Midweek Ramblings

I'm tired again today, but as The Husbandy One pointed out this morning, it's a different kind of tired to normal. It's more of a 'I walked a really long way yesterday and now my body needs a little bit of time out' sort of tired. Because I did walk a really long way yesterday: 3.42 km! I thought perhaps I'd have to catch a tram back from finding the elephants to where I normally get on public transport, but I walked all the way back. I'm proud of myself. I find that after I do a goodly work out, I feel a bit less anxious, more centred and content. I'm certainly not a zen master or anything! But it goes a little way to helping.

I thought I'd weigh myself this morning.
Hm!
I thought, surely with the exercise I've been doing lately, perhaps I've lost a little weight? No, not only have I not lost weight, but I've put on 0.8 kgs. It was a blow, but then I reminded myself: you're in this game to become healthier and fitter, not to try and force a number on a scale to change. You've been doing great things lately, so feel good about those!
Speaking of achieving things, I haven't had the time or energy (or the money, really) to reward myself for the milestones I've reached for the Baby Elephant Walk challenge. And I've realised: it's not really that important to me right now. I'm really focussed on planning what I'm going to do next, rather than looking back on what I've already done. I found some more potentially useful websites yesterday, but I'll talk more about those later.

In Other Ramblings ...

Meanwhile, I threatened promised to talk about food recently. I think my diet is mostly pretty good these days.
Sorry for the interruption, but gosh I hate the word 'diet'. I want to use it in a neutral way to describe what I eat, but it's not a neutral word. It implies a lot of things I don't want to be associated with, like deprivation, restriction and extremism. I want to come up with a new term that describes what I eat/drink in a way that feels good for me. Now back to your regular programme...
As I was saying, I think my eating is mostly pretty good. There's definitely room for improvement, though. I can feel a bullet point list coming on!

Things I'm doing well on:
* healthy, filling breakfasts on workdays
* eating enough fruit
* drinking at least 1.5 litres of water a day
* cut back alcohol consumption to 1 or 2 drinks a week. I've been known not to drink alcohol at all on a Friday or Saturday night now! *gasp!*
* saying no to food when I'm not hungry; not eating too much just to finish off a meal when I'm already satisfied
* I (still) don't drink soft drink, or eat donuts, biscuits or chips. I just don't really like these things anymore.

Things I'm still working on / only do sometimes:
* eating a healthy, balanced lunch
* having a milo instead of a chocolate bar in response to sweet cravings at work in the afternoons
* cutting back on coffee. It's just so good!
* eating a home-cooked, healthy dinner - I'd say I'm at about 90% on this one.
* eating and drinking enough/appropriately when exercising.

Things I'm not doing so good on:
* not eating enough vegetables - I usually only eat veges at dinner time.
* giving in to cravings, and eating too much and/or unhealthy snacks when I get home from work
* unbalanced eating on the weekends - i.e. a huge breakfast and then very little throughout the day, plus not that healthy either.
* dessert. Too much and too unhealthy!

I don't have time to analyse all this right now. More in future posts.

A Whirlwind!

Hello!

What an interesting weekend I've had. Boy and I decided to have a quiet one and relax. We were channel-surfing on the TV and came across a documentary about an Australian guy who had a rare disease, had found a way to improve his condition, and was going around the U.S., trying to find others with the same disease and help them. I missed the start, so I didn't really know what it was all about. Turns out, it was Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. I'd vaguely heard about it before, and hadn't thought very much about it. I figured it was probably some anti-body-diversity propaganda that would make me really angry. After all, the title is a bit provocative. I'm fat, yes, but I'm not sick and I'm certainly not nearly dead!

However, it was a very good thing that I got to watch it with no pre-conceptions. The doco was about one man, Phil, whom the Australian guy (Joe) met at a truck stop. He was, unfortunately, just like the title says. He was portrayed very sympathetically. Joe showed Phil what he had done to lose weight and help to improve his Urticaria (a skin disease that causes unbearable itchiness and blisters). The answer was, basically, a complete diet overhaul featuring freshly squeezed juices. Phil was, not just overweight, but sick too, and knew he was in trouble, so he asked for help. I really felt for him. I'm not as big as him, and not really sick, but I certainly related to when he talked about just not caring.
Phil took a holiday from his job as a truck driver, and went to stay in a small town by the lake. He went on a 're-boot' diet, eating/drinking nothing but fruit and vegetable juices for 30 days. He felt so fantastic that he decided to continue for another 30 days! He swam and walked every day - only a little at first, but it was so impressive to see him building slowly up. He went from struggling up 4 steps, to actually jogging! He looked absolutely fantastic afterwards. And of course was much healthier. It was so amazing and inspiring!

Well, obviously I can't take 2 months off work, and I'd go completely bananas-insane if I ate/drank nothing but juice for 2 months, but! The next day I went out and bought myself a juicer! I love it so much! Here's a picture of the model I got:



It's so sweet! It demolishes the fruit and vegges in a whirlwind of power! It sounds just like a woodchipper when you send something hard through it like a carrot or apple. Boy and I have had some great sessions throwing combinations of stuff in and seeing how it tastes. It's fun as well as healthy, and not only that, I got $40 off! Grandma would be proud.

Also! See the spout that comes out the left hand side? That's for all the fruit and vegge pulp. You can use the pulp in soups, stews, curries, etc. Boy and I love that sort of semi-frugal handiness.

Last night, we made fruit juice after dinner, with melon, apple, nectarines, a bit of carrot and ginger. It was delicious! Then after I drank it, I thought a little bit about having dessert. But then I didn't feel like it.

I didn't feel like eating dessert, people! Wow!

I'll just let that sink in for a second, because, that's big........

I was amazed. Normally, almost as soon as I've finished eating dinner, I'm starting to think about what to have for dessert, craving that sweet, sugary taste in my mouth. But not this time! I just had a cup of chai tea a bit later on. And, as I was getting ready for bed, I realised that I'd never had dessert. And it didn't worry me. Bizarre. (But in a good way!)

More updates as they happen.........

Could I be changing - for reelz??

Yesterday I had a bit of a heart-to-heart with Boy/Man - by email. We're a 21st-century kind of couple! I won't say I had an 'epiphany', but it did get me thinking - and got me much more motivated.

So I spent lunchtime yesterday working through the first free e-pamphlet on the My Mind Coach website: The Five Biggest Diet Mistakes That Keep You Fat. Normally I'm a bit wary of these sorts of things, but it seems genuine, non-scammy, and has a lot of information that really makes sense to me. I got up to Mistake No. 4. I was actually excited by the idea of doing homework!

Then, after work, I listened to the Chocolate Craving Hypnosis mp3 that I downloaded from the site (again, for free). It was pretty good. Hypnosis recordings usually need to be listened to a number of times before they have a lasting effect, so I'll need to be persistent with that one. Though! - I did notice, last night, we had some sherberts for dessert, and I got that sickly sugar feeling after only having 2. So, hmmm!

Then, after that, I was thinking about the section in the e-pamphlet where it talks about emotional eating. So I decided to write about the 'episode'/'incident'/'whatever-you-want-to-call-it' that I'd had on Monday night. I wrote in great detail about what happened, how I felt and what I was thinking, before, during and after. Analysing it and thinking about it seemed to help. It made me more determined not to let it happen again.

Tonight, I'm looking forward to finishing off the first e-pamphlet. There are plenty of inspirational posts and things to do on the website's blog as well, so I might have a look at some of those, too. I'm feeling really determined and inspired right now!

Later That Night

I've had a few drinks now, so naturally what I'd like to do (aside from making impulse purchases online) is to expand on my list of goals things I'd like to improve on. That's always fun on a Friday night.

* exercise more. set goals to work towards.
I feel like I've been trying to do this already for years! Like every time I take one step forward, I immediately take two (or more!) steps back, due to being sick, spraining my ankle, being crazy-busy all of a sudden, etc. etc. Then other times, admittedly, I don't do adequate exercise because, well, playing on the internet and reading just seem like much more fun. It's so much effort. But, as I acknowledged in discussion yesterday, the first step is the hardest. The more I do, the easier it'll get. (And the more I'll be able to do for the same amount of effort - which is the point after all!) I just need to take the first step. Of course, rationally, I'm fully aware of the benefits of exercise and want them. But in the meantime, somehow I need to find the belief in myself somewhere that going for a walk is more fun/entertaining/all-around-good than reading my favourite blogs. Right now, I'm not convinced. I'll have to think on it some more.

* tackle cravings when I get home from work. eat a healthier/smaller snack.
I've managed to successfully kick the habit of eating chocolate at work after lunch. Even when I'm really stressed out. Yay Team Me! But now I feel the need to tackle my after-work craving. When I get home from work, I just want to sit back and relax, sometimes with just a cup of green tea. Other times, when I'm a bit - or very! - stressed, I have cravings for things like: cheese, meats (ham, salami, etc) or sometimes nuts. Last night's leftovers! Boy says - you're probably craving protein, just have a glass of milo or milk with protein powder instead. I say - are you crazy?! They don't taste anything like cheese or ham! Why would I want to eat those?! So, like with the chocolate craving, I need to think of a suitable substitute that passes enough for the real thing to fool my body. Or perhaps stock up on some small, low-fat snack packs to start with, and go from there?

* eat a healthier dessert or none at all.
Another food-related issue. Soon after dinner each night, I get a hankering for something sweet. It's a habit, I guess. If I put a bit of effort and forethought in, I have something nice and fairly healthy, like yoghurt and tinned fruit (in juice, not syrup, of course!). If I don't put in the above-mentioned, Boy and I end up eating any number of less healthy things that we have kicking around the house. Especially this time of year, when our Christmas hampers have arrived. *sighs* So it seems the solution here is a bit of pre-planning and a bit of mindfulness.

* find ways to de-stress effectively.
Yah, well! I'm finding this harder lately. Since I moved house. The bath here takes half an hour to fill, plus it needs cleaning beforehand as the washing machine drains into it and it constantly gets dirty. And it's much shallower than the old one so my tummy and legs poke up out of the water and get cold. So having a bath is now annoying instead of relaxing. So I switched to having a nice, hot shower instead. But now that's become an annoying exercise as well. A problem has developed with the taps, and no matter what I do, the water temperature is either a bit too hot or a bit too cold. No in-between! And when you do adjust the tap, the new temperature takes about 30 seconds to come through, so you start to think - perhaps I didn't turn the tap far enough, so you turn it some more and suddenly it's freezing! Unbelievably frustrating. So the old relaxing hot shower with a nice-smelling shower gel is beyond my reach now, too. I'm not quite sure what to do. I'm still having showers about 50% of the time at night, and trying not to let it get to me. I take comfort in two facts I read recently: 1. cool/cold showers make you burn more calories as your body is trying to keep itself warm, and 2. apparently it's better to have a warm/cool shower (rather than hot) just before bed as, if your body overheats it keeps you awake. Plus I still get to use the yummy shower gels. So yeah.
And plus trying to meditate again would help a lot too, I think. For a while I was managing to meditate a little. In discussion I was given a suggestion to try for 30 seconds at a time. That amount of time isn't daunting at all, and I was managing to do it just fine in bed before going to sleep. So perhaps it's time to revive this.

* go to bed earlier and get enough sleep.
So many benefits to this, yet so hard to convince myself to just do it instead of watching the last half of My Strange Addiction! Then of course I always regret it the next morning, drink an extra cup of coffee, and tell myself I'll go to bed on time the next night. And the cycle repeats over again! Again, a little mindfulness would probably help here, too. Thinking about the big picture. Sleeping is pretty good, after all. It's the getting-up bit afterwards that's a little sucky!

* be more mindful of negative thoughts.
I've already been doing pretty well at this lately, I've realised. I just need to keep going! I've been teaching myself to say, "no, I deserve better than that!" It's not often that I truly believe it, but it makes me stop short and think about what I've been thinking or what I've been about to do. So I'm not there yet, but I'm definitely on the way.

I've gone on a bit, haven't I? But I guess that's what you do when you're a bit drunk ;)

Triumph

Last night I went on my Monday Tuesday Walk, and it felt great! I'd had a fairly stressful day at work and was really looking forward to getting home. I was thinking to myself, I really need to go for a walk! (Not, I really need some chocolate, as I often do.) I walked all the way to the river stop, which is as far as I would go when I was at my fittest. I felt fantastic! Although, it did take me a bit longer than it used to. I felt really optimistic that I can get back on track with my exercise and increase my fitness.
When I got home, I didn't get all the cravings I normally get. I just grabbed a slice of cheese and a mug of milo, and settled down for a happy time on Pinterest until Boy got home. I really surprised myself!
I'd love for every night to be like that.

Cravings and more

I've been craving cheese lately! Been wanting savoury foods for breakfast, ham and cheese and toast. Maybe it's just because I'm bored with the porridge I've got on hand. I smell the toast that my workmates are making for their breakfasts and I get so jealous. I don't even want anything elaborate, just a chunk of brown, grainy bread with a smattering of real butter on it. Ooogh. Sometimes the simple things are the best! Can tell my porridge sachets aren't low GI because I get hungry again less than an hour after eating it. Even when I have a bit of fruit and nut trail mix sprinkled on top. Maybe I'll try one of those new-fangled low GI cereals next week.

Last night I was on late shift again. The guy next door gave us some bags of chocolate-covered fruit and nuts before everyone else left for the day. Had a couple of stressful moments and was thinking, when I've finished this, I'm gonna eat my chocolate! Wonder if I would have had thoughts like that if I didn't have any chocolate easily at hand. I don't know! And I didn't exercise yesterday. Normally if I'm on late shift I'll go for a walk at lunch time. But my body just didn't want to move and felt very tired. So when I was advised that the weather was cold and rainy, I gave up on the idea. A few months ago, I would have headed out and ploughed on regardless. Don't know what the issue was there. Some days are like that, I guess. Tonight I have to go to the post office on the way home and I've decided to walk home from there. Nice. Hope it won't be too cold because my lungs can sieze up and I find it hard to do any physical activity. I don't know how people in really cold climates do it. Guess they go to gyms!

This post was transferred from calorieking.com.au

Nothing But Food

Looks like today is shaping up to be another eating day! I've been mixing things up a bit. Bit bored with porridge for breakfast, but that's all I have that's traditionally 'breakfasty'. So instead this morning I ate my dip and carrot sticks which was supposed to be for morning tea. Even though I was satisfied afterwards, I just couldn't stop thinking about food. What I'm having for morning tea, what I'm having for lunch, how long should I wait before having morning tea? Am I really hungry or am I just looking for comfort? What can I buy for afternoon tea? etc etc. It gets a bit annoying after a while actually. Stupid brain!

Last night I went and had a massage from one of those Chinese places. They're very good actually. I can still feel it today. My shoulders are less tight. I feel calmer.

This post was transferred from calorieking.com.au

A Few Things

Been wanting to eat all morning. Can't stop thinking about food. It must be the comfort factor. Haven't been going too well with my Focus this week either. Still have that thought that I can't stop and relax or meditate, I have to always be doing something. Though half the time, that something ends up being watching TV or surfing the internet. Which is kinda relaxing in its own way, but not fulfulling, and definitely not in the spirit of what I'm trying to do. This morning I woke up early and was lying in bed, trying to get back to sleep and hearing strange noises in the lounge and wondering if it was just the cat or if it was robbers coming to steal my laptop or something! For a second I almost contemplated counting that in as relaxing time ... who am I kidding? How desperate must I be??!

My colitis is starting to settle down a bit too, thank goodness, after over a month of being all hinky. Ironically, I started taking a lower dose of my medication, and that's when it started to settle. Sometimes I feel like a human guinea pig - I've had colitis for over 5 years now and still experimenting with different medications and different doses. But other factors also affect it a lot, especially stress. Which is why I decided to try (again) to start a regular relaxation/meditation ... thingy. (Don't really have a problem with the word 'practice', but I somehow feel it's wrong for me personally to use it yet - it should only be used by people who are better at it than I am. Is that a bit wierd?)

Anyway, I have a long history of giving up on things, even when I know they're doing me good, and even when I enjoy them. Like Yoga Wednesday. Or painting symbols that express my feelings. Or my Bed-to-Couch jogging programme. Well, that last one was because I got sick, but I still continued walking. I keep telling myself, "you gotta step it up, you gotta do more, if you want to lose weight". "You gotta start exercising harder, stop eating dessert, etc etc" I feel like I'm in cruise-control mode at the moment. I'm doing the things that are easy. I don't have the energy and/or motivation to do the things that're hard lately. I'm wanting to feel that sense of satisfaction I get from refusing to eat something unhealthy. The need for comfort is winning out more. I hope things will change soon.

This post was transferred from calorieking.com.au

Various Ramblings

This morning I didn't feel like eating breakfast. I had a porridge sachet and dried fruit, but I was really craving some toast with vegemite. But in my drawer at work - no bread, no vegemite, so sad! So I kept putting off making my breakfast until it was almost morning tea time. I'm rostered for the early lunch break today, so that wasn't a biggie. But then it's a looong time til afternoon tea time. Normally I try and have lunch as late as I can, then there's less time to try and resist afternoon cravings. So days like this throw me out a little bit.

Last night I went to the supermarket on the way home to get some things for dinner. Was starving hungry (not a good time to shop, I know!). Haven't had time to have afternoon tea before I leave work this week, we've been short-staffed and I was too busy. Plus I've been walking part of the way home every night. That means the hungry-beast was on the loose! Was starting to fall into that familiar struggle of wandering around the supermarket so hungry, craving something really unhealthy, and desperately trying to find something healthy that would do instead. Came across a jar of bocconcini cheese in brine in the sale section. I thought, why not? I had them dipped in a little olive oil and mixed herbs. Probably not as healthy a snack as it could have been, but definitely more sophisticated. ;)

Then last night I was browsing fashion blogs. Overall I find it a really positive thing to do. But when I do, I've noticed I have a lot of different reactions all happening at the same time:
* Excited and positive seeing ladies of all different shapes and sizes, in all different types of outfits, being fabulous! I don't feel alone anymore. Yay for the blogosphere! It makes me feel that I could be like them. That I can look sophisticated and professional in work-wear (ref. to my rant the other day). It makes me want to start a fashion blog of my own!
* Less pressured. I'm starting to lose that thought I used to have - that I have to lose X amount of weight before I can start dressing like I really want to. Before I can do that bellydancing class, or make that Japanese street fashion-inspired outfit I've been dreaming of. Or even show photos of my sewing projects on my craft blog. Not that I've actually done any of these things yet, but it just seems more possible than before, if that makes sense. :) And so, losing the maximum amount of weight RightNowDammit!! doesn't seem quite so urgent.
* A bit sad and disappointed in myself that I don't have the confidence to dress like that and be like that. But I'm definitely further along on my path than I was say, a year ago. Back then, I used to read my Shop Til you Drop magazine and think: when I've lost weight, that's what I'll wear and that's where I'll shop. Now, I read it and think: where can I get clothes like that in my size? How can I take bits of a fashion I like and add them to my look? Do I have the ability to make clothes like that in my size?
* Angry and frustrated that here in Australia I can't get most of the fabulous clothes I see. And the few I can get are overpriced! Some of the U.S. and U.K. webshops post internationally now, but they have very high shipping, and I like to try clothes on before I buy them. I have a fairly unusual body shape, and anything fitted just doesn't seem to sit right on me. And anything not fitted I could probably make myself, if I could find the right fabric. And speaking of:
* Really motivated to get crafty and sew some clothes of my own! I get all righteous and think, why should I let some marketing person who's only out to appeal to the great masses decide what I get to wear?! I'll just make my own, dammmmmit! Anika makes all her own clothes herself. Georgina and Gabi have altered clothes with great success. (Georgina also designs her own fabric and makes dresses from it, and she makes and sells her own jewellery - she's my current crafty idol!)
So why can't I just make clothes that exactly fit the vision in my head of how I want to look?? (Part of me cringed even still when I wrote that last bit, but that's an over-share for another day.)

Gosh, I've gone on quite a bit today, haven't I? Sorry about that. Off to lunch now!

This post was transferred from calorieking.com.au

Last Week

Another crazy weekend! I told myself I was going to pay a bit more attention to what I'm doing on the weekend, but it just passed by in a whirlwind. On Saturday I got 30%, and Sun 20%. Terrible! Every single meal was unhealthy, and a few times I only got a score at all because I didn't eat anything. Which is bad, too. Although, I think it's funny that I got a higher score on Saturday when I spent the whole day and evening out doing things, than on Sunday when I had a free day. Weird.

Anyway. Last week's focus was on combating cravings. And I think I did excellently! The only slip-up I had (if you can even call it that) was on Thursday when I had a vege-burger (home-made) instead of the roasted soybeans. But I'm calling that a win - the amount of time I spent wandering around the supermarket, agonising over every little thing, and I ended up choosing vege-burgers. I think I deserve credit for that! As for it turning into a habit, well, tonight I had some soybeans but also some chips. Was very stressed and have my Special Lady Pouty Time - what can I say?

I had a little trouble deciding on this week's Focus. Was very tired and had a busy morning, so I didn't really have the time or the energy to think about it. Then I was having lunch with a couple of friends, and one of them said that I shouldn't dwell on things. So there was my inspiration. My Focus this week is not to worry, not to dwell on things, live in the moment, be zen, however you want to put it. It's appropriate right now, I've got a few things going on that're a bit stressful, applying for jobs not the least of them. That always stresses me out, bigtime. So whenever I catch myself worrying about something, stressing about something I have/haven't done, dreading something that may/may not happen, I just bring myself back to the present. It'll be harder than last week's focus, because it's something I'll need to remember to do all day, every day. But I've been feeling less stressed already, and it's only day one. So yay!

This post was transferred from calorieking.com.au

Temptation

We've had biscuits here for morning tea two days in a row! Argh! Yesterday I had 5. Today, I put 4 on my plate, but I only felt like eating 3. That's pretty cool. Then a bit later on I felt a little peckish again, instead of eating the last biscuit on the plate, I just had a cup of green coffee. Maybe I'll eat the biscuit after lunch. Speaking of green coffee, I'm down to my last sachet. I can't decide whether to buy more. It's a 'special' one that you can only get from the chemist, which supposedly is an appetite suppressant (... weight-loss aid ... ancient Asian wisdom updated for today's busy woman ... blah, blah ... ) I've gotten used to having something on hand to drink if I get hungry after morning tea, but it's not lunch time yet. The green coffee's been good for that because it's easy to prepare: you just dump the sachet in the cup. And, unlike tea, I can use the same mug from my morning coffee and it won't taste funny, so there's less washing up. I also like the taste, which makes me care not as much whether it actually has the properties it claims. Recently I saw that Nescafe now has a green coffee drink which you can buy at the supermarket. I didn't buy any because I thought it was snortingly expensive, but I got to try some when I was at Mum's house. I didn't like the taste as much as the one I've been drinking. I don't remember the exact prices, but I think the chemist one is actually about the same price, perhaps even less (ironically). So I might pick some up next time I go to the chemist (I'm not going to make a special trip though, not in this weather!).

Went to weigh myself this morning, because I was feeling pretty good about everything, and was curious as well, and the batteries in my scales have run out! Durnit! I'll have to get Boy to get some new ones.

Oh, it's been so cold lately!! I'm starting to think of it as S.I.C. (So Insanely Cold :) ). My normal plan of walking part of the way home after work is completely out the window this week. Monday I didn't do any exercise. I just came home and curled up on the couch. Yesterday I unwrapped my new yoga mat and and did my yoga DVD. The mat isn't as good as the old one - it's thicker, but not as 'grippy' on my feet so they slide a bit when I'm in a wide stance; also it kinda stretches when I'm in a wide stance as well. I nearly fell over a couple of times because of it. Oh well, what can you expect for $15 K-Mart crap? :O I wasn't very enthusiastic and I didn't do all of the moves, but I still felt much better afterwards. More relaxed and stretchy, and my hip didn't hurt, and when I bent over I could touch my toes straight away instead of having to work up to it. (Or 'down' to it, actually ;) ) So ... yoga, yeah! Every time I do yoga, it reminds me of why I should do it more often. Tonight I want to do my strength-training session though. I did it last week for the first time in ages, and I felt pretty good afterwards. Sore, but good! I'm sick of feeling weak and not being able to lift as much at work. So I'm going to do the training again, and again, and again! :)

This post was transferred from calorieking.com.au

Supermarket Dilemmas

Spent soooo long at the supermarket last night, it was pathetic. Walking up and down, reading packets, comparing them. Was starting to feel like a right wally by the time I decided on my purchases. Had strong cravings for both savoury and sweet snacks at the same time! (Normally it's one or the other - or one then the other! ) I'd been doing pretty well for the last week with my after-work cravings. Had a piece or fruit or something right before I left work if I was starting to feel a bit peckish, then nothing at home, or if anything, some lite popcorn or low-fat dip, something like that. Feeling pretty good about everything, in the main.

But yesterday! It's Special Lady Time ... and the Lady Grump has come to town! (you know that special grumpiness that only ladies get at certain times? ) And when that happens, the Cravings Monster also often rears its ugly head as well. All afternoon at work, I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd buy from the supermarket after work. I had to go anyway, to buy laundry detergent. So then I was walking up and down, trying to find some snacks that would satisfy the cravings, but also be healthy enough so that I don't have Massive Guilt Syndrome. It's a tough ask!

Eventually after looking at lots of options (did you know that Soy Crisps have more calories than potato chips??) I chose the VitaWeat Multigrain rice-cracker-thingys. Which are pretty healthy, though I did eat the whole packet. They seem to have less in them than normal rice crackers though, not sure. I like the multigrain ones; I think they're tasty enough to have without any toppings. Anyhoo. And choosing a sweet snack was just as torturous. After choosing several things and putting them back, I eventually went to the health food aisle. (Deep down inside I know that foods from that aisle can be just as bad as any others, but - you know!) I ended up choosing this dairy-free white chocolate. Now I look at it, it would have made more sense to choose a sugar-free chocolate, but I wasn't thinking straight at the time, was I? This chocolate still had both sugar and fat in it. I may as well have eaten a block of lard with some table sugar sprinkled on top, am-I-right? Not to mention the colours, preservatives and wholesome Soy Grits mixed in! (To be fair, the soy grits are actually in the nut bar that I bought to eat today. But yes - soy grits!!) Then I took my snacks home and curled up in bed with my new library book and indulged! And tried not to feel too guilty about it. It's only once a month.

This post was transferred from calorieking.com.au

Did Well

Quite proud of myself, I did pretty well this weekend, with Boy's help. He made many helpful suggestions for eating healthy. And we went for a longish walk on Sat. I didn't really feel like it, but I had to return some library books, and then we went down to the playground. It was nearly dark so there wasn't anyone there, so we had a bit of a play before walking home. Some days, you gotta just do whatever gets you moving!

So, looking over last week, I did pretty well with eating main meals. I exercised quite a bit, but I'd like to try doing more. I drank some water, but not as much as they say you should. Same with fruit and veges. Did pretty well with the fruit actually. Normally I don't eat any, but I ate at least 1 serve every single day. (Except Thursday.) Had a pretty stressful week so, even though I made sure to have a snack right before I left work, I found myself eating chips, etc when I got home. It was just mindless nomming when I was reading my book. I need to figure out a way to cut this out! The other area where I didn't score many greens was dessert. I've already improved in this area. 6 months ago we were eating chocolate brownies with double-choc icecream. Now it's a hot chocolate drink with a couple of plain biscuits or a pudding made with fresh berries and sugar substitute. It's definitely an improvement! But I still can't - in all good conscience - call it definitively healthy. I'm really trying to be honest with myself here. It's hard when someone makes something and they try really hard to be thoughtful when making it. You feel like you should be grateful and not criticise. You think well, I know I made that rule that anything with pastry in it can't be healthy, but the apple pie only had a very thin base, and it did also have healthy fruit in it as well .... And I am actually doing very well with 90% of my meals..... I'll think about how to tackle that later.

So this week I want to concentrate on drinking more water, at least 2 bottles per day, and diversify my exercise instead of just walking.

This post was transferred from calorieking.com.au

Food... Again!

Brought enough healthy food with me today so that I don't have to resort to the vending machine or anything like that. It's a good feeling. Just as long as I don't get bad cravings after lunch, I should be OK. Though ... had some mandarins for morning tea, and then had a craving for a sausage roll all the way through to lunch, worrying whether my cheese sandwich would be the right thing to stifle the craving. *sighs*

The Weight Loss book says that different types of foods are digested in a certain order: protein, then carbs, then alcohol, then fat. That's another reason to follow the 'Breakfast like a King...' plan and eat rich, carby foods in the morning and a very light meal for dinner. When you think about it though, doesn't that mean the first thing you should have in the morning is a glass of red wine and a chocolate bar? Or am I being too cynical? ;)

Greens: 70%.

This post was transferred from calorieking.com.au

Food Craziness

There are Tim Tams in our office!! *gasping and dramatic music*
I had 2 yesterday and 2 today for morning tea. Thank goodness they're all gone now. Yesterday they were all I could think about. Things have been pretty stressful around here lately, so I think we all felt like we needed a 'treat'. (Still having trouble getting away from thinking of food like that.) Food is just about the only thing you can do for yourself when you're stuck here at work and having to sit at your desk and write a document on an important topic by such-a-such time. In that immediate moment, you can't go and get a massage or buy yourself a new necklace or even go for a walk in the park. But you can get a Tim Tam from the fridge and stuff your face with it. :) Not beating myself up about it though - I only had 2 when I could have grabbed more.

Was reading more of that Weight Loss book again last night. He says there are 3 factors that cause overeating - Deprivation, Starvation and Justification. Eliminate those and you won't overeat. It makes a lot of sense. The body is set up to take in as much energy as possible, and conserve it when it gets it. This is nothing I didn't know. But he did quote some studies which I didn't know about before. That's why he says you should never tell yourself that you can't eat certain foods. Same as the nutritionist I saw last year. She kept telling me to ask myself - "I can have it if I want it, but do I really want it?" Course, that didn't really work, cos the answer was always, "yes, I want it!"
He also talked about the principle of 'Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince and Dinner like a Pauper', which he calls "energy mismatch". Again, not a new concept, but one that makes sense. Why do we eat all the calore-rich foods at night when we're just going to be lying there all night not burning them off? It's better to eat more in the morning and less at night.
Course, if you take that point of view, you could then argue that it's better to exercise late in the afternoon or at night. And no-one does, they all say it's better to exercise in the morning!
He also mentions Low GI foods briefly. There's plenty of info about why they're good for you elsewhere, so I'm kind of glad he doesn't go into an exhaustive explanation.

I have to say, I'm a little disturbed about some of the language he uses. He takes care to point out that food is not 'bad' or 'good', it's just food. But then he starts to use terms like "sacrifice foods" and even "suicide foods". He starts out saying that we can eat whenever we want, but then a bit further in says that jam and doughnuts in particular are "sacrifice foods" that we shouldn't eat very often. He starts out saying that exercise has nothing to do with losing weight, but then says that incidental exercise is very important if we are to lose weight. I always find diet books are full of contradictions like this, and it drives me nuts!

No wonder people get frustrated and confused, and want to throw in the towel before long. I'll read a bit more tonight and report back again tomorrow. :)

Greens: 65%


This post was transferred from calorieking.com.au

Short and Kinda Boring

Yes, I had a packet of chips for morning tea. Some days I just feel like something salty. I've been completely disorganised food-wise again this week. Really need to get myself together and go shopping on Sunday nights, or the whole week I feel like I'm scrambling to scrape something together. I hate that feeling.
Have an hour for lunch today, so I went for a walk. Good stuff! Feel all happy and endorphiny now. Hope it lasts for a while, cos I'm on late shift again today and I get baaaad cravings most times.

Greens: 60%.


This post was transferred from calorieking.com.au

Hungry

I think I'm having an eating day today. I'm just always hungry! I can't explain it!

I'm planning on going for a walk after work tonight. I don't know how far I'll go. We'll see!

This post was transferred from calorieking.com.au