Christmas Day was great, my grandma and I spent most of the day at the nursing home with my grandpa. My grandpa’s sister and her husband ate dinner (which in Iowa speak is lunch – evening meal is supper) with us.
The food was fine at the nursing home, but I had mixed emotions about eating there. The food was plated for us and we each received 2 small squares of ham, 1 small portion of sweet potato, a tablespoon of corn, and 1/2 piece of rye bread. Oh, and 4 cooked baby carrots. Desert was an 1/8 of a lemon meringue pie.
Here lies the mixes emotions.
I had TOTAL PORTION CONTROL. I was satisfied but not stuffed after dinner. I wasn’t sluggish or tired. I felt THE WAY PEOPLE ARE SUPPOSED TO FEEL AFTER EATING.
But I wasn’t MENTALLY SATISFIED.
Where was the mashed potatoes and gravy that we always have at Christmas time? The turkey? The second and third helpings? Unbuttoning of my pants and eating pumpkin pie just to have some even though I am so full I could yack?
I had arrived “home” with the mentality that I was not going to eat healthy—that this was going to be a “fluke” in the month and I could have whatever I wanted – it’s Christmas, right?!?
But my grandma (and the nursing home dietitian) got in the way.
My grandma eats like a bird. Her portions are almost laughable—until you measure out the “recommended” serving sizes and see she is SPOT ON. On Christmas Eve I tweeted this:
She decided not to cook this week (other than “a” pork chop in the crockpot for us to share) because with just the two of us eating, it made no sense to cook a big meal. I completely understood, and just let he dictate the meals.
I couldn’t believe that I was feeling GOOD (not bloated, crabby, tired) like I usually did during the holidays—then I realized—I had BEEN EATING LIKE MY GRANDMA! She was fixing my plates, making sure I was eating mostly veggies and protein and we had been drinking only water (she doesn’t keep soda in the house anymore.)
Then, on Saturday night, we decided to get tacos from my favorite local joint, and I got a diet soda since I had a headache that would not quit (that I chalked up to a caffeine-withdrawal issue).
Seriously, within an hour of eating 3 beef tacos and a diet coke, I was over-full, bloated, gassy and crabby.
I hadn’t eaten any veggies and the protein was crap. I had soda which I swear was making my stomach hurt.
I realized, eating grandma-like portions (which may look crazy-small initially) was the way to eat all the time.
She eats chocolate.
She eats bread and white potatoes.
She partakes in all the “forbidden” foods…
She just eats the correct portions!!!!
Seriously, I am going to follow her eating patterns for a few weeks and see how I do. I will tag my posts with WWGE (what would grandma eat?) and see if I notice a difference*.
Would you like to join me? It’s just committing to eating much smaller portions than you are now and leaving the table satisfied but not full. That’s it! let me know if you want to join in!
*Cavaot: 12 days of Shred bootcamp starts tomorrow – 12 full days of bootcamp with only Sundays off—this may cause me to eat a bit more protein than grandma would, but she is not working out like a fiend either…
