Its the diet stupid!

I have read all over the Internet that it is the diet that is the culprit for most people when they are trying to lose weight.  I was sick last night and as a consequence, I did not feel up to going for a jog this morning.  I used to be really worried that a day or several days without a workout would make me heavier.  It doesn't.  When I was recovering from a broken foot, my appetite went way down.  I just did not want to eat.  So, I didn't.  I lost 25 pounds even though I was off of my feet for six months.  When I was working on a film project with a lot of hours and a lot of physical activity, I put on weight.  It was a very stressful job.  I believe that the stress trumps any physical activity added to the equation.  I believe that stress can trump a good diet, too.  

Luckily, the only real stress I'm experiencing right now is that I am looking for work.  I am extremely lucky.  I have a place to live.  I am able to look for work because I have my laptop, Internet access, a wardrobe and a vehicle.  

Although I really prefer to open my day with a workout, sometimes that is just not an option.  This is especially true when I'm not feeling physically well.  Dizziness, nausea, and gastrointestinal distress are good reasons to put off your cardiovascular workout.  The trick with a day that does not have cardio, you must be really careful with your calorie intake and the quality of calories.  Today, all I could manage to eat in the morning was some triscuit crackers and a very small amount of Sprite.  Just now, I was able to get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich down.  I was feeling really hungry probably because I haven't eaten since yesterday morning.  

The best kind of peanut butter and jelly is the closest to clean that you can get.  I use the Laura Scudder peanut butter.  I like the natural kind of peanut butter that you have to stir the peanut oil back into the solids.  I like no salt on my peanut butter sandwich.  I use the grape jelly from Trader Joe's.  It does not have corn syrup and is very inexpensive.  I use 1 tablespoon.  I use the honey whole wheat Sara Lee bread.  Again, it is not made with corn syrup and is whole grain.  This sandwich has a considerable amount of carbohydrates.  As a consequence, on a day when I have one of these I don't have a lot of other grain sources.  According to my calculator, thats 481 calories and 61 carbohydrates.  That is more carbohydrate than I normally eat.  However, sometimes thats all I can stomach.  If I can eat later it will just be some plain scrambled eggs.  I should come in above my target on my carbohydrate intake.  But, my calories will be within range.  The next time that I experience this kind of sickness, I hope that I can keep my carbohydrate intake within limits, I'm just at a loss for how to manage that.