Saved by a Stir Fry

Monday Night Stir Fry
Turkey, Asparagus, Squash, Red Pepper, and Onion

Today was a hard day. I was hungrier than usual and craving sweets all day. I was tired and sleepy after lunch and found it hard to concentrate on my work. I couldn't remember why I decided to give up refined carbs. I wanted something very refined, very fast. I had some fresh, sweet cherries instead. I continued to feel down and craved real sweets -- not fruit! The bigger the craving grew, the dumber this whole endeavor seemed. Somehow, I managed to make it through the afternoon without diving into a vat of chocolate. After work, I thought a walk might help. But Melvin refused to walk with me, and I didn't want to walk by myself. So I decided to run some errands instead. I wound up at Target where I bought myself a stir fry pan; ever since I decided to eat more veggies I've been wanting to get one. So I bought it -- figured it was a good reward for the big changes I've made lately. I felt a little better. And on the drive home I dreamed of all the refined carbs I could stir fry in my new pan.

I stopped at Whole Foods to pick up some veggies for dinner. I considered the sugar-free chocolate covered almonds as an after-dinner treat. Picked up the package, held them, thought about it, and then put them back. I knew I would eat way more than a serving if I bought it. Who was I kidding? I considered the regular chocolate covered almonds that come in bulk; I could just measure out a few, a reasonable amount. But I knew feeding this particular craving would only make it worse. Sometimes it's important to listen to cravings and other times responding to it will just lead to wanting more. This was one of those times. So I bought my vegetables and left.

Once home, I prepared the vegetables for the stir fry along with some leftover turkey breast. I cooked it in a little olive oil and seasoned it with a pinch of salt and a generous amount of cracked black pepper. That's all it needed really. It was quite good. And I have leftovers! I feel better now. I'm having a cup of decaf with cream. I'm not thinking quite so much about sweets. I hope that tomorrow brings a return to the satiety that I have experienced for the most part since implementing these changes.