Cleaning Up My Kitchen

I've been beating myself up lately about not tracking my food, not exercising, and a general lackadaisical approach to weight loss which is resulting in no progress. 

Last night at Weight Watchers there was a discussion of trigger-proofing your kitchen.  A trigger food is one that you seem to have little or no control over. As we talked, I realized I have made progress, and I want to recognize that.

What am I no longer buying? 

• Cereal bars.  If they are in the house, I will snack on them every five minutes. 
• Chips, including baked, whole grain and pretzels.  Because if they are in the house I will have a handful with dinner.  The first day I might count them, maybe even the second.  But after that, no.  I will buy plain tortilla chips for the rest of the house.  I only love those at Mexican restaurants or with a yummy dip.  Which I will not make. 
• Ice cream.  'Nuff said.
• Mixes for side dishes, like macaroni and cheese.  There are still some in the cupboard but I won't cook them.  I will buy the occasional brownie mix for a specific healthy-fix recipe, but that's it.
• Fat-free lab creation foods.  I'm still working on balancing the full-fat versions with losing weight; hopefully this week I will find the right balance.

What do I buy more of now, or that I didn't buy before?

• Tons of produce.  The produce drawer in my fridge is stuffed full; I can barely close it.
• Two avocados a week;
• Bagged lettuce mixes;
• Apples;
• Oranges;
• Leafy greens like kale or beet greens;
• Parsnips;
• Heads of cabbage;
• Cilantro;
• Celery;
• Carrot chips; and
• A new produce item twice a month, something new to try.
• Frozen blueberries and frozen bananas;
• Lots of lean meats and seafoods (I got over my omnivore issues, currently I only eat meat at dinner but I would not rule out having it at lunch once in a while.  Wait, I had a salad with chicken on it for lunch two days ago.);
• One-point tortillas;
• Whole wheat couscous;
• Raw almonds;
• Stevia for sweetener;
• Sugar-free cereals like All-Bran or Shredded Wheat;
• Agave nectar;
• and PB2 and Naturally More peanut butters.

And what are some good grocery-buying habits I already had in place?

• Whole wheat pasta only;
• Brown rice;
• Canned black beans, kidney beans (including cannellini), and garbanzo beans; and dried pinto beans and lentils;
• Lots of frozen veggies;
• Eggs;
• Good cheeses with lots of flavor even if you use less, like feta or blue cheese;
• Skim milk;
• Oatmeal, both quick-cooking and once in a while the steel-cut variety;
• Different grains like quinoa or millet for experimenting.  Love quinoa; and
• The occasional new produce experiment.

Is my kitchen perfect?  No.  The most recent trip to the grocery store included a request for sugared cereal, so I bought some I liked, too.  The first couple nights after that I had two bowls of sugary cereal before bed.  Last night I didn't.  Just because it's there doesn't mean I need to eat it.  Maybe I need to put that on a post-it on the cupboard.

Is my kitchen getting better, more health-friendly, more weight-loss friendly?  Yes.

I'm going to go pack a healthy lunch to take to work.  Here's to recognizing successes and building on them.  Have a fab day!