Helloooooo, friendly faces!
I missed you guys yesterday, but only a little 😛 Truth be told, it feels nice to get away every now and again – the blog world can get to be a little much sometimes, no? But that’s a whooooole other topic on it’s own, and one that I don’t really want to get into today seeing as it’s WIAW and all. So if no one objects, let’s talk food; and I really hope that no one does because I’m kind of a big fan of it – it being food…
I do have to admit, however, that I’m not really a fan of this month’s theme (sorry Jenn! I still love you, though!). Or rather, my stomach isn’t. Back in the day, I used to eat massive amounts of veggies; in fact, there was a time in my life where that was pretty much all I would eat…
But even without going all the way back to the darkest days of my ED, there was a long period of time during my recovery where I would bulk up my meals with a crazy amount of veggies because I was absolutely terrified that not having enough volume in my meals would leave me hungry… and heaven forbid I eat more if I wasn’t satisfied. So I ate monster salads…
… and enough squash and broccoli to make me look like I was 5 months pregnant…
But even though I stuffed myself with enough veggies to leave me in a decent amount of physical discomfort, deep down I was never truly satisfied. It took a bit of time and a lot of effort, but eventually I cut the bulk out of my diet and started focusing on eating smaller volume, higher density foods that, despite my initial fears, actually left me perfectly satisfied. And as an added bonus, the massively protruding veggie-belly that had plagued me earlier disappeared as well. Double win. So now? Now the only veggies I really eat come in the form of these guys right here…
… and when they do make an appearance, it’s more as an afterthought than anything else. At first I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the lack of veggies in my diet, seeing as it goes against most healthy living recommendations and what have you, but following those ‘recommendations’ left me feeling like garbage more often than not, whereas now I’m feeling pretty pretty darned good – probably because I get most of my vitamins and minerals from eating my weight in fruit. And now, with all that backstory out of the way, we can finally get to the food!
So I know yesterday was Pancake Tuesday and all, and to give myself a little credit, I actually considered whipping up a batch of pancakes for breakfast to celebrate the occasion… buuuuut that thought lasted all of 5 seconds before I broke into the cereal stash…
Plain Greek yogurt – banana – blueberries – Puffins – Enjoy Life trail mix.
What can I say? I like my yogurt messes best. And as a quick aside, you know what kind of skeeves me out? The idea of eating veggies at breakfast. I know it’s a perfectly normal and common practice, but I just can’t stomach it – I tried putting pumpkin in my oatmeal on a few occasions and wasn’t even a big fan of that. Veggies for breakfast just doesn’t sit well with me. Veggies for lunch, on the other hand, I can definitely do…
Ezekiel English muffin with cheese, hummus, and deli turkey. Random veggies on the side.
And on the days where I don’t opt for having breakfast multiple times a day, veggies are perfectly welcome to make an appearance at dinner…
Sometimes I don’t even mind snacking on them…
Baby carrots and Sunbutter.
Baked sweet potato with cottage cheese and almond butter.
But more often than not, I have to admit that I prefer snacking on things like this…
Chocolate chip oatmeal muffin.
Chocolate chip cookie dough ball.
Deep chocolate Vitamuffin – plain Greek yogurt – banana.
Banana and almond butter.
Quite the picture of health, aren’t I? I’d like to think so, actually. My diet may not be veggie and superfood packed, but it seems to be working for me – I feel good and I look good, so what else matters, right? 🙂
And now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with a plumber. My shower drain has been backing up and as willing as I am to go without veggies, going without showers is just…. no.
Happy Wednesday, friends!
. – . – . – .
Can anyone relate to my veggie-bulking woes?
Do you have an easy time getting your veggies in?
Do you ever eat veggies at breakfast?
I love sunflower seed butter! I just made a batch of my own!
Wow, great post! I can relate to your veggie bulking woes. I think I tend to do this from time to time because I LOVE to see a big bunch of food on my plate, plus I really love roasted veggies. The problem lately seems to be some major tummy issues for me right now, wich may be similar to the situation you described… my tummy is so bloated & not very happy. 🙁 I guess I need to look into it more & find out exactly what is causing the upset. I love the look of all of your eats & that you just do what works for you & your body. Good for you. 🙂
Definitely try to cut back on some veggies to see if it helps. I know it kind of sucks because I love roasted veggies too, but I love being bloat free a whole lot more!
YES!! I had the same problem with eating sooooooooo many veggies, I looked like I had a food baby every day 🙂 I’ve cut back from something like 5 HUGE servings of veggies spread over two meals. Yikes!! Let’s just say the bathroom and I were best friends for some time and I favored baggy tops. TMI? SORRY!!!
Now I have to force myself to throw a small handful of baby carrots next to my sandwich at lunch instead of half the darn bag! (My hands are extraordinarily orange, I’ll tell ya).
At one point, eating too many veggies caused MAJOR health issues..but now we’ve got a pretty good relationship going.
I sometimes eat eggs with cottage cheese, salsa, SPINACH, and lots and lots of hummus and parmesaen at breakfast. My family thinks I’m crazy 😛
I can absolutely relate to the massive amounts of veggies! My son sometimes wonders if I am pregnant after dinner. I hate when that happens but I do love my veggies. I have been trying to eat less of them or figure out a way to eat them and not have my stomach protrude. It is so annoying, and sometimes rather uncomfortable!
Happy Wednesday!
I had a good laugh as you mentioned veggies for breakfast. I also don’t get that concept. Even something breakfasty as omelette with vegetables sounds borderline lunch (brunch?) in my ears and even if I would enjoy more savory foods for breakfast, I would just miss my daily breakfast-food fix and needed to get the yogurt, oatmeal, cereal, pbj sandwich, pancake like food somewhere else in. And that would result in total chaos, wouldn’t it 😉 ? Nah, I guess I am just a square when it comes to my favorite meal of the day and like to keep it veggie-free, aside from the occasional carrot cake oats or pumpkin pie oats.
But breakfast food for lunch or dinner is totally excusable. And those savory oats are bookmarked!
I’ll be honest, I can’t eat too many veggies either!!! Some just KILL me. I really enjoy the taste of veggies, but my stomach hates me for it. I eat more “starchy” veggies than green veggies, because things like kale, brussel sprouts, etc. literally tear me up it’s terrible! I loooove your yogurt bowls, they make me droool!
I’m a vegetarian so I LOVE veggies! But I do get a little bit of a veggie belly sometimes, particularly if I’ve eaten a lot of veggies that give me gas (i.e. broccoli, brussel sprouts, etc.) I have NO trouble incorporating them into my meals 😉 I usually will only eat spinach, onions, and green peppers as veggies in the morning, usually chopped up in potatoes or a tofu scramble.
I’m a fellow non-veggie fanatic and pretty much have to force myself to buy them and eat them occasionally. The only staples I do have are lettuce and carrots, not much variety there! You know I’m a major supporter of eating what you’re actually craving!
Still guilty of eating huge amounts of veggies at lunch most of the time. At least I’m long over that phase when it was solely veggies but it’s still one of the major points I need to work on. What I’m worried about, though, is that downsizing my meals to include denser foods like grains wouldn’t satiate my stomach. It’s used to high quantities so I often find it hard getting saturated by smaller servings. My family doesn’t believe me which is making me feel even worse.
How were you able to “train” your stomach to feel full with smaller, less vegetable-laden meals? Did it take long? Sorry for these questions but I really want to be “normal” again.
Regarding vegetables for breakfast: These happen every now and then when I’m waking up craving savoury foods or during kabocha season :).
I actually didn’t find it being that much of a problem… the denser foods satisfied me a lot more than the massive amounts of veggies did, even in the smaller portions. Have you ever given it a shot to see if its an actual problem for you as opposed to just an irrational fear that you have?
The only time I can eat veggies at breakfast is spinach mixed in with eggs. Plain spinach is just gross.
I hate to call you out on it, but it’s a bit misleading to add random pictures of snacks to your WIAWs that are from other days while making it sound like all of the snacks were eaten on the same day. Also, why don’t you put dressing on your salads?
Misleading? I never said anything about those snacks being from the same day, just that those are the kind of things that I prefer snacking on. I don’t always have the time or desire to photograph everything I eat, which is when older examples come in handy. I purposely avoid giving an accurate day of eats because the comparison trap is a nasty one and something that I wish people would stop doing. Besides, my WIAW this week wasn’t so much a WIAW as much as it was an attempt to address a different issue. And salad dressing? Olive oil and salt is how I roll.
What a veggie-filled post! It can be hard sometimes (even for a vegetarian like me) to get in tons and tons of veggies, but I’m always happy when I take the extra time and effort to chop them up and integrate them into what I’m eating.
Yep I’m with you on ditching the veggies a bit! I go through phases were I go vegetable crazy and it leaves me feeling sick to my stomach! All I want at that point is some greasy grilled cheese or a croissant to soothe my stomach haha most people might not understand but I really know what you’re talking about!!
Your food looks amazing! I bought some cottage cheese today. I’m so going to have to try it with almond butter.
I used to have the same tragic relationship with veggies and disatisfaction, and food babies, that you had. I eat way less now, but I’ve been eating egg scrambles round the clock, so if they come at breakfast, that’s usually where I’ll add some. I don’t really think I like omelets anymore though.I definitely think it’s about finding what works for you.
Just curious, you talked about HR monitors (that tried to spellcheck to monsters, btw) recently, and how posting pics can be triggering. And then I felt guilty, since I jumped on that bandwagon a bit, since I just got one and was intrigued my my own body’s workings. My “calorie burns” are never close to other girls, but I don’t care. Life’s not a competition for me anymore, but I know it is an unhealthy one for some
But I wondered how you felt about posting what you ate as being triggering. I can never even remember to photograph my food, and I eat like, the same thing all the time until I’m sick of it, so I don’t think I’ve even participated in a WIAW. But I’ve wanted to and like seeing everyone else’s meals for inspiration. Do you think this could possibly be a trigger though for some?
I deal with some really serious issues at work, and have become more attuned to how everything we say and do impacts others in ways we can’t possibly predict. It’s tough not to offend someone somewhere now.
Sorry for the novel. Just curious 🙂 <3
That’s actually something that crossed my mind when I was writing that HRM post, but you’re right that eventually it becomes almost impossible to talk about anything without it offending someone. I just find numbers to be particularly bad when it comes to triggers and comparisons, which is why I try to avoid posting exact portion sizes when I talk about my eats. I also never post a full day of eats, which is something that I hope readers are aware of.
Okay so I thought I was the only one who had the vegetable issues and enough to make me look like I had caught the pregs. I’m glad to know that is typical I guess…I have constantly found myself so bloated from having too many veggies. I haven’t been eating a lot of vegetables lately honestly. I have never been a huge veggie person (little kid at heart) but lately I think I’ve had 5 servings in the last month.
I definitely am the typical healthy living blogger in that I do love my veggies. Although I try to watch my intake otherwise I end up feeling so uncomfortably bloated. One thing that seems to help is eating my veggies with some kind of fat eg olive oil.
I love that you listen to your body even if it goes against popular consensus that veggies are the epitome of good health. As much as I’m all for eating veggies, I am sometimes surprised by the obsessiveness of eating them in every single dish from some bloggers- I believe the last straw was seeing someone add kale to their sweet oatmeal…ick!
hahah omg the kale in the oatmeal is hilarious!! I’ve seen someone add a blended spinach puree to “cookie” batter (need quotations because the cookies were nothing like real cookies!)
People should realize that there’s a time and a place for everything! 😛
There truly is a time & place for everything! Sorry to knock it but spinach cookies sound vile.! You can probably guess my stance on “Green Monsters” 😀
I wish that pairing veggies with fat worked for me! I used to eat my squashes with copious amounts of almond or coconut butter but it never seemed to help 🙁 Pity, because I honestly did love that stuff… And kale in oatmeal is blasphemy.
I know that vegetables are so good for you, and I should definitely have more salads in my life, but I have never been a natural grab for veggies kind of girl. Fruit, yes, vegetables, not so much. It definitely requires much more of a conscious effort on my part. Every once in a while I will have a veggie omelet for breakfast.
My veggie loving ways definitely went away with my ED, too. I used to eat an entire bag of raw broccoli in a night… Not only did I have a pregnant belly but I had bathroom woes, too. Oof. How embarrassing but so, so true.
I really don’t like eating veggies for breakfast. I used to eat eggs for breakfast but thinking back, it was always just an egg with toast and jam. I never wake up craving an omelet and if I would eat one, it would be lunch/dinner. Now, I like sweeter things in the morning. It brightens your day 🙂
I wish I could say I’ve never been able to go days without showering; however, surgery has left me lazy and grouchy because I don’t go anywhere >:(
I am living your veggie-bulking woes, Amanda and want to follow your lead and jump OFF that bandwagon because the tummy tautness is NO FUN.
The thing is …. I REALLLY love them. Not in a disordered way. And yes, I eat them at breakfast. Eggs and Greens and avocado….I could go on and on and it would for sure gross you out. LOL.
PS- Your first paragraph makes me think we may be in for another thought and discussion provoking post … and YAY!
Haha yeah there may be one of those coming up soon. And you can still love your veggies as long as you’re showing other food love too! A good balance is what helps keep the veggie-bulking woes from being so bad.
I have found that if I have a big ol salad for lunch or breakfast than I feel really bloated, yet still hungry, for a rest of the day. I have to go with smaller portions of cooked veggies. I try to make sure I have some with lunch and dinner, so I get my 3 servings in.
I usually prefer a sweet breakfast, but every once and a while I like eggs w/sauteed veggies.
I love the idea of savory pizza oats…yum! And I love all your cereal messes…they truly inspire me 🙂 Sometimes when I crave something sweet ill have almond butter or peanut butter with sweet potatos too, so good!
I used to do the exact same thing with veggies. I genuinely like them still, I just have them in much more moderation. Looks like an awesome WIAW and if it makes you feel good, that’s all that matters 🙂
I definitely had the same issue when I was trying to eat a “perfect” diet–I would eat a ton of veggies because they were on my list of “acceptable food to eat in illimitable quantities,” and would end up with a bloated stomach and other digestive woes. Though I still love eating veggies, I have come to realize that eating a ton of them at one time is NOT good for me; it is too much bulk and not enough calories. Sometimes I try to satisfy my hunger by eating several carrots or a bunch of squash, only to feel full but not SATISFIED, if that makes any sense:) Which isn’t surprising, seeing as I probably needed fat or carbohydrates, not just vegetables. The only time I have veggies for breakfast is when I have green smoothies or oatmeal with pumpkin or zucchini. Those I actually love, but my breakfasts are always on the sweeter side, even when they DO include veggies.
Full but unsatisfied is a perfect way to describe it. Physically uncomfortable, but still hungry. Eek I definitely don’t miss those days.
I’m totally with you! I’d take cereal over veggies any day!
OOooooo, thanks for the the link to the savory pizza oats. Those sound super tasty!!
And baked sweet potatoes are a MUST for me. I cannot live without them ;).
Uh, your timing with this post is perfect.
I felt really hungry today, and instead of eating something satisfying I just filled myself with vegetables. It wasn’t until the afternoon when I was hit with horrible cramps. I had a feeling I knew what was the reason, and when I logged what I ate into a website I found out I at 300% of the recommend intake of fiber even before noon.
So now I’m just waiting, chewing on gum (I found that it helps), drinking herbal tea and waiting for my digestive system to sort it out.
Eep! Definitely feel your pain on that one, girl. Hope you feel better soon!
I definitely bulk up on veggies still. I’m trying to get away from it because I think it’s actually hurting my stomach ha but old habits die hard…thinking about limiting what i get at trader joes to helpbwith this ha…and i do eat a lot of veggie omelettes for breakfast and dinner
Well, I WAS VeggieGirl, so… 😀
I am totally with you on the veggie issue. With similar experiences and struggles, I also used to eat a ton of veggies and pile them onto my plate, both for “volume” and for “comfort” (safe foods and all…)
Your breakfast looks delicious– I love puffins! They have always been one of my favorite cereals.
I know that veggies are important, but my body just feels so BLAH when I have them. I’m actually proud of the fact that I (too!) eat my weight in fruit each day (berries, bananas, apples, and pears mostly) and I really only get veggies from a pre-chopped salad mix with dinner. My tummy is happy, my brain is happy, and my body isn’t complaining yet! (I was never really much of a veggie fan anyway … I like them, but in moderation. Distance definitely makes me fonder!) I know that my food cravings and phases will bring many back, so I’m really not worried — like you said, going with what works! And I would definitely rather be actually full than tricking my body into thinking so, anyway. As always, thumbs up and big smiles to your insight. 😉
Heehee. Yeah, the random handful of veggies that I throw in with lunch and call a salad is pretty sad. But stomach woes bring on an even bigger sad.
So glad you mentioned the “5 months preggers” look, I have been there before & quickly got away from it by adding more protein & fats. Loading up on the veggies rather than the other stuff leaves me hungry 2-hours later! No bueno on the veggies for breakfast, unless it’s hidden in a smoothie, I like the sweets in the am! And you look gorgeous so you must be doin’ it right. Happy Wednesday chica!
I had the same problem where I would get massive cramps from pretty much only eating veggies during the day. At night I would eat a regular dinner which would help with some of the cramping, but not all of it. I really do love eating vegetables in large quantities and it does make my stomach a little uncomfortable at times but carrots and green beans are two of my absolute most favorite foods, so I have decided it’s worth it sometimes. I just make sure to balance them with enough carbs to soak up all of the acidity. Or that’s what I tell myself carbs do, at least. I really just like them a lot.
Haha! That sounds perfectly legit to me.
Veggies at breakfast just doesn’t have the right ring to it. nor does it sit too well with me. I like my breakfasts sweet and carby 🙂 My stomach definitely cannot deal with an abundant amount of veggies either so I’ll just try to get them in whenever I feel like it. And in smaller servings. Mostly at dinner time. I like your approach to veggies though!
btw, savory pizza oats? geeenius.
The savory oats are kind of amazing… it’s like the perfect blend of breakfast and dinner 😉
I definitely can relate to your veggie bulking baby belly… But I actually have always loved veggies, strange but true. My parents said that when I was a baby, I could eat bags of frozen peas and be perfectly content. Strange child. Nowadays, especially the past couple of weeks, I’ve been changing my veggie consumption to focus more on cooked veggies and cutting back on raw veggies aka roughage because of my tummy troubles. I’d be lying to say that I didn’t miss them, but I’ve been enjoying trying new combos!
I love my veggies, but I love fruit (and dairy) even more. We’re all out of my beloved bananas, oranges, apples, and yogurt, and it’s been a real challenge around here to figure out what the heck to eat for breakfast.
Yeah, there are definitely a bunch of bloat-causing veggies, and it’s about finding what works. I love cabbage, but find that making homemade sauerkraut (my fiance just made some last week!) is way easier to digest than when it’s sauteed or stir fried.
No bananas or yogurt?! Omigosh I would be at a loss too. I’d have to resort to eating dry cereal I think…
Besides for the occasional omelet (and I mean occasional…maybe a few times a year?) I don’t do veggies for breakfast either. I’d much rather go the sweet route. And yes – I’ve realized that my body seems to prefer a little volume-density over massive amounts of veggies too. I’m happier without the crazy bloating side effects! i’ll usually throw in a side salad or veggie with lunch and dinner (usually…I am planning brinner tonight so that will be veggie-less) and a handful of spinach into my smoothies and I’m good to go.
Woot for brinner – me too! Great minds think alike 😉
Your dinner is making me drool. thank you for bringing this up about ‘bulking meals’. you see it all so much in so many bloggers that show a lot of food when in reality that smoothie is maybe 100-150 calories and a salad or sandwich on low calorie bread that amounts to nothing. It is such a facade that leaves me asking what do their readers think? I don’t know, a big pet peeve of mine when I see it and wonder where the food is at? I mean for real.
I second this! I see it a lot too and no one seems to comment on it… yeah, that person may be eating 6 times a day, but their meals are still only like 200 calories each so…. ugh. But I’ve realized that I’ve gotten past that hurdle myself with struggles and tears, and that means someone else can too — if they don’t, it’s their choice. I can only regard them with pity at this point.
But anyway, I would love to have pancakes but just like you, I go for the norm because I’m typically starving in the morning and don’t feel like spending too much time whipping something fancy up 😉 And with regards to veggies… I basically eat them for dinner every night, but never for breakfast and very rarely for lunch. I used to eat salads (without a protein) for lunch all the time, but nowadays, there’s no way I would even TRY that again because the difference is: I actually like feeling full and can’t stand being hungry! Veggies are really just a side dish.
Woe is me when it comes to too many veggies! I feel SO UNCOMFORTABLE! But I find that if I eat very slowly and chew thoroughly, it decreases the painful side effects. And I love veggies, but those last few pics, especially the chocolate chip muffin, are making me drool. YUM.
Haha, I love squash wayyy too much so I probably eat it more than I should;) although, I do have that problem where it just leaves me wayyyy too stuffed which I’ve finally picked up on so now am relying more on healthy fats and you know some more normal carbs like bread and oats;)
I have a pretty easy time getting veggies in, just because it’s like second nature now. Although I loe fruits much more than veggies.
And nope, veggies will never be eaten at Breakfast, it just doesn’t seem right!
Hope you got my e-mail a-okay:) Have a great day beauty!
I did get your e-mail, hun 🙂 I’ll be getting back to you soon!