How I Eat

It may be of no surprise to some of you that I have stomach issues.

That's pretty broad, and incredibly vague, but I'm not here to discuss every detail of my digestive system. Just know that it (the system) is awful at times. My stomach is literally a minefield of surprises...and never good surprises. Never, "Hey! Guess what! Today, I'm going to shoot rainbows from myself and dance with cute fluffy puppies and provide years of wealth and happiness for you!" No, it's more like, "Hey! Guess what! Today, I'm going to ensure that everything you put into your mouth makes a return visit later on in an incredibly painful, disgusting, upsetting way! Get ready to rumble! Literally!"

But, I digress. I have been working diligently on the bitterness that comes with the issues and, perhaps more importantly, the way I handle my food so that I can hopefully avoid the aforementioned painful, disgusting, upsetting consequences of my decisions. (Disclaimer: Not ALL of the problems stem from my choices. Sometimes...shit just happens).

What finally brought me to the final conclusion that I need to make better choices is the fact that, in a very short period of time last year, I lost a great bit of weight for no real reason other than several days worth of not eating. See, I'll enter a "spell" where my stomach is at its WORST and I will literally starve myself. I have very little say in the matter, and it's very easy to drop weight when you're surviving on broth, water, and crackers. In the two years that I've worked in this office, for example, I've lost 20 pounds - some intentional, some not.

I presently weigh in at 106. Those last 12 lbs or so were not intentional. I would like to be a healthy 115...and I know women shouldn't discuss their weight, but for me, it's a matter of recognizing where I'm going wrong and how I can fix it.

So, I thought some of you may be interested in How I Eat. Here goes it.

First, a list of the foodstuffs that I must avoid:

~ Anything from a fast food restaurant. No amount of greasy fast food is a good idea for anyone, but for me, it's like asking a bully to just nail me in the face with his fist and then ram me in the belly with a knife. Ok, so maybe not quite that brutal. But close. When I do "cave in" I tend to go with Chick Fil A. I can trust them. I opt for the Southwestern Chargrilled Salad, and try to limit the amount of dressing used. If I am feeling really wild, I will get their grilled sandwich meal...and, yes, the fries. I am weak, I am weak! But I pay for it!

~ NO SODA. EVER. EVER. It's horrid. Do you have any idea how many spoonfuls of sugar go into one can of coke? I'll give you a hint. It rhymes with "fine" and I feel anything but "fine" after I consume too many sodas.

~ Speaking of...bye bye sugar! This is a new development, actually. I've found that it seems to cause problems, too. Thus, no more cookies, cakes, pies, donuts, breakfast pastries, candies, etc. All the good stuff, in other words. However, because I'm a coffee addict, I still put sugar in my coffee and just hope for the best. I've heard there are other sugars I can try in replacement of standard white, refined sugar. Truvia, I think. Any thoughts?

~ Coffee...is a necessary evil. I really, really shouldn't, but I do. It's a must some days. But again. I pay for it.

~ No. Excess. Dairy. Dairy can be filled with fat, and really for me the name of the game is avoiding fats as much as possible. This means very little milk, for example, and when I do, it's all organic. Dairy is perhaps the hardest food group to rid of, for me, as I am a cheesehead completely. Ohhh how I love cheese. Low-fat, please!

~ No more red meat. Another new development, and another question. Do you have any idea how long red meat stays in your colon? Look it up. GUH-ROSS!!!! So, my plan is to stick with chicken and fish only as meat selections, and to focus on other ways to get my daily protein.

Now, I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Uhhh, well what DO you eat if you're so restricted?" Well...

~ LOTS of veggies.
~ Whole wheat breads, but never white
~ Lots of oatmeal, grains, nuts, etc.
~ Fruit, fruit, and more fruit. I like to think of it as my sugar substitute.
~ Again, chicken, fish, and actually, turkey at times...
~ Brown rice, but never white. I looooove organic brown rice.
~ Zone diet bars(These things are awesome and so tasty. They do have sugars involved, but the other benefits outweigh that negative).

And finally, I make sure to follow these rules:

~ Always eat breakfast, but only after having taken the necessary morning medications. (That's a whole different post, for some other time)
~ Try to keep the snacking going throughout the day with good snack choices - hard in an office atmosphere where there are bowls of candy around every corner.
~ Opt for a protein-rich lunch (Ex: today, vegetable soup!)
~ Try not to get "too full"
~ Drink a load of water every day... at least 6 cups.
~ Never eat past 8pm if I can help it. Unfortunately I broke this rule last night, having arrived home later in the evening than normal. I didn't eat dinner until 9:30. Oops.
~ Wait at least half an hour before lying down after eating. This eliminates a bad reflux reaction.

So, as you can see, my days are pretty rigid with food planning, eating right, and following all of my eating rules. It's a pretty obnoxious way to exist, but I suppose it is what it is and the best way to conquer it is just to hunker down and deal. Obviously my health is my highest priority and the reason I do all of the above. But, there are other benefits, like (good) weight loss and more energy and being in a better mood because I'm not packing myself full of JUNK. People aren't kidding when they say that the road to health is filled with lifestyle changes. Fortunately (UNfortunately) I am reminded of the bad things than can happen when I fail to follow my rules. If nothing else, my stomach definitely keeps me in line.

PS: I'm always game to try suggested recipes to jazz it up a bit. :)