So, some stuff about health
Dec. 29th, 2014 01:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
np_completeI have been trying to lose weight for a long time.
It's not that I don't know what to eat. I know quite a few different theories on what to eat, and subscribe to Nutrition Action Newsletter, the publication of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. I am familiar with the DASH (Dietary Action to Stop Hypertension) diet, the USDA recommendations, the South Beach Diet, the Primal Blueprint diet, and so on.
I have some stomach issues that make me feel hungry when I'm not. (I am trying to get another doctor visit arranged within the next few weeks.) I also have some bad food-related habits, such as reaching for something to eat when I'm trying to distract myself from an unpleasant thought or fear. And in a general way, I use food to manage my mood.
My long history of almost-immediately-failed weight loss attempts makes me go down a pessimism spiral with even minor slipups. (I think "pessimism spiral" covers it pretty well.) And as a result I reach for food to manage that. I also have minimal self-control once I've eaten certain foods. As Overeaters Anonymous put it, I cannot eat like a normal eater.
I am, however, taking some positive steps. I am keeping, not just a food record, but a written journal about fitness. I am noting some eating-related behaviors I never documented before. I have requested that doctor appointment for the stomach discomfort. (We attempted to address it earlier with a Prilosec prescription, but it didn't solve the problem.) I am trying to see if there are correlations between the stomach discomfort and specific things I eat. And I am visiting that trainer.
I don't like many vegetables, but there are many I haven't tried, and various sources tell me that the longer you go on eating something the more you grow to like it. I am tackling cauliflower this week.
Baby steps, as they say. If I can't make progress in one area I attempt to make progress in another.
It's not that I don't know what to eat. I know quite a few different theories on what to eat, and subscribe to Nutrition Action Newsletter, the publication of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. I am familiar with the DASH (Dietary Action to Stop Hypertension) diet, the USDA recommendations, the South Beach Diet, the Primal Blueprint diet, and so on.
I have some stomach issues that make me feel hungry when I'm not. (I am trying to get another doctor visit arranged within the next few weeks.) I also have some bad food-related habits, such as reaching for something to eat when I'm trying to distract myself from an unpleasant thought or fear. And in a general way, I use food to manage my mood.
My long history of almost-immediately-failed weight loss attempts makes me go down a pessimism spiral with even minor slipups. (I think "pessimism spiral" covers it pretty well.) And as a result I reach for food to manage that. I also have minimal self-control once I've eaten certain foods. As Overeaters Anonymous put it, I cannot eat like a normal eater.
I am, however, taking some positive steps. I am keeping, not just a food record, but a written journal about fitness. I am noting some eating-related behaviors I never documented before. I have requested that doctor appointment for the stomach discomfort. (We attempted to address it earlier with a Prilosec prescription, but it didn't solve the problem.) I am trying to see if there are correlations between the stomach discomfort and specific things I eat. And I am visiting that trainer.
I don't like many vegetables, but there are many I haven't tried, and various sources tell me that the longer you go on eating something the more you grow to like it. I am tackling cauliflower this week.
Baby steps, as they say. If I can't make progress in one area I attempt to make progress in another.
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no subject
Date: 2014-12-29 01:16 pm (UTC)And good for you for noting the stomach discomfort. There definitely could be something to that. Maybe it's an ulcer or a food allergy or who knows what?
I happen to like cauliflower, but it's one of those foods that easily takes on the taste of whatever it is cooked with. I like it with lemon juice. Other folks mash them up and use them like mashed potatoes (add butter, garlic, whatever floats your boat). I have a recipe that zests it up with almost a salsa-like mixture. It's very versatile.
I think you're doing great. It's all about the baby steps, for sure! {{HUGS}}
no subject
Date: 2014-12-29 08:26 pm (UTC)I did decide to cut out sugar (to the extent I am able, and to the extent I can keep to that resolution). Almost every condition that could explain my stomach pain is made worse by sugar.
I am planning to try mashed cauliflower with garlic and butter today. I found a recipe that includes a little cream cheese and a lot of Parmesan.
Thanks for all the suggestions and feedback!
no subject
Date: 2014-12-30 02:27 am (UTC)As for cauliflower: I will eat almost any vegetable, but I confess I'm not much of a cauliflower fan. If you like olives, though, recipes like this one for roasted cauliflower with black olives are among my favorite ways to prepare it.
no subject
Date: 2014-12-31 11:57 am (UTC)The stomach pain has died down, but it was bad for three days. I need to find out what it is.
My trainer decided to work on adding good things rather than subtracting bad things. So he told me to eat three cauliflower dishes this week and bring him the recipes. So I'm going to have a lot of leftover cauliflower if I'm going to make three dishes in three days! Maybe I need to make 1/4 of each recipe ....
no subject
Date: 2014-12-31 02:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-12-31 03:43 pm (UTC)