I'd like to take a moment to clear the air, and set the record straight.
*Let me preface this by saying I am not a nutritionist or RD, and I have never received formal training in these areas. Everything I say in this blog is reflective of my own opinions and thoughts, unless otherwise noted.*
First of all, eating enough to fuel one’s body is very important; and not eating enough is a very serious situation. Everyone has different caloric and nutritional needs; and day to day these needs may or may not vary. Generally speaking, if you’re more active, you need to eat more; if you’re taller, you need to more; if you have a bigger frame, you need to eat more. The only way to determine your own personal needs is to consult with a professional.
In this day and age of food blogging, it is very fascinating to catch a glimpse into the lives of others and see how they eat, what they eat, how they exercise, etc. However, it’s very important to keep in mind that all anyone can take from these blogs are ideas and inspiration. If you notice, no food blogger eats the same or excises the same. But, at the same time, all these different food blogs can be used as wonderful resources to help you shape your own way of eating and exercising that appropriately and safely adapts to you and your life.
Having said that, let me talk directly about myself for a moment. I am a 5’1’’ female. The majority of the population is taller than me, and therefore requires more fueling than me. Some ten year old boys tower over me! I am small by nature, and my eating reflects that. Furthermore, at this point in time I am not incredibly active. For various reasons I have not been to the gym in over a month. Lately for exercise I do a pilates DVD two to three times a week at home, and walk often during the week days as part of my job. For this reason I do not need much more additional fueling. But if you look back through my blog, you’ll notice I often eat a little more or have an extra snack on days that I do pilates.
Back when I was more active at the gym, possibly running 12 miles a week, my fueling was increased to keep my body well-nourished and up to the challenges. If I felt hungry and was exerting myself more, I would eat more because I knew my body needed it. Not eating and exercising do not mix. Even if you are trying to lose weight, there’s healthy and safe ways to create a caloric deficit that don’t leave you feeling hungry and deprived. Trust me; I lost all twenty five pounds the healthy way. Consult with a professional to set realistic and safe goals.
Secondly, I’d like to address this past week of me saying “I’m starving!” Two weeks ago I was diagnosed with a UTI, and my doctor put me on a very low dose of an antibiotic. (I’ve had severe reactions to penicillin and quinolones in the past, so both my doctor and I were wary about what would be safe.) After one week of that antibiotic, my body was so unaffected by it that it didn’t even clear out the UTI. So last Friday I was prescribed a different antibiotic that is very strong. As warned by my doctor and RN coworkers, the antibiotic makes me ravenous and lightheaded from time to time. This is common, and I’ve experienced it in the past with other strong antibiotics. However at this point in time, I know my body well enough to know if I’m legitimately hungry, or if it’s external cues or antibiotics tricking me into hunger. Bottom line is this; if I need to eat I eat. Legit hunger doesn’t go away. So if eating’s held off when it’s really needed, there’s a greater chance of binging and/or overeating later on.
A final point I’d like to address refers to me, myself, Ed, and the blog. It’s outlined in “My Food Journey” how Ed emerged in 2005, and the path he’s taken to get himself here in 2009. I want to emphasize that during that time period I did have six to eight months of professional therapy strictly addressing Ed. For anyone living with or recovering from an eating disorder, I strongly recommend you seek out therapy if you have not already done so.
I also want to make note, because I may not have been so clear with this in the past, that at least two months prior to starting my blog I did not have even a handful of binge episodes. I was struggling more with portion control and overeating, which is why I got this blog up and running--to monitor my eats. Doing that naturally decreases the number of binges and urges to binge.
I have not changed the way I eat because of the blog. The blog is an honest representation of how I’ve been striving to eat for years. Although, because the blog does force me to think about everything I eat with a heightened awareness, it does indirectly and significantly reduce overeating. Basically, the point I’m trying to convey is that the blog mirrors my eating, my exercise, my lifestyle, and well, Ed. If anything changes it’s because I’m changing, or it’s because Ed’s changing. The blog doesn’t dictate what occurs in my life; it logs and documents my life. It’s a wonderful outlet and a wonderful tool to help me gain perspective.
Overall, the blog is a constant learning process for me, as is my evolving healthy habits. It’s so rewarding and inspiring and motivational to know I am touching others with my blog, and I hope to inspire and motivate in return. But, as we’ve all heard numerous times, everyone is different; and more importantly, everyone’s bodies are different. You must do what’s in the best interest for you and your body. If you are uncertain what that is, don’t be afraid to ask an expert for help!
And as always, thank you for your continuous support. =)
Anne
0 Comments
Sorry, I am rushing quite a bit this morning so this is going to be short! I completely finished up my GoLean Crunch and U cereal this morning by combining it with the Honey Almond Flax GoLean Crunch. All the different flavors made my cereal a lot more exciting this morning. Enjoy your Tuesdays everyone =)
Ryan cooked us up some yummy tacos tonight! We forgot to add the red bell pepper though, and it was kind of a downer because I definitely prefer the flavor that it adds to the meat. I know it doesn't look like a lot, but that's because I had to save room for... I know, I'm so bad!! I'm addicted to it right now. And really I'd be perfectly okay with that, but it is kind of pricey and it's not even July yet, and I'm sure there's much more Cold Stone to come this summer!
Oh well, c'est la vie! Onwards to Tuesday. Just three more days to this work week for me! Today I was absolutely ravenous by 11am. I just couldn't hold out anymore, so I snuck into my lunch. Sorry about all the plastic bags. Because I was eating earlier than I'm supposed to, I couldn't really spread out my food on plates and such. I had a deli chicken and sharp cheddar cheese sandwich with mustard on a TJ's whole wheat bun. On the side I had baby carrots, a pickle, and Goldfish. I was so hungry, it tasted phenomenal. After a few hours I just had to dive into my snack. I had a big container of yogurt with fresh blueberries. Finally, a couple of hours later I was starving again so I had about an ounce of pecans. I know it's the antibiotic that's making me so hungry, so I'm really trying not to overeat. In reality, I feel like I could be eating something every hour! But I know it's not necessary or practical. So now I'm holding out till dinner. I think tacos are on the menu tonight!
Good morning! It's fun starting off a shorter work week. It just makes everything seem easier! I didn't get to the orange yet. That's coming to work with me.
I hope all of your weeks are off on the right foot. And if not, it's only Monday so there's plenty of room for improvement =) After eating heavy in the middle of the day, I wasn't too hungry for dinner. I ate a small snack of dates and a scoop of peanut butter a little before eight: And then just to take with my antibiotic, I had a small handful of pretzels at nine: Now I'm winding down for the night in preparation for the work week. I'm only heading into a four-day week though, because I have off Friday for my younger sister's graduation. Exciting!!
I hope everyone enjoyed their weekends =) So far today Ryan and I ventured to an auto shop, Barnes and Noble, and of course stopped to eat lunch. We decided to eat at Moe's. I've mentioned a while back that at restaurants Ryan and I are creatures of habit; we typically order the same appetizer, same entree, etc. At Moe's I usually have two signature dishes that I opt for, but today I actually felt like branching out. Also, before heading out I snacked on some vanilla Chobani. I swear this antibiotic is revving my metabolism! On with the afternoon!
Sunday morning again! Ya know, maybe the weekends and weekdays would both be better if the sun ever came out again. Like ever ... is that going to happen NY?? I know Ryan and I are going food shopping later, but I'm not sure what else'll be on the schedule. Stay tuned!
When I was shopping this afternoon I started to get a really bad headache, so I cut it short and went back home. Right after getting in I was starving. Being that I had just eaten a full lunch not too long before, I decided to slam a glass of milk. That did just the trick. I think the antibiotic is messing with my body. Ever since this afternoon I keep getting super hungry, even after eating substantial amounts of food. So needless to say, when it came dinner time I was starving again. I didn't want to spend time cooking, and I didn't want to go out to get anything, so I heated up the last of the barbecue chicken leftovers. I did take the five minutes to cook up some whole wheat couscous though. I served that with the chicken and vegetables. I also made a side salad with baby spinach, carrots, and some avocado. It's been a long time since I've eaten an avocado. I used to eat them all the time, but Ryan doesn't like them so I haven't bothered to buy them. This one was from my mom. And all together: Finally, around 9 o' clock I toasted up a whole wheat pita and smeared it with peanut butter, to eat while taking my antibiotic. I'm still a little hungry, but I'm also tired. Most likely I'm just going to drink a bunch of water and head to bed soon. Have I already mentioned that I despise being on antibiotics? ;-)
It's been a very leisure Saturday thus far. Ryan has been out and about almost since yesterday, briefly stopping in this morning, so I've been feeling increasingly lonesome. I've found that the older I get and the more responsibilities my friends and I have, the less able we are to get together without setting definite plans a week or two in advance. I guess that's just the way it goes though. Wait until there's kids involved, right? I toasted up a whole wheat Trader Joe's bun and added ham, sharp cheddar cheese, mustard, and a pickle. I also cut up some apple slices, and enjoyed my vanilla Chobani that's been missing from my life these last couple of days.
The weather got cloudy again, but at least it's not raining for a change! I'll probably get myself together and head out in a bit. Let's hope the rain stays at bay for today! |