Re: Re: not eating enough food-revisited

[Guest guest]

Alice, I think it is how much you eat. If you have 1 to 300 cal you really

starve. If you eat 5 to 800 calories your body thinks it is going to starve so

it stores....lol...that is the theory I have. All I know for a fact is when I

eat I lose and when I don't I don't! lol

Jane

[Guest guest]

Not always true Steve....I have spent a lifetime not eating...and gradually

gained weight over the years. Funny when I was pregnant (every time) I would

eat like a pig and never hardly gained a thing. My first pregnancy I gained 4

and a half pounds...my son weighed 7 lbs......and all my life if I eat I

lose. Every time. I once ate ice cream and nothing else four or five times a

day

for several days in a row and lost 8 lbs. I do not get hungry and often eat

one meal a day. I do not eat bread, (although I do on the Curves program),

very little pasta, very few potatoes, not a sweet eater (but I like nuts and

chips),...and I have gained about 5 pounds a year for the last 15 years. I am

active, camping, biking, backpacking, gardening....When my kids were home and I

ate with them I was thin.

What it boils down to is every body is different. I have an uncle who will

eat 2 or 3 plates full of food and at least 3 desserts for every meal except

breakfast and is the skinniest thing on 2 legs. My mother in law would gain 10

pounds just cooking. So the key is each individual has to find what

works...eating works for me...I just have to stick to it....lol. (My friend says

I am

disgusting!)

Jane

[Guest guest]

Well I have come to the conclusion that if I am not hungry I am not going to

make myself eat. Maybe this IS all I need to eat... I will see if I lose

any weight this week and go from there. I will take it a step at a time and

just see. So what if I don't make my goal by the time I am 40 ... it is

just a number and a goal. I know I just stuffed myself lol but it was

all good food.

See I removed all my " trigger " foods from my diet. I do not eat anything

with added salt, fat, very little processed foods, no white sugar, no corn

syrup, no soda, no artificial sweeteners. I eat HUGE amounts of salad from

my mother's garden and drink more than 8 glasses of water a day... I am just

going to quit worrying about it right now. I had one day where I only ate

800 calories. Today I am at about 700 and it is not quite 6 pm. Maybe my

body is trying to tell me something, I don't know

I am just not hungry and maybe I am buying into the American lie from

Madison Ave that I need to eat because I am a human lol.

I also know that I feel GREAT.

And Steve if you are reading this it is your opinion and I can take it

or leave it. As long as people state their opinions as their own opinions

then that is fine with me.

Lindy

[Guest guest]

wow you are very aware of yourself with food, I have learned so much from

reading your experiences..thank you

take care of you

sue

lindy of the shire wrote:

Well I have come to the conclusion that if I am not hungry I am not

going to

make myself eat. Maybe this IS all I need to eat... I will see if I lose

any weight this week and go from there. I will take it a step at a time and

just see. So what if I don't make my goal by the time I am 40 ... it is

just a number and a goal. I know I just stuffed myself lol but it was

all good food.

See I removed all my " trigger " foods from my diet. I do not eat anything

with added salt, fat, very little processed foods, no white sugar, no corn

syrup, no soda, no artificial sweeteners. I eat HUGE amounts of salad from

my mother's garden and drink more than 8 glasses of water a day... I am just

going to quit worrying about it right now. I had one day where I only ate

800 calories. Today I am at about 700 and it is not quite 6 pm. Maybe my

body is trying to tell me something, I don't know

I am just not hungry and maybe I am buying into the American lie from

Madison Ave that I need to eat because I am a human lol.

I also know that I feel GREAT.

And Steve if you are reading this it is your opinion and I can take it

or leave it. As long as people state their opinions as their own opinions

then that is fine with me.

Lindy

[Guest guest]

*laughs* well after all it is my drug of choice *laughs again*

>

> wow you are very aware of yourself with food, I have learned so much

> from reading your experiences..thank you

> take care of you

> sue

>

>

> lindy of the shire <lindornea@... <lindornea%40gmail.com>> wrote:

> Well I have come to the conclusion that if I am not hungry I am not going

> to

> make myself eat. Maybe this IS all I need to eat... I will see if I lose

> any weight this week and go from there. I will take it a step at a time

> and

> just see. So what if I don't make my goal by the time I am 40 ... it is

> just a number and a goal. I know I just stuffed myself lol but it was

> all good food.

>

> See I removed all my " trigger " foods from my diet. I do not eat anything

> with added salt, fat, very little processed foods, no white sugar, no corn

> syrup, no soda, no artificial sweeteners. I eat HUGE amounts of salad from

> my mother's garden and drink more than 8 glasses of water a day... I am

> just

> going to quit worrying about it right now. I had one day where I only ate

> 800 calories. Today I am at about 700 and it is not quite 6 pm. Maybe my

> body is trying to tell me something, I don't know

>

> I am just not hungry and maybe I am buying into the American lie from

> Madison Ave that I need to eat because I am a human lol.

>

> I also know that I feel GREAT.

>

> And Steve if you are reading this it is your opinion and I can take

> it

> or leave it. As long as people state their opinions as their own opinions

> then that is fine with me.

>

> Lindy

>

>

[Guest guest]

Well... turns out I was wrong. I had my scale set to KG instead of pounds

and I have lost weight. I know that sounds funny... but I only look at the

last two numbers. I guess I am in denial about the bigger one in front.

HA! I am sorry to all... In fact I have done quite well this week. I was

also not recording my carbs right the last few days and that is why my

numbers were so low... What a mess I am ! I am sorry to cause problems. I

am just starting to get the hang of SparkPeople and the thing where I can

customize my entries and forgot to add my bread lol.

I have spent A LOT of time figuring out how I relate to food and what kinds

of foods cause me to feel sick or cause me to get into where I cannot stop

eating them. White four really makes me ill and lethargic so I no longer

eat it. I was addicted to soda and it took me almost 6 months to wean

myself off of it. I could not go cold turkey! It was too hard... I craved

it all the time so I figured that it was not good for me. I have found that

I cannot stop eating chips that have lots of salt on them. I can eat baked

lays and not want to finish the little bag, but if it is another kind [any

kind] I can't stop eating them. MSG makes me sick and makes me feel crazy.

I was actually sitting on my mother's porch telling her I felt like I was

losing my mind and it turns out it was because of MSG I was getting in some

food I was eating. Now you all will probally think I have been on MSG with

the posts I have made here today lol... Geeze I really screwed things up.

This all started one day when a woman at a group I belong to said that she

quit eating all *bad* foods and that her body had come into balance and that

her body would tell her what it needed and how much. That changed the way I

looked at food.

Lindy

[Guest guest]

The only way I can travel this journey to fitness is to keep it simple. For me,

that means simple calorie counting. Worrying about grams of fat or kinds of fat

gets it too involved. I work to get vegetables into my diet, and find that

staying within a certain calorie range and getting the vegetables necessarily

cuts a large part of the fats and sugars. I probably do not do as will with the

sodium as I should, but do not add salt to anything but fresh tomatoes. I have

found that increasing calories for a couple of days when I hit a plateau seems

to help. It does not really make sense as I work for a goal, ordinarilly, of

1200 to 1400 calories per day, and splurging usually means a 1800 to 2200

calorie day. Plugging my age, weight, height and activity level into most of

the calculators gives me a figure of anything from 2300 to 2700 calories per day

just to maintain my weight. This should mean that I am losing about 1 1/2 to 2

pounds per week, which i am not losing. More like 1 pound per week. More some,

other weeks, no loss. I have just told myself that no gain is the real victory,

and that next week maybe some more loss will occur. It has became evident that

it is going to take more time than I initially planned to reach my goal.

I think I said I agree with you Steve.

W

Re: not eating enough food-revisited

I normally don't chime in on things like this but you have hit on

one of my favorite misconceptions.

I hear all the time that when you eat less your body hoards what you

do eat to survive. While this is true in the short term it is not in

the long term. If you eat a lot then eat a little the body will

adjust by storing food. But once you commit to eating less your body

will eventually adjust to that as well. I am not talking about days

or weeks but instead months. The hard part is that most eating is

not summoned by the body but by the head. If one was to maintain the

discilpine of eating less (Only what the body needs minus your diet

amount) you will eventually lose weight. Fat=stored food.

Okay then, Go ahead, let me have it now.

>

> Alice, I think it is how much you eat. If you have 1 to 300 cal

you really

> starve. If you eat 5 to 800 calories your body thinks it is going

to starve so

> it stores....lol...that is the theory I have. All I know for a

fact is when I

> eat I lose and when I don't I don't! lol

> Jane

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Lots of days, Jane, I think you are the sanest person I come across. I

especially like what you say about choosing how we react to things. That has to

be the most important key to living a happy and productive life. That, and the

other thing you said about knowing what you can control, and what you cannot.

Must be all that walking in the wilderness. :-)

W.

Re: Re: not eating enough food-revisited

Lol...no problem Mona....I learned a long time ago I am not " normal " ! In any

way! I think a lot and I like being alone....and most of all even tho I grew

up in a home that was extremely abusive in all ways, I taught myself to like

myself. And to accept I am ok, and so is everyone else. Each person has at

least one problem to deal with, whether it be mental illness, abuse, or

whatever. And each person has a daily choice to make on how they are going to

face

the day. I agree with the man who said life is 10% what happens to us and 90%

how we react to it. I choose to be a happy person as much as possible and to

like myself, no matter what others think. I cannot control them, only my own

self.( somewhat...lolol)

Jane

[Guest guest]

Lol, ....I think it is all that walking...It is my quiet time and

thinking time. I spend so much of my time being a caregiver in one way or

another,

with friends, family, clients etc, that I need that time for myself. I like

being alone with my thoughts and feelings just to sort them out and regroup.

For me it has always been important and I was fortunate to learn it at an

early age. Or to start learning it. And thank you for the " sane " comment. I

wonder sometimes if I am sane or just too far gone to be reclaimed! lolol.

Jane

[Guest guest]

Thank you Bridget. I agree. I think the first step to mental health is to

accept yourself, with all your faults, and talents and individuality. If a

person cannot like themselves for who they are, How can they possibly like

anyone else? And to like oneself means to accept who you are. There is always

going to be something to change about ourselves, but that is called growth. And

it still involves acceptance.

And I am always glad when I know someone who can do that. Because it is hard

work.

Jane

[Guest guest]

I agree Lindy. I have done psychological evaluations in the past and have

always tested slightly on the introvert side. I am not and have never been shy.

I function well in social settings, although I am better at being a friend

then having a friend if you know what I mean. But I need my down time and I

refuse to let anyone take it away from me. A lot of people have said I should

not backpack alone it is not safe. But I would not be healthy if I did not have

my down time and that would not help anyone.

Interestingly, those evaluations also tell me that I am a survivor. It even

said that if I was on the Titanic, Krakatoa, and some other one I can't

remember, I would have survived all 3. LOLOL....just a little humor there!

Jane

[Guest guest]

Bridget, I agree with you on the biting in the butt. lol I have a low

threshold for stupidity and for intolerance both. I don't mean ignorance, that

is

different. But deliberate stupidity drives me nuts! I try not to do it, but

some times it just gets me.

And by the way, group, for those who liked my comment on attitudes, Here is

the credit for the author and his whole statement. I am attaching it and hope

it works.

Jane

[Guest guest]

Ok it did not work that way so I am trying it this way.

Jane

Attitude

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. It is

more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances,

than failures, than success, than what other people say or think or do. It

is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break

a family...a church....a home. The remarkable thing is that we have a choice

every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot

change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act a certain way.

We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one

string we have, and that is our attitude....I am convinced that life is 10

percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we react to it. We are in charge

of our attitudes.â€

Swindoll

[Guest guest]

Yep...that about sums it up. Smart brother.

Jane

[Guest guest]

I think you may have the quote by now. I have not read that book, although I

have seen it. I am a very spiritual person and am a strong believer in the

responsibility to mankind that each person has. I think often about how the

smallest act we commit has such a strong effect on the world around us. Case in

point, my recent adventure. People who I do not know were affected by it, in

ways I had no idea would happen. Another case even bigger...Steve's journey

and all it's after effects. We have no idea when we make a decision how far

the effects of that decision will reach. And even when those effects are not

visible to us they exist. So we make responsible decisions for ourselves and we

are benefited but also the people around us.

Jane

[Guest guest]

I am enjoying this exchange very much as well...this group is a pleasure to

be part of. There are a lot of wise and kind people out there and this group

has more then its share of them.

Jane

[Guest guest]

needing a lot of alone time is simply about needing time to re-coup your

energy and does not mean you are weird or an outsider or anything like

that. It just means you are an introvert. That has nothing to do with

social anxiety or shyness or social retardation [often misconceptions of

what introvert truly means]. I am an extreme introvert and need hours of

alone time every day.

Lindy

[Guest guest]

Lindy, just the opposite I am very extroverted. I use the word " weird " loosely.

I usually hold political and spritual views, as well as how people should live

far from the norm. I do not voice these often but they are deep convictions

that I practice in my way of life. I try to be very tolerant, but it will bite

me in the butte because I don't seem to tolerate intolerance......thus I have to

reapply live and let live principle. Thanks for your thoughts.

lindy of the shire wrote: needing a lot of alone

time is simply about needing time to re-coup your

energy and does not mean you are weird or an outsider or anything like

that. It just means you are an introvert. That has nothing to do with

social anxiety or shyness or social retardation [often misconceptions of

what introvert truly means]. I am an extreme introvert and need hours of

alone time every day.

Lindy

[Guest guest]

Jane, Did not receive the author of the book you were referring to. I am

interested. Just wondering have you ever read " The road less traveled " ? It was

written by M. Peck,M.D. He is a psychiatrist (one of a kind) who deals

with the whole mind, body and SPIRITUAL connection. Check it out! I think you

will find it very interesting. For me it has been a way to try to deal with my

responsibilties in life. The responsibilities run much deeper than the obvious

ie paying your bills, going to work, being a good citizen. It is a sense of

responsibilities to hamankind.

jjsmth@... wrote: Bridget, I agree with you on the biting in the

butt. lol I have a low

threshold for stupidity and for intolerance both. I don't mean ignorance, that

is

different. But deliberate stupidity drives me nuts! I try not to do it, but

some times it just gets me.

And by the way, group, for those who liked my comment on attitudes, Here is

the credit for the author and his whole statement. I am attaching it and hope

it works.

Jane

[Guest guest]

i am in the same profession as you are, and yes it can be very draining. and

like you, i need alone time to recharge my human battery. lol i call it mommy

time . my son and bf go to deb, i get my mommy time. lol

Bridget Donahue wrote: Jane, just was reading

current posts. I have always needed time alone. I am in the health care

profession which can be draining at times. Also I love my family very much.

Since youth I have learned I need to walk my own path. At times I feel very much

an " outsider " . I am truly comfortable with this. It has been ingrained in my

heart " To thine own self be true " I need a daily reflection and alone down time

to recharge and collect my thoughts. We of this kind ARE around and it is a

pleasure to run into another of this way. Peace Bridget

jjsmth@... wrote: Lol, ....I think it is all that walking...It is my

quiet time and

thinking time. I spend so much of my time being a caregiver in one way or

another,

with friends, family, clients etc, that I need that time for myself. I like

being alone with my thoughts and feelings just to sort them out and regroup.

For me it has always been important and I was fortunate to learn it at an

early age. Or to start learning it. And thank you for the " sane " comment. I

wonder sometimes if I am sane or just too far gone to be reclaimed! lolol.

Jane

[Guest guest]

Jane, My philosophy exactly!

jjsmth@... wrote: I think you may have the quote by now. I have not

read that book, although I

have seen it. I am a very spiritual person and am a strong believer in the

responsibility to mankind that each person has. I think often about how the

smallest act we commit has such a strong effect on the world around us. Case in

point, my recent adventure. People who I do not know were affected by it, in

ways I had no idea would happen. Another case even bigger...Steve's journey

and all it's after effects. We have no idea when we make a decision how far

the effects of that decision will reach. And even when those effects are not

visible to us they exist. So we make responsible decisions for ourselves and we

are benefited but also the people around us.

Jane

[Guest guest]

I believe we all need " alone time " every day to refresh and renew our

spirits. But we have to be careful not to spend too much time alone. Often when

we

need people the most, we run and hide...afraid to reach out to others. Some

people are afraid to spend time alone...afraid of who and what we might find.

Maggie

needing a lot of alone time is simply about needing time to re-coup your

energy and does not mean you are weird or an outsider or anything like

that. It just means you are an introvert. That has nothing to do with

social anxiety or shyness or social retardation [often misconceptions of

what introvert truly means]. I am an extreme introvert and need hours of

alone time every day.

Lindy

[Guest guest]

That is very true, MaggiMay. There is a great deal of difference between

healthy down time and running away. With healthy down time we go back to the

daily functions of life refreshed and ready to deal with it all. The running

away time may be from fear of ourselves, of others, or just the stresses of

life. And that unhealthy time is when people often give into addictive behaviors

of one sort or another. It can be food, alcohol or other drugs, cutting and

burning oneself, or a thousand different behaviors that are definitely NOT

healthy. Not spending healthy alone time, never having alone time, can be just

as bad. Because if you have 24/7/365 stimulation you never get a chance to find

out who you really are. And no one loves someone they do not know.

Especially not themselves.

I see so many who never stop moving long enough to know themselves, mostly

as you said out of fear. And each individual person is so precious and worth

knowing! Jesus died for mankind as a whole but he also died for each individual

one of us. That action alone tells us how precious we are. (Sorry about the

religious stuff again! Hope no one is offended!) When we look at that and say

Jesus died for ME, I don't know, it really helps me appreciate how special I

am! And when I say Jesus died for YOU, I know how special you are!

You can also look at individual people in your life and think of how your

life affects them. Your children, your siblings, your parents, your spouse, your

friends. All of them have a different views of you. One thing that showed

from my recent adventure is that nearly all my family and friends had

confidence in my ability to care for myself, they were fearful of other things

that I

would have no control over. Very few people thought I would have done

something deliberate to hurt myself. Or foolish. And everyone of them were

nearly

sure I would be ok, even if I ran out of food, broke my leg, or something else

of like nature. They just wanted me back. So again I see how special I am.

It is very humbling. My friends were sure I would come back as I am the main

caretaker of my family. (That is a quote from one of them! lol) My family was

sure I would come back for my husband and grandchildren. My clients refused

to find someone else to do their work, even the payroll which was late! So all

have a different view of my qualities, and nearly the same view of my

abilities. And all of them gathered to help my family, even some of the

restaurants

around who have people who know me.

So my point is never underestimate the effect each of us have on the world

around us. And how special we all are.

But don't get lost to find out! lololol

Jane

[Guest guest]

Good for you Lindy. I think that is the point we are making...to know

yourself and to accept yourself for who you are. That is the major step on the

road

to mental health.

I would be a loner by choice. When I was young I would often do things just

because other people would not. I have to function in a small town setting and

I have to work as my husband is disabled. So I do the next best thing for

me. I go hiking alone. lolol

Jane

[Guest guest]

and some people are just loners. there is nothing wrong with them. I am

one! I just prefer to be by myself. It does not mean I cannot have deep

friendships with those around me or that I shun people. I just recoginse

that I have a low energy flow and that I find a lot of common things in the

world draining to me, so I spend a lot of time alone where I have more

control over noise, interaction with others, lighting, etc. I quite often

walk into my mother's house, open the livingroom door, the tv will be

blaring and the lights are harsh and I just simply turn around and leave

because it is way too much for me.

As you can see from my posts, I do not run from interacting with people and

making friends. I am just not a " bright lights big city " type of person and

shun crowds, malls, heavy traffic, etc. I leave my homestead once, maybe

twice a week. I simply know who I am and my limitations. I have deep,

soulful relationships with my close friends, but for the most part I need to

have control over my enviorment so that I have a place of refuge from the

world, which is far too huge and noisy and stimulating for me. There have

been times in my life when I have not left my farm for months at a time,

simply because I did not want to. I am fortunate in having family near by

and I take care of the farm and one of my dad's jobs is simply to go to town

and run errands. He is an extrovert and enjoys it... I find it draining to

be under all those floresent lights and the music, which is created for the

sole purpose of putting you into a suggestive state so that you will be more

inclined to buy their products -- it really does a number on me. ly

most of the time I just go to town to go to the bank, post office and to put

gasoline in my truck. Most of the miles on my truck are used around the 80

acre farm b/c it is my " tractor " besides being my vehicle.

I know... people are going to think I am a " wooo-wooo-wack-a-doo " but I also

know that there are others like me out there who feel the same way from one

degree to another.

So be it. I know who I am and what I need and have made many decisions for

my life based on the fact that I am this unique individual.

Lindy