I'd post something else...

...but since my blog is part motivational tool, part confessional, and part a bunch of other stuff, here goes.

Yesterday I was having an interesting conversation with Ray's dad about his diabetes management. Afterward I went online to find and print out info for him on counting carbs and meal planning. One of the items I came across is the good ol' Food Pyramid. Though this relic of the 70s has been modified to accommodate more varied nutritional needs, it still highlights what we all remember from 3rd grade: eat a balanced diet of grains/starches, veggies, fruits, meats, yada yada.

I sat there looking at the pyramid for a few minutes, and thought about my day. Heck, I thought about most days since I came home from the hospital 4 months ago. My diet, I admit, has nutritionally spiraled to include mostly carbohydrates, sugar, with some veggies, fruits and protein thrown in. Oh, and Bailey's.

Like a million other new parents, I have digressed to easy meal "staples", like cereal for lunch. Readily available treats fill in for proper nourishment quite regularly. My fave summer fruits are long gone, and I haven't quite got into my winter apple/orange groove. We eat salad most nights with dinner, but these green leafy players can't carry the entire vegetable team.

Bottomline: I need to shape up, literally. This week I took August for her first visit to the gym's daycare (she's now old enough!), and I got 45 minutes of aerobic activity. I've gone back to my morning routine -- stretching, followed by tea/coffee and the newspaper -- before August wakes up (so far I've been lucky). And I made a simple little grid so I can mark off how many servings I've taken in within each food category. I'm hoping this will help remind me to eat more from those neglected food categories, and cut the carb and sweet categories down to the appropriate size. Hopefully my gut will follow suit.