I did an experiment this week. Usually I go grocery shopping at a market near my voice teacher’s house after my voice lesson because there are no quality grocery stores in my neighborhood. This week I couldn’t go because my voice teacher wouldn’t let me leave until I got the song I was working on correct.
That? Took a very long time and the market was closed by the time I bolted walked out her door.
99% of the time I buy organic, free range, small farm, pretentious food because I’m convinced that the quality is much higher and that there are probably more nutrients and less preservatives in that food. I don’t know if shopping this way has helped me lose weight, but I’m convinced that it’s made me healthier.
I kind of wanted to test this, though, and I really didn’t want to make another trek out of my neighborhood to the pretentious grocery store. So, I decided that I would spend the week eating out and buying comparable food to what I cook at home. I wanted to see how I would feel and what would happen to my weight. I also wondered if I could keep it in my grocery shopping budget.
Obviously the title of this post is a spoiler, but that’s not the whole story. Not only did I gain six pounds (for the sake of science and laziness), but I was hungry all week. The biggest difference I noticed was that I didn’t once feel the sort of satisfaction after eating that I feel when I cook.
My stomach felt full, and sometimes uncomfortable, but I still felt hungry and unsatisfied.
It brought me right back to the days when I always felt hungry. No matter how much I ate, it seemed like I still needed more.
My completely unscientific opinion?
I suspect that despite the presence of calories and food in my stomach, I was hungry because I wasn’t getting the nutrients I usually get. Nowadays, when I do meal planning, I don’t think about how many calories I’m consuming. I think about the nutrients I need. It just feels like a much healthier way of approaching food.
Oh, and by budget?
Fucked.
I spent at least one and a half times what I usually spend on food for the week.
So, the verdict?
I’ll just cook and continue to shop at my little market, even if the uncured bacon with no sugar added is $7.50. Good bacon is always worth it.
Let’s Talk Goals!
I was too stressed and lazy last week to come up with more than one goal.
1. Start doing small stretches and exercises – I sort of did this. Like, I did the stretches when I thought of it but it wasn’t systematic or done when I had intended to. Granted, my shoulders feel much better because of doing what I did but I still think I could have done a better job.
This Week’s Goals
1. Cook all the food – If I don’t cook it, I don’t eat it. After last week I feel like I need to go on a restaurant detox. I’ve already started a few meals to put in Tupperware for later in the week and they smell delicious.
2. Get some silent time – I have a lot going on right now and stress is getting to me. I’ve been really tense and I feel like I need some time to process and be all meditate-y. I’m not really the “om” type but when I make the effort, it always helps a lot. So, I guess maybe I should be a little more “om.” Maybe I’d swear at inanimate objects less. Probably not… I actually like doing that.
3. SLEEP – I know, I never stop talking about the fact that I don’t get enough sleep and it got really bad over the past week or so. I need to make this a serious priority.
4. Keep stretching – Same as last week but with some structure this time. I foresee neurotic reminders in my Outlook calendar…
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So, that’s where I’m at this week. What are your goals for the week?
