Posts by sarahrnorton

I used to have a lot of trouble falling asleep sometimes, until i went to college.  For some reason, at that point in my life I began establishing a routine.  That's what a lot of people recommend -- build a routine that takes some time (mine takes about 20 min.), in order to prepare your mind and body for sleep.  It's also helpful if you go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning.  I wash my face, brush my teeth, comb my hair, floss, rinse, put on hand lotion and read a book IN THE EXACT SAME ORDER EVERY NIGHT.  Then, I lie on my back and think about my day for 5-20 minutes, and when I'm done thinking, I roll onto my side, and that's my signal that it's time to begin falling asleep. 

Repeating the same actions night after night train your body to react in a certain way to these actions, just like how Pavlov trained his dog to drool @ the sound of a bell.  Now, even when there's crazy stuff going on in my life, it doesn't keep me up like it used to.

Also, if you have even the teensiest belief in anything, prayer can be very calming ... or can chant the AA mantra to yourself (give me the courage to change what I can, accept the things I can't, & ability to recognize the difference.) -- that is, if masturbation doesn't work.  ;)

If you want to try lowering the calories in your coffee in order to squeeze in breakfast, trying using nonfat powdered milk.  It has very few calories, and doesn't taste watered-down like skim milk because ... it's dehydrated.  Also, cinnamon is a great flavor for coffee that has few calories.  Also, you can add vanilla or almond extract, to cut down on calories from coffee mate.

Kiss my ass, spirochete.  ;)  (jk)

Kiss my ass, choir section leader who blames me for mistakes made by the loud woman who sings next to me.  :-P

Hey tyrdrop, I have a little different take on the situation --

From your comment, that you want to be more comfortable in your own skin, it seems like you REALLY want this weight loss to happen for you, not him.  So in that case, your main motivation is yourself.  Congratulations!  It's like, some people wanting to drop pounds before their high school reunion or before they go on a cruise. 

My main motivator was that my family is taking a family portrait this year -- of course, before I heard about the photo, I knew I had some weight to lose, but the deadline of the photo gave me a reason and a time frame to work with, which was a lot more helpful than "some day when I feel like it ..."

If it helps, I have the opposite problem -- the minute I get a steady bf, I become so overly absorbed with him that I forget to take care of myself & gain weight as a result.

 BTW, cellophane: some guys WILL date you & once you become more serious, begin telling you how to change yourself (gain/lose weight, dye hair, change makeup, clothes) in order to belittle you & gain control.

The theory is that many people eat when they're not really hungry because they're actually thirsty.  Food contains water, so it's not a totally crazy idea for the body to eat when it's thirsty.  But as water has 0 calories, if you stay hydrated, then you'll only feel hungry when you're actually hungry, and not when you're hungry and when you're thirsty.

Plus, if you drink lots of water, it helps to fight bloating that can result from TTOM, drinking alcoholic beverages, and high amounts of sodium.

AND, it's good for your skin, improves your workouts, and keeps all your organs & systems functioning smoothly.

I'm not worried about the count on the food, except maybe I should be since my annual holiday tradition includes picking the fried fat off the ham ... drool ...

But the REAL reason I'm not counting on Christmas is the veritable buffet of alcoholic beverages that will be at my disposal.  And nothing ruins a good buzz like realizing punch + rum = 250 calories.  ;)

This thread became HILARIOUS.  Thanks, guys.  Needed a laugh.

Of course, julie, if you find that breakfast doesn't work for you, you should not eat it.  But, one day is hardly going to give you an accurate picture, right?  I mean, most scientists do eating studies that cover months if not years.  So, feel free to play around with what you eat. 

I bet, if you incorporate more PROTEIN into your breakfast it will keep you full longer.  Also, maybe a mid-morning snack is in order.  And finally, if you're really concerned about weight loss, you might want to forget about muffins and bagels for now.  They are SO high calorie and DO NOT keep you full for very long!  I'm always STARVING an hour after I eat either. 

Of course, since you of course do deserve to eat the things that you enjoy, having a few mini-muffins or half a bagel might be right up your alley -- or whole wheat / multi grain versions will help keep you full & provide some healthy fiber.

lol, archer.

Magnolia -- I think the best way to not have a sedentary lifestyle filled with junk food is to get off the couch & not buy McDonalds.  I don't really see how cal count comes into it, unless you need to lose weight IN ORDER to get off your bum.

I was a chubby girl from 10-14 (5'3"-5'4", 118-125) even though I participated in sports year round and ate healthy foods, then started growing an inch a year until I was 17, and suddenly was very slender (5'8", 135).  I didn't know what a calorie was and couldn't care less.  Trust me -- there's some crazy stuff happening to your body in those teen years, and it needs all the energy it can get. 

plh, I get frustrated sometimes, too -- mostly because I know my advice to these teens to not worry about calories goes unheeded.