DAY 5: FEB 5

Shortened the title there. See?Ha. Anyhoo.

POINT OF INTEREST: TOO MUCH PEANUT BUTTER
Confession: I am currently eating too much peanut butter on my Vegan 28 Day Challenge.

Sigh.

It snuck in sneakily during the first weeks of being a vegetarian. I was feeling deprived and peanut butter was hitting the spot. And then, before you knew it, I was spreading it on waaaay too thick on crackers and bread.  Because I was craving the fat.  The silkiness.  The inherent saltiness. The naughtyness of it.

And so, I'm giving it up.  Throwing it out today and not buying any more for the month of February.

It's necessary.  It kinda HAS to be all or nothing at this point, or I know I will go through a jar of it a week and gain weight.  That's just how I roll, just how my habits are.

It wasn't initially part of my 28 Day Challenge, but I'm realizing I'm using waaaay too much as a crutch in order to feel "satisfied"--and that's the OLD way of feeling satisfied, with something fatty there, with something indulgent and rich.

Plus, I'm adding like 20 grams of fat to my diet daily just by spreading it on. It's true. 

I think what I'm MOST craving is creaminess.  I think, texturally, this is what I'm wanting.  This is going to be a constant challenge this month, I think.  Finding "creaminess" in places I haven't thought of before.  Now that I think of it, I was using a bit too much Tofutti Sour Cream as well. Ha.  I ran out of that stuff yesterday, anyway.

SEE! THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS!!!

People on a new diet plan WILL cheat.  Even when it's not REALLY cheating.  We will figure out away to mess with the system. And we won't even realize we're doing it.  That's why this blog is important.  It's keeping me focused and making me acknowledge when I've gone off track.

So, what's my plan to combat my craving for creaminess?  That's the point, right?  To indulge but not indulge.  I don't want to feel like I'm missing lots of things.  I want to feel fulfilled.

Here are some things I can think of to COMBAT THE CRAVING FOR CREAMINESS (CTCFC):
Oil Free Hummus (Lots of recipes out there for this using different beans. I should buy some canned chick peas, black beans, black eyed peas tonight (CHEAPPPP) and make some spreads)
Eggplant Dips (I can roast these and puree with the tiniest bit of olive oil and lots of garlic, I think and it'll be yum)
The occasional tablespoon of ALMOND BUTTER (better fat than the peanuts, I don't really crave this stuff, but I think as a special treat I'll have a tablespoon a week if I desire)
Tofu Dips (haven't really researched this yet, but it would seem like soft tofu would be a good base for a lot of flavorings)

My next battle is going to be with SALT.  I recognize I'm probably oversalting right now.  And as a result, retaining water.  And not seeing the number on the scale drop like I wanted it to.  I'm not putting reducing sodium on the backburner.  I just know for the time being that my new and wild PEANUT BUTTER ADDICTION (ugh, who woulda thought?) is something I need to get under control.

In addition: let's all thank God that the 5 for 5 Avocado Sale was only for a day, shall we?

Yikes. :)