A Notable Lunch

You know I'm not usually one to document in photographs everything I eat all day. I appreciate others that do because it gives me inspiration. (If I get some positive feedback from posting my lunches, I'll do it more often. *hint, hint*)

This is what about 600 calories looks like

I do, however, keep track of my food and exercise in an app from Loseit.com. (I used to use sparkpeople.com, but find I like the simplicity of Lose It more.) I've tracked my food on and off for the last five years.  I'm shocked how little food a body requires to survive, but at the same time find it incredibly difficult to feel satisfied on a 1500 calorie diet. I find that if I aim for 1500 calories, I keep my weight steady. When I start eating closer to 2000 calories a day, even when exercising regularly, I gain weight.

Today's lunch was so delicious that I'm sharing it with you:

Arnold 8-grain pocket with chicken salad and mixed greens
Mama Pea's Black Eyed Pea Salad with Corn and Peppers
Clementines (for morning and afternoon snacks)
Red grapes
Farmhouse white cheddar (not the bulk processed crap, but a cheese that tells you the name of the farm and how long it's aged. And it's white so it doesn't have that fake yellow color in it.)

I find it really hard to consume the recommended amount of fruits (2-4 servings) and vegetables (3-5 servings) each day, so I have to sneak them into other dishes. Tracking my food opened my eyes to the amount of calories that come from meat. Meat is a very calorie dense food. Example: 4 oz. of lean ground beef has about 170 calories, or you could eat 4.5 bell peppers for about 170 calories.


Chicken Salad (4 servings)
12.5 oz can chicken, drained
1 stalk celery, diced
1 apple, cored and diced
1 Tbsp parsley (I only used this because I had it on hand)
2 Tbsp Miracle Whip (I know, unhealthy, but I can't stand jarred mayo!)

I made a few modifications to Mama Pea's dressing for the veggie salad. I didn't have rice vinegar on hand (I thought I did and then got home and realized it was sesame oil. Not the same!) Follow her recipe except:

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (reduced the amount)
4 Tbsp white vinegar (instead of rice vinegar)
2 tsp sugar (added because vinegar is a little too tart for me!)

and I used an entire can of drained corn instead of just 1 cup.

Enjoy!

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Cholesterol

A couple weeks ago, I went to the doctor for my yearly wellness visit. I have been watching what I eat really closely since I moved back to the farm, mostly because last time I lived with Grandma I gained unnecessary weight. Since moving in with Grandma this time, I've lost 12 pounds. I expected all my bloodwork to come back normal.

Most of it did, except for my cholesterol. Total cholesterol was 243, with triglycerides at 100, HDL at 56, and LDL at 167. Normal cholesterol levels should be: Total  < 200, Triglycerides < 150, HDL > 65, and LDL < 100. So what's wrong with this picture? My LDL is through the roof.

Source

My blood pressure is always fairly normal, around 120/80, and I've never had a problem with my blood sugar. Despite my fears that diabetes would become an issue in my health, due to its high prevalence in the family, my blood sugar was 86.

What is really frustrating about this is that I think I eat fairly healthy. A typical day of eating looks like this:
Breakfast: oatmeal with fruit, coffee with almond milk
Lunch: salads with cheese, fruit and nuts, without dressing, or something vegetarian with fruit. I allow myself one lunch out per week with coworkers. This is as much for health reasons as it is for financial reasons.
Dinner: Grandma's homecooked meals that, while delicious, are not always healthy. Sometimes I can't find a vegetable on my plate (mostly because I don't count mashed potatoes as a vegetable).

Weekends mean:
a Saturday brunch with family, and a homecooked dinner.
Sunday breakfast a Panera with a homecooked potluck dinner.

Where is this high cholesterol coming from?

I look at these websites with lists of things you're supposed to do to decrease bad cholesterol. I already do it: cook with olive oil, don't use salad dressing on my daily salads, eat nuts, fruits and vegetables, reduce eating out, eating meat and dairy, and fried foods. I don't smoke. I've been working out 2 - 3 times per week.

I'm supposed to go back in six months for updated bloodwork. In the meantime, I'm supposed to take fish oil twice daily. (Note: if you ever buy fish oil, buy the burpless. Otherwise you'll burp tunafish for a couple hours. Yes, I know from experience.) I'm going to work on increasing gym time. And I'm going to try tracking my food better.

Now comes the part where I have to figure out what it is that I'm doing wrong. And somehow figure out what Grandma puts in the food without offending her.

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