"healthy" processed foods...

Okay, I am officially done with Nature Valley granola bars. Delicious? yes. Healthy-ish? yes. Pronounceable ingredients? Yes. Vegan? You betcha.

However, these gave me gas and made me crave junk food. So, I'm done with them. I will give them to my dad, since he seems to have an iron stomach and Stacey says he won't eat them.

I ate one on Monday for breakfast, and was so excited to have found a healthy pop tart replacement. The whole day I was bloated and uncomfortable. And I was craving more simple carbs! Yesterday, just because I remembered how delicious they were, I ate it again for breakfast. Same results. So I put 2 and 2 together and decided to try the natural route for breakfast today. And wa-la. No stomach pain or cravings.

Preperation really is the key to this diet. Last night I made a big pot of oatmeal, and a big pot of brown rice. No excuses for not eating clean today! Except that last night, I bought a bag of "light" lays potato chips during a weak moment at Schnucks. They are vegan, just not healthy. Lots of unpronouncable ingredients. And very low-calorie, so despite being off of Points, I still feel entitled to eat large quantities of things like this with no guilt. I need help!

I will probably eat the rest of the bag tonight. I was just proud of myself for not eating the whole bag yesterday. Baby steps! :-)

Here's the plan for today:

breakfast - oatmeal with karob chips and a banana

lunch - baked potato, salad, pumpkin seeds

dinner - brown rice, beans (unsure which kind yet), steamed greens (collard, turnip, and kale)

snacks - almonds, therestofthelightlayspotatochips, sliced vegetables

exercise - Curves circuit training and Gazelle cardio (90 minutes total)

Have a great day, everyone!