Comfort Carbs

This is my most stressful time of year. My biggest deadlines fall (in descending stress order) at November 15, May 15, and August 15. Right now, I'm madly trying to juggle my job, my housework (mostly laundry and billpaying -- my housekeeper hits the high spots, and the rest can wait), dosing the sick cat, getting to the gym, and hopping on the ol' bike twice a week, as well as any extracurricular activities I can fit in (I'm going to my jewelry convention next week, come hell or high water). I TiVo exactly two TV shows weekly, and it's a miracle if I get them watched in the same week.

Oh, yeah. Somewhere in all that, I guess I have to eat something, too.

Eating on the run has its challenges. Here's what I do:

I tend to eat the same things for breakfast. They're easy, and quick. Oatmeal. A peanut butter sandwich. Some fruit. Maybe once or twice a week, a scone from Panera. And always, a skim mocha (dairy serving!!). I can eat the PB sandwich in the car. The scone is a quick grab on the way to work. Fruit is usually easy; if I don't get a serving at home, I go get a banana from my office building's convenience store. I can always fix oatmeal at work (Nature's Path Optimum oatmeal packets are great! Two packets, 300 calories.)

I'm a one-note for lunch, too: a turkey sandwich (real, not deli) with honey mustard, and a banana. Occasionally, I venture over to Soho and get some sushi and veggies. Other times, I'll get a Cosi sandwich. Whatever I get, it has to have enough protein in it to last for several hours. A salad just doesn't do it for me. I'm hungry again in an hour.

Dinners and snacks are the biggest challenge. I work late most evenings this time of year, and twice a week I leave the office and go directly to the gym. Here's what works for me: I rely on canned salmon or tuna, canned fruit, canned veggies, and the occasional frozen entrée -- but something from Whole Kitchen, Green Guru, or Moosewood. Whole Foods also carries pouches of precooked white and brown rice; I buy a box every once in a while and throw it in the office freezer. I stock single-serving sizes of pretzels, a few soups (but not many; too much sodium). Right now I have a box of Cheerios under my desk; it's one of my favorite snacks. I'm never lacking for something to eat when it gets late.

Sometimes, though, when the stress really gets to me, I need to eat a little comfort food. Yesterday, for example, was a dreadful day . . . I accomplished a lot, just not what I originally set out to do. By the time evening came, I was pretty much brain-dead. I kept putting off eating any real dinner, and so when it came time to leave, I was hungry (and not in the best of moods). I asked hubby if we could stop for dinner somewhere on the way home. We went to Café Deluxe, where I carefully scrutinized their wonderful menu.

Did I choose something healthy? Depends. In terms of my mental health, yeah, I think I did. I was so tired of the same ol' same ol', that I went for a French martini and some macaroni 'n cheese, made with gruyere. And a couple slices of bread, to mop up the extra cheese. That's it, that was my entire meal. And, y'know, it was just what I needed. It was the essence of portion control, too. CD's martinis are small -- about 4 ounces. The mac was a side order, and I knew it would be no more than about a cup. I got to have something decadent . . . but not too much.

Today I will go back to my usual pre-gym/working late meal . . . can't have martinis and mac all the time. As a once-in-a-while departure, though, it was great. Food for the soul.

A few entries back, I mentioned that I'm trying to drop a few additional pounds, and make the move to 120s-land. I did lose the vacation gain, but now I've stalled out. I'm hovering in the low 130s, and for now, that's just going to have to do. I know from past experience that I need to eat just a little more during stressful periods, so I'm not going to cut my eating back any more for the next 3 weeks or so. I'll just hold the line, work on building more muscle, and keep making good food choices most of the time.

What is life, anyway, if you can't have a little fun?

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Comments

[PastaQueen]

Did I choose something healthy? Depends. In terms of my mental health, yeah, I think I did.

Heh, heh! I love that. I'm going to have to remember that one. It's not junk food, it's mentally healthy food.

[Debbie]

So, next mental health day you take, you're going to have mentally healthy food, right? lol Sounds great to me!

[Eh... not so much]

Hi, I think your approach to your weight is very sensible! It's not worth trying to lose weight on top of everything else you've got going on. Good on ya!

[Ellen]

Might I suggest steel cut oats instead of the packets? I make a big pot (8 servings) on Sunday, divide it into 1 cup GladWare containers & refrigerate. My husband & I get 4 each. I take mine to work and nuke it, & add a little skim milk, raisins & nuts. Yum. The fifth day I eat yogurt & muesli (also yum)

[Debbie]

Nice idea; I do like steel-cut oats. But I have no time to cook anything even on weekends . . . hence the packets. It's important that I be able to actually fix whatever it is at work, as I'm here until all hours, this time of year. :-)

[Elaine]

It seems like you've got your diet and fitness routine pretty figured out. Sometimes you gotta splurge! Put a Reese's Peanut Butter cup in front of me and consider it gone! Good luck reaching your goal.

[Debbie]

LOL! That's pretty funny, because I just demolished a Reeses a few minutes ago. A vendor left a Halloween basket at our front reception desk. I picked out one treat . . . in place of my afternoon skim mocha.