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Loved hearing all your goals for November!! I was already successful with one of my goals last night and slept for 8 hours. That’s two nights it a row! I can’t remember the last time that happened! It helps I was in bed at a ludicrously early hour :)

Which led to a very dark morning for me. Enter, mysterious bowl of oats…

Ooohh, so dark and shadow-y :P

• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/2 scoop chocolate whey powder
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp marshmallow fluff

I’m also super excited that my recipe for mocha oats made with Starbucks Via instant coffee is on the Starbucks website!! Ch-ch-check it out!

A couple hours of digesting and internet-ing later, I went to another stellar step class. This was my fourth time there and I really felt like I had all the moves down this time. It’s true when they say it takes 3-5 classes! I think one of the reasons why I love this class so much (besides the high energy of it) is that it occurs at the perfect time of day for me. I get my best workouts mid-morning. I have a good breakfast and some coffee in me. Early morning can be a little rough, and I tend to drag a little any later in the day.

Came home and refuelled with smoothie made with chocolate Amazing grass, almond milk, 1/2 a banana, scoop cottage cheese and ice.

It’s even growing plants out the top! :P The Amazing Grass has actually grown on me. Most of all, it surprisingly keeps my hunger at bay!

Lunch was a Janetha inspired cottage cheese-garbanzo-ranch mix.

• < 1 cup cottage cheese
• <1 cup garbanzo beans
• 1 tbsp ranch seasoning
• cherry tomatoes
• red onion
• red pepper
• spinach

Don’t let my reused plastic container dishware fool you. This was delicious!

Dinner was incredibly simple, and also incredibly tasty.

The pita had hummus, grilled chicken breast and sweet potato. I usually stuff my pitas silly with a whack of veggies, but tonight I got to enjoy every flavour. It was wonderful :)

Now, I know I’m not the only one out there over the internets who feels like their eating has gotten away from them lately. I don’t know if it’s the time of year, or if we’re all just going through things that are causing us to relax on our food intake, but something is going on! :P

I think it’s easy to make a list of goals like “I’m going to stop the mindless munching,” or “no treats after dinner.” But getting to the bottom of why we’re doing these things is a lot more difficult.

I would never say I ever had a “food binge.” However, pre-weight loss, I often consumed food without taking any notice of it. If my roommate brought home cookies, I’d throw back three without even thinking about it. After dinner, I would get a piece of chocolate, then immediately get up and go for more without an ounce of pre-meditation.

This is why I made one of November’s goals to be less complacent with food. Lately, these old habits have been creeping back into my life. Not nearly as bad. I am much better at being present when I eat a meal, or being conscious of choosing snacks. However, I still find that my hand reaches into the cereal box without my noticing. Or I’ll grab a few chocolate chips thinking “what does it matter?”

Really, it’s maybe only an extra 100 calories a day and isn’t the end of the world. But I also don’t think it’s the right way to approach food. Especially when it’s so frighteningly close to my old thoughtless approach.

Complacency: self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies

I think I need to do more than just hide the cereal box on the top shelf, or not allow crackers in my house. I really need to focus on being aware and present when I eat food. I need to sit down to a meal and enjoy every bite. I need to decide that I want to eat that date, instead of just reaching for it because it’s there. Maybe I’ll even still have those chocolate chips, but they won’t be as I run out the door. I’ll take the time to treasure every sweet bite :)

So when I say I’m going to be less complacent with food, that is what I mean. For those of you who struggle with mindless munching, fast eating, and boredom snacking, I encourage you to do the same!

This isn’t just something we can put on a list of goals and forget about. It’s a lifetime thing, just as exercising and eating vegetables are. It’s just another commitment I need (and want) to make to ensure I have a healthy relationship with my body.

So there ya go! I’ll let you know on Sunday how this is coming along. For me, it’s going to take a while to shift the thought process behind the complacency that’s been happening lately. But I think even just taking a second to stop and ask myself “Why am I eating these raisins? Am I bored? Hungry? Searching for something else?” will get the ball rolling.

Question of the day: What’s one food that always finds its way to your mouth? Mine is peanuts. Put me in front of a bowl of peanuts and they don’t stand a chance :P