Listening to my Body Talk

Making more of a point to listen to my body lately and have for the last week or so allowed IT to dictate when I eat and how much. I always have “real” food available for consumption but I don’t eat just because it is “time to eat,” I eat because I am hungry. I have a desk job which makes eating when I am hungry fairly easy, mind you I am an Administrative Assistant therefore I am ALWAYS up and running around like a mad woman, but a bite here and a bite there keeps me satisfied. What I have noticed lately is that I am not consuming very much - yet I am not hungry either. Is this is a good or bad thing? There are those who swear by "portion control"...they might say it is a good thing; that over eating anything is bad, bad, bad. But according to SSOS I should be consuming 10 servings of leafy green veggies and 120 grams of lean protein every day. I am MAYBE at 2/3 that requirement.

I believe if I were to add in more activities (e.g. - walking, bicycling, yogaetc.) on a regular basis (instead of sporadically)  along with my weekly eccentric exercise I will probably be hungrier and actually eat the suggested amount of real food. However, as long as I am not too active beyond my usual daily movements eating less than the suggested SSOS amount would seem okay. Right? I guess I am going to find out....

A typical day might include the following foods:

• Morning – Green Smoothie (spinach, citrus, strawberries, blueberries, whey protein powder, flax meal.)
• Afternoon – a small amount of Protein (cottage cheese, beef, fish, or chicken) and about 2-3 cups of veggies (carrots, cherry tomatoes, celery, broccoli, etc)
• Evening - a small amount of Protein (egg, beef, fish, or chicken) and a sautéed or steamed veggie side (1-2 cups)
• Snack – Chocolate zucchini bread (Paleo - thank you Juli Bauer!) http://paleomg.com/moist-chocolate-zucchini-bread/

I am still sleeping well, waking at dawn and not tired. Mood is good, energy level good and no aches or pains (other than my preexisting shoulder issue – bone spur and arthritis). I expect that there will be some positive changes in my periodontal health, which has been historically poor (fingers crossed – appointment next month).

Overall I am really happy with the results thus far and have seen enough change (albeit slow – but I have A LOT of damage to undo) to continue down this path.