Everyday Systems

Hey all!
I am getting back on the No S Horse now that the holidays have passed and I am at 204 lbs. I first checked in about 6 months ago and pretty much strayed from my path a week after posting. However, I have made a couple changes in my approach, and they seem to be making a positive difference. For instance, my hunger is better controlled if I make sure to eat fiber and protein at breakfast and lunch. Also, I have substituted coffee with some nice ginger tea, which is good for digestion. Finally, I have "made friends" with the feeling of hunger. Hunger is probably the best flavoring out there. So, there you have it; my two cents. My goal is to post on the testimonials page by June 2009!

Hi MiMi...

So nice to have you back....

"Hunger"...what a concept! We've been so conditioned to believe that being hungry is bad...but it's great, isn't it? It means my body is starting to work on those extra pounds I'm carrying around! You're right, we definitely should be friends with it!

Have a great green day!
janie

Thanks Howfun! I am anxious to come back and be a part of the community.

Welcome back!

Amen to making friends with hunger. I find it strange that people take viagra and what not to enhance their sex drive and yet they want to extinguish their appetite for food.

Reinhard

reinhard wrote:Welcome back!

Amen to making friends with hunger. I find it strange that people take viagra and what not to enhance their sex drive and yet they want to extinguish their appetite for food.

Reinhard

Reminds me of this:

Mark Bittman wrote:You can also embrace hunger, strange as that may sound, just as you might embrace the delicious anticipation of a nap, or sexual craving. Your hunger will, after all, be satisfied. Why not wait an hour? (You're not dying, after all!) You might also stop eating before you're full (three-quarters full is probably about right). And if you eat slowly, taking your time, you'll give the food time to reach your stomach and give you a sense of satisfaction before you have seconds or thirds.

In Food Matters Bittman mentions Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live, which I've read in the past.

Dr. Fuhrman wrote:Continuous eating not only undermines healthy weight loss it is just plain unhealthy. Eating the wrong foods leads to toxic hunger. Toxic Hunger is the result of consuming a toxic diet. It overrides every natural instinct and often leads to a dramatic increase in the consumption of empty calories...

A few hours after eating most people begin to feel "hungry". They feel weak, headachy, tired, mentally dull, and have stomach spasms. Is this real hunger? I call it "toxic hunger" because these symptoms only occur in those who have been eating a toxic diet. They are withdrawal symptoms and they force people to eat more frequently and take in more calories than they would have if they were eating healthfully.

I've not given up many of the things Dr. Fuhrman suggests (caffeine, salt, alcohol, butter, cheese and so on), but find that when I cook from scratch at home, even using white flour, sugar, and rice, I have far less problems with hunger than when I eat away from home or eat processed foods. Bread that I make using white flour is far more satisfying than white bread purchased at the store. Cookies or other desserts I make are more satisfying than those bought at the grocery. Stir-fry made at home is more satisfying than Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choices or the like. And so on. There are a few exceptions to that, but that's what they are: exceptions. Hunger is less of an issue when I cook using mostly whole foods.

I may have wandered off here. Sorry.

but find that when I cook from scratch at home, even using white flour, sugar, and rice, I have far less problems with hunger than when I eat away from home or eat processed foods.

Exactly the same for me.

You guys are the best! Thanks for the good words!