I’ve Come a Long Way
24 Jan
This morning as I was polishing off my overnight oats (similar to the ones I made on Sunday), I got to thinking about how much my eating habits have changed over the past few years.
Yes, I still love to indulge in sweet treats – & do so regularly – but my whole idea of healthy eating has gone through a dramatic metamorphosis.
When I first started working out of college, my breakfasts usually consisted of this:
I used to love these 100-Calorie Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cakes & would down a pack (they’re tiny) with my cup of coffee each morning.
Now, I can’t imagine lasting all the way to lunch on that alone. Seriously, how did I do that?! What nutritional benefits were these providing me? Answer: none!
I’m aware that dumping cake batter into my oats, while delicious, isn’t the ultimate in perfect nutrition, but I don’t enjoy those every morning. For the most part, I try to incorporate foods with fiber & protein – ones that have staying power – into my breakfast each morning, so that I can make it to lunch without having that “OMGI’MSTARVING” moment.
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On a totally un-related note, I wanted to quickly share my dinner from last night – prepared by Chris. (Love that!)
This meal reminded me of summer, which was a perfect pick-me-up after the dreary, rainy day we experienced yesterday.
A simple burger topped with a slice of white cheddar & a squirt of ketchup + mustard.
To go on the side, Chris whipped up this tomato-cucumber-feta salad from Food.com. The flavors were really good, but next time we both agreed we should cut back on the olive oil… it was swimming (as you can see in the pictures)!
Off to tackle a few to-dos before bedtime! Hope this week is treating you well so far.
Have you made any major changes to your eating habits over the last few years? Share!
that salad looks so refreshing! I started paying more attention to the nutritional value behind the foods I was eating..like you said..most of them had none! I also realized it is ok to indulge (occasionally!) I do not need oreos and milk EVERY night..bummer
If only Oreos were one of the major food groups!
My diet in college used to consist of natures path granola bars for breakfast, cheesesteaks for lunch and fro yo and fruit roll ups for dinner. Wow, no wonder I was a mess!
I totally understand what you mean about how much your idea of healthy has evolved. So has mine. It used to just be calories but not I understand so much more than that! I love how far it has taken me!
I am loving the husband created supper- those are THE BEST!!!
way to go girl! that’s awesome you’ve been able to make those changes and see the good that has come out of them. my eating habits have definitely changed over the years… the beginning of my college years mostly consisted of eating as little as possible for as long as possible, and then i wouldn’t be able to take it anymore so i’d binge. man, it was miserable… glad that’s over!
I can definitely relate. My eating habits have really changed over the past few years (especially since college). As I mentioned in my post today, I used to eat mostly Lean Cuisines and tuna sandwiches not too long ago. No wonder I didn’t feel so well most of the time! I’m glad we can swap new recipes now!
My first time living alone out of college, I relied a lot on frozen meals! I agree — I definitely notice a huge difference in how I feel now that I’ve moved away from eating like that.
I can’t say I’ve really made any drastic changes to my diet in the last year, although I have been dipping my feet into veganism for the past month. I don’t think it’s something I’ll stick with full time (going out is just too hard, and I still haven’t been able to make awesome vegan baked goods yet!), but I have been COOKING more than I ever did before… which is probably good, right?
Seriously, I don’t know how we survived on the crap we ate when we were younger. I remember how I used to go out to McDonalds or Taco Bell after tennis practice and how that was “awesome”. Pretty sure I would puke and/or gain all the weight back if I did that now!
I know what you mean! I vividly remember eating chicken sandwiches & washing them down with milkshakes from Burger King quite regularly when I was a kid! I’d never do that now!
I definitely have different eating habits now. My breakfasts in college were a Nutrigran bar a a Juicy Juice Box. Talk about sugar overload to start the day!
Omg, I used to drink Juicy Juice too! haha I forgot about that…
That totally looks like a summer meal and so good! And I bet that salad tastes so good, you don’t even notice it’s healthy!
I totally used to be a 100 cal pack kinda girl in college, too! Oh college nutrition…(or lack thereof!). My eating has completely changed in the past few years. I used to subsist on cereal for every single meal and lots of frozen yogurt. Basically my diet consisted of TONS of processed crap. Now, I cannot even eat cereal! Paleo has been a big change full of veggies and fruit–far more balanced.
Over the past couple years I’ve managed to almost eliminate all soda. At one point in college I was having soda with lunch and dinner and swinging through the cafeteria mid afternoon for another sugary drink because I was thirsty. I’m a creature of habit, so it was a gradual change that started with just one soda a day, to just a couple per week, to maybe once a month if I went out to eat. Now I can’t even say I like soda that much, it just seems so sweet and thick (not in a good way!) and I’d much rather have water.
That’s impressive Ashley! I love soda, so I don’t know if I’d be able to do it myself. I try to limit how much I consume — one per day, IF that! I’ve tried several times to give up soda “cold turkey” but that hasn’t worked, so I should try your method.
How nice of Chris to make dinner! I have really been trying to make a healthy change for the better and explore new foods. I used to be a “order chicken nuggets anywhere we went to eat” kind of girl. Now, I have tried so many new foods (some successfully, others not). The important part is that I am trying to find new healthy foods that I enjoy to give myself new options. I even realized I LOVE green peppers..which still surprises my mom!
My favorite side salad without greens is whole wheat pasta shells, olive oil, fresh basil, feta, and a can of diced italian tomatoes. It is so good especially in the summer. I’m going to try subbing fresh tomatoes and cucumbers like your salad! It looks delicious!