What I Ate: Then vs. Now
One of the interesting parts of blogging is being able to go back and read about what life looked like over the past years. It’s been funny seeing my eating habits change and evolve overtime. College days were littered with 100-calorie-everything. Post-college life was an attempt at veganism, which is where I really learned how to cook. When a desire for dairy won out, I started cooking new dishes with cheese and obsessing over Greek yogurt. I followed the Tone It Up plan for a while. This past year, I’ve brewed kombucha, shaved Brussels sprouts and tried grits for the first time. I’ve relaxed my eating habits quite a bit over the past year or two and it’s funny the way your body can adjust. I thought for sure I’d gain weight. Carbs! Scary! Yet here I am, 10lbs lighter and leaving a fear of calories in the dust. Life is funny that way.
So I thought I’d share a little bit of what my meals looked like a year or two ago compared to today.
Breakfast
I used to be a smoothie addict. It was almost always banana, soymilk, peanut butter, and protein powder. While I still enjoy them, I’ve started eating Greek yogurt and blueberries for breakfast most of the time. It’s what I’ve been craving and I don’t see that going away anytime soon!
Lunch
I used to only eat salads for lunch. I felt like I had to. While I still enjoy getting in my greens at the cafeteria salad bar, I don’t think of it as a rule. Sometimes I’ll get soup with some pita and hummus. Many times, it’s leftovers from dinner the night before!
Dinner
Before I started dating Alex, dinner was less of an event. It tended to be vegetable heavy like the baked spaghetti squash above. I would also snack a lot afterwards. These days, I try to make more interesting dishes for dinner. I’m not afraid to actually use oil in the frying pan (“non-stick spray” just isn’t the same). Dinner tends to be a bigger meal (like the slow cooker lasagna pictured above. Oh my gosh- pasta!) but then I’m done. Sometimes I’ll have a glass of wine afterwards, but usually I’m pretty satisfied.
Who knows how things will change in the next year or two! Right now, I’m loving where things are.
How have your meals changed over the past years?
Linking up to What I Ate Wednesday.
Great post, and congrats on those pesky 10. They’re a pain in the you know what. I have quit counting calories and have let up a bit on my old “rules” on this, that, and the other. It feels good. I maybe weight 3 lbs more than I used to, but I’m a lot happier. Who cares about 3 lbs?! š
SUper love love this post!
Girls are afraid of carbs, which is too bad. When you’re eating a lot of nutrients though, and listening to your body, things just work out.
When I ditched dieting and went for whole, clean foods, my weight came off (25 lbs) and hasn’t come back. Love it:)
I look back too at my posts to see if I am eating different or the same since I started blogging. I am pretty consistent but I know that what I eat has changed a bit over the last bunch of years since becoming a vegetarian. I definitely eat a wider variety of foods now than I did years ago!
My eating habits have changed a lot over the years! Through college I was basically a bottemless pit and could eat whatever I wanted. Then my metabolism changed and I had to start paying attention to me meals a little more. In the past 6 months I’ve starting cutting back slightly on my carbs and have noticed a difference. I could never totally give up bread and other carbs, but I’m just being choosier about the ones I do eat.
I’ve definitely let my guard down and now include lots of pasta! Pasta is good and darn it, i’m going to enjoy very single bite! Oh even though I enjoy protein smoothie a few times a week, I can’t remember the last time I started my day off with one.
This is such a fun WIAW idea! I think your meals were healthy both then and now, but you do have to plan your meals for two now so that makes a lot of difference.
I loved this post because I can totally relate! I’ve definitely learned (and am still learning) the art of balancing indulgences and good food with overall health. I’ve done a lot to cut out processed foods in my cooking and diet over the years and accept my love for chocolate (instead of guilt-tripping myself). Since moving abroad, it’s been really eye opening to see all of the convenience foods that exists in the US. I certainly have my white cheddar cheeze-it cravings, but there’s something so refreshing about eating real food!
i used to eat super low fat with a huge huge huge breakfast! Now I eat lots of fats and have smaller meals because I’m not as hungry anymore.
Or should I say, HANGRY!
I can relate to a lot of this Liz. I’m still too strict with my diet and know that I need to lighten up the reins a bit more. You’ve said something that really resonated with me, “I thought for sure Iād gain weight. Carbs! Scary! Yet here I am, 10lbs lighter and leaving a fear of calories in the dust. Life is funny that way.” I’m not sure why I can’t accept this a truth in my life. I’m sure the added stress of having to meal plan (for myself) all the time is worse than the possible extra calories I’d be taking in if I wasn’t so rigid. I’m working towards letting go of this need to control but it has definitely proven to be more of a process than I imagined.
It’s so hard when you’re in the spot! “Letting go” feel like you’re just going to take a million steps backwards! It’s counterintuitive but I really thing relaxing and learning to listen to your body is the key! Good luck, Diane!! š
I agree as someone who has been blogging for a few years now. It’s so interesting to see how and what has changed. I still eat a lot of yogurt but have really changed a lot of my tastes…just by growing and learning to cook honestly.