Getting and staying skinny the healthy way
Climbing out of a hole
After congratulating myself for not falling into the perfection trap, I ended up doing it anyway. Rats.
With Thanksgiving and various parties over the past few weeks, my eating has gotten completely out of control. First I stopped logging my food. Then I started eating all sorts of things I knew I shouldn't eat. And then I just stopped paying attention altogether. I think I just didn't *want* to know how many calories I'd consumed.
I'm trying to be compassionate with myself. This is an extremely stressful time for me with the upcoming holidays and potential conflicts that may arise between my parents and me over my decision to convert to Judaism. I'm very aware that when I overeat, I'm not doing it at all because I'm hungry. It's stress eating, plain and simple.
So right now I'm looking for ways to calm myself down without reaching for something I know I don't really want. And I'm also trying to get back into the habit of logging my food. I don't know if I'll post it every day---adding that extra step actually makes me less likely to log my food---but I'll try to do it now and then, just to keep me honest.
With Thanksgiving and various parties over the past few weeks, my eating has gotten completely out of control. First I stopped logging my food. Then I started eating all sorts of things I knew I shouldn't eat. And then I just stopped paying attention altogether. I think I just didn't *want* to know how many calories I'd consumed.
I'm trying to be compassionate with myself. This is an extremely stressful time for me with the upcoming holidays and potential conflicts that may arise between my parents and me over my decision to convert to Judaism. I'm very aware that when I overeat, I'm not doing it at all because I'm hungry. It's stress eating, plain and simple.
So right now I'm looking for ways to calm myself down without reaching for something I know I don't really want. And I'm also trying to get back into the habit of logging my food. I don't know if I'll post it every day---adding that extra step actually makes me less likely to log my food---but I'll try to do it now and then, just to keep me honest.
Avoiding the Perfection Trap
This past weekend was a dismal failure CRON-wise.
My father-in-law came to visit, so we had an early Thanksgiving dinner with him. I seriously overindulged. In fact, I was so far off track I couldn't even estimate what I had eaten by the time the weekend was over. My COM entries are just blank for those days.
This, of course, doesn't sit well with me. I like for things to be perfect. Having blank entries is admitting that I'm human and fail just like everyone else. But it's the truth, and there's no point denying it.
In fact, if I don't acknowledge my mistake, it's difficult to move on, and there's a temptation to just let everything slide further downhill. A few blank entries becomes a week's worth of blank entries, which eventually leads to a month or more of not tracking what I'm eating. Do I want this? Of course not. Better to say, "I screwed up this weekend," than to say nothing and let the problem get worse and worse.
So I'm starting again. There will probably be many little stops and starts like this as I try to get back into a more disciplined mindset about CRON. And that's ok. I don't have to be perfect. I just have to keep trying. Eventually, it'll stick.
My father-in-law came to visit, so we had an early Thanksgiving dinner with him. I seriously overindulged. In fact, I was so far off track I couldn't even estimate what I had eaten by the time the weekend was over. My COM entries are just blank for those days.
This, of course, doesn't sit well with me. I like for things to be perfect. Having blank entries is admitting that I'm human and fail just like everyone else. But it's the truth, and there's no point denying it.
In fact, if I don't acknowledge my mistake, it's difficult to move on, and there's a temptation to just let everything slide further downhill. A few blank entries becomes a week's worth of blank entries, which eventually leads to a month or more of not tracking what I'm eating. Do I want this? Of course not. Better to say, "I screwed up this weekend," than to say nothing and let the problem get worse and worse.
So I'm starting again. There will probably be many little stops and starts like this as I try to get back into a more disciplined mindset about CRON. And that's ok. I don't have to be perfect. I just have to keep trying. Eventually, it'll stick.
The Incredible Shrinking Salad
Today I went out with some co-workers for lunch at Bertucci's. I hadn't been there in a while, but I remembered they had some decent salads the last time I went there, so I figured I'd be fine. What I hadn't counted on was the incredible shrinking salad.
Yes, today I ordered a salad that ended up being about 1/3 the size of the very same salad I ordered just a few months ago. For some reason, Bertucci's has apparently decided to scale back on the green, leafy veggies. What they served me wouldn't feed a baby rabbit. Oh, but they happily offered me an endless supply of rolls and butter. I ended up ordering a side of veggies, which were, sadly, covered in oil and cheese. Thus, my calorie count is way higher than I wanted it to be today.
Very annoying.
Yes, today I ordered a salad that ended up being about 1/3 the size of the very same salad I ordered just a few months ago. For some reason, Bertucci's has apparently decided to scale back on the green, leafy veggies. What they served me wouldn't feed a baby rabbit. Oh, but they happily offered me an endless supply of rolls and butter. I ended up ordering a side of veggies, which were, sadly, covered in oil and cheese. Thus, my calorie count is way higher than I wanted it to be today.
Very annoying.
What is kosher?
A long time ago, I remember writing some post where I basically ridiculed the concept of keeping kosher. (Sorry, I'm too lazy to dig through the archives and find it). Well, now that I'm going through the process of converting to Judaism--yes, I'm really going through with it--I find myself having to eat my words (no pun intended).
You see, I used to think of keeping kosher as nothing but superstition. But recently, I heard a rabbi speak about Maimonides, the medieval Jewish philosopher. Maimonides tried to come up with reasons for Jewish laws, and he had a very simple explanation for rules governing kashrut---they are designed to prevent gluttony. That's right. Not just because God said so, but because God doesn't want us to overeat. By forcing Jews to think carefully about the foods they keep in their homes and put in their mouths, kosher laws created a certain mindfulness around eating that Maimonides argued would help prevent gluttony.
I'm not sure if that's true. Are traditionally observant Jews less overweight than non-observant Jews or non-Jews? Maybe, maybe not. But what I find interesting is that even back in medieval times when people knew nothing about nutrition or psychology, a Jewish philosopher recognized the value of paying attention to what you eat.
I doubt I'll ever follow all the traditional rules of kashrut, but I *can* embrace the spirit of keeping kosher as described by Maimonides. Actually, in a way, that's what CRON is--being mindful of what you eat. Maybe what CRONies do is just as holy as separating meat from dairy, just in a different way.
Food for thought.
You see, I used to think of keeping kosher as nothing but superstition. But recently, I heard a rabbi speak about Maimonides, the medieval Jewish philosopher. Maimonides tried to come up with reasons for Jewish laws, and he had a very simple explanation for rules governing kashrut---they are designed to prevent gluttony. That's right. Not just because God said so, but because God doesn't want us to overeat. By forcing Jews to think carefully about the foods they keep in their homes and put in their mouths, kosher laws created a certain mindfulness around eating that Maimonides argued would help prevent gluttony.
I'm not sure if that's true. Are traditionally observant Jews less overweight than non-observant Jews or non-Jews? Maybe, maybe not. But what I find interesting is that even back in medieval times when people knew nothing about nutrition or psychology, a Jewish philosopher recognized the value of paying attention to what you eat.
I doubt I'll ever follow all the traditional rules of kashrut, but I *can* embrace the spirit of keeping kosher as described by Maimonides. Actually, in a way, that's what CRON is--being mindful of what you eat. Maybe what CRONies do is just as holy as separating meat from dairy, just in a different way.
Food for thought.
A good CRON day
Et voila!
Not too shabby for my first day back on the CRON wagon.
It always feels so good to get back on track. I feel healthier already. Seriously. Whenever I eat a bunch of gak, I can literally feel my blood pressure rising and my heart pounding. Tonight, there's none of that. It's as if my body knows and appreciates the nourishment I've given it.
Ok, I'd love to write more, but my eyes are closing as I type. More later.
Not too shabby for my first day back on the CRON wagon.
It always feels so good to get back on track. I feel healthier already. Seriously. Whenever I eat a bunch of gak, I can literally feel my blood pressure rising and my heart pounding. Tonight, there's none of that. It's as if my body knows and appreciates the nourishment I've given it.
Ok, I'd love to write more, but my eyes are closing as I type. More later.
Refocusing
As you may have guessed by the infrequency of my posts, I've been a bit distracted lately, which means I haven't focused on CRON as I should, and I'm beginning to feel the effects of it. I don't like it one bit.
So...
Time for CRON bootcamp. Starting tomorrow, and for the rest of 2008, my plan is to get back to basics. I'll be logging my food into COM every day, and I plan to post my menus and nutritional profiles each day over on the Skinnybitch Data blog. I find that reporting my food intake in a public space forces me to think much more carefully about what I'm eating. It also helps keep me honest.
Before I begin this little exercise, I should mention that aside from fish, I no longer eat meat. This decision has nothing to do with CRON. For the record, CRON does not require a vegetarian or pescatarian lifestyle. In fact, I think it's much easier to get all your nutrition if you eat small amounts of meat. But for my own personal reasons, I've decided to go pescatarian, so that's why you won't see any meat in my menus.
I should also point out that I'm not posting my menus for other people to model. For example, you shouldn't assume that my calorie goals apply to anyone other than me. In fact, I'll be having a lower-than-normal calorie goal for a little while just because I've picked up a few unwanted pounds and I'd like to get rid of them. So just realize that I'm eating less than I need to maintain my current weight, which is somewhere around 110.
What else? Oh, I apologize in advance for how boring my menus will look. I tend to eat almost exactly the same breakfast and lunch every day, just because that makes things much easier for me. Dinner is where I tend to insert at least a little variety. Even then, my menus tend to be extremely simple and therefore somewhat tedious.
Ok, that's it for now. Much more tomorrow.
So...
Time for CRON bootcamp. Starting tomorrow, and for the rest of 2008, my plan is to get back to basics. I'll be logging my food into COM every day, and I plan to post my menus and nutritional profiles each day over on the Skinnybitch Data blog. I find that reporting my food intake in a public space forces me to think much more carefully about what I'm eating. It also helps keep me honest.
Before I begin this little exercise, I should mention that aside from fish, I no longer eat meat. This decision has nothing to do with CRON. For the record, CRON does not require a vegetarian or pescatarian lifestyle. In fact, I think it's much easier to get all your nutrition if you eat small amounts of meat. But for my own personal reasons, I've decided to go pescatarian, so that's why you won't see any meat in my menus.
I should also point out that I'm not posting my menus for other people to model. For example, you shouldn't assume that my calorie goals apply to anyone other than me. In fact, I'll be having a lower-than-normal calorie goal for a little while just because I've picked up a few unwanted pounds and I'd like to get rid of them. So just realize that I'm eating less than I need to maintain my current weight, which is somewhere around 110.
What else? Oh, I apologize in advance for how boring my menus will look. I tend to eat almost exactly the same breakfast and lunch every day, just because that makes things much easier for me. Dinner is where I tend to insert at least a little variety. Even then, my menus tend to be extremely simple and therefore somewhat tedious.
Ok, that's it for now. Much more tomorrow.
A New Day
Today is one of the most exciting days in my life. There just aren't words to describe how happy I am. After eight long years of darkness, the dawn is here at last.
Nothing will ever be the same after today. The world has changed forever. I'm more proud than I can say just to be here and to play my small role in history.
The problems are all still there--they didn't just disappear overnight--but for the first time in a long time, I feel real hope for our nation. I believe we finally have a true leader who will help us rebuild the world.
It all starts today.
Thank God.
Nothing will ever be the same after today. The world has changed forever. I'm more proud than I can say just to be here and to play my small role in history.
The problems are all still there--they didn't just disappear overnight--but for the first time in a long time, I feel real hope for our nation. I believe we finally have a true leader who will help us rebuild the world.
It all starts today.
Thank God.
Back-to-school madness
I am exhausted.
Seriously.
The first few weeks of the school year were incredibly stressful for me. My oldest daughter began kindergarten and my youngest started attending preschool full-time. These things, in and of themselves, weren't such a big deal. What was problematic was the amount of time I had to spend attending no less than four back-to-school parent meetings, filling out mountains of paperwork, arranging after-school child care with a new nanny, getting my oldest daughter settled in Hebrew school, getting used to packing three--yes, THREE--lunches each and every morning and all sorts of other little things that have conspired to drive me stark raving mad.
Today was the first time I felt like everything was finally coming together. Hurray!
CRON-wise, I've been mediocre. I've gotten into a bad end-of-the-day chocolate and port habit lately. I'm not quite sure how it happened. I think I just came home feeling frazzled and reached for something--anything--to make me feel better. Eventually, something's gotta give, right? Anyway, it's time I did away with this nasty little habit, I've decided. No more.
That said, I haven't gained weight at all. I'm still right around 108, and my body is behaving normally. No complaints. Still, I know I won't be able to maintain my current weight if I keep downing chocolate cookies.
Now that things are starting to cool off a bit, I hope to be posting more frequently.
So stay tuned.
Seriously.
The first few weeks of the school year were incredibly stressful for me. My oldest daughter began kindergarten and my youngest started attending preschool full-time. These things, in and of themselves, weren't such a big deal. What was problematic was the amount of time I had to spend attending no less than four back-to-school parent meetings, filling out mountains of paperwork, arranging after-school child care with a new nanny, getting my oldest daughter settled in Hebrew school, getting used to packing three--yes, THREE--lunches each and every morning and all sorts of other little things that have conspired to drive me stark raving mad.
Today was the first time I felt like everything was finally coming together. Hurray!
CRON-wise, I've been mediocre. I've gotten into a bad end-of-the-day chocolate and port habit lately. I'm not quite sure how it happened. I think I just came home feeling frazzled and reached for something--anything--to make me feel better. Eventually, something's gotta give, right? Anyway, it's time I did away with this nasty little habit, I've decided. No more.
That said, I haven't gained weight at all. I'm still right around 108, and my body is behaving normally. No complaints. Still, I know I won't be able to maintain my current weight if I keep downing chocolate cookies.
Now that things are starting to cool off a bit, I hope to be posting more frequently.
So stay tuned.