I have noticed a tendency to shy away from writing here when I am in the middle of dealing with something in my life. What's that about? What I tell myself is that no one wants the messy details. The truth, however, is that this is a tool to help me, and I have a long history of amassing tools that I do not use.
The downfall is that when I write about it later, there's no immediacy. Looking back does not have the passion that the moment does. The bloodless recounting is boring.
So. Today, I am upset about the fact the my fabulous new eating habits are making me put on weight. To make a very long story short, I am constantly vigilant about this because otherwise I would weight a LOT more than I do. I know this, because I used to, with all the concomitant effects: high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.
This means I have to step back into the practice of logging food and exercise, and get myself back where I want to be before 4 pounds turns into 8. And that I have to balance my new eating habits against calorie intake. This is a big part of what threw me into the frenzy I just wrote about.
I'll try to spare you the tedious details and instead keep this blog focused on what matters more: how I feel and how I manage the spiritual side of being in my body.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Chaos in the Wake of Change
Obsession!! What's not to love?
I get wrapped around the axle so easily. I can take a good idea and turn it into an obsession without even pausing to blink. Next thing I know, I am off and running, caught up without knowing quite how I got there.
This time? I am tinkering with my eating habits.
It started simply enough: at Atlanta Mania at the end of July, I attended a lecture by Paul Chek. Quite frankly, he blew my mind. I had a lot of fun rummaging around his booth, and I came home with two books: How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy! by him and Nourishing Traditions (a cookbook) by Sally Fallon.
I had already been thinking about trying some different eating patterns, e.g. smaller meals more often. And I have been concerned for a long time about the contents of what I eat (yes, I read labels). I avoid crap like high-fructose corn syrup. Fast Food Nation changed my life.
So this all was very timely. Chek's basic message: check in with how you feel, and eat a balance of foods that help you feel your best. He provides clear tips on how to do that and what to watch for. The cookbook has great recipes and a lot of information about the food-like substances that make up the modern Western diet.
Based on what I read, I decided to try putting more protein in my diet and see what happens. Seems simple, doesn't it?
But no.
I have a little computer program that allows me to track what I eat and put in specific nutritional goals. So, by God, if Chek's book says that X percent of my calories should come from protein and Y percent from carbs and Z percent from fat, then you know I put those into my little program and started logging all my meals. Seriously obsessed!!! Worse: I became afraid I'd end up eating WAY more food than I should just to make the numbers right.
However, these days it's hard for me to maintain that level of insanity for long. And you know, when I went back and looked at the book again, he specifically addresses NOT getting all caught up in that kind of mental contortion. Really, it's more more a matter of watching the basic proportions of each meal, and observing the results and adjusting accordingly.
I managed to retreat back to sanity after about a week, and make reasonable tweaks without getting carried away. And I'm liking the results.
It's an old pattern
Getting caught up like this is an old, familiar pattern for me. I'm really glad I saw it, recognized it, and was able to fix it so quickly.
It gives me hope that the next time, it will be even better.
That's all for now.
I get wrapped around the axle so easily. I can take a good idea and turn it into an obsession without even pausing to blink. Next thing I know, I am off and running, caught up without knowing quite how I got there.
This time? I am tinkering with my eating habits.
It started simply enough: at Atlanta Mania at the end of July, I attended a lecture by Paul Chek. Quite frankly, he blew my mind. I had a lot of fun rummaging around his booth, and I came home with two books: How to Eat, Move, and Be Healthy! by him and Nourishing Traditions (a cookbook) by Sally Fallon.
I had already been thinking about trying some different eating patterns, e.g. smaller meals more often. And I have been concerned for a long time about the contents of what I eat (yes, I read labels). I avoid crap like high-fructose corn syrup. Fast Food Nation changed my life.
So this all was very timely. Chek's basic message: check in with how you feel, and eat a balance of foods that help you feel your best. He provides clear tips on how to do that and what to watch for. The cookbook has great recipes and a lot of information about the food-like substances that make up the modern Western diet.
Based on what I read, I decided to try putting more protein in my diet and see what happens. Seems simple, doesn't it?
But no.
I have a little computer program that allows me to track what I eat and put in specific nutritional goals. So, by God, if Chek's book says that X percent of my calories should come from protein and Y percent from carbs and Z percent from fat, then you know I put those into my little program and started logging all my meals. Seriously obsessed!!! Worse: I became afraid I'd end up eating WAY more food than I should just to make the numbers right.
However, these days it's hard for me to maintain that level of insanity for long. And you know, when I went back and looked at the book again, he specifically addresses NOT getting all caught up in that kind of mental contortion. Really, it's more more a matter of watching the basic proportions of each meal, and observing the results and adjusting accordingly.
I managed to retreat back to sanity after about a week, and make reasonable tweaks without getting carried away. And I'm liking the results.
It's an old pattern
Getting caught up like this is an old, familiar pattern for me. I'm really glad I saw it, recognized it, and was able to fix it so quickly.
It gives me hope that the next time, it will be even better.
That's all for now.
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