Thinking outside of the box (and can)

I am rebuilding my way of eating. I grew up eating lots of single-serving foods out of the can (Thank Goodness for Chef Boyardee) and, when I became a mother at the age of 18, we continued eating on the go. We ate a lot of fast food, and did little cooking at home. We ate cheap food, which is also notoriously the least healthy. We are horrible at getting in fruits and veggies at an epic level. However, I have often eaten low-calorie- two meals a day, maybe eating out once and a bowl of cereal at home. I have rarely eaten breakfasts in my life. As a result of this and genetic history of family obesity, my metabolism is screwed. Last year I had some testing done which confirmed that I burn calories at an extraordinarily slow rate.  Most people my size would burn in the 2300 calorie range, and my natural sedentary daily burn is closer to 1300 calories as measured in the doctor office. (This can improve with activity level, and i have also taken some prescribed medication off and on that helps a tiny bit.)

Since starting Weight Watchers this month, I've eaten out only a couple times. Therefore, I have had to find ways of preparing easy foods at home. We are still only cooking a few nights a week, and also eating leftovers or quick snacks in between.  My husband and I have dissimilar tastes which makes the process more difficult. Whereas I prefer soups and chili and snacks, he prefers meatier foods. We have swapped out our ice cream habit with Skinny Cow drumsticks, and that helps stave off feelings of deprivation.

My goal is to try a new kind of fruit or vegetable each week to help expand my choices for healthy food. This week I bought kiwis. I am also collecting recipes on pinterest, and the pictures have inspired me. I love allrecipes.com because I can read feedback from others who have tried a meal.

I have also quit my diet coke habit. As hard as I tried to deny it, more and more research is linking diet coke to weight gain. I am trying harder to avoid preservatives and artificial sugars and chemicals in general, which is another reason that makes diet soda a non-starter. I've pretty much stopped diet coke completely since the 1st, and I've made it past the headaches but not the cravings. What I've found is that my water consumption has skyrocketed, and I think that my cravings for sugar are also reduced. I was drinking about 4 cans a day, so this is a big change.

Fewer preservatives means I need to cook more. Since it is often just the two of us eating, and because my hubby's not big on leftovers, I am trying to learn how to moderate portions. I am still trying to figure out how to make tasty veggie sides that work with our meals. I am doing new things. I am loving baby spinach with lemon juice. I have also transitioned to some "sometimes snacks" that are still full of this and that- (like the Skinny Cows even though they contain the dreaded HFCS, and Special K Cracker Chips) as I work on new habits of eating. I am trying to get out of the box.