Halftime

Day #25

I’ve reached the halfway point.

It’s hard to believe it’s been twenty-five days since my lips have touched meat. I must admit, though, I have cheated a few times.  I ate onion rings, even though in my heart, I knew they had probably been battered in eggs. I followed the, “Don’t ask; don’t tell” rule on that one. Last night, Mom caught me with some chocolate chips. And finally, I have been eating creamy dressing at school. I need to admit my sins and move forward with a clean conscious.

In addition to confessing, it’s time to assess what is working and what needs to change for the rest of the project.

What Works…

- Conscious Eating – Rather than grabbing a Wendy’s burger while talking on my cellphone, I have had to stop and think about the best choice for each meal. That is a good thing.

- Beans and Greens – Whenever I have a meal that includes something green along with some kind of bean, I feel satisfied. I should have listened to the famous rhyme… Beans, beans are good for your heart…

- Meal Planning – As with the 1950′s Wife Experiment, everything is easier when I read cookbooks on Sunday night and make a schedule for the week.

- Homemade Snacks – If I keep fruit on hand, along with brown rice and random steamed veggies in the fridge, I can avoid eating scoops of peanut butter at 10:00 PM.

What Doesn’t Work…

- Large Amounts of Soy and Overprocessed Fake Stuff – Just because a product carries the “Vegan” label doesn’t mean I should eat it. In fact, I read somewhere to buy only products in the grocery store that do not have a label. In other words, shop in the fruits and veggies section of the supermarket.

- Too Much Fruit Juice – Although I love the Jack Lallane Juicer, I need to watch how much sugar I am ingesting through fruit juice.

- Focusing on Food I can’t eat (aka, whining) – For the next twenty-five days, I really want to focus on what I CAN eat, and quit griping about what I have given up. That should make a big difference.