Eating right

You don't necessarily have to eat things you hate. That's the problem
with many diets - they are very restrictive of the types of food they
want you to eat and... if you don't like some of the already
restricted items then your choices become even less.

I think the best place to start is with a good 're-education' of what
'good' foods are, and what 'bad' foods are.

For this, I *highly* recommend the book:
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy - The Harvard Medical Schoold Guide to
Healthy Eating by Walter C. Willett, MD (you can learn more about
Willet via a Google search).

Good luck!
BTW - I'm not one who is keen on vegetables either, but I do like
fruit, and I've found a number of veggies I like to eat raw.
Experimentation is the key here, trying new things, prepared in new
ways... if you find you only like 1 in 10 of the new things you've
tried consider that a huge success (like finding a nugget of gold)!

On Wed, 24 Mar 2004 22:54:12 -0600, "Diva Martine"
wrote:

I know that I need to lose weight and I *WANT* to lose weight. I am
prepared to exercise, even though I loathe it, and I am desperately trying
to "eat right".

My problem is that after not "eating right" for 48 years, I am finding very
difficult to do.

I am not a person who enjoys eating. Really. When I am hungry I will stuff
the closest, and most convenient thing in my mouth. This usually translates
into a sandwich. The idea of preparing food when I am hungry is not an
option and the idea of preparing food when I am NOT hungry is a little
revolting.

If I were to think about my "favorite" foods they would tend to be (aside
from convenient), probably fatty and usually unhealthy. I have never eaten
vegetables other than corn, potatoes, overcooked canned peas, a raw carrot
or two in a salad along with some celery and iceburg lettuce. I simply do
not like a lot of food (most food), and I never have.

My question is how to do you eat things that you hate? I can't bring myself
to do it. Any suggestions? I need help and advice because I am not making
any headway doing this by myself.

THanks in advance

DIVa

On Thu, 25 Mar 2004 13:36:14 +0000, clarrie wrote:
I think this is a *very* key point. Slow and steady wins the race!
Small, gradual changes over time should not be underestimated, and,
IMHO, is the most effective way to self improvement (whether diet,
exercise, or anything else)... unless of course some urgent action is
required due to medical or other issues...


What I'm trying to do it is make lots of small changes to how I eat
and live, rather than trying to transform myself and my bad habits in
one big go overnight.

"Diva Martine" wrote in message
...
I know that I need to lose weight and I *WANT* to lose weight. I am
prepared to exercise, even though I loathe it, and I am desperately trying
to "eat right".

Maybe you just need to find the *right* kind of exercise. You don't post how
overweight you are, so it's difficult to make suggestions, but if you're
overweight, not all kind of exercise is good - high impact suff (like
jogging) is a no-no. However, a lot of things can be low intensity exercise,
which is still better than no exercise at all... Do you like gardening?
Dancing? Walking? Walking is probably the best low intensity stuff you can
do - it's free, it's natural, it's nothing you actually benefit from in your
daily life, it scales with your progresses (in distance and speed)...
Exercise doesn't have to be at the gym on a boring machine...

My problem is that after not "eating right" for 48 years, I am finding
very
difficult to do.

There are two things to eating "right" : being healthy and losing weight.
It's possible to lose weight while still maintaining an "unhealthy" diet. If
you can't do both at once, doing only one will still be better for your
overall health than doing none...

I am not a person who enjoys eating. Really. When I am hungry I will
stuff
the closest, and most convenient thing in my mouth. This usually
translates
into a sandwich. The idea of preparing food when I am hungry is not an
option and the idea of preparing food when I am NOT hungry is a little
revolting.

If you're not hungry, there is no point in forcing yourself to eat! I mean,
a calorie is a calorie, even if you're not hungry!
If you really like sandwiches, they don't have to be unhealthy or make you
fat. It all depends on what you put inside of them. If you think of it, most
of these stuff are pretty complete meals : some meat, some carbs, some fat.
Buritos for instance are not a total heresy (well, maybe except for all that
cheese). So, if you want to make yourself a sandwich, why not? Just be
careful with what you put in it, and eat less of it... As far as healthy
food go, I would still rate a homemade sandwich above pre-made microwaved
food (which are usually loaded with trans and saturated fat).
Yuo might also try to bring some variety. Have your sandwich at lunch if it
feels better, but try some cooking at dinner...

If I were to think about my "favorite" foods they would tend to be (aside
from convenient), probably fatty and usually unhealthy. I have never
eaten
vegetables other than corn, potatoes, overcooked canned peas, a raw carrot
or two in a salad along with some celery and iceburg lettuce. I simply do
not like a lot of food (most food), and I never have.

Most still qualify as vegetables
You don't *need* vegatables to lose weight. Vegetables are good for your
health and all, and you might find better digestive comfort from eating
them, but vegatables are not magic stuff that will push fat out of your
body...
You might also try to experiment with cooking vegetables differently. You
don't have to boil them in water or vapor all the time. Sautéed vegetables
don't use that much fat, and they taste better than plain ones and are quick
to cook.

My question is how to do you eat things that you hate? I can't bring
myself
to do it.

That's very sane of you. The whole concept of forcing yourself to eat things
you don't like (but which still count as calories) and then restricting
yourself from eating stuff you like has always sounded crazy to me. No food
will *ever* make you lose weight by itself. The only important thing for
weight control is how many calories you eat vs how many you use. As long as
you manage to maintain the balance in the right direction, however you
manage both sides of that equation is your own business.
Most people get the idea that stuffing yourself with vegies will prevent
hunger. That might work for some people, especially if they actually like
vegetables. If 200 calories of sandwich gives you better fullfillment than
200 calories of carrots, go for the sandwich!

Any suggestions? I need help and advice because I am not making
any headway doing this by myself.

Jayjay made a good suggestion. Don't change anything for a week, just eat as
usual. There is no hurry to get started anyway. Just write down everything
you eat, when you did it, where, why (hungry? social obligation? habit?
boredom?). Also write down if you were not hungry when eating it, or if you
kept eating after feeling fullfilled - that's all the food you can cut down
with no loss! Write down the food you really enjoyed - that's where cutting
down will hurt the most. You might also want to keep a separate log for
physical activity, of any kind (gardening, walking, anything that causes
your body not to be static) - that's physical activity you already do
without thinking, and that's where you have room to do more without it
feeling a core.

Actually, when you're hungry, *everything* tastes good. That's a good way to
know you're actually hungry : if stuffs taste bland, it means you're not
hungry and do not need to eat. Stop eating! That's why I always prefer to go
to the restaurant when I'm hungry, makes a much tastier meal/

"estella" wrote in message
...

If you are on a reduced calorie diet, you may find that all food
tastes delicious to you. This is not a joke. I can hardly think of
anything now that does not taste good to me. Anything. I used to hate
beets and hot buckwheat cereal, now it tastes as good as anything
else. That you do not like this and that, is a sign that you are
overeating.

I think you are quite right here.
When you are hungry and there are only vegetables around, then you
must have those.

"Diva Martine" wrote in message ...
My question is how to do you eat things that you hate?

I don't. There is such a variety of wonderful, healthful food
available that no one needs to.

The idea of preparing food when I am hungry is not an option

Sorry for being dense, but why not? What is it about being hungry that
prevents you from preparing food?

I have never eaten vegetables other than corn, potatoes, overcooked
canned peas, a raw carrot or two in a salad along with some celery and
iceburg lettuce.

Again, sorry for being dense, but why haven't you eaten other veggies?
Not that there is anything wrong with corn or potatoes, but can you
honestly say you have tried every single vegetable and fruit, properly
prepared a variety of ways, in the produce section of a nearby
supermarket?

I am prepared to exercise, even though I loathe it,

Again, have you tried every single kind of activity? Tried it alone,
tried it in a group, tried it indoors, tried it outdoors?

Dancing, housework, gardening, car washing, bowling, tennis, ping
pong, golf, swimming, biking, yoga, tai chi, kite flying, dog walking
– all these are activities that can be fun and improve your health.
Exercise does not have to equal drudgery.

Trying looking for positives – you can try new foods and new
activities – rather than negatives, such as eating foods you hate and
doing activities you loathe.

As always, YMMV.

Kasey
365/277/???

"Kasey" wrote in message
om...
"Diva Martine" wrote in message
...
The idea of preparing food when I am hungry is not an option

Sorry for being dense, but why not? What is it about being hungry that
prevents you from preparing food?

Actually, are you sure this is really hunger? I mean, if it is so bad that
you can't even wait for a minimal cooking time (5 minutes) or plan ahead, it
sounds more like compulsion than hunger. If it's really hunger, why do you
wait so long before starting to cook that it gets so strong that you
actually have to eat whatever you can eat instantly? Hunger is something
than grows over a length of time, you usually have around one hour before
your slight hunger grows into something really serious...
Even in hypoglycemia, I still find the time to cook properly. Sure, I tend
to cut or burn myself often (hypoglycemia gets me clumsy), but I still
manage to prepare a decent meal without dying...
If you have troubles making the difference between real hunger (stomach
hunger) and compulsion, you could try to skip a meal or to. If you eat a
real breakfast, skip it and wait until noon before you eat. If you have only
a very small breakfast, skip lunch. Be sure to drink extra water while doing
this. What you will feel at the following meal *is* real hunger. I'm not
asking you to starve yourself everyday, but that's the same kind of feeling,
at a lower intensity, that you should feel when you eat. Otherwise it's not
hunger.

While you're hungry, you might as well experiment some more. Try to cook
something. I don't mean anything complex, I just mean enough cooking that
you are expose to the sight and smell of your meal ahead of actually eating
it. That will sharpen your hunger as your body prepare to the act of eating
(salivating, preparing your stomach...). But at the same time, the urge
associated with hunger should start to recede. The brain actually starts the
satiety process *before* the first mouthfull - when it perceives that hunger
is actually on the way of being satisfied, it starts to reward you a little.
Now, you're going to pay attention while you eat. Sit down, relax some
before starting to eat (deep belly breaths help), turn off the TV, put that
book away, don't do anything but eat... Eat slowly, chew, swallow the
previous mouthfull before putting the next in your mouth! Take small
mouthfulls at a time, make some pauses every few mouthfulls. Your meal
should last at least 20 minutes, 30 would be better. At first, doing nothing
else but eating will be easy, you're ravenous! Try to chew long enough to
fully feel the taste of what you eat - if you move the food around on your
tongue, you will feel it tastes differently depending on where it is. Breath
through your nose while you're chewing, notice how this brings the aroma of
the food into your nose. Try to evaluate how much pleasure you're getting
from the taste of the food.
After a while, you will find that you're growing bored of sitting doing
nothing but eating. If you're not used to eat like this, you will be growing
restless. I know I tend to start reading anything nearby, including food
content on the packagings At first, chewing slowly was very hard to do,
but now, it's getting easier. That's a really good sign that your hunger is
receding, you're not longer ravenous, you're just less and less hungry. If
you pay attention to the tastes, you may also notice that the food doesn't
taste as great as it used to. If you're eating very fat or sugary stuff, you
might even begin to notice some unpleasant sides to the food - it's TOO
sugary or that much fat is a little nauseating. This means you're nearing
complete satiety. After a while, you will be downright tired of sitting at
that table doing nothing but eating that boring food. You got it, this means
you actually are not hungry anymore! Throw the remaining of the food away,
and go enjoy your life...

Many people just ignore what hunger is and feel like. Even more people
ignore what satiety is. Satiety is not feeling your belly full. Feeling your
belly full just means that your belly *is* full; so, it's lighting the red
light to notify you that any extra food is going to get you uncomfortable.
If like boulimics you ignore that signal, you're going to finish your meal
with a completely distended or even throw up or, like some boulimics,
actually manage to burst your stomach. Full belly is an emergency signal,
it's not satiety. If you eat several pounds of low calories vegetables,
you're going to get that full belly signal. But I doubt you're going to
experience any kind of satiety, especially in the hours following the meal.
Actually, if you still have a good quality satiety signal, it's possible to
eat a stomach full of vegetables and *still* feel hungry, which is a very
uncomfortable situation!

If it didn't work the first time or not well enough, resume eating normally
(but still paying attention to what you eat), and try again in a couple of
days. After a while, you should be able to feel these signals even when
eating normal meals. The key point is that to experiment any kind of real
satiety, you *need* to be hungry before you meal - because satiety actually
works by suppressing the hunger hormones in your brain. If you're so afraid
of hunger that you eat all the time to prevent it, you're also disabling
your satiety feeling (which will indeed help you eat all the time).