Jennifer» 2008 September | Diet, weight loss, fitness blog

Archive for September, 2008

elliptical, veganism and soy (update)

Posted September 6, 2008

I am writing here to update about the following things because I did not want anything to be unclear. I did not want people to see my list of subjects and see that I am for say soy when I have learned and experienced new things.

Elliptical - I wanted to sell this because it seemed my knees were just not cut out for it. But it did make this noise and when a friend did not want to try it out before buying it I would not sell it to her. It is unclear to me why she did not want to try it out first. I just did not want it to break after she bought it with out knowing and hearing it. So I kept it and was irritated all the time when I was injured and could not use it. Anyways, things have improved and I am able to use it. I only go for about 30 minutes and it still makes the sound. But it reminds me to go easy and not over do it.

Veganism - This worked for awhile but in the end did not provide the nutrition that I need. It made me see foods negatively and this is the last thing I want to do as I try to maintain a level way of thinking with food. I am really confused as to how Brendan Brazier of The Thrive Diet could do it and also be an athlete. Too weird!

Soy - Obviously this was the main source of protein as I was following a vegan diet. Though I like soy it turns out that soy is not so good for the body in large amounts (some say small amounts too). I guess it would depend on the body. But for me I found that my body temperature did indeed drop and I gained weight. I am sure I gained because of the decreased activity after I was injured and the fact that I did not adjust my intake accordingly. But, my body temperature did drop to 96ish and since I have started to see improvements (close to a non-soy diet) it is now usually around 98. I will make sure I tell my new doctor about this and make sure my thyroid is in good working condition. The research is quite negative with soy though certain body types will do worse the others. Certainly babies and young children should not consume soy I think because it will more then likely screw with their development. But to each their own research!

Had to make some clarifications since I realized I had not done so in other blogs.

Letter to a buddy

Posted September 5, 2008

Comments(4)

SO, I wrote this following letter to a buddy who was struggling with emotional eating. Who hasn’t felt lost and like everything is hopeless? I know I have. I want to say thank you for reaching out and I needed to share because there are just too many out there who feel this way. Never feel bad about asking a buddy for their eyes (to read an email), support and thoughts. We are in this together. These are just some of my ideas how to deal with the big picture of weight loss and self love. To My Buddy, to you, to me too (I OFTEN need reminders):

I completely understand not wanting to spread the negative (she does not like to blog the blah/negative), but our blogs are first for ourselves and our personal growth. I have not wanted to blog the stress, but everyone must decide for themselves what works. My personal experience with blogging EVERYTHING here is that it can perpetuate the negative. Not always, but sometimes. We know, I think, deep down what we must do.

I think the key for me has been learning forgiveness and not expecting perfection. I use to record everything to only “fail” I thought and then beat myself up. That is crap. We are hear to live a good life and I think for me that includes good food. The problems comes to be great when we are stuffing the food in more and more only to hurt ourselves. Learning to respect the smaller portions and eating what my body needs has really helped. And for god’s sake, one does not have to eat everything on their plate if their body is telling them that they are full. This has really helped me. Starving kids in Africa will not benefit from me eating everything on my plate and stuffing myself!

I have learned that I eat dairy when I want love. I use to consume a lot of this when younger, when I was sad. So knowing this is power. Sure I can have dairy and treats, BUT WHEN YOU KNOW YOURSELF, it is a lot harder to keep the negative going, I think. Sure I slip, but there is NO MORE guilt. Just move on, eat well/healthy and move, move, move. Exercise is my happy pill and I can not be happy or fit without it.

It sounds like you might need to take some time in your days and just find some peace or find something that brings peace into your space. You will get there and if you are like me, through trial and error It does not make for a stress-free life for those of us who are impatient but it sure does get easier and easier.

I challenge you to not see any one food as evil. Understand, learn or adhere to what you know to be good portions for yourself and savor and enjoy. Really slow down, chew at least 25 times or more. The thing that has really helped me is appreciating what I have, NOT what I do not have. In life and on my plate.

It is so tough to start something out that seems to come so easy for some. Starting to learn to be our own best friends is a good and necessary start. I believe in you and I believe in all my buddies. We can do it!

Your buddy,
Jennifer