pics – LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, to live with no shame! 🙂
It is funny, I don’t crave the snacks like you but if I miss my bread – well, I just want that but not other snacks & things. My mind just wants my bread! 😉
Will be interesting to see if you can figure this out!
hmmm I can’t seem to think of anything off the top of my head. But sometimes it can be a slippery slope if I’m really craving chocolate or something. Mmmm!
Oh that stuffed kitteh looks like my kitty too! And when our cat is doing her thing and doesn’t care who watches, one of us will usually say, “Look at me! I’m a cat!” No shame.
I was reading something about carbs causing more carb cravings. Can’t remember which book. I should start taking notes. but yeah, from what I’ve read and my own experiences, I get real snacky if I have flour based products. Same with sugar based. Hello, cupcake!
A very colorful dinner. Pretty.
The last time I was on WW, I would try to eat the least amount of points as possible, but try to get as much food for the points. In 1999 there was a product called Bakers Breakfast Cookies – they were about the size of my face and because they were so high in fiber, they ended up being 1 point for the whole thing. Until they discovered that the label was wrong – it wasn’t one serving, it was 2, and then when they capped the fiber on 4 grams, HALF a cookie was actully 5 points.
But this time around, I find that if I have about 10 points a meal (my daily intake is 29 points) that I am so full and satisfied, I don’t need to snack.
It’s interesting to me though on your thoughts on the higher carb days!
Your Pixie and my Neva are both shameless aren’t they? LOL! Really looking forward to the socca recipe!
I notice the same thing, if I have a carb heavy meal for breakfast, it’s like i’m a bottomless pit all day long!
I notice the same thing at times and have a friend who eats more protein heavy and tells us that it’s the carbs we eat that make us crave more sweets and carbs throughout the day. I think there is truth in this. Very interesting.
I love reading about the interesting things you cook…cast iron skillet…so cool!
sprouted grain bread counts as a vegetable, not a grain. Just like the sprouts you grow, it is now a plant, which is why it is generally easier to tolerate. FYI :o)