First 7 stories for Spiritual Guidance Diet with Portion Control Kid

To read the introductory stories, please read:

* Spiritual Guidance Diet #1: Introducing Portion Control Inner Kid

* Spiritual Guidance Diet #2- See myself as Jesus would see me

* Spiritual Guidance Diet #3- Getting Down to Brass Tacks

* Spiritual Guidance Diet #4: A Healthy way to start your day with Healthful Breakfast Muffins 

* Spiritual Guidance Diet #5- Celebrate Each Sign of Success Along Your Path

* Spiritual Guidance Diet #6- Can you turn healthy food into comfort food?

* Spiritual Guidance Diet #7- The Rapunzel Diet Adventure

Introducing the Spiritual Guidance Diet

Meet the imaginary inner child named Portion Control Kid. I am composing a series of articles based on following the 1600- to 1800-calorie diet using the Food Pyramid model. Added to this will be what I feel is the missing component, the Spiritual Guidance component.

Here are links to the first three articles:

Spiritual Guidance Diet #1: Introducing Portion Control Inner Kid

Spiritual Guidance Diet #2- See myself as Jesus would see me

Spiritual Guidance Diet #3- Getting down to brass tacks

Based on these ideas, I plan to blog here about my personal strategy for following this model in a balanced way.

For today, December 13, 2010, my goal is to exercise at least thirty minutes, drink at least 8 glasses of water, and strive to have 5 to 6 ounces of grains, 2 to 2 1/2 cups of vegetables, 1 1/2 cups of fruit, 3 cups of milk or milk products, 5 ounces of foods from the meat and beans category, and 4.6 to 5 teaspoons of oils.

Since snow is covering the ground outside, I will do my exercising inside. I will burn calories by doing laundry, using my Walk Away the Pounds DVD with Leslie Sansone, and using my 5-pound Shake Weight for Men (both by shaking it and using it as a bar bell). I have laundry going right now.

Drinking at least 8 glasses of water is an easy task for me as I am a drink guzzler. I keep a 64-ounce jug close by and drink from it occasionally. As long as I empty the jug by bedtime, I’ve at least got in my 8 glasses.

So far, this has been my menu for the day. Using My Food-A-Pedia, I am able to roughly calculate the results of how closely aligned I am to the Food Pyramid model.

My Food-A-Pedia - http://www.myfoodapedia.gov/Default.aspx

For a late brunch, along with my vitamins plus low-dosage chemo tablet that I take daily, I had one oatmeal raisin cookie that also has cranberries and nuts in it. Looking up oatmeal raisin cookie, My Food-A-Pedia calculates it this way:

Oatmeal Raisin and Cranberry Cookie = 89 calories

a. Grain group ½ oz.

For lunch, I made a Cream of Mushroom and Turkey Vegetable soup. The ingredients includes homemade turkey stock, cream of mushroom soup, 2% milk, shredded turkey, zucchini, broccoli, and asparagus stems. I also added a little Corn Starch to the mix for thickening. Here are the calculations:

1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup made with Milk

a. Grain group ½ oz. (times 2)

b. Vegetable Group ¼ cup (times 2)

c. Milk Group ½ cup (times 2)

The closest equivalent was 1 cup of Chicken Vegetable Soup.

d. Vegetable group ¾ cup (times 2)

e. Meat & Beans group 1 oz. (times 2)

This is 299 calories per serving. I had two bowls of this soup as it was so tasty. So the calorie intake would certainly be more than that listed above.

Since I began craving a dessert after that tasty lunch, I waited for about twenty minutes. Then I grabbed one piece of Dove Dark Chocolate. It takes 5 pieces to make one serving. I nibbled on that one small piece for a couple of minutes. That totally satisfied that chocolate craving. That piece of Dove Dark Chocolate did not fit the Food Pyramid at all. Five pieces equals 210 calories. One piece, therefore, would have 42 calories.

So far, I have had the following: 

* 1.5 ounces of grains out of 5 to 6 ounces

*2 cups of vegetables out of 2 to 2 1/2 cups

* No fruit yet

* I’m certain I will more than fulfill the oils category without even trying

*1 cup of milk or milk products out of 3 cups

*2 ounces of meat, beans, & protein out of 5 ounces

Before the day is out, I know I will also be having:

* Fresh frozen peaches ground up mixed with 2 tbsp of ground flax and about ½ cup of fat free plain yogurt = 192 calories
a. 1 cup of chopped up peaches
Fruit group = 1 cup
b. 2 tbsp of ground flax seed = 80 calories
Meat & Beans Group 1 ½ oz.
c. Oils group = 1 tsp
d.  ½ cup of Food Club fat free plain yogurt = 45 calories
Milk group = ½ cup

* Turkey dinner with stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, and peas = 641 calories

a. Turkey
Meat & Beans group = 1 oz.

b. ½ cup of Turkey gravy (The closest they had was chicken gravy.)
Grains group – ½ oz.

c. 1 cup of bread stuffing
Grains group = 3 oz.

d. 1 cup of mashed potatoes made with milk and butter”
Vegetable group = 1 cup

e. ½ cup of cooked green Peas
Vegetable group = ½ cup

* 1 piece of pumpkin pie with Cool Whip = 279 calories
a. Grains group = 1 ½ oz.
b. Vegetable group = ¼ cup
c. Milk group = ¼ cup

* 2 cups of Hazelnut Cappuccino made with 2 % milk = 440 calories
Please note: Usually, I use 1% milk. I was temporarily out.

a. The milk alone counts this way:
2 cups of 2% milk = 260 calories
2 cups of 2% Milk = 260 calories
b. The cappuccino powder adds about 210 extra calories but no nourishment.

So, if I eat nothing else but what is listed above, this will be the final tally:

* Out of 5 to 6 ounces of grain, I will consume ½ oz + 1 oz. + ½ oz. + 3 oz. + 1 ½ oz.
Grand total of grains = 6 ½ ounces of grain out of the 5 to 6 ounce allowance

* Out of 2 to 2 ½ cups of vegetables, I will consume 1 cup + 1.5 cups + 1 cup + ½ cup + ¼ cup
Grand total of vegetables = 4 ¼ cup of vegetables out of the 2 to 2 ½ cup allowance

* Out of 1 ½ cups of fruit, I will consume 1 cup.
Grand total of fruits = 1 cup out of the 1 ½ cup allowance.

Note to self: If I need more food, I could have a small box of raisins to incorporate that other ½ cup of fruit needed. (1.5 oz. box = 130 calories)

* Out of the 4.6 to 5 teaspoons of oil, I will consume 1 tsp of oil
Grand total of oils = 1 tsp out of the 4.6 to 5 tsp allowance. However, it is possible that some of the other foods I eat will contain the rest from this category.

* Out of the 3 cups of milk or milk products, I will consume 1 cup + ½ cup + ¼ cup + 2 cups
Grand total of milk products = 3 ¾ cups out of the 3 cup allowance

* Out of the five ounces of meat and beans, I will consume 2 oz. + 1.5 oz. + 1 oz.
Grand total = 4.5 ounces out of the 5 ounce allowance. However, it is very possible that there is more turkey in what I ate than the portion mentioned above. So this category will be fulfilled.

As for calories, I probably went way over the 1600- to 1800-calorie diet. If the numbers are correct above, my total would be 89 + 299 + 299 + 42 + 192 + 641 + 279 + 440 + 130. This includes the box of raisins.

Drum roll, please. Grand total = 2411 calories. Gasp!

Well, …, uh, …, I guess I will need to do quite a bit more than 30 minutes of exercise today to compensate a bit.

This is part of why I am making this blog. I am trying to make myself more accountable. This will definitely be a work-in-progress.

Any words from the Guardian of my Body Temple? She got introduced in the 3rd article mentioned above. I ask this question with a bit of trepidation as I fully want to eat everything that I mentioned in this blog. I am committed to making the time to doing the 3-mile walk DVD of Walk Away the Pounds.

Guardian of my Body Temple: It’s time for you to eat your fruit, flax seed, and yogurt mixture. Do that first before we talk.

Me: Okay, thanks.

Please note: I have been working on this blog for most of the afternoon on and off. So several hours later, here are the words of wisdom I am gleaning from my inner guidance system that we all have within us.

Guardian of my Body Temple: This is indeed a work-in-progress for you. Go ahead and eat this delicious food. Eat slowly and savor each bite. Drink plenty of water with it. After some digestion time, do your walking via the Walk Away the Pounds DVD.

As the days go on, as you gain perspective, perhaps you can plan better food allotments so that you can more closely stick to the 1600- to 1800-calorie diet. As you keep documenting what you eat, you will figure out a better way to chart your course.

Enjoy your meal, enjoy your exercise, and enjoy the rest of your day.

Healthy Eating Tales #1: Gala Apples and other Foods

After reading the introductory tale called “Healthy Eating Tales: Introducing Tommy, Tammy, and the Food Pyramid Kids,” please read Healthy Eating Tale #1: Gala Apples and other Foods.” This will detail what happened the next morning.

Click FOOD PYRAMID to read the entire story on Examiner.com. 

Healthy Eating Tales: Introducing Tommy, Tammy, and the Food Pyramid Kids

This is the introductory Healthy Eating Tale detailing the competition between two fraternal twins named Tommy and Tammy and a Food Pyramid Boy versus a Food Pyramid Girl.

Click FOOD PYRAMID to read the entire story on Examiner.com.