Comments(10) So I am a little competitive with myself, but in a good way. I want to see how many days I can go without eating after supper. I am not counting if I am truly hungry. In such a case I will eat fruit, veggies or yogurt. But I want to stop the eating after supper. It’s just not productive. So how many days can I go???
This is for me. Here I go…..
Wishing everyone a great week!
Comments(8) Well I know, I said no more, but this is just too priceless not to share. My new motivation is thinking about the planet first. SO, instead of thinking about what my taste buds want or about emotional eating, I am thinking about THE EARTH FIRST. I am so much more aware of our trash. Yes we have curbside recycling and that helps SO MUCH, but still if we purchase less that eventually has to be thrown away, then that just works out better for the environment and myself/ourselves.
Somethings I am working on……
I am going to start to only buy loose leaf tea. No more boxes. This may seem small but we go through A LOT of tea, herbal, black and green. I am also going to buy more from bins. It use to bug me, but no more…especially with things like grains and legumes. I think I will still buy nuts and seeds in packages. But those last so long and the packages can be recycled.
I also am working on having less waste. I am not sure about composting, but I wonder if someone in the neighbourhood would want their soil to be enriched? No clue. But something to look into.
Obviously eating vegetarian is better for the environment, but we eat small portions of meat and eat a high veggie diet anyways.
I am trying to be aware of my water use too. And I am working at buying no more cleaners. I have so few, but I am going to stick to vinegar and baking soda. I wonder what people used to wash their clothes before there was chemical detergents???
No more plastic bags, only reusable. No more plastic bottles, I am carrying my stainless steel mug everywhere.
Consuming less food, unnecessary food. Good for health and the food supply. What an incredible amount of food consumed by overeaters… *sigh* - oh well, no guilt, just healthy changes.
Buy more local and I am going to learn to can produce….tomato sauce, beet pickles…. Yah!
Other little changes too…….
Earth day should not be one day, but rather an everyday thing. I am quite certain that many parents and grandparents care enough for their children and grandchildren that they will start to consider their global footprint. I CAN NOT imagine the discontent I would feel if I had children knowing that their world will be so unpleasant one day IF people do not start to make the small and big changes/choices. Thank goodness David and I agree, no kiddies! There are so many children out there already. I feel lucky to have met someone who fits with me.
I have had my ups and downs lately with diet and exercise, but I am marching forward! ;) And things really do seem so much easier now that I have changed my perspective. Global health = Our health.
Have a great day Everyone.
Comments(10) So I have been thinking about labels. Labels are as dangerous as say not paying attention to the signs of mental and physical illness. So it is good to be aware and not obsess over it as with anything.
Yesterday, I was green, well ill and that was not a fine thing AT all. The most awful cramps and flu-like symprtoms. Well after the trips to the washroom, I called a friend and then stayed on the couch for 6 hours. Oh my god. This has never happened where my only goal was to remain still. The only movement was to turn on a Discovery program I had taped weeks ago called “Russia: A Journey”, the movie “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and then the CBC and SCN where I watched an array of interesting programs. Good times. My body HAD TO STOP and I had to be with my thoughts. That was the most still I have been in a long time. And it was nice to focus on the TV and Oscar once. He avoided me prior to becoming ill and then after his day long nap came and layed in my armpit…. What a guy. He made my day! His head went down and we rested. So lovely. I forgot….there was another time he came to see me, when I was in bed. He walked onto my stomach and I winced and then he left. Poor guy. Boo hoo…. me. BUT NO, this was a great day because I became STILL and this might have been the best thing to happen to me in a long time. I needed those cramps to help me find my stillness. It really was a gift in a very twisted way, so I am thankful for this. “Hello, I will have my glass half full please.”
I woke up thinking I would NOT want to eat after that experience, but no. I was just mildly hungry, but had an intense desire for eggs. What occured to me is that I like simple/”pure” foods usually (not always of course), but I like food that makes me feel awesome - usually no chemicals just happens to be better. (I mean I use to pee 5-10 times an hour until I cut out phosphates, nitrates and nitrites for the majority of the time.) And now who can think that is weird? I used a little real butter, and salted them good and peppered them too… YUM. I felt like I was eating like a queen. I realise it would seem that I would want something like soda crackers, but I did not have them. That is what mom would have suggested. Or dry toast! That did not appeal at all. ….LISTENING TO MY BODY. Cool.
Anyways…. enough analyzing for awhile. I truly do think we are obsessed with eating, exercising, dieting and also obsessing over famous people in their lives. What the hell??? Well part of the gift of being still was watching “Russia: A Journey” and being inspired by what was explained as their way of thinking about what is important and not important in life. They separtate the everyday life & The Life. And it was fantastic so this is a summary.
Life - Important
-self realization
-spirituality
-achievement
-writing
-good relationships with people (and I would add oneself)
The everyday life - Not important because these are just things that have to be done and are.
-sleep
-eating
-washing/cleaning
-(I will add exercise - because I think this is just done as well even if it is not specialized)
That is what I took from that. Very interesting and an eye opener for me who has had so many things ass backwards in my life !!!————————————————
Then I was thinking about what is important for the world? (Inspired from a show called “Green Life/Live With the World”)
-global responsibility
-for us to consume and pollute less
-ecological thinking
-ethical choices
-simplify life
-use less energy/fuel
I love it. I am feeling great and look forward to starting my day. And David comes home so I am VERY much looking forward to this. I do find that people and technology in my space sometimes clutter my thoughts, but you do not know what you have, until it’s gone.
Comments(8) Today I am inspired by Nancy who is doing her thing and today is dealing with the food fears. That is a huge task considering so many of us have dieted or at least been aware of food choices for SO LONG. How does one deal with the food police in their heads? It does start to be too much sometimes and addressing them is critical in not developing issues with food, eating disorders.
Though I danced with bulimia many years ago and got scared when my teeth started to hurt, I never was what you call a bulimic or at least an extreme case. It was more stress induced and occassional. Hell even a therapist said I could not be a part of the group therapy because I was not bad enough…. All righty! lol God, the teenage years! But my bigger issue has been with all my health issues through out my life and then a bigger then bigger issue was the development of an eating disorder that I did not even know was an eating disorder. It is called Orthorexia nervosa. This is the obsession with healthy food thinking that it is the way to good or optimum health. I have tendancies more so towards it, but still. Yikes! The thing is, with all obsessions, there comes stress and preoccupations with certain foods. And if there is one thing the body does not like is the same things over and over….not even healthy food. Enjoyment, stress reduction, reasonable nutrition, moderate exercise, fresh water, clean air and the body can usually find the balance that it desires. But piss around with obsessions and imbalance is sure to occur.
So, I want to eat a little more food because my senses are telling me this is right and suddenly I feel the fear. Well Nancy jolted my thoughts this AM because she is eating a larger amount of calories and I suspect her body is telling her, “feed me! “I (her body) work so hard for you so give me some damn food!!!” The key is listening to the voice of wisdom within and not having those thoughts in our heads forming swirling food issues. So I feel so awesome that, yes I had a good day yesterday until the night came and then I started to feel bad for going over my approximate calorie quota, but luckily I snapped RIGHT our of it, because of a buddy, because of Buddyslim in this instance. I mean it is good to have somewhat of a goal, otherwise no new places are discovered, but gee! Let’s get serious about addressing the fear and NOT feeling guilty for living and enjoying some of the yummies of life.
There is a lot of fear on this site about food. I have these fears or thoughts sometimes. And I am for one thankful that Nancy is addressing it like I have read no where, here or anywhere. Thank you to Nancy for bring up food fears. We deserve to be free of this insanity.
Now I am off for a good breakfast and after my food settles, a nice Saturday morning interval walk. Today will be a great day if I manage to not have shin splints! I may just start slower then I like since this will be my first interval walk of the year. (…turned out to be a gentle walk around the river.)
It always comes back to Intuitive Eating…. live, laugh, eat consciously, move, feel well.
I hope everyone has wonderful thoughts today and if any of the junk pops in for a visit, well, swoosh them right out! This is what I had success with today. And peace of mind is EVERYTHING!
An article on the topic of Orthorexia nervosa:
http://www.beyondveg.com/bratman-s/hfj/hf-junkie-1a.shtml
Sometimes you stumble onto things at just the right time in life. You can feel the changes happening. It is like some force in life is pulling you away from the very thing you always thought was your path. Funny how these things happen. Annoying and funny. What to do, what to do in this life. But I feel a life change. A big change…………. What? I do not know. 
Comments(13) Yes the doctor told me last year that my thyroid is fine, but my symptoms would say differently. With a slight weight gain over the past year (15ish pounds…because I did not give up completely) and feeling as I have, I know enough to know I do not want to go back to that place. And I saw a hint of those same symptoms reappearing only this time I am much more knowledable/intuned.
We hear so often that eating more is often the key. But individuals are unique and so a few will have to eat only a little if they have a health issue and a professional has suggested it, but if one is eating too low (like maybe I did, aiming for what WW suggested as around 24-26 pts for years :about 1300-1400 calories), well this can be asking for problems, unknowingly of course. I think it goes back to the old addage…”slow and steady wins the race.” For me, slow and steady represents what is good and healthy in reality and the race represents our minds and how we think we should get there faster then we really should. The fast weight loss truly is not something, I have seen with myself and some buddies, that can be maintained. I really have been here for a long time and this is what I have witnessed of many and myself. Slower really is the best answer for many of us. It is a nasty feeling to lose, get to goal and then gain. And why we ask? But so often it is not the choices we make (though it is easy to slip back into the old junky habits, true) but rather it is a metabolism that revolts a bit.
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/dietweightloss/a/eatingenough.htm
There is an equation in this link that is just awesome! Maybe….lol Here it is:
Current Weight, in Pounds _____
Divide above by 2.2 _____
Multiply result by 25 _____ (For a person w/ a normal thyroid, multiply by 30)
Subtract 200 for “Thyroid Factor” -200 (-500 to lose 1 lb/wk for those who have a normal thyroid)
Calories Per Day for Weight Loss _____
Divide by 300 = # of 300-calorie “mini-meals” Per Day _____
And of course plenty of exercise.
I am also curious how age plays into this. Also how does this affect one who is really obese or inactive? I have no idea.
I will update when it has been a suffiecient amount of time to really tell.
I am estimating my calories for each of the 6 meals per day as I can NOT quite get into the lifestyle of keeping track of the caloires. I know I am aiming for about 300 calories/meal which seems like a lot for snacks…lol :) - but it really isn’t when keeping active. Intuitive Eating will play a role, because I do not see myself stuffing myself to meet the 300 goal. If I am full, I will stop. And if I am not hungry, I will not eat. And what to eat and what to avoid is actually ingrained and natural to my thinking…a more hypothyroid type diet mostly. Thank god I feel patient. If I was learning this all at once, I might go insane. Nope, no insanity here. I am giving it a whirl. I do not care if I lose 2 lbs per month. If fact, for myself, this might be the healthiest speed. Plenty of exercise of course too. Time will tell. I feel happy, motivated and healthy. Now, off to work out. Happy Easter Weekend…..Have a great day Everyone!
Comments(5) I feel like I’m letting everyone down in my life and I had a few moments where I let myself down too, but it stops when I allow it to. My mind just persists sometimes…. But time to focus on some other necessities. So today, right now, is the opportunity to be the warrior in my life.
Thank you to Melanie for this wonderful image! I needed this as a little reminder. No one else is going to live this life for me. Time to stand by my decisions without the guilt.
Life.
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. “
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
And this is so I don’t take things too too seriously. Fun….
Comments(3) So it was a night for the spirit. I was really impressed with the Nickelback concert. We had these tickets since before Christmas and it was such a treat. Granted, I had no hearing for about 3 hours after the concert, but hey you only live once. No complaining. I am onlying seeing the beauty and heat of the night. WOW, I have not seen that much fire in an enclosed building EVER! WOW!!! I am so glad that I am not young and hung over like so many…. MY GAWD! The beer and more beer and more beer….
The big band with a moving sound from little Hanna, Alberta. They still make me move better when I have weights in my hands. :)
Yesterday was a weird day for the Eats, but it was fun to just be free. Still I ate to the point of being satisfied and stopped. It was a really fine day for sure with Dim Sum being the main fun meal. My fave… the shrimp!
It is a new day to eat veggies. The closest thing to a veggie I ate yesterday was mushrooms. Had a grapefruit and half a pear. I swear, I feel awesome today, the day after. Still, my body is saying a few veggies please!!! And yes another steamed pork bun too please! Like a child. “No, you had one and a half yesterday. You are good for awhile. Now eat some balanced meals.”
And how can something so white, taste so good? Treats. Mine was a steamed pork bun. YUM.
In a book I was reading the other day, the author stated that though she has a view that is optimum eating for most, she could not fault a friend who ate what ever the heck he wanted, BUT he just did not become toxic by over eating. He stopped at That Point, when the body is saying DONE, even though the mouth is saying MORE PLEASE (now). So. It was a yummy day where I did not think so much. I felt life and lived it. But I feel that I must give my intuition the respect it deserves too. Everything in me is telling me to respect how I have not been feeling so well again and DO SOMETHING…. gently and with a smile. A real one…..
And not be obsessed with that oral fixation that rules the emptiness!!!
Note to self: I was not breast fed as a baby! I recieved a cow milk formula and so when I want love, I crave dairy. Realising this, I HAVE BEEN NOT craving dairy. Chocolate is not dairy right? Well that is George, not me. LOL
My spider senses are telling me to respect the changes in my body and lack there of. Use what I know and see if it works. Something came over me yesterday AM. It was kind of a little turning point. I have learned enough in my studies to not cause me to feel insane with the unknown. Sure I do not know everything and I never will. But when it comes to my health I have often been confused. But so what if I was not breast fed and did not acquire the benefits and so what if I have health issues and have to eat better it would seem then some. I have what I have and I better be thanful for it. AND I AM. I am so thankful and so much more at peace with just Being. If something does not work, if I want to try 7 jobs before I find the thing that makes me happy, SO WHAT. Just try. Just relax and enjoy the new. Where is this all coming from? I found peace this week in my lack of progress! Then it came to me in the stillness of a Saturday morning. Not having success and not having one bloody answer made it okay to just Be and know that trying something was something New. And it too would lead me somewhere else. Now, this is a calm I could get use to…… Ha. Until life ruffles my feathers, AGAIN. Ok.
I will take it!
Off to spend a relaxing day with my two sweeties……
Quiz:
What is Jennifer’s favorite concert she has ever seen?
a)Bon Jovi b)James Blunt c)Beyonce d)Nickelback e)Metallica f)all of the times I have seen Bif Naked g)the couple times I have seen The Tea Party h)New Kids on the Block (in the 90s…lol) i)Jann Arden j)Def Leppard
THE ANSWER - James Blunt….. oh yes! YES, yes, Yes, YES! And, Bif. I love my Bif. Boy though as I think about it, they all were fantastic moments in time.