Newbies

I eat my protein snacks and I only use organis extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil. Seem to be doing everything right until after dinner. In the intro there was some chemical or hormone mentioned. Don’t know what it is or how to counteract it.

Seaborngirl, you are very brave to keep getting back up when you fall.

Ossie, You said something in that post to Olive that got my attention. You said not to be too active before a morning intake of protien. I am finally walking on the treadmill because that is my first stop right after getting out of bed……well, my second stop….LOL. Once I get into the kitchen and pick up my paper and a cup of coffee, getting dressed to go to the gym or even walking back up stairs to walk on the treadmill is probably not going to happen.

Hi, Apensa. Regarding your sense of taste: if you are taking any medications, note that some do cause loss of or change in taste; sometimes even a change in the medication can make a difference. It is possible that your sinuses never fully opened back up after the cold/URI – smell is more important that your mouth for the actual taste of the food (the tongue senses what you did write that you are sensing). Other possibilities include heartburn and/or reflux, as well as conditions that change the lining of your mouth. It is great that you are going for a check-up.

Morning all…..
OLIVEOYL….so good to wake up this morning and find you on deck! I thought we had lost you mate! We are so similar in the way we eat, and what we are going through. I am sure things will get better…only you can make that happen though hey? And I am very pleased to see that sense of humour coming through as well as CHIA! I hope to see more of you on deck as you find your footing.
OSSIE,I am pleased to see you too, and as I am similar to OliveOyl, it is good to read all your comments to her. I have been below deck so I could get over my tiredness and depression from it. Still eating right, but found the constant thinking about food as well as everything else going on in my life, was stressing me out! I will be ready to begin again with the plan soon. I am not on prednisone, but I do find that night time is a temptation to binge as well. I reckon I just need to go to bed earlier. I enjoy what I am doing after dinner…we watch a show together, then play a game of scrabble before Bill goes to bed, and then I clean up a bit, and do some digital scrapbooking, editing, etc, a bit of reading, play a few words with friends on FB, and off to bed by 11.30 usually. I would go to bed earlier if I could just go to sleep then, but I have to train my body clock to set differently….so it might take some time. I decided a couple of days ago to just have a container of free vegies that I like ready to munch on….like carrot sticks, capsicums, zucchinis or cucumbers, I don’t find that exciting, but know they are the things I could eat that won’t cause me to stay awake. I am also going to set an alarm to make sure I go to bed by 10.30. I have to make some changes, so will see how it goes for me. It will be the ablility to fall asleep that will be the problem as usual for me!
Anyway, have to move now…got to go into town soon. Apensa and Chia, Jackie, Anna, and anyone else who is on deck….have a great day. OliveOyl, I do hope you have a better night. Obviously you are in America somewhere!
Bev.

Hi OliveOyl. I could have typed your message except for a few details. My age is 38 and instead of a husband I have a mother I care for that has her own health issues.

I could cry sometimes when I look at the mirror. I’m 208lbs. My ideal weight is 135. I hate to have my picture taken. Winters aren’t so bad because I wear bulky sweaters, but summertime…ugh. But then I started to look at friends of mine that are overweight…their weight makes no difference to me with regards to friendship, so why should my own weight make such a difference to me??? I have to stop being my own worst enemy. Everytime I start to feel depressed I hang on to that thought.

I found starting TDC overwhelming, so I break it down in chunks. I used to skip breakfast and lunch, eat a huge portion for supper because I was so hungry and then binge a bit before bed because I was still hungry. No wonder I need to lose 70 lbs. I have started eating breakfast and lunch for a while, but skipping snacks, and still eating huge suppers because I was still feeling hungry. So I did the meal planner, but I only use it for a guide. I don’t like to cook…I use the planner and recipes only as a reference to incorporate into my regular meals.

For instance, I’m super picky for breakfast. All I want is a bowl of multi-grain cheerios, some berries and skim milk. Oh, and I also sprinkle some flax seed in. That’s it. I’ve tried other things, but I don’t like it. I’ve been meaning to ask Ossie if multi-grain cheerios are on the good or bad side of the healthy eating spectrum. But for now, I’m not changing it, so that’s what it is.

On to lunch. Same deal…I don’t prepare a fancy lunch. I want a ham sandwich. That’s it. Every day. I used to have white-bread, and whatever lunch meat was on sale. Now I have SWG bread, and gluten free ham. I still use miracle whip, but put on less, and add flax seed in with the mayo. I love the taste way more than the white bread. I also have a little piece (1 oz) of either marble or cheddar cheese.

Snacks. Used to skip snacks…can’t gain weight if I don’t eat. Wrong! So I looked at the snack suggestions in the planner. And I have the same thing every day. Celery sticks with some organic ceaser dressing and a 1 oz piece of cheese in the morning. Amazing…I find I’m not as hungry lunch time! In the afternoon I have a banana. Same thing every day. Suddenly, I’m not starving suppertime. I’m hungry, but I can now eat normal portions for supper.

And as for supper, I used to use a lot of package foods…instant rice, boxed meals, frozen meals, etc. Stuff really high in sodium. I can’t throw out food, so as I use it I don’t replace it, and use healthier alternatives. Lasagna is made with brown rice pasta. Uncle Ben’s Bistro rice is replaced with brown rice. I made awesome chicken wings the other night using swg bread crumbs instead of white bread crumbs. I use swg hamburger buns instead of regular rolls. Small and simple changes.

I also get organic wherever I can. Organic cream cheese for my swg bagels and english muffins (a lot of people mentioned goat cheese but I can’t aquire a taste at all for that). I’d like to try yogurt, but I’m not sure yet what to get…I don’t like plain yogurt, so that’s tabled for later review.

Now I can at least see where my challenges still are. I still don’t drink enough water. And I still binge at night. The binging is habit…one I’m having a devil of a time breaking. Since I used to starve myself all day I would often wake up at night hungry, so I’d eat before bed so I’d sleep through the night, and I can’t shake that urge that I have to eat before bed. I become almost obsessive over it. Well, I spent years building the bad habit…I guess I can’t expect to shake it overnight. I did switch to healthier popcorn with organic butter, and organic tortilla chips. However, the problem is that I often have them both at night. 🙁 I just can’t help myself.

The other problem is exercise…I go through spurts when I do real well, then periods where I am so lethargic I can’t get out of my own way. I’m in the lethargic period now. I know some of it is the anxiety and depression, but it’s a heck of a catch-22. Need exercise to lose weight and gain energy, but need to lose the weight to get the energy to do the exercise. Summer will help because I’ll be in the garden a lot.

I will say though that I feel so much better. I can’t remember the last time I felt heartburn or had a bad stomach (I suffer from reflux and IBS). I’m always skimming through the postings to see what tips I can pick up from other people. But I don’t let other’s failures or successes sway me…we are all different, with different bodies and we all have to find our own path and what will work in our lives. Just take one day at a time. Tomorrow supper is burgers and fries…extra-lean ground beef, swg buns, and organic waffle fries. Yum! And reasonable portions now.

Hang in there…we’re all in this together! Post your frustrations…it’s not negative. I know I feel the same way a lot and it does help knowing I’m not the only one, because there’s days I feel I must be.

Night all!

Hi, Seaborn Girl. Adequate and well-timed sleep is indeed very, very important to your efforts here. It not only puts a lid on late-night munching, but also optimizes your metabolism to “burn fat”.

Hi, ppeddle. Thanks for your detailed and encouraging post. Bravo for being there for your mother.
As for your question, Multigrain Cheerios is actually fine (minimal chemicals and salt); the corn is likely GMO, but is not the whole product here.