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Waiting for Hunger W1D2: Filling Without Food

admin — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:51:05 +0000

Yesterday was a great success. I have to thank all of you for taking the time to leave feedback, not just with me, but with everyone else in the comment area. That was so nice and encouraging to watch. There were times yesterday when I would eat small meals in anticipation for hunger. Which would push hunger back even more. I’m fine with this. I don’t want to get caught up in the mind swirls of “what is hunger” , “am I truly hungry?”, “is starving hungry?” because it could go on for hours and days. And at the heart of it, I know what overeating looks like, and that is what I’m aiming to avoid. For example, I made a delicious dinner of chickpea coconut curry with rice. I wasn’t hungry when I made it so I took a bite, because it just looked good. A couple of hours later, I still wasn’t overly hungry, but I pulled out a tiny bowl that holds about a cup of food and I enjoyed a little bit. And that was that. As I look over yesterday I see one trend: several small meals scattered throughout the day. I was never stuffed and never starving. I counted my calories out of curiosity and vowed to myself that I would not feel guilt over whatever the number came out to be. After exercise, I net about 1,300 calories. That is extremely good for me. I also baked, twice, and did not overeat. I feel like I’m playing with fire, but vowed that I would be honest with whatever happened. I made two loaves of pumpkin chocolate bread, ate one thin slice and put the rest way for later. I also made a batch of French Madeleines. Ate one, put the rest away for tea time today. I. Put. Them. Away. And they aren’t haunting me. I really believe removing guilt, removes the power of food. As does eating for the wrong reasons. Today, I want to work on a list of things to do to keep my hands busy when I’m taking a break from work, but don’t want to watch TV. Art journaling is at the top of the list. I’ve been longing to paint and create collages lately. I think this will be a good thing for me artistically. It will also keep me from eating from emotions. And finally, I think I will keep this post open throughout the day for updates and picture posts. Please feel free to use the comments area of this post if you need support, want to chat, or just want to say hello throughout the day. I woke up super early today to get a lot of work done. Right now, I’m more thirsty than hungry. Drinking lots of water. Maybe an iced coffee soon and then breakfast. Avoiding the scale until this weekend, I’m in the water retention portion of the month and I’d just rather wait it out.

Today What Did I Do…

admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:11:19 +0000

I love these questions. Today what did I do for my mind, my body, my spirit, my relationships, my creativity and passion? This pretty much sums it up for me and all the notes that I want to hit on my path. I have to tell you, this form of journaling is meditative and

Journey From Anorexia to Binge Eating to Sensible Eating [Forum]

admin — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 21:32:01 +0000

Okay, here goes nothing…. Most of my life I was just your typical sized girl. I was very average, not heavy by any means, but never extremely thin. When I was fifteen I started dating a guy seriously who I will call “Joe”. We were madly “in love” and continued dating for three years. I turned 18, moved out and we started having some issues, we broke up and I was devastated! I literally had no appetite for weeks!! So I lost about 15 pounds without even thinking, people noticed and started complimenting me on my weight loss. I also started getting a ton of attention from new guys. I continued to have no appetite and ate very little. I did anything to keep my mind of Joe and that involved not sitting down for a meal. I was soon very thin, but people continued to ask how I lost the weight, and complement me. This soon became a viscous eating disorder that I could not escape. For the next two years of my life I struggled with anorexia. Joe and me even got back together during the process, but I was so obsessed with being thin I could not stop starving myself. I was soon hospitalized and told if I didn’t eat, I would not live. I begin eating again with a vengeance! I had staved myself for so long I no longer knew how to listen to my body. I never knew when I was truly hungry and when I was full. I ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. It was like a switch flipped and every bit of my anorexia was gone and I was now a binge eater!! I gained 80 pounds within 6 months. I was humiliated; I never wanted to see anyone. I knew they all knew I was binging all the time!! Well here I am about a year and a half into recovery and I’m almost back to my pre anorexic weight. I am finally regaining a healthy relationship with food and not binging all the time, although I do still stuff myself at times. I want to lose about 15 – 20 pounds in a healthy manner and be able to keep it off!! SO my plan is 300 calories every 3 hours 5 times a day to equal 1500 calories a day. I want to lose the weight slowly so it will stay off. Yesterday was my first day on this new plan and here is how it went…… I started out doing well; I had two eggs, some cheese and half a banana at 10. This is later then my first meal would typically be. I felt full and headed out for a few hours I knew I would be out and about longer then three hours so I packed some almonds and an apple for my next 300 calories at 1. I was still a little hungry after this, but decided to wait a while and see how I felt. Before I knew it, it was almost time to eat again. I was still not home and had not packed another snack. OH NO! I decided I would get a smoothie from Starbucks, the vivanno ones that only have 270 calories. I pulled up to the window and placed my order, she said OH! Were out of bananas is that ok?? I honestly laughed at her! How can I have a chocolate banana smoothie without bananas!? I thought this in my head and then said no thanks, well Starbucks being as popular as they are I passed another one and was able to get my chocolate banana smoothie. I then had to go by the store to pick up dinner and a few other things. I still felt so hungry and I ended up getting a box of gluten free crackers. Back in November I stopped eating gluten for health reasons and stick to a gluten free diet pretty religiously. I have eaten gluten a few times since. Well, you could have 16 of these crackers for 130 calories so if I only ate 16 I knew I would be fine!! Well I ended up having like 30 and for some reason felt absolutely stuffed!!!! I was so upset that I already messed up and over ate, but I was determined to not let it get me down! I knew my boyfriend was coming over at seven to workout and I would still be well within my calorie range. So we worked out and then afterwards I made tacos and I only had one, so overall my first day went well. Today has gone great. I have eaten my 300 calories about every 3 hours and I feel really well!!! I think this is going to work for me. I am so ready to be back down to a weight I am comfortable with and be confident for bikini season! I will keep you all posted!

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Journey From Anorexia to Binge Eating to Sensible Eating [Forum]

[Forum] Brain Doesn’t Count "Bad" Calories?

admin — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 08:28:11 +0000

Hi, On dutch television they followed a woman who was overweight,although she did not use more than 1200 calories. She had to write down what she had eaten and they followed her on camera. The strange thing was that she claimed to eat not more than 1200 calories but she forgot to write down also 1500 calories. This woman was shocked and did not do this on purpose but for some reason the mind did not count ”bad food”. After confrontating her with this, she kept on forgetting to count the ”bad food”. Than they researched her brain and the reaction on different foods and the conclusion was: she could not help it. The brain fooled her for some reason. Not a nice thing to know if you’re overweight!!!!

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[Forum] Brain Doesn’t Count "Bad" Calories?

[Forum] Common Fitness Myths – Debunked!

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 08:50:17 +0000

Most every health professionals say that all you have to do is eat right and exercise. To most people that sounds easy but with so many false statements and myths about diet and exercise it becomes complicated and frustrating trying to figure out what is correct and what is not. We want to clear from your mind all that you have heard from exercise videos, dozens of fitness magazines, and hundreds of books. We want you to realize that all you really get from them are junk heaps of false conclusions, half-baked exercises, contradictions and nutrition theories that generate so much confusion and uncertainty. Myth: Cardiovascular training is better for losing weight than weight training. Truth: To make over your body, you MUST train with weights. Getting a cardio work out is better than doing nothing but to really change your physique you need to weight train. When you weight train you increase your metabolic rate (the rate at which your body burns fat). Also, when you gain muscle it takes more energy to maintain your muscle than it does fat; fat just sits there. Because of that, weight training is even better than aerobic exercise for people that want to lose fat. When you weight train you raise the rate at which your body uses energy. If you start up a cardiovascular training regimen your results will not be the most beneficial if you do not add weight training into it. You may lose weight but your shape will not change. When you weight train you actually change your shape, not just becoming a skinnier version of your self in the past. If you want a body transformation, weight training adding in cardio training is the best way to go. Myth: When you exercise it doesn’t matter what you eat. Truth: When you exercise, it matters even more what you eat! As stated above, when you exercise, it matters even more what you eat. If you start working out and aren’t feeding your body the correct nutrients then you are exercising a nutrient-deficient body; which makes you worse off than a sedentary person eating the same things as you. You are also making your body more nutrient deficient the longer you continue to not give your body the proper nutrition and working out. It is simple; physically active people need more nutrients than sedentary people. I didn’t realize how important this was until I realized that even though I was working out to get the body I wanted I wasn’t feeding it properly, therefore I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted. So many people are victims of this myth, I was one of them for a long time and now I know better. This part is simple as well, without optimum levels of the nutrients your body needs, you are not going to get the results you are looking for. You have to accept the fact that optimal nutrition is just as important as exercise and then guess what… you will be one step closer to accomplishing your goal in a healthy manner. Myth: If women train with weights, they will get bigger muscles like men. Truth: Weight/resistance training helps women build long lean muscle not bulky muscle. When women train with weights they completely change the way their bodies look. They don’t get bulky but leaner. If only women can understand that if they took the fat on their hips and thighs and replaced it with the same weight in muscle, then their thighs would be much smaller. This is because fat takes up 5 times as much space as muscle. Most of the time women don’t know that their body composition determines how they look; by building lean muscle you replace the fat on your body incredibly transforming your body into a leaner, more beautiful, healthy body. Women need to be more concerned about not having enough muscle on their bodies to maintain health. Remember strong muscles lead to strong bones; strong bones lead to NO OSTEOPOROSIS! Myth: Weight training is only for people in sports. Fact: All people should be weight training. Starting at age 25, body fat levels increase and muscle mass decreases and continues to do so as you age. If you look at statistics the normal American man’s body fat increases twice over, from about 18% to 36%. In the same time frame, a woman’s body fat can go from 33% to around 45%!! If you look at it, it’s almost like a domino effect. As we get older, we get fatter; when we get fatter, we lose muscle mass; when we lose muscle mass, we lose strength. As we lose strength of course we then are weak and become susceptible to disease and disabilities. So here is my point; weight training is made for all people, with proper use you will increase your body’s strength and flexibility. It doesn’t matter what level of training you are at, from beginners to advanced, or if you’re healthy, you are ready to start pumping some iron right now! The goal is to start and make your self healthier as you learn. I am a professional and I am still learning! Myth: When you are lifting weights your muscles grow. Fact: When you rest your muscles grow. Working out is just the spark to light the fire for building muscle. The real “magic” happens when you are resting. When you work out you want to slightly damage the muscle fibers by overloading them. When you lift weights properly, you cause micro-trauma to the muscle tissue. When that happens your body responds to that by sending its “muscle-rebuilding workforce” out to repair its self. The repair of your muscles involves energy which in the right situation, will be coming from your stored body fat. This also goes back to nutrition; you won’t get all of the nutrients to rebuild your muscles from body fat, you need the right amounts of amino acids, creatine, minerals, vitamins, etc. to build the muscle you want. Giving your muscle the right amount of rest is vital to your health as well as the growth of you muscles. If you don’t rest the muscles long enough then when you go work those same muscles out again you re-damage the already damaged muscle tissue and it will take longer to rebuild it this time around. It’s like you are short circuiting the recovery process and that is not a good thing. Bottom line is that in between your workouts, while you are resting, is when your muscles actually grown. With the proper rest, and nutrients being fed to your body your muscles will grow stronger and firmer each time around. Myth: Eating right means 3 meals a day. Fact: Eating right means six nutritious meals a day. As I have harped on before you must eat to get your body the right nutrients to be healthy. If you look back in history our ancestors were frequent feeders or grazers, not bingers. Normally when you eat “3 square meals” it is on the run and you are starving! To convert your body from fat storage facility to a leaner, feel better, healthier, better looking machine you need to develop the pattern of eating frequently. You should eat every 2-3 hours to convince your body and mind that there is not a starvation period closing in. Also, eating often keeps your metabolism accelerated, so you burn more calories and fat during the day. When you get used to eating every couple of hours then your body stops those cravings that you used to have because you won’t be hungry and on top of that you will have more energy! In the end you will be setting yourself up for a good “metabolic environment” that can keep up the healthy fat loss and muscle gains that you want. Myth: If you “eat right,” you don’t need to take supplements. Fact: Studies show that many of us need to take supplements. Because it is impossible to calculate the nutrient value of many foods, you can’t be certain that you are getting all the nutrients your body needs. Even if you had a full time chef making the best food in the world you still wouldn’t be able to get everything your body needs in a day, in the correct amount. That is where supplementation comes into play. You supplement with vitamins and minerals along with nutrition shakes and then you can be more certain you are getting the right nutrients into your body for recovery, muscle gains, or for general health. Myth: You only need to drink water when you are thirsty. Fact: Your body needs more water than it lets you know. Can you believe that muscle is made up of more than 70% water and your brain is made up of 85% water? Your body is made up of a lot of water and water is a vital transport instrument for an infinite amount of nutrients including carbohydrates. And we can’t forget that it has a huge role in all cellular activity. Just think, if the water in your body is low it will affect all of these process,’ and cause a buildup of ammonia and other bad things in your body; so if you don’t want to be sluggish and dehydrated throughout the day drink water all day long. Now if you happen to be a person who has water retention the best way to get rid of that is to NOT take a diuretic but to drink more water! To go on about how water is so wonderful it can help control your appetite. If you drink a cup of water with your meal then it will help fill you up. Your body needs water constantly to properly function, so remember to drink a lot and throughout the day. Don’t wait till you are thirsty because then you are already dehydrated. Myth: The longer you exercise the better. Fact: Too much exercise prevents results. Simply said if you work out to much you over work your muscles and it takes you further away from your goals instead of closer. Short, concise, intense workouts are the best way to reach your goals and it generates amazing results. Once you stimulate the muscles you need a resting period, this goes back to when you rest your muscles grow (read above). That is why it is good to lift weights every other day instead of everyday. If you look at people that work out all the time they usually have little to show for it, because there comes a point that if you keep pushing yourself day in and day out, it will begin to work against you. In the sense of exercise, more is not better.

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[Forum] Common Fitness Myths – Debunked!

[Forum] Weight Loss Is a Journey Not a Vacation

admin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:34:41 +0000

Most of you think of your New Year’s Resolution of weight loss as a quick fix, one time effort that will get you to your ideal body. What you need to realize is that it is NOT a quick fix or anything like that. This is a journey that takes you to new places where change happens. If you look at this as anything other than a journey you will end up exactly in the same place as when you started…overweight. One of the most difficult things about losing the weight is keeping it off. Stay away from the mindset that you’re going to go back to eating all the junk food that made you initiate your New Years Resolution in the first place. Otherwise, you’ll be looking at articles like this again next year. The first step in making the journey is to find your purpose for doing something. Champions are champs because of their will, heart, determination, and desire. The basis of this is their purpose. If your child was in danger, you would do whatever it takes to get them out of danger without any thought of “oh, I can’t do that, I’m not strong enough.” You would just do it. Make your purpose as strong as this and you will succeed. The next step is to fill your mind with FACTS…not fads, facts! What type of person has the body you want your body to look like and what do they do? Do you want to look like a lightweight boxer? Do you want to look like a ballet dancer? Do you want to look like a soccer player? A softball player? A stripper (hey why not)? How about a cyclist? Look at all the bodies of people who perform similar activities and then write down what they do that sets them apart. This will be the platform of your visualization. The third step is to put a plan together: Write down your ideal exercise and eating plan and put it in a place where you will see it all the time. You always keep your identification card and wallet with you: this is just as important. There are no excuses here. Don’t worry about sticking to the plan 100%. No one does that anyway. Just worry about making progress and sticking to it as closely as you can. Keep a diary of what happens then, make adjustments as you see fit. Finally, keep on top of your goal. If you aren’t making the progress you expected, revisit your plan and see where things might need to be changed. If you need help, seek the help of someone with a track record. Don’t hire a personal trainer who has always had a great body…hire one that made their body over. Most of these trainers can tone their body by just being. If you want someone who knows how to change a body—look for someone who has changed their own first. Good luck this year! Yours in Good Health Kris Reid

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[Forum] Weight Loss Is a Journey Not a Vacation

[Forum] Food Marketing Sucks

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:25:09 +0000

Let’s take a look behind the words and the pretty packaging and after reading this you’ll be able to spot those food marketing cons in a jiffy! The ‘our products are made with love’ food marketing con Let’s take simple old icecream – everyone favourite, something we all love to eat, but know we shouldn’t. The last tub I picked up claimed: “hand churned icecream (really? honestly?)… made to good old fashioned standards.” – Well in my mind’s eye I can almost see old Mother Hubbard, apron round her waist, beautific smile on her dial, bun in her hair stirring away infusing my icecream with her love and care. Hardly likely! The only hands that will be doing any churning are those money grubbing ones as they head to the bank with your bucks. But it sure sounds like their icecream is made with love and sealed with a kiss and something your mother would have made you. And implied in this is: “we really care about you.” BS – what they really care about is their bottom line. The ‘we’re all natural’ food marketing con Another favourite of mine is packaging that send out a loud: “all natural grain” message. And that part, the part that’s splashed around for you to nice might well be true… But here’s the rub …what they aren’t saying is that the msg, flavourants and colourants and tartrazine (these of course are hidden in the small print) then added are about as far from natural as are Dolly Parton’s mammaries. Nor do they point out that in the process of getting these ‘natural grains’ into the crisps they now are, they used hydrogenated oils which are just downright toxic for our bodies. All natural? Think again. What food marketers would have us believe and what is actually true are miles apart. The ‘fortified with..x,y or z vitamin’ food marketing con Here’s another fabulous food marketing con that you often see on those fabulous-sounding breakfast cereals, many which have enough sugar to sink a battle ship: “fortified with” followed by a list of vitamins. Nice! Sounds good and healthy. But what these food marketers aren’t telling you is that during processing (read taking food from a natural form and making it into something way more unnatural), they first stripped this now fabulously processed food of about 15 nutrients in their natural form and then added back a few in a form that your body isn’t always even capable of digesting. But they sure have a way of making it sound like they’re doing you a massive favour. The only favour is to their bottomline as we swoop up these so-called health products believing their bunch of baloney. The ‘your eyes deceive you’ food marketing con Oh… and let’s not talk even go to the the names they give their products. Ever seen ‘Heath bars’? Which our eyes read as ‘Health bars’…. and no, it’s not that their spelling sucks – it’s all just ways of conning us into believing they care about our health. They care about one thing and one thing only…how quickly you open your wallet.

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[Forum] Food Marketing Sucks

MTV’s Ultimate Parkour Challenge

admin — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:30:06 +0000

When I hear the word “Parkour,” I immediately think of the season premiere of The Office , where Michael, Dwight, and Andy attempt to take up this extreme sport, meekly somersaulting over couches, barely hopping over cars, and falling into refrigerator boxes. It made me laugh out loud, but seeing real Parkour athletes in action makes my jaw drop. Their gravity-defying tricks, amazing strength, creative balance, and bold fearlessness will blow your mind. You can check out the best of the best because MTV is teaming up with World Freerunning & Parkour Federation (WFPF) to bring you the Ultimate Parkour Challenge . This hour-long special is bringing eight of the world’s greatest Parkour athletes together for a little friendly competition. The show airs on MTV, Thursday, Oct. 22. Here’s a sneak peek of their amazing, gravity-defying tricks. And if you missed The Office ‘s rendition of “hardcore Parkour,” see the video when you read more.

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MTV’s Ultimate Parkour Challenge

[Forum] I Need to Kick-start My Diet

admin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:00:45 +0000

I’ve wanted to start dieting for so long, but somehow there’s been a reason to eat… like birthdays, end of exams, and girls night outs. Currently on exchange in Europe and the pounds are stalking up again!!! I’ve been studying almost nonstop for exams and projects, not to mention homework, traveling and networking sessions, and the cherry on top is suddenly becoming very sick I’m getting more and more stressed about weight. Looking at myself in the mirror, I wish I could just stop eating, or my metabolism would suddenly go haywire and work overtime til I become thinner… It’s now almost midnight and my mind is set about waking up tomorrow and changing my eating habits! I’m almost 5’6″ and weigh 70kg. I’m not overweight, but this has definitely been my heaviest ever. My goal is to be BACK at 60-62kg (which I was like 3 years ago before I started college). 10kg doesn’t sound tough, but I wish I had the same will power in getting good grades as getting healthier.

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[Forum] I Need to Kick-start My Diet

Mediterranean Diet May Keep Your Mind Healthy

admin — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:00:04 +0000

Flickr: stijn You hear a lot about the Mediterranean Diet, and how it keeps those Greeks and Italians looking olive-toned and healthy. Now, despite the Mediterranean’s feisty reputation, eating a Mediterranean diet, rich in beans, fruits and vegetables, may keep your mind healthy, specifically preventing Alzheimer’s and dementia Continue reading…

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Mediterranean Diet May Keep Your Mind Healthy