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Alaska: Big Coastlines, Big Waistlines

Here's a tip for any of you thinking about visiting The Last Frontier:

Do not underestimate driving times.  There is no such thing as a fifteen-minute drive from town to town.  That distance is measured in hours.

Some of you good folks out there have the intestinal fortitude to go a good four or five hours without a stop of any kind.  Not true for yours truly.  I have a small bladder and a penchant for Diet Coke.  Also, I was traveling with five kids.  It stands to reason that we were going to stop quite a bit.

Mistake #1: Consuming either Diet Coke or coffee most of the time I was in AK.  It's been proven that caffeine stimulates appetite...so I would drink, then I would want to eat.  Bad.

Mistake #2: Relying on gas station food more often than I should have.  Because I was imbibing ridiculous amounts of caffeine, I was eating...I've already said that.  But...what I was eating?  Crap.  Junk.  High-carb stuff.  I was making bad choices, for sure.  I do remember a stop in Healy where I purchased a string cheese stick, a hard boiled egg, and beef jerky - that might have been the healthiest I ate during all the driving.

When it came to regularly scheduled meals, I did fine.  Sort of.  Probably too much fat and protein, truth be known.  But better than refined and processed, right?  Maybe.

Anyway, now I'm home.  Both my husband and I stepped on the bathroom scale after an eleven-day hiatus...and it is definitely time to get back on track!  For whatever reason, I did not partake in my usual morning cup of coffee, nor did I consume any Diet Coke until well into the afternoon.  But guess what?  From eight o'clock a.m., when I ate my oatmeal, to noonish when I ate lunch with the kids, I felt no hunger whatsoever...no raving desire to consume food.  I must try the experiment again tomorrow.

So, the prodigal daughter returns to her kitchen.  I'm probably going to start back up reading my Julia Child; however, I've got a new project brewing (besides the no-storebought bread challenge), and it involves the Glycemic Index.

Happy week all!

Comments

  1. Bupu2June 18, 2011 at 2:55 AM

    This is really good. I also tried it with Portabellas instead of chicken on the grill. Yum. Thanks for this idea.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bupu2June 18, 2011 at 3:05 AM

    Ok. Just got this tablet thingy with a touch screen. Things don't always go where I think they will. Former comment refers to the avocado post of course. As to this AK post, I was wondering if the caffien avoidance was still diminishing your appetite? (I do a lot of caffien in a day.)

    ReplyDelete

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