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Day 2-  Becoming Naturally Thin

Rules 2 and 3

Rule 2:
You can have it all, just not all at once

Rule 3:
Taste everything, eat nothing

Both of these rules apply more to eating out, and parties. This is something I frequently have a problem with, because when I eat out, I enjoy food so much sometimes there’s no stopping me!
The rules say, that you can eat ANYTHING you want to- and EVERYTHING- as long as you do it with thought, and balance. For example, it’s ok to have a burger. Just don’t have the fries. There will be another time for fries. Next time, have a salad, and have the fries. In order to do this, you have to listen to your food voice and decide what you really want. This is rule number two- you can have it all, just not all at once.

The “taste everything, eat nothing” principle comes into play when there is a buffet or a party, and everything looks good… so you try a bit of everything. But never finish anything, just fill up on bites, taste everything that seems good, and you’ll eat enough without overeating. Bethenny uses an awesome Italian phrase to describe this principle; “Mangia poco ma bene,” which means “Eat little, but well.”

I LOVE this particular quote of hers: “You are the only one responsible for what you put in your mouth”. It’s true! No one is forcing you to eat one way or another. It’s up to you to make choices that work for you, and when you do make good choices, you’ll be naturally thin.

In this portion of the book, she also touches on the idea of “spoiling your appetite” before you go out for a big dinner, in order to combat overeating. Having a small and healthy snack beforehand helps control unhealthy decisions made out of hunger, and not sense.

As for my eats today, I tried as much as I could to live by the Naturally Thin principles, but I ended up waking up 30 minutes late, and having to rush a bit in the morning!

Breakfast on-the-go: 

I ate an all natural whole wheat english muffin smeared with Trader Joe's organic peanut butter and a banana on the way to work. 

For a snack at work, I had a Maple nut Clif bar, my favorite flavor! I ate half in the morning and half in the afternoon. 

I guess I shouldn't have done the carbs/nut combo twice in a row, according to the rules, but it was a good moderate snack that held me over when I needed it to. 

For lunch, I used what I had and prepped an extra chicken breast last evening after dinner. I sprinkled it with garlic herb seasoning and seared it on the stove in some cooking spray. I topped a bed of greens with the chicken, a chopped carrot, some sundried tomatoes and sprinkled some goat cheese on. I added a squirt of lemon to the top as my dressing. 

It was great, and held me a full three hours! This was my "protein meal", and I'm always nervous a "protein meal" won't hold me as long as one with whole grains... but this one did it's job, and was super tasty! 

I went to the gym after work, and had a tiny apple at my parents house because my stomach started to growl, and dinner wasn't for a while!

For dinner, I made my 'famous' sesame shrimp, which I added some snow peas to and place atop a bed of sticky rice. The shrimp is really easy- I sauteed some garlic and sliced green onion in some seasame oil, added a bit of soy sauce, some agave, a tiny bit of sriracha hot sauce, and a big pinch of ginger, then added the defrosted shrimp and cooked until done, then added the peas until hot and mixed in about a tablespoon of sesame seeds to the mix. It came out great, as always! 

This was a "carb meal" because of the rice and the snow peas. 

I'll probably have dessert later, so I'll count that as my second "sweet" of the day. 

What I learned on day 2 of being Naturally Thin:

• Don't be afraid of salads! I always assume a salad is going to set me up to overeat because they always leave me less-than-satisfied, and hungry soon after. This one kept me full for hours! I guess the right combo of fiber, protein and healthy fats is what's key!
• Eat when you're hungry. If I hadn't had the apple this afternoon, I would have been RAVENOUS for dinner... I "spoiled my appetite" and ate much less than I would have if I had not. 

Gotta get back to the boy... I just gave him his graduation present, and he's freaking out. I think he just mentioned catching his underwear on fire... Does X-Box do that?