[beach_plums]

Originally Posted by kfisherx

Well if that is what you are doing then what is the problem? Are you just forgetting to eat it the next day?

I think that LaraT was seconding the advice of Mel here. Planning is something that I could probably do a little more of.

I have spent the better half of the morning reflecting on an article I recently read and a conversation I had with my bf last night.

The article, which I cannot find right now, discussed eating disorders becoming more common with middle-aged women, sighting the reason that as those of us who had eating disorders as teens become adults, the pressures to look a certain way are once again prevalent (and when into something about Desperate Housewives). As a dancer and gymnast, I was introduced to the idea of dieting at a very young age, and was put on "diets" to maintain a certain look by my coaches.

The conversation with my bf last night centered around eating a certain number of calories since starting this program and tracking my food. It made me realize that, while the motivation is not be the same as when I was younger, I am once again obsessed about the food I eat and am becoming stressed about it. A very dangerous place for me.

So, I've concluded that I am no longer going to track my food, with the hopes that I can stop obsessing. What I am going to do is continue to eat healthy (I'm generally about 85% clean) and eat when I am hungry. I'm going to continue to follow the workouts in NROL4W because I really enjoy them, and have seen positive results with my body. I am going to continue to eat a little something extra before I work out; this is usually in the form of a shake or power bar of some sorts. And, I am going to continue to have a post workout shake after each workout.

I am also going to take the advice in this thread, and add things like avocado to more meals (great idea! I love avocados, but never think to use them), and blending fruit with whey or other protein as a snack (also another great idea!). I'm also going to work on planning meals better by not running out of food in my house and having to resort to frozen dinners from time to time. I will continue to update my training log and share my progress with my workouts, as well as continue to consult this forum for whatever else I come up with.

I feel really lucky to have someone who is there to support me and isn't afraid to sit me down when he starts to recognize some of my patterns.

And, finally, thank you to everyone who offered up suggestions. Like I said before, there are some great and delicious looking ideas in here.