Chili day! Chili for dinner is a family favorite. My recipe involves ground pork sausage meat and kidney beans, with a chunky tomato sauce flavored with onion, garlic, chili powder, and cumin. I have seen recipes with wine, and different spices, or all beef, or even mixed pork and beef. But this one is very, very good. I’ve eaten it plain, or with tortilla chips and sour cream, or in a burrito with other toppings (like rice, guacamole, refried beans, lettuce, cheese). It never lasts very long since the whole family likes it. This kind of dish is ideal for weight control. It’s so good that it’s worth eating a measured amount; so good that you want to approach your first bite with an empty and hungry stomach.
Did I mention some people serve chili on hot dogs or over noodles? I’ve tried both. This chili is wasted on hot dogs, the flavor is too strong for them. On noodles, I feel like it dilutes the flavor too much. You have some noodles with a lot of chili and most of the noodles just with a whisper of chili. See, I know what will work, and what will satisfy me, in detail. That’s actually important knowledge when controlling your weight.
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – 4 ounces Ukrainian bread and butter (400)
- 400 calories
Lunch – lasagna half (300); bread roll (200);
- 500 calories
Dinner – 4oz chili (170); bread (80); ice cream sandwich (190); chocolate almonds (160); salad (25);
- 625 calories
Snacking – tea with half and half (80); 4oz Boston baked beans (180)
- 260 calories
Total for the day: 1785 calories (limit 1800)
Deprivation and diet (do not mix)
I have said many times that leaving yourself feeling deprived is a sure way to mess up on a diet (or when attempting weight control, a far more permanent change). Almost every Friday this year, and for many in the past, I am careful to not overeat Friday so that when I get on the scale Saturday, I will record the best possible weight loss. Guess what happens? Sure enough, I overeat most Saturdays. It’s because I am leaving myself Friday in a state of feeling deprived, like I am forcing myself to not eat, and then Saturday I have a reaction to that. That’s not even true, but I am putting myself there by not taking care of my need to not feel deprived. There are two parts to not feeling deprived when restricting calories.
The first is to make sure you do get enough to eat and that it is food you like and appreciate. Make sure you get it at the right time. I often get a bit careless about dinnertime and can delay it by an hour or more. Then I am in deprived territory. The second part to not feeling deprived is to have something to look forward to tomorrow. Not the weighing; my body (or my subconscious) doesn’t work that way. It feels deprived for food and no amount of numbers on a scale makes up for that!!!! So I am going to try and make sure I have a great breakfast planned for Saturdays, or maybe a great lunch to look forward to. That means: getting to bed on time (less chance to binge eat late at night if you are already asleep) and getting up early enough to make breakfast.
Being responsible and keeping your weight under control are partners in that way.
-The Doctor