The Flaxseed Meal Hypocrite

Ever since I posted my "ugly truth of the post partum belly" video, a few people actually said that I looked good--I think they mean, good for having a a baby--lol...anyway, thanks for the friendly comments you all. Some people have asked me what types of foods I eat. What a loaded question. lol. My husband probably thinks all I eat is chocolate. He sends me over some disapproving looks as I snack on bits of dark chocolate from the freezer. The truth is, there are two Jens.

Jen one eats a pretty healthy, mostly vegetarian diet that is low in sodium, high in fiber and protein, and low in fat. She eats under 2000 calories a day and drinks 3-4 liters of water daily. Jen #1 tracks every calorie she eats on Calorie King Nutrition and Exercise Manager. She aims for:

less than 211 grams of carbs
less than 52 grams of fat
atleast 100 grams of protein
atleast 25 grams of fiber
Less than or equal to 2000 calories daily

Jen two is too busy to eat sometimes and finds herself surviving off of coffee (espresso), flour tortillas with cheese from the microwave, and bits of dark chocolate from the freezer---and I mean every time I pass the freezer. Jen two doesn't drink enough water and tends to eat convenient foods due to her crazy grad student/mom lifestyle. Jen two does not exhibit exemplary behavior.

These days Jen number one is dominating which is a good thing--with the exception of the other night when I ate two hotdogs and a handful of triscuits for dinner as I ran out the door to teach a review session on campus.
Here are a few things that I consistently do or eat.

-I always eat breakfast--and usually a sit down breakfast. It is not unusual for my husband and I to sit down and have toast and eggs 4 days a week. We mostly eat soft-boiled eggs with toast and coffee. It is also not unusual for me to whip out the griddle and make pancakes once a week. We don't eat breakfast meats usually unless it is the weekend (sausage, bacon, ham, etc). We also enjoys bagels, some cereals, oatmeal, and fruit w/yogurt. I don't buy high sugar cereals. We use real butter in moderation and 1% organic milk. I try to eat/drink organic dairy products when possible. I sometimes allow myself 8oz of OJ (with calcium added). I try to avoid any other drinks with sugar though.

-I drink water all day. Sometimes I pee like when I was pregnant, but it's worth it. Drinking more water helps you retain less water, It helps keep my breastmilk supply up, keeps me hydrated, and helps me crave water instead of sugary beverages. I carry a Nalgene water botttle (32 oz) with me all day. It's in the diaper bag, at m

y desk, on my nightstand---you see me, you see my awesome Nalgene. Plus--hello!! Water has NO calories--carry a bottle of water with you or put a case of bottled water by your door---every time you leave grab a bottle and drink it, you'd be surprised how much water you would drink if you made it super convenient.

-I don't buy processed junkfoods. I don't buy (or eat) li

ttle debbie cakes, premade cookies, chips, etc. I would say the exception here is chocolate and icecream. Icecream I can avoid as long as it is not in my house. Chocolate however can not be avoided. You know what happens when I crave chocolate and don't have a little bit

of chocolate bar to nibble on? I make something with chocolate---like the other night when I made 2 dozen chocolate chip muffins at 11pm.

As far as exercise goes, It is so foreign to me right now. I am just now able to start working out again as of last week so I need to make it a habit again. They say if you do something 21 days in a row, it becomes a habit--I'm going to try to schedule 2 days of lap swimming and 3 days of 2-3 mile walks into my week. It's hard after not having exercise as a part of my life due to my knee surgery.

Favorite snack of the moment (inspired this title)

Yogurt with jam and Flaxseed Meal Okay--back story here.....My mother in law pours flaxseed meal on everything---icecream, yogurt, you name it. She probably sprinkles it in her coffee when no one is looking. I used to think it was gross and kind of weird.

Our friend Matt was staying with us for a few months this past fall---he is mr. I joined the gym and have a fancy expensive trainer--so he has stocked up on all this stuff fromt he health food store. When he left--he left a bunch of his stuff in our cup

boards including a giant bag of flaxseed meal. One day I figured what the heck---I took some yogurt (Stonyfield Cream Top Plain (1 cup)), some jam (black current preserves), and some flaxseed meal and mixed it together. Turns out this tasty

snack is only 270 calories but it's full of fiber and protein (Not to mention Omega 3's and Lignans). You could use lowfat or fat free yogurt and lower sugar preserves and it could bring down that calorie intake substantially. I used the full-fat plain because that's what we give Mimi so I had a hug tub of it in the fridge. This snack fills me up and keeps me full for awhile. Sometimes I have it as a snack sometimes as breakfast.

Before you write me comments about "be careful abo

ut limiting calories, you're breastfeeding....blah blah blah" Let me tell you---I eat plenty of food for milk production. At my current sedentary state I only need 1500-1800 to maintain my body weight. I aim for 2000 calories---sometime I go over--but in general, we underestimate our calories by 24% (in my case up to 480 calories0--so I would say I get anywhere from 300-500 extra calories per day. This is perfectly acceptable according to medical evidence.

If you really wanted to know more of what I eat, let me know--but to be perfectly honest--it's not what you eat, but how much you eat when it comes to losing weight. If your only goal is to lose weight, it is as simple as calories in calories out--burn more than you eat. I don't want to just lose weight, I want to be healthy and have a well-balanced diet.

I leave you with a photo of the proud recipient of my high calorie breastmilk :-) Does she look under nourished to you?