To carb or not to carb; that is the question.

Well, my answer is: carb! I love my carbs. I know I shouldn’t eat refined sugars or refined foods in general, but it has been difficult for me to stick with eating only fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. One summer, I was on a South Beach-like diet, and felt fantastic. But, when I returned to school in the fall, my fresh food habits fell to the wayside. I do eat plenty of fruits and vegetables every day, but I also supplement those with snack foods such as soy crisps (my snack of choice right now), granola/cereal bars (Larabars are awesome!), rice cakes, cereal (Banana Nut Cheerios!), and other carb-y goodies. Did I mention my love of chocolate? Recently, I’ve been getting my chocolate fix with pre-made, 60-calorie Jell-o brand pudding cups. I also eat my fair share of whole wheat or sourdough bread, since sandwiches are such an easy lunch to take with me to work.

For dinner, my husband and I are pretty good at balancing our meals. We usually prepare some sort of protein with a carb and a salad and/or vegetable. Since he works out a lot, he likes to load up on carbs, while I usually pile on the veggies a little heavier. We like making potatoes, pasta (I buy the wheat kind), rice/couscous, or just some toast. He really likes asparagus, so we’ll throw that in the broiler or on the grill with a little olive oil for a delicious side. We also eat a lot of green beans with almonds (from the freezer section). Lately, I’ve been eating a lot of Kashi frozen pizza. They are (relatively) low calorie, made with whole wheat crust, and really delicious! My favorite is the vegetable variety with broccoli and artichoke. Yum!

Having said all that, as you can see, I don’t deprive myself from enjoying carbs. I have tried to do so in the past, but always end up binging on chips or candy bars, which is not good for me. My new thought is to keep my diet balanced between the different food groups and between fresh fruits and vegetables and processed foods. Though I don’t stay away from refined foods completely, I do keep myself from pigging out on them, and I think that is working for me so far.

The other important part of my diet regimen is that I don’t eat out as often as I used to. Besides saving money, my husband and I are also able to keep our calorie intake down, which is important for the both of us. This weekend doesn’t count though! I am in Texas to go to my brother’s college graduation (yay Mark!) so I’m getting my fill of good Texas cooking while I can. Last night was Alamo Café, tonight we’ll be in Aggieland, and Sunday we’re definitely hitting up Rudy’s with my extended family. I joked that I might come back to California 5 pounds heavier… but it might be true. ;) However, I don’t punish myself for indulging like this. Even though I will be eating out, I’ll make smart choices about what I’m eating, and I’ll get back to my regular diet when I return home.