BREAKFAST: Eggs In A Pita

I scrambled two eggs and tucked them in half a (white) pita. Added nothing but salt and pepper. I had one of those Jonagold apples, which still are seriously, seriously not my favorite, but which I have and am going to eat. This was a good, well-balanced breakfast, and it didn’t leave me hungry.

LUNCH: Salad With Blue Cheese

I went to Hale And Hearty for lunch, and I had a salad made from the big romaine bowl. It had cucumbers, carrots, croutons, craisins, blue cheese, tomatoes, and corn. (Lots of “c” words.) And then I had regular vinaigrette on it. They have a fat-free balsamic vinaigrette, but the last time I had it, I felt like my salad was drenched in water. The custom salad at H&H should be a really good option for me, and I’m frustrated by my inability to solve the dressing issue. I think the first thing I will try is getting the dressing on the side. I think even the regular vinaigrettes could work if I had less. In fact, I did interrupt the dressing today before it was too much of a dousing. I don’t know. It’s complicated. They have some other light ones, but they really don’t appeal to me, and I’m not sure what to do about that. I didn’t have anything else with lunch. At least I got multiple vegetable servings in — although the tomatoes were inedible. I need to get the sun-dried at that place, or not bother at all.

DINNER: Potato Gnocchi

The roommate and I went out for dinner at our cafe of choice. I typically get something very rich and overeat-y there, but this time, I went with potato gnocchi with tomato ragout and chicken sausage. It was really not good; I wasn’t pleased with it. The sausage was dry, the gnocchi just seemed like balls of mashed potatoes, and the sauce had little flavor. I also had two slices of their little bread, dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. On the upside, it reminded me that I really like bread dipped in oil and vinegar, but on the downside, the bread is really oily itself, and I should have satisfied myself with one piece. I also should have had something to drink other than the hard cider I chose. It just wasn’t that good, and with a fairly sizable meal, I should have opted against a drink with calories. BUT! In news of victory, I only had about half the gnocchi, successfully stopping myself from just eating all of it because it was sitting on the plate. I also chose far, far, far from the most damaging thing I could have ordered. I really, really wanted a giant burger. Not a regular one — a giant one. WITH FRIES. But I didn’t have it, and I’m glad for that.

SNACKS: Okay. At Starbucks, I accidentally — because I didn’t even order it — got a “skinny” mocha, with not only skim milk, but also sugar-free mocha syrup. It wasn’t as good as a regular mocha; I won’t lie. But honestly, since it looks like I’m going to be stricting up again, I might try it for a while. It beats a plain latte, I think, and it has no sugar, so it’s basically a glass of milk.

In the afternoon, I had instant cocoa, which seriously is not very satisfying, and I can make coffee at that same coffeemaker, so — no more instant cocoa.

In the evening, I had a half-cup of that Extra Light Rich (Extra Rich Light?) Haagen-Dazs. Delicious. Oh, and late at night? One Hershey kiss.

And…that will do it for the leftover pancakes.

LUNCH: Starbucks Turkey/Swiss Sandwich

Satisfactory.

DINNER: Pizza

Oh, I was exhausted. So exhausted. I did have two slices, because I didn’t have a lot else to eat all day. But I stuck to cheese — no meat. I felt okay about it, all in all. I have to do something about getting home late when I can’t bear to cook anything. That’s definitely got to be on the plans for next week.

SNACKS

One mocha. One apple-cinnamon yogurt with craisins and granola. No drinks today; good for me.

I reheated two of the pancakes from the weekend and had them with a small amount of syrup. I believe I used 50 percent power for one minute. That was fine, actually; they weren’t too rubbery, although they’re never as good reheated. Not inspiring, but good.

LUNCH: Soup and Sandwich

I really wanted the Senegalese Chicken Soup at Hale and Hearty, but when I got down there, they were out, dammit. So I got a small 10-vegetable soup and a half a ham and cheese. Satisfying, but nothing special. The veggie soup is something to keep in mind, but the sandwich is…they use really insipid cheese, for one thing.

DINNER: Leftover Steak Sandwich

I sliced up some of the leftover steak (the same one I was working on last night, which I didn’t refreeze) on two slices of double-fiber bread. I had come home INCREDIBLY tired and NOT wanting to cook, and I would have made a salad except that I was simply too tired to cut vegetables up and wash lettuce. The sandwich was fine, but as a cold meat I’m not cutting but am biting, it was pretty tough to eat. The steak does better if you can cut it with a knife, or else I needed to slice it thinner. I really, really, REALLY wanted to pile some cheese on it, but I didn’t. Should have had an apple, though, or something. My big weakness continues to be fitting in the vegetables and fruit that I’m supposed to be having, more than not eating the things I choose not to be eating.

SNACKS

I had a mocha from Starbucks, the usual. Oddly, in the afternoon, my snack was a cup of instant cocoa, so…drank enough chocolate today, I guess. After dinner, my snack was an apple-cinnamon yogurt. That was pretty good, actually, and MUCH better than the ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE low-carb strawberry yogurts I actually eventually threw away. They were so…pasty. I don’t know. They were just gross. I also had a small margarita, thus using up my margarita mix, and I will not get more for a while.

BREAKFAST: Whole-Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

This was a Cooking Light recipe, and although I made it with buttermilk substitute instead of actual buttermilk, it was still good. No, very good. Very, very good. These taste kind of…hearty and whole-grainy — they’re not as light as regular pancakes, but they’re more substantive. I had three, along with one tablespoon of real syrup. It was absolutely grand. I shared some with the roommate, and I still have five left. I’m not sure at all how they’ll reheat; that will be the next test. I’m thinking I’ll try a very light setting on the toaster and see what happened — they’re in the refrigerator, not the freezer. I also might try wrapping one around one of those chicken-apple sausages with some syrup. This was a highly successful pancake venture, as it didn’t involve either pancakes as heavy as bricks (which happens with many wholegrain recipes) or pancakes cooked wildly wrong (which happens with many pancakes that are cooked by me, because I am not always good at pancakes). This recipe also is pretty simple, with about the most straightforward two-bowl (dry, wet) preparation that scratch pancakes can present. It was definitely well worth it, and not complicated. Not necessarily something I’d do before work, but not a big hassle for a weekend day or a day I’m staying home.

LUNCH: Apple-Cheddar Sandwich

This, if I do say so myself, was inspired. Ever since I got a block of delicious-tasting (based on a taste while using a tiny bit on the Boca burger the other day) cheddar cheese, I’ve been wanting to try it on a grilled cheese sandwich, since it claimed to be cheddar that melted well. (I wouldn’t say well, but I’d say better than most cheddars, by the way.) I also had a pack of apples I haven’t used any of yet.

So I took the apple and used the corer/slicer to cut it in eighths, then I snacked on half while I made the rest of the sandwich, and took the other half and peeled those pieces and cut them in half again. I cut an ounce and a half of the cheddar and used it to make a grilled cheese with double-fiber bread and a very small amount of butter. I added the apples and grilled it in the little nonstick. As it was getting finished (and I burned it slightly, dammit), I realized that what it needed was a touch of mustard, so I used the champagne-shallot again. I realize today is sounding like a giant self-congratulatory parade, but it was so, so very good. I mean, it was on the generous side when I figured the calories and fat, but nothing I can’t handle as a treat, and it had ten grams of fiber from the bread as well as whatever’s in the apple, and it was rich and wonderful with only an ounce and a half of cheese. The mustard was really needed; I think it would have been bland without it. It really went beautifully with both the apple and the cheese.

AFTERNOON SNACK:

I got hungry, so I started with a handful of baby carrots with a dab of balsamic vinaigrette. That didn’t do the trick. I ran the counts for the day thus far and saw that I was a little short on protein, so I scrambled up a half-cup of Southwest Egg Beaters and stuffed them in half a white pita. Ideally, I would have found a better solution for a little less bread, like half an English muffin or something. But I didn’t. So this was a good snack. (Also: ideally, whole-grain.) It was satisfying and didn’t just make me feel like I was nibbling rabbit food. (I realize “rabbit food” is a horrible cliche.)

DINNER: Lime-Cumin Steak And Fingerling Potatoes

I’ve had, in the freezer for probably a month or two, a frozen broiled steak that I’d only eaten one serving of. It was a lime-cumin marinated skirt steak from Fresh Direct, and I’d already broiled up the steak, so it was fully cooked and frozen. I defrosted it in the microwave, and then I gave it a couple more jolts to warm it up. It survived surprisingly well, I think because it’s so well-marinated and because of the cut. That’s a good way to remember I can have a little steak from time to time. It’s expensive to buy, but then by the serving, it’s not bad. It would also work in a salad or in a fajita dish or something. I think I’ll try another flavor when I run out of this. I don’t eat red meat often at all, but I have to say, this was very, very good. That lime-cumin marinade was really impressive.

Meanwhile, I roasted four fingerling potatoes. 400 degrees, about twenty minutes. This is for ones that actually are roughly the size of my fingers. They were very tasty — I’ll have to remember those, too. And because they’re small, they don’t take as long as the big russets, so they’re a bit easier to manage.

EVENING

Three Hershey kisses and a half-cup of light ice cream.

And a beer.

BREAKFAST: Whole-Wheat Bagel With Cream Cheese

Now and then, I really, really want a bagel and cream cheese from the cafe around the corner. This morning, that’s what I had. I tend to scrape almost all the cream cheese off when I get it home — I really leave just a very thin layer, the same way I’d butter a bagel. It didn’t feel too sinful, though I wish I’d had some fruit.

LUNCH: Peanut Butter And Jelly Sandwich

Once again, I didn’t eat “lunch” until late in the afternoon, at which point I wanted to just eat something, knowing dinner wasn’t until after a friend arrived for the evening and probably wouldn’t happen until 8:00 or so. So I had about two tablespoons of peanut butter, a little gob of low-sugar strawberry preserves, and two slices of double-fiber bread. It was just filling enough. To my credit, I poured out a bowl of potato chips for the friends, and I had all of one chip. Or possibly two. That part was a triumph.

DINNER: Pepperoni Pizza

Yeah, so…I was with friends, and we ordered pizza. One slice would not have been enough. Two may have been a little much. It wasn’t a perfect solution. I also had a beer — specifically, a Killian’s Irish Red.

SNACKS

Four Hershey kisses and a medium margarita. More than one drink in a day is something I almost never do, and should not do, for several reasons, not the least of which is that it’s not good for certain health risks I watch out for, so that’s on the list of not-so-goods for the day. But the list of goods for the day includes (1) not eating a hundred cookies; (2) not snacking for most of the day; (3) passing up the potato chips; and (4) not having a third piece of pizza, though that’s more a REALLY unwise thing I didn’t do than a particularly difficult thing I did.

Overall, I can live with the way it went, though I really do want to get back to some of what I originally had in mind. The last day or two have been…not backsliding, exactly, just kind of feeling out what it is I’m trying to accomplish and what I need to do to get there.

BREAKFAST: Egg Beaters And Chicken Sausage

I tried the chicken sausage again. Eureka! Followed a cookbook method I tracked down…somewhere. I put the links, still frozen, into a small nonstick skillet and put in enough water to cover. Threw in maybe a teaspoon of canola oil. Brought the water to a boil, and boiled it until the water was gone. This creates a fairly messy pan with the chicken fat sort of lying around, but it disappears pretty quickly, and the skins brown so they’re not so pale. (Until you fry them in the dry pan, they’re cooked, but they’re pale and don’t look appetizing.) I scooted the sausages off to the side and cooked a half-cup of Southwestern Egg Beaters in the other side of the pan. They picked up a LOT of the brown bits in the bottom of the pan. They looked a little darker than I prefer, and there wasn’t a lot of taste, like there would be if it were real sausage.

Look, a lot of the charm of sausage is the grease. If you don’t believe this, you haven’t eaten sausage with less fat in it. I’ve had good luck incorporating sausage into other things when it’s not “real” sausage with full fat. The Boca breakfast patties make great little sandwiches for breakfast — very, very good. But here, you’re eating a bare sausage link made from chicken, and even though the apple (and other) flavors are pleasant, IT IS CHICKEN. It is chicken that’s flavored like sausage, BUT IT IS CHICKEN. Don’t think it’s going to be sausage in the same way a spicy link of greasy pork is sausage. I’m not saying eat greasy pork; I’m not saying don’t try the chicken-apple sausage. I’m saying…expect it to be about as satisfying as chicken. Cook it carefully and gently so it stays moist, because it will want to dry out. Eat it with something kind of moist and mushy, like eggs. Or use a little real maple syrup and dip it in that. Because…it is chicken.

SNACK: Bottled Mocha Frappuccino

This was mostly stupid. I was at the deli, and I was tempted by the little bottle of mocha that I often buy as a ritual. It wasn’t that good, I didn’t enjoy it that much, it’s something that takes me about two minutes to drink, and I should stop it with those.

EARLY DINNER/LATE LUNCH: Boca Burger On A Wheat Roll

I had frozen parbaked wheat rolls in the freezer, so I baked one of those in the oven. Very, very tasty roll (from Fresh Direct). At the same time, I sprayed the small nonstick skillet and fried an original Boca burger. I split the roll (which — in case I forgot to say so — was very, very good) and put the burger on it. I thin-sliced one-quarter ounce (which I weighed) of really good cheddar that I just got, and put that on the burger. Used the champagne-shallot mustard again, as well as some ketchup (I’m a creature of habit from childhood) and, in a late development, three bottled jalapeno slices.

DINNER PART TWO: Caesar Salad, Applesauce

Three romaine leaves, cut up and washed. One tablespoon of good, rich Caesar dressing. Seven rubs of parmesan. Six butter-garlic croutons. I realize this isn’t the best example of eating a vegetable, but I really felt like I should eat a vegetable. Really did. I added a small container of unsweetened applesauce topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon, and — just for the hell of it — a sprinkle of red sugar left over from when I wanted to make Christmas cookies and never did.

DESSERT: Ice Cream And Granola

Okay, this was SO GOOD. About a half-cup of Haagen-Dazs light vanilla, which I topped with a couple of tablespoons (small handful) of granola. Wow, it was good. It was really, really good. I’ve never really tried that before, and it was probably one of the most pleasant desserts I’ve made for myself in quite a long time. I am a vanilla ice cream fan anyway, and the crunch of the granola and the taste of the oats (mostly) was…really good. A great discovery.

NIGHT BONUS: Peanuts

I had a handful of peanuts after that, because I was a tiny bit hungry and under for the day on calories.

All in all, I did really well today, which was particularly good news after yesterday was a little bit…tricky. One headline was that having that breakfast that was really high in protein and low in carbohydrates seemed to make me full for hours. I probably ate that around 9:30 in the morning (late to begin with), and I wasn’t hungry again until late in the afternoon. It was impressive. I may have to remember that a breakfast with some real substantial protein is very important for me.

BREAKFAST
Yogurt-Granola Bowl

I put together a container of plain nonfat yogurt (a cup, I believe) with a tablespoon of mixed berry spreadable fruit (that really thin stuff that’s hard to use, because it runs all over the place) and added a couple of tablespoons of dried cranberries and a quarter-cup of granola that I got from Fresh Direct a while ago. It came out good, though it was a little thin. I think that some of the fruit yogurts I often favor are usually a bit thicker. But it was good, and I wasn’t hungry much in the morning (though I ate a bit later than I sometimes do).

LUNCH
Chicken Capri Panini

I ate lunch late, at a time when I was very upset about events at work. I freely admit that I got a panini and fries because I was really, really looking for comfort and satisfaction. The good news is that (1) I ate only a small portion of the enormous haul of fries they handed me; and (2) the sandwich was really good and well worth it. If I’m going to go a little over the top, I’d rather do it on something I really like. And I really like the chicken capri panini, which has roasted chicken, mozzarella, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes. I wouldn’t be above looking for a way to make a similar sandwich at home. I should put that on the list of aspirations, because that was really, really good.

DINNER
Shrimp And Pasta In Peanut Satay Sauce

This was my last meal before the arrival of my real groceries, which shows in two ways: not very many ingredients, and use of something I’m trying to get rid of. In this case, I’m trying to use up a two-pound bag of frozen shrimp, which is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever bought, seriously. I mean, if I had a use for it, okay. But I didn’t, really, and it just sat and sat. Tonight, I took a nice chunk out of it by just thawing it out, cooking it, and mixing it with some penne and a couple of tablespoons of the peanut satay sauce I bought the other day. The peanut sauce wasn’t the right consistency — it was a good idea, but it didn’t really work, texture-wise, though it was all right. I was pleased, though, with the way the shrimp turned out, given how old they were. I used a method I dug up in a cookbook, which was to put the shrimp in water, bring it to a boil, lower the heat to a low simmer, and cook it for about five minutes. The shrimp were done just about right for me, so that was promising. There’s still plenty of shrimp left, believe me. I’m going to be eating shrimp when we’re all old and gray and reading Reader’s Digest and complaining like Andy Rooney about how remote controls have too many buttons.

SNACKS

Only two. Small dish of ice cream, medium margarita. I don’t mean to be a cliche ending my terrible, horrible, no-good, very-bad day with ice cream and a cocktail, but I…did. What I was pleased about was that I didn’t sit around and nibble all day, despite the high stress levels. Like, if this was as bad as it ever got when I was stressed, I’d be all right.

It wasn’t a great day full of victories, but I got the groceries into the house, and I did well at breakfast and at dinner as far as not overindulging. The inspiration of the panini was a good one — I should figure out how to make a panini substitute at home with the Foreman grill. (I can’t even talk about a Foreman grill anymore without thinking about grilling my foot like Michael Scott on The Office.)

Not everything is going perfectly so far, but I do feel like just keeping this record and making notes about everything is giving me a lot to think about as well as really reducing the amount of what that book would call “mindless eating” that I do. I may not have made a perfect dinner, and I probably should have chosen between the cocktail and the ice cream, but if I explained about work, it would make sense that today tested my abilities on that front. For now? I’ll take it.

BREAKFAST
Eggs In A Pita

I was very, very uninspired when I woke up this morning, so this is what I had, and the name literally says it all. I took two eggs, scrambled them in a little shaving of butter, and stuffed it in a pita. Period, end of story. That was all there was. Oh, wait — salt and pepper. It was actually eggs and salt and pepper in a pita. On another day, maybe I’d have added some peppers and onions, but I don’t even have peppers and onions, is what I’m saying. It was very simple, it was very tasty — I did a good job of scrambling the eggs slowly so they didn’t dry out or get crusty or brown — and it kept me from getting hungry all morning, unlike yesterday’s oatmeal, which was good but made me hungry.

ME VERSUS STARBUCKS

I have such Starbucks issues, seriously. When I was in grad school ten years ago, I used to regularly — regularly! — get a venti mocha and a cinnamon chip scone for breakfast. That’s something like 900 or 1000 calories right there, almost all of which is pure sugar and fat. I rarely eat pastries there anymore, because as much as I’d like to find the lowfat ones satisfying, I don’t really, at least not enough to make up for the fact that they still have so much sugar that they throw all the counts off for the day.

But oh, the mocha. I do have a weakness for the mocha, more out of habit than anything. The weird thing is, and I’m saying this in the interests of honesty, that I didn’t even want one that badly today, and I had it anyway. Don’t get me wrong — I enjoyed it, it was sweet and tasty, and I had no regrets. The grande with no fat or whipped cream isn’t the worst treat you can choose, but it winds up standing in for probably two other treats I could have, since most of my treats run around 150 calories and this is more like 300. The good news is that at least I get my milk for the day that way. It’s really only “bad” because of the chocolate, and the chocolate is your basic sweet. So that’s really the issue, is that it combines milk that I should have anyway with chocolate that’s a treat, so that’s a lot all at once and doesn’t really spread things out over the day quite as well.

I like lattes okay, but they’re not the sweet I sometimes want. But still, I sense that it’s habit. Not even habit, so much as…it’s a way I give myself something. I can give myself that; that’s within my power every day. Something I enjoy that I know I can have. It’s not a substitute for love; I hate that. It’s just…a gesture of kindness toward myself. I don’t know. I need to think about it, because I think I still want that, but I think I can do it a little “cheaper,” in the sense I’m talking about.

LUNCH
Tomato-Basil Soup

This is an easy one. I chose takeout soup, which I know from previous research is very reasonable in nutritional values, other than way too much salt. It came with a nice slice of multigrain bread. The same place makes a really good salad; it would have been more balanced with a small soup and a small salad, but I was satisfied, and I didn’t get really hungry until mid-afternoon, at which point I had a ginger cookie that was in the break room — actually a “ginger biscuit,” whatever British (?) nonsense that’s supposed to be. It was like a light, crispy cookie, and it was very tasty.

DINNER
Chicken Club Panini, courtesy Lean Cuisine

This was a surprisingly tasty sandwich, although it wasn’t very long ago that I ate it, and I can feel myself hungry already. I want to stress that here, when I talk about being hungry? I am talking about being hungry. Stomach growling, stomach physically hungry. I know the difference between that and “want to eat.” I’m physically hungry, which is what’s getting me. Right now, the roommate is cooking a pizza, and that’s not helping either. Food smells really seem to make me hungry instantly — I wonder whether sucking on a mint or chewing gum or something would help with some of this. Dinner was good, but…I am hungry. Sitting here maybe 45 minutes after I finished eating a big panini sandwich, listening to my stomach growl.

SNACKS

I finished off my evening with a small dish of Haagen-Dazs Extra Rich Light Vanilla Bean. Probably more sugar than is right for the day, combined with the mocha, but overall, I think I did all right.

BREAKFAST
Just-Right Oatmeal For A Delicate Constitution

What’s In It: 1 cup skim milk; 1/2 cup old-fashioned Quaker oats; 2 tbsp. raisins; 2 tsp. packed brown sugar; sprinkles of cinnamon.

What I Did: I was skeptical of the package directions telling me to boil the milk, but I did, disliking only the fact that the milk develops that nasty skin that you have to peel off if you take your eyes off it for a minute. Once it boiled, I added the oats and cooked them for ten minutes — the directions said five minutes, but that didn’t come anywhere close to absorbing the liquid. When they were cooked, I stirred in the raisins (this is a good way to get rid of raisins that have started to turn the corner to drying out, because they sort of plump up nicely from being cooked in the oatmeal), brown sugar, and cinnamon. Gave it a minute to come together, and it was done. I ate this in a FiestaWare mug, because my bowls are a little too big for it, and I was afraid the amount would look puny in a bowl.

The Verdict:  It was really good, for something I improvised (admittedly from pretty classic combinations; I’m not reinventing the wheel with cinnamon and raisins together). It’s absolutely amazing how little this kind of oatmeal — real oats cooked in milk — resembles the instant kind, that’s just kind of a smooth slop. This results in discernible individual oats, actually feeling more similar to a big-grained rice than to mush. It was actually really good. I guessed on the amount of sweetener, and it was more than enough; I’d probably prefer it a little less sweet next time, maybe with one teaspoon of brown sugar. I’m thinking about trying it another day this week with cranberry and almonds, maybe with a little orange peel. I think I’m a slave to cereal conventions. Maybe I need to branch out.

LUNCH
Champagne-Shallot Tuna Pitas

What’s In It: 1/2 whole-wheat pita; 1/2 of a 6-oz. can tuna in water, drained; 2 tsp. champagne-shallot mustard; handful of salad greens; splash of balsamic vinaigrette.

What I Did: Mixed the tuna, mustard, and vinaigrette, stuffed it in the pita along with the greens. Saved 1/2 a can of tuna for later.

The Verdict: I gave these the fanciest name I could think of, but it’s basically the tuna salad my mom made when I was a kid, with mustard instead of (or in addition to) mayonnaise, which was a trick I know she learned at Weight Watchers. I happened to have this fancy mustard around, and I admit — it was pretty good. I don’t think it really needed the vinaigrette, which I think was overpowered by the mustard anyway. It was just a thought. You know, I don’t know if I’m the only person who finds pitas really hard to eat sometimes, because they tend to fall apart on me, but I soldiered on, you know, because I am a pro. I would definitely have put in a little bit of apple or celery or both if I’d had any, but of course…I didn’t. I’m getting my first order of groceries on Thursday night, which will give me more flexibility, since right now, I’m putting together what I can with what I have — even more true today, when most stores weren’t open. Not that I was going to run out for celery, because I wasn’t.

DINNER
Sausage And Eggs

What’s In It: 2 apple-flavored chicken sausage links (totaling around 3.75 ounces); 2 eggs.

What I Did: I really didn’t know how to cook the chicken sausages. I cooked them in a nonstick skillet, and they turned out all right, but really dried out. I definitely need to prepare the rest of those a little bit differently, because…that was not the right way, quite. Like I said, plenty edible, but not great.  When the sausages were cooked, I moved them aside and fried (dry in the skillet) a couple of eggs in the pan.

The Verdict: I should have added a little butter, which I didn’t, because I apparently still haven’t learned that even in a nonstick skillet, eggs with no fat in the pan do not fry well or release well. This was an example of a dinner that turned out passable and I ate it and I enjoyed it, but I could have done much better if I’d known what I was doing. That sausage might do better crumbled up and used in an omelet or something. Tasty, but I have to learn to cook it without drying it out so much.

OTHER

About a half-ounce of cashews for a morning snack; a slice of double-fiber bread and an ounce of sheep’s-milk manchego cheese for an afternoon snack; a small Vitamin Water (12 ounces); two mini-cookies (macadamia nut-white chocolate) for dessert; a small-sized margarita for an evening treat; the other half-can of tuna eaten plain with a dab of mustard to ward off extreme nighttime hunger.

How Things Went Today: Hey, for a first day, I’m giving myself lots of credit. I made it through the day, cooked all three meals, ate things I don’t usually bother with, had a good balance of fat/carbs/protein (if not enough fruits and vegetables, which is logical given that I haven’t had produce in since I got back from Christmas break), and controlled the nibbling. The big problem that worries me is that I was hungry ALL DAY, and in fact, as I write this (at the moment, it’s about 9:15 at night), I’m kind of…extremely hungry, even though I had sausage and eggs about three hours ago. I thought the protein-heavy dinner would  keep me from being so hungry, but…here we are. I mean, yes, I could have bulked it up with a few more servings of fruits and vegetables, but that doesn’t tend to have a huge ability to ward off hunger, so I’m a little daunted by the fact that I ate plenty (theoretically) and still was hungry ALL DAY. Hopefully, when I get to incorporating exercise, that will allow me to eat a little bit more, but…right now, that part is very discouraging.