How much should you eat during a holiday meal? In my case, I made everything myself and it was all fabulous. Remember that on my weight control plan, I’ve found I am willing to eat smaller portions if the food is really good. I can look forward to it, savor it, and enjoy having eaten it. Normally, my goal is not to get full….just full enough to last to the next meal. On special occasions, I break that rule. For example, last week I went to an Indian buffet for an enormous lunch and then didn’t eat any dinner. That’s a situation where I was eating until I was full, with no consideration of my next meal! It does mess my diet system up a bit, so I try not to do it often. But today was one of those days. I had lunch today and have no desire for dinner at all. Strange because my calorie intake was well under control.
I heated a smoked ham and some kielbasa, and made pyrohi (like pierogis, only more Ukrainian), paska bread (a very rich, eggy Easter bread from Ukraine), beets with horseradish (a condiment), and roasted Brussels sprouts. For dessert, I made a strawberry shortcake roll. Not that we needed dessert, but I like to be thorough. So I was really looking forward to this meal. That part, at least, was according to my food control lifestyle.
My daily food intake and calorie count:
Breakfast – Reese’s peanut butter creme egg (170); beef jerky (90); tea (80)
- 340 calories
Lunch – Ham and kielbasa (300); pyrohi with sour cream and butter (400); Paska bread and butter (250); roasted Brussels sprouts (40)
- 990 calories
Dinner – skipped.
- 0 calories
Snacking – tasting during cooking (100); strawberry shortcake roll (250)
- 350 calories
Total for the day: 1680 calories (limit 1800)
It was a big meal. At least, it is big as I am thinking about it now. According to the calorie counters you find online, someone like me was eating over 3500 calories per day to gain weight. Having gotten used to less food per meal, usually 500-700 calories, this meal was big. And I felt pretty full afterwards. My standard for one of my 500-700 calorie meals is that it’s just enough to satisfy me until the next meal. Today, there was no next meal. So it messes with my system. Frankly, it messes with my head a little.
Having done this a few times now (having one big meal for the day), I am finding that I prefer three smaller meals to one large one. Eating one big meal that makes me feel full is starting to feel distasteful, isn’t that strange? If I had eaten more carefully portioned lunch and dinner, the total calories would have been the same, but I would feel better about it. More in control. And that is my aim – to be fully in control of my food intake.
On the good side, it is wonderful to be on a diet where I am so happy about what I am eating. Who knew diet food could be wonderful? I satisfied many parts of myself during this meal: physical, mental, and spiritual.
Happy Easter!
-The Doctor