Posts by msheeran

Count me in!~  I may not hit a 20 lb lost by then, perhaps 15, but it's great to have a goal!!

Height 5'4"

CW 180

GW 165 - 160

I am practicing enjoying my body's natural beauty.  Actually, I keep my nails short in order to play piano and guitar.  There is more to life than putting sheets of polymer on your fingertips!

After eating well (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, etc., no processed foods) for about 3 weeks, my skin is looking so good!!

There's a Facebook group called something like, "I live in Chicago and I can cross the street any time I damn well please!"

I had to laugh!

We're visiting week after next, I can't wait.

My sister, who is in her mid 20's, has experienced weight gain, fatigue, depression, vomiting, stomach cramps.  She has also narrowed it down to a potential gluten intolerance/allergy, and just went to get tests done at the doctor's today.

(She had been in to see a doctor earlier and was checked for Crohn's disease because she also had an abscess, but she was negative for that.  She didn't have any health insurance, and was scared to go to the doctor's and get a "prior condition" on her records before getting insurance.  That was a whole other nightmare.)

Lately, she has been avoiding sources of wheat gluten and has been feeling so much better, and family and friends have been commenting on her positive mood change, like she is a bit of a different person.  She is waiting for results of the tests, and will then go to her mental health services to see whether she still needs to be taking an antidepressant.

She has been going to Whole Foods grocery to buy some gluten-free products, and feels better physically and mentally in that she can ENJOY food again.

Good luck to you!!!

I have an electronic scale (that does body fat percentage too), but I think the readouts are kind of weird.  I often get the exact same readout, down to 1/10th of a lb., for two or three days in a row.  (For instance, I've been at 181.4 for the last 4 mornings.  But this isn't the only time I've noticed this trend.)

It's as if the display APPEARS to be accurate to 1/10th lb, but the mechanism actually only rounds to specific numbers.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about?  Please share your ideas.

Dear rainterra,

My sister experiences the same thing you are describing.  She was checked out by a doctor for Crohn's disease and other possible causes, but the doctor found nothing conclusive.

She has good days and bad days.  On good days when her appetite is strong, she eats more.  On bad days, she sometimes can't keep anything down.  She has learned that there are a few foods she must avoid.  But, she also experiences eating something one day, and is fine, but eating it soon again, and she throws up.

I am not a doctor, and so I don't know what the answer is.  I just thought of my sister when I read what you posted.

I wish you the best!

This has happened to me too.  It's helped to make food as interesting as possible -- a lot of meals I make are traditional Japanese (miso soup and tofu, spinach with sesame seeds, grilled fish, Japanese pickles, brown rice), Indian (I make dal out of lentils), hummus with whole wheat pita bread, tandoori chicken with lots of spices, and so on.

I plan to always have as much flavor as I can, and to eat some things that are unusual tasting.  There's no way I can face another plain chicken breast.  But sauted with a tsp. of olive oil, crushed garlic and gingerroot, it is satisfying to my psyche.

Another thing that doesn't help is that _I_ have to plan all my meals because I'm aiming to eat as healthfully as possible.  But now that my husband sees how serious my resolve to eat well is, and that the kinds of food I'm trying to make are fun, he is doing a good job of cooking similar types of dinners a few times a week.  Then, my taste buds don't know what to expect, I get that bit of surprise, and the food is more satisfying.

Actually, I get the most satisfaction not out of food but out of beverages.  I keep a lot of things around - coffee, black tea, green tea, chai tea, herbal teas, water with lemons and limes, and at the Asian market I get cold oolong tea and so on.  It is nice to just sit still and live in the moment with a drink and get centered, look outside, enjoy the cat on my lap, that kind of thing.

Also, I often get a feeling of satisfaction after a nice workout (one where I don't overdo it, but give it a good run), more so than with food.

I also bought a vegetarian cookbook, not because I'm a vegetarian, but because of the really wonderful variety.  It's called the "Passionate Vegetarian" by (get this) Crescent Dragonwell. 

Lastly, sometimes food IS just food.  For lunch at work, I have "the usual," which always includes steamed veggies, a piece of fruit, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup of something whole grain, and something lean protein.  It is nice food, but it does get a little boring.  I just tell myself that I eat better than a lot of people (way too many!)  people in the world.  And I do feel good each day that I eat healthfully, both from the health component, and from being happy that I am sticking to my goals.

I don't know if any of this helps, but I do sympathize with what you said you are describing.

Lie down, propped up on pillows, and try crosswords, reading, coloring (really!) to keep your mind distracted.  Give yourself some positive talk.  It took me a long time to re-program the bad messages I was sending to myself, and replace them with realistic ones.

Be kind to yourself.  It takes practice.  But make it a point everyday.

Italian:  sorry but -- tiramisu!

Mexican: chicken and cheese enchilada (I know I know!~), chips with super-fresh salsa

Chinese:  sticky rice in lotus leaf and shrimp dim sum.  (definitely NOT the fried cicada I ate in Kaifeng!)

Japanese:  I eat Japanese home-cooking style most of the week (though I eat brown rice more often than white).  No one thing is special, but it is all special together.  Kaiseki ryoori, if I have to pick something.

Thai:  Thai green curry

French:  fresh crepes with fresh fruit

Indian:  tandoori chicken (lots of flavor, but no rich sauces)

Morrocan:  couscous with pistachios, etc.

American: very hardy whole wheat bread (such as Whole Food's seeduction)

English: the idea of stopping for teatime.  Yorkshire pudding with roast beef.

Greek:  spinach and feta spanikopita

I would like to eat Chinese the way the Chinese eat it.  Those sauces are so light and so complex at the same time!  I also miss the taste of true Japanese food.  I lived there for a year, and never ate tastier food, and lost 15 pounds without even trying.

i like Spike on popcorn, mmmmboy!

My family had nicknames for lots of veggies (we called broccoli "little trees").  I think it made the food fun for me, and also, when classmates complained about broccoli, I didn't really connect it with "little trees," so I didn't pick up on the stigma of the vegetable. 

When I waited tables, sometimes I felt like the customers took out the fact that they were having a bad day on me.

I'm with situationgirl, olive oil, minced garlic, but I also use grated ginger root!  YUM!!

I love cereal too.  I eat it for breakfast and usually at some point in the afternoon or evening as a snack.

I eat a mix of Kashi GoLean Crunch!  and Kashi 7-Grain together, with a few walnuts or almonds thrown in.  YUM!

I believe Kashi GoLean Crunch! has soy protein in it, but I'd have to look at the label again.