Take Me Back to the Start
I love that song by Coldplay and I think it is appropriate since I am returning to my moderate eating habits! It’s been a while since I have blogged a full days of eats, and I have had a few emails asking me specifically what changes I’ve made and what I am eating all day. So, here is today:
Green juice (though this has not been typical of the last few days):
Romaine, cucumber, broccoli stem, apple, and lemon juice
For all you juicer people: Help! I know I need to wash the juicer ASAP so it doesn’t get gross, but I also read that you need to drink the juice within 20 minutes to get all the benefits. I’d rather not be gulping it as I clean the juicer! What do y’all do?
Juice was followed by an oat bran/wheat bran combination (topped with 1/2 banana, walnuts, and sweetened with agave):
The wheat bran adds a nice texture and helps with satiety. For more about wheat bran, check out this post from Tina of Carrots ‘n’ Cake.
Lunch: leftover roasted chicken with steamed broccoli and teriyaki sauce + nectarine + Larabar
Post-gym snack: Smoothie with spinach, frozen raspberries, 1/2 banana, soymilk, and 1 scoop protein powder
And this was to celebrate, uh, Monday? Everyday is for celebrating, right?
For dinner I made a recipe from an old issue of Clean Eating. It’s a baked wholewheat penne dish with ground turkey, lowfat mozzarella, and asparagus (I used green beans).
This is a great meal to make because I get six servings out of it and now have some to freeze for later!
We had it with a Caesar salad. This is a “light” version, but it’s still a “fear food” of mine. I don’t have that many, but it turns out that I do have a few.
Dessert was one of hubby’s cookies (see below) 
That is basically how I’ve been eating. No calorie counting, a few measurements but nothing major. I feel really good about it and hope that I can keep it up.
I thought I’d share some photos from this past weekend. The weather was horrible on Saturday but I had to get out of the house. We decided to visit Wells, a small city famous for its cathedral.
Outside Wells Cathedral
I want a moat when I grow up!
Later on Saturday afternoon, I caught my undercover-baker-hubby in action:
Nice apron, honey!
Remember The Hummingbird Bakery? We got the cookbook!
On Sunday, Bristol was having its annual Harbour Festival. Since it’s very close to where we live, we decided to check it out. There were lots of boats…
Including my husband’s favorite, “The Matthew”:
I wasn’t overly impressed with the festival, but I did like the abundance of food!
We ended up at the pub with some friends and then came home and roasted our chicken!
With the exception of more running, my July Resolutions didn’t go well. It was sort of a tough month in that respect. Here are some goals for August:
- Return to moderate eating (no extremes).
- Eat out less.
- Buy more organic.
- Accept myself today. This does not mean letting myself off the hook in areas that I can be a better person, but it does mean accepting my body for how far it has come. I think this is why I found weight loss easy…I just felt awesome every step of the way. I don’t know how I got so far off track, but I have a feeling it has something to do with disillusionment over how my “perfect” figure would look. I really do believe that you have to be in a positive mindset to make progress, and I want to return to feeling that way about myself again.
No related posts.
Love your goals! ! !
How do you make the green juice? I have been reading it all over the place.
This is the only thing I found about 20 minutes limit on juicing:
“When it comes to citrus fruit drinks, it is recommended that they are consumed within 20 minutes of their extraction as the acidity formation, with time, will have undesired effects on the body.”
I’m not sure if this rule really applies to things other than citrus, but I am not an expert!
-muffy
I’ve also read that drinking juice as soon as possible after juicing is best. HOWEVER, drinking juice at all is an awesome addition to a regular diet. I’ve also read things that say refrigerating vegetables makes them lose their nutrients. And waiting to eat them more than a few days after their picked does as well. So, I wouldn’t worry too much about chugging your juice while rushing to clean your juicer.
That said, I usually pour my juice into a SIGG water bottle b/c it doesn’t allow sunlight to hit the juice and limit oxidation. (Also, I won the water bottle in a raffle, so it’s not like I was incurring an additional expense) I also pour it into a bottle b/c I transport it to work with me! Even though I’m not drinking it right away (I actually had half this morning and half after the gym today), I still feel great and am proud of myself to adding a nutritious and tasty accent to my diet.
Keep up the great juicing!!
great goals, Lara! I especially love the one about accepting yourself TODAY– i sometimes struggle with this one too (i think we all do!) It’s important to value yourself NOW if you ever want to get to where you want to be later on. You are beautiful, ALWAYS!!
It looks like Matthew has the same August resolution as I do!
I totally agree about the weight loss mindset. It’s easy to feel great about yourself when you’re losing. Maintaining is so hard, because you’re just actively trying to not gain, it can create a bit of paranoia.
Love the goals, you are totally inspiring me to do the same!
i love when you show photos out and about! what a beautiful town, i love cathedrals and it reminds me of the times i spent studying abroad~cathedral after castle after cathedral. love. LOVE the hubs apron! too awesome. and yummy to the baked goods. great goals for august! xo
Great post Lara and your food looks SUPER healthy and balanced in every way! Looking forward to more Hummingbird Bakery eats on your blog
wow girlie these eats are kick butt!! you should be so proud yourself because your doing a fabulous job
love that left over chicken dinner! & that meal looks JUST like the clean eating magazine cover!
You live close to Bristol! I love Bristol so much – good friends of mine live there. I love your weekend adventure shots. That grocery stall makes me homesick. Ahhh. Lovely eats too lady.
The wholewheat penne dish really appealed to me. Excellent!
For me, as I reached maintenance weight, it did take some mental adjustment from weight loss to maintenance. I think your goals are really good, positive ones!
Your eats look fantastic!! That cathedral is gorgeous! I love seeing all the old buildings.
I do love the baker’s apron
Your August goals sound great – I especially love number 4!
Your blog is excellent! I really enjoy it and wish you the best of luck on your August goals.
I have some serious goals too!
I’m confused about your juicer question. Why do you have to drink the juice within 20 minutes? That doesn’t make sense to me.
the cinnamon roll Larabar sounds amazing. Where are all these crazy flavors coming from?? I’ve gotta check them out (someone else posted about PB&J flavor!) Your husbands cookies look deeelicious! I can tell they were very soft and moist, just by the picture!
I love your goals, but I feel like the first goal is trumped by your third (buy more organic). If you want to have no “extremes” in your diet, isn’t buying more organic foods somewhat extreme? I dunno, I am just over-analyzing maybe. I sometimes get caught up in things like “buy more organic” but then it starts to drive me crazy, and I realize it’s sort of extreme and not feasible or necessary. I’m just babbling really.
Have a wonderful night
Those cookies look amazing! I wish my hubby baked for me for no reason.
Your eats look great and I really admire you for the mindset you have adapted. The no calorie counting thing is what makes me panic a little. I’m sure one day I’ll get a handle on it.
Those cathedrals are so incredible. I too, think I need a moat!
don’t stress about your eating! it’s PERFECT! and you look gorgeous
your hubs is awesome in the kitch! yay for cookies made with love haha
good luck with the no calorie counting! I still find it hard to stop.. but its a gradual process! Stay strong!
Food looks good Lara. I love that dish from cleaning eating. I made it a bunch for the man and the little one last winter. The asparagus really makes it yummy!! Man you are lucky to have a baker for a hubby. Mine made a box cake once. Oh, and a pumpkin cake for my birthday. Its the thought that counts
. Hope everything is going well. Those are great August goals.
~Justine
Your eating has been nothing less than outstanding. You seem to have such a great handle on this mentality of eating when you are hungry, eating what you crave and fueling your body with what it needs to be nourished and healthy. Girl, this is absolutely no diet or restricted eating in anyway, it’s a commendable outlook on being content, healthy, and happy, which is what everyone should strive to be.
I truly admire your honesty and strength. You are a beautiful example that we should all live our lives without any guilt or feeling controlled. Thank you for sharing!
Hope you are had a wonderful day sweet girl.
Awesome day of eating!! A perfect mix of the good stuff and the fun stuff
One thing that has really helped me is switching my attitiude from day-to-day eating, to eating over time. When I was calorie counting, it was all about hitting that number every day. But now I like to look at it more as several days or a week at a time. That way, if I over-indulge one day, I’m still comfortable knowing that the next day won’t be the same 
LOVE the baker shot! He seems like a keeper
I like your resolutions, esp the last one! I hope you achieve all of them, and more!
And your pasta looks amazing!
I love the picture of your husband baking. What a great guy!!
You always get to see such beautiful sites!!
Great food day!! So much healthier looking than mine!!
I love all the pictures…
Your August goals sound like you are really on a good path. And your food looks healthy and yummy. Oh, and I love the wine; it’s all about balance, right?
(I definitely can’t live without some wine once in a while…)
But a husband who bakes is the best!!!
good girlie! i am so proud of you for just going with the flow and eating things you enjoy and not going crazy with it. obsessing only makes a mess of everything. why have the wine if you arent going to enjoy it?! and it WONT set you back, really. im glad to hear that you are enjoying it, i feel like you and i both have really turned a corner LOL. your mindset just sounds so clear and positive and i love it.
Gosh Lara, I TOTALLY agree with that last point. TOTALLY. Sometimes it’s so easy to get lost in feeling like you’ve gotten so far that any little “imperfection” you see is painful to the eye. That’s just too critical and not realistic at all. Thanks for reminding us all that accepting ourselves isn’t easy, but it is necessary!!! Especially if we want to be healthy and happy going forward!
Sorry i’ve been MIA for so long…my mom was visiting and I’ve been dealing with a bitchy room mate for the past month, but now i’m moving out so PHEWWW life is resuming back to normal!!! How are you Lara?? Your cooking looks like it has just gotten more and more sophisticated! (*drool* over that pasta)
seriously, you are amazing! And gorgeous girl! Your eats look wonderful and I’m all about the casseroles and leftovers! (and cookies) I love traveling pictures, you know I might have gone to that cathedral too?
I’m working on the hunger-obesity paradox one 
Thanks!
wonderful post
-kristen
Nice August goals! Your motivation is really admirable
Gina: With the fresh juice, I have read it is best to drink it as soon after juicing as possible to get all of the benefits of the enzymes.
I’m not looking to go all-organic (can’t afford it!), but just integrate more organic foods and products when the option is affordable and avilable. I was never that conscious about it before.
that oatbran looks delicious
and so does that baked penne dish!
i love all of your august goals
especially the last one. i think the more we learn about acceptance, the happier we are with ourselves because we truely appreciate what our bodies have been through.
have a great tuesday hun!
three cheers for number 4.
three cheers for number 4.
you can do this for august and, well, BEYOND.
Boy, I wish my hubby would wear a pink apron and bake cookies for me!! Your food looks very yummy and balanced.
I love England…there is so much history there – plus they have the best pubs!! I’ve heard my mom talk about Wells Cathedral, but I can’t remember whether or not I’ve been there.
As for the juicing, I clean everything and then drink my juice. It doesn’t take me long at all to do a quick rinse and scrub and then sit it on a towel or the drying rack. Then I can sit down and enjoy my juice over a glass of ice and I don’t have to worry about cleaning anything up.
That Clean Eating recipe looks delicious!! I think your meals look excellent – very well-balanced and healthy!
thank you lara. you always know exactly what to say to mak me feel so much better. I appreciate all your kind words. Your august goals sound really good. I want to make some of my own monthly goals, i alwaysa forget to and yours always remind me that i should
love ya girl!
Great goals Lara, especially the last one. To be able to accomplish all of your other goals, especially #1, #4 needs to be in place, and you sure are on that road. I admire your strength and courage to share what many wouldn’t be comfortable to share.
btw, I love the picture of your husband baking…and his cookies looked great too!
well done lara. i think you are doing so well in the ‘normality’ stakes!! Keep up the good work!
Yes, staying positive and loving ourselves is key. Your goals for August sound great to me Lara!
I love that Matthew wears an apron when he’s in the kitchen. I should follow suit as I spill and splatter everything. I actually own two aprons. Don’t know why I never wear them.
Wheat bran – I had to stop eating it. It was keeping my too full. A little high on the fiber factor with all the other fibrous foods I eat.
I see you went with the roasted chicken over the pancakes/Nutella suggestion. Probably a wish choice…although I’m not above a little chicken/Nutella dipping action.
put your juice in the frige… clean your juicer.. when you’re ready, sit and enjoy your juice
or sip it while your cleaning the juicer.
the sooner the better but NO WORRIES there.
the sooner you can drink it the more LIVE and frest the enzymes will be….
I often juice at night and save it for the next day’s am juice. we can only do what we can do!
I am new to your blog btw! LOVE IT!
I eat a lot of the same things!
Love your goals, especially number 4
Wow, the cathedral and moat looks amazing!
Hehe, the hubby bakes yummy cookies for you? How sweet!!!
The pasta sounds tasty, and I love freezing meals. Makes some dinners so much easier!
I’m new to the blogging world and absolutely love your blog! I’ve made that recipe from Clean Eating mag…so good! Your food looks delicious
great goals! very sensible. great photo of you as well…haha matthews so cute!
congrats for no calorie counting.
those cookies look JUST like the photo
you recommend that magazine?
The apron shot is too cute!
How’s your knowledge of metrics since you’ve moved to the UK? The conversion drives me crazy whenever I use a cookbook from Canada or Europe.
Baker hubby shot = priceless!
Great pics and GREAT goal – i’ve got to set August goals! I also need to start having wine on Monday – nice!
Matt in the apron= priceless! Sounds like you are doing great Lara
All your food looks incredible! I’ve been doing something very similar – not counting but still trying to eat healthy with treats in between and I think it’s helping me with the whole “self-acceptance” thing too. It’s like I’m treating my body with both healthy and “fun” foods and it appreciates it
I love Wales… and Matthew looks hilarious in that apron. Adam would kill me if I took a picture of something like that
Your green juices are so pretty! And that oatbran looks fabulous!
I love your goals as well.. especially the accepting yourself part! I’ve struggled with accepting my body but I’m finally getting to the point where I’m ok with it
Hi Honey,
Wells looks great! Thanks to your March inspired
visit … I have reached my goal for the reunion
this Sat. I have weighed in for the last 4 days
at 129.4!!! In March I was 141 or 142? And actually you and Matthew meet because your MOM BEGGED you to come to her Dinner Party she was having!!!!! How soon we forget!!! lol
LOVE YOU! Marmy x/o