My meal plan was oatmeal and a banana for breakfast, which I was told spiked my sugar levels right away, which isn’t good (but something I loved!!). So the change she asked me to make was to keep my oatmeal but to have protein for breakfast–so to eat an omelette consisting of 1 egg and 2 egg whites. Since I love eggs, this is no big deal! I think breakfast is my favourite meal of the day.

For snack I would usually have a Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino (light) and I would think about fruit, but most of the time it turned into a pudding or Skinny Cow ice cream bar. So lots of sugar, and not much else. Instead of having that, I am having an apple (I prefer granny smith) and protein of some sort–I have had tuna last week. I am thinking about Jennie-O turkey this week.

For lunch I was pretty much on target–protein, veggie and a starch/carb of some sort. But I would have potato or white rice–which on the glycemic index is ranked “high”. One of the things that my trainer says is that I should try to eat starchy foods that rank medium on the index. So if I am having rice, wild rice is best, but the best things to eat are broccoli, salad, green beans, etc. Corn and carrots rank higher on the index as fruits, so those should be eaten in lesser amounts, same with potatoes. And crap, because I love potatoes. So now I eat either salad, cauliflower casserole or steamed broccoli. I also have started weighing my chicken to ensure I only eat 3 to 4 ounces. You would be shocked how heavy chicken is! 3 ounces is not as much as I thought it was!!

My afternoon snack used to be a Jello Temptation cup that was between 100 to 140 calories or I would have the other half of the banana left over from my breakfast, with peanut butter. Again–sugar high. And I was not tracking how much peanut butter I was eating, but that tub of peanut disappeared pretty darn fast! What my trainer suggested was, that since I crave sweets in the afternoon hard, was to have a chocolate protein shake, but to get the most out of it, I am to add a half cup of pasteurized egg whites and half a cup of water. The egg whites, if I remember correctly, keep my metabolism up and somehow are active in my body.  I was super nervous about the egg whites in the shake–it was way outside my box. But I don’t taste it!!

For dinner I was on the right track, protein, veggie, mild starch. The rules here are the same as lunch, eat 3-4 ounces of chicken or seafood or turkey. Eat low starch foods, again using the glycemic index as a guide. I find no difference between what I was eating earlier and what I eat now. The big change though, is dessert. Oh baby, I love my 8pm sweet fix. Even if it is a Temptations pudding. What my trainer suggested, was to have another egg white/water protein shake. That way I am having my chocolate fix plus I am putting protein in my body, so that when I am sleeping that is being burned, instead of my muscle.

It might seem like fine-tuning or tweaking, but these small changes have had a profound impact on me over the past week. The first day I actually had a headache from not eating sugar. It was rough. Over the weekend I was craving a vanilla milkshake like it was going out of style! But I keep my head down. I listen to my body. And I try my hardest to eat the way my trainer says works best. I still have my Starbucks–but I only have it the days I have boot camp. And I did pressure Robert to buy a vanilla shake yesterday, but I only had a little and I have not craved it since.

I am hoping this sticks, that I can work with my trainer for more variety. I also hope that one day this whole sugar addiction might be licked. I don’t think it’s totally possible, but I am trying…