Category Archives: Resources for a Healthy Life
Facing Up — The All-Powerful Food Diary
So, OK — I’m not going to eat between meals and I’m not going to take seconds and I’m going to walk for 3 miles. And yes, doing this regularly does work. The trick is in the “doing this regularly” part. And that’s where blogging helps. When I actually do my daily thought pieces (which kind of stopped during the election-season) I’m more committed. And my commitment has more power if I write down what I eat and do.
Weight Watchers is where I first learned to “Journal” what I eat. And the Weight Watcher food diaries are still helpful. It’s really nice to tuck their diary into my purse and write down my meals no matter where I am. But the written format has serious limitations compared to the computer tools that are now available.
With online and desktop diaries you can create charts of your progress, track exercise (and the calories burned) and in some — menus of regular meals and recipes.
I can’t seem to stick to just one journaling tool. I like the colorful charts of one tool and the ability to record recipes and log them as single servings in another and I love the moving-weighted-average weight chart of another. So, getting back on track is a little complicated for me as I get each of them set up for my renewed commitment. Luckily one of them has updated the software to make it easy to adjust goals (I thought I was going to have to create a New-Fake-Me.)
(clearing my throat) Continue reading
A Whole New Outlook on Fiber OR How I Found the Way Out of the Bathroom
Politics and Cheese Sandwiches
A little while ago I was browsing the political blogs (I’m addicted to politics) and thinking about cheese-on-toast. We’ve got some great sliced sourdough French bread and it tastes like heaven toasted and topped with melted mozzarella. But I’ve had breakfast — so where would the cheese-on-toast fit? I’m pretty sure it would be both eating between meals AND taking seconds . . .
Then I remembered that I hadn’t taken the fiber supplement yet, so I got up and had a heaping teaspoon of fiber in a glass of water instead. **
Everyday for several months I’ve mentioned that I’m taking a fiber supplement. But I’ve never really explained it. And it’s only recently that I’ve talked about it to even family and friends. It’s not the easiest thing to talk about. But I’m committed to talking about the effects of obesity on my life. And I’m equally committed to sharing information about the changes I’ve made that are critical to my health and well-being.
But I promised you the Way Out of the Bathroom
Here’s the thing: in common with many obese people, I’ve got hemorrhoids.
Early this last summer, I went to a colorectal surgeon to ask about hemorrhoid surgery. It’s mortifying to report that my life was so diminished by the horror of bleeding hemorrhoids that I didn’t think I had any other choice but surgery. And after an examination, the doctor agreed. [MORE] Continue reading
The Performance Diet an Introductory Evaluation
I’ve started digging into The Performance Diet — and it’s a real surprise. They have about 50 pages of introductory information that they want us to read before even opening the software. And they are serious.
I clicked on the desktop icon that normally (I would have said always before this) starts a software program, and was taken to a Welcome Message with two buttons. The first says, How to Start Your Diet Program, the other says, I want to take a tour. And I’m pretty sure they take you to the same place 
! (I stumble into an alternate universe) Continue reading
Keeping a food diary
Plans and accomplishments
I was hoping to be able to report that I’d finished installing Performance Diet and that I just totally loved it.
But it turned out I moved into this new template and that took pretty much every spare minute of the weekend. So that goal is unfullfilled at this point. Which is OK, somethings take a while to do right. And moving into a template is one of them. I didn’t want to cut that off undone.
Dreams and Schemes
I can’t wait until I get home from work tonight so I can finally get to work configuring Performance Diet. I’m particularly anxious to see the reports they offer and how they display the relationship of Food Eaten, Exercise & Blood Glucose Levels. It may seem silly to you, but it’s just possible that for me Performance Diet will be a dream come true. (read more) Continue reading
Stress eating and Cognitive Therapy
You meet the most interesting people and learn the most interesting things when you start cruising the blogs. Problogger took me to eMoms at Home which took me to BlogJolt which led me to Everyone needs therapy? Lessons from a family therapist. Which has post that inspired this one.
Stress eating and Bree Vandecamp
(snip)
When we’re anxious the arousal system in the brain works in sync with the adrenal glands to pump more adrenaline. The process makes us feel zippy, not necessarily comfortable zippy, however. We interpret this nervous system arousal as “anxiety” or “stress,” rather than simply, “extra energy,” which it is.
If Suzie is a coffee drinker then she’s adding even more speed to the mix. Add a real problem, like job loss, marital stress, whatever, to the brew and it IS stress.
But if Susie eats, the food sits in her belly and requires all of her free-floating energy to digest it. She eats, she feels better. Some of her adrenaline is tied up for a long time digesting the Ben and Jerry’s. (. . . snip)
