My Fridge Has Become Full of Moldy Money

     I had my check up with the doctor last week week. I gained 7 pounds. That's right.... 7 pounds. Gah! (I will say that I typically go to the doctor's mid-day before lunch, but this time I went right after a very delicious stomach stuffing meal at Panda Express. They had way too many good looking options to choose from this time, that I could not say no to a two-item combo. So shoot me.). Now, I know I'm pregnant and that you gain weight while pregnant, however, I think that maybe 7 pounds in one month is a bit much. I was reading the suggested weight gain on Kaiser's website this afternoon, and it listed 1 pound per month throughout the first trimester, and 1 pound per week throughout the last trimester. And of course, if you're already overweight, cough cough ME, then you could/should gain even less.

     I have decided that one of the reasons associated with this slightly larger than desired weight gain, is the result of having dinner earlier than normal. The past several weeks, I have been making dinner earlier than our typical 8ish time. Eating dinner at 8 every night means that the idea of ice cream or dessert at 9 sounds appalling as I'm heading off to bed. However, eating dinner at 6ish each night makes dessert seem quite enticing around 8-9pm. So, while I wasn't having a huge bowl of ice cream each night, I was eating it most nights, or some other tasty treat, and that can definitely lead to some weight gain.

     Not to mention that during the day the past few weeks, I've been giving in to chocolate and chips more often. The exact freakin items that the monthly pregnancy pamphlet tells you to avoid. This could be related to the fact that I was long-term subbing this past month, January, and felt like the candy and chips were my reward for dealing with irritating and disrespectful students all day long.

     Now, I must mention, I am not really freaking about this, I'm just perturbed by it. Therefore, while at the store today, I ended up grabbing mostly healthy items. I got a LOT of fruit and vegetables. Now, this would seem like a real accomplishment for me, however, I typically go to the store and get these items with the intention of consuming them and losing 50 billion pounds as a result. The only problem is, several weeks later, as I'm trying to make room in the refrigerator for all the new fruits and vegetables I bought at the store, I end up finding all the old fruits and vegetables wilted and moldy, hidden away in the very back.




     Today, I came up with a solution to this problem, that I'm hoping will work. I demand that it does. And that's pretty much how it works too: I demand something, and it automatically works out, cause that's just how awesome I am. So, here's my solution to this problem: I will make a menu for myself after I get home from grocery shopping for the week. Now, I usually make menus, that's my claim to fame (not really fame, but I'd like to think that. Just go with it people). The menu consists of dinner meals for two weeks, and then I go shopping for everything I need to make those meals, etc. Since moving away from Winco, I have sorta fallen out of that routine, and revive it every few months when I get a jolt of motivation.

     My thought process this time is, I will make a daily menu of not just dinner meals, but for the whole day. And my reasoning behind making the menu once I get home is that I will then know exactly what I bought at the store, and I can figure out when I need to eat it based on freshness and in an effort to make sure I actually eat what I buy instead of letting it grow it's own life in the refrigerator. This will also mean that I can have the freedom to buy what's on sale at the store, and then work that into my menu, rather than making a menu, or using someone else's menu and having to buy whatever is on it no matter how expensive it is.

     This week will look a little something like this:

Breakfast: Cheerios & Fiber One with Milk
Morning Snack: Banana or Apple
Lunch: 1/2 Turkey sandwich on wheat, a Salad, Fit & Lean Yogurt
Afternoon Snack: Fiber One bar, Fruit, or Carrots.
Dinner: Tonight was a stir-fry, Wednesday nights we always have Tuna Sandwiches or PBnJ, Thursday night I am breaking the rule and making Ruben's b/c the Pastrami was on sale, and it just sounded oh so good. I bought carrots to serve along side it though, and an artichoke to steam for me, The Husband doesn't like artichokes for some crazy reason.
Evening Snack: Cantaloupe, which I spent time cutting up into chunks and putting into individual bags tonight.

     We'll see how this new tactic works. I'd like to think it will be successful. I am just so sick and tired of finding wasted money in the fridge every time I look in there. I am determined to find a way to fix this problem.

     If you are having any questions about weight loss or management, I recommend checking out my friend's blog where she jots down all of her nuggets of wisdom as a Registered Dietitian. One of the things I really like about it is that her posts are pretty short, so you're not spending all day reading, but they are very informative. I went through a nutrition class with her several years back with a bunch of friends, and we all lost an incredible amount of weight; granted we were all really focusing on exercise as well. Diane really focuses on making this a life change rather than just trying to make it a quick fix. I learned so much from her, she's really amazing. So check her blog out.

     What do you think; do you have any suggestions, or tips for how you make sure you eat everything you purchase at the store?