posted March 10, 2007 11:13 PM         

breakfast : porridge oats, table spoon of peanut butter

mid morning snack: handful of almonds, glass of soya milk or fresh juice

lunch: small portion of brown rice, kidney beans and small salad

mid afternoon snack: fruit salad and pistachio nuts

dinner: tuna steak or tofu steak, vegetables and potatoes (all small portions)

posted March 11, 2007 12:30 AM         

Maybe if we can figure out why you overeat in the first place, the cycle can be broken. Are you feeling down/depressed over something? Eating more is a typical way of compensating, but makes you feel worse later. Wanting more sleep is another symptom.

If this is why, can you find other ways to cope? Talking to friends, indulging in other ways (a nice bath, candles, a book you enjoy that might make you feel better), going out perhaps - it's warming up outside - breathing some of that fresh air will help lighten the mood; it will make you feel better about having over-indulged too (as you burn some calories). Same goes for exercise; it releases endorphins that will make you feel better. Having a good support system will help too.

I hope you feel better soon.

Sunshine

posted March 11, 2007 11:55 AM         

Love, and healing,

posted March 11, 2007 01:13 PM         

Another thing - I wish people would stop assuming that overeating all comes down to discipline and self-control. Like many other health problems, overeating has many different root cause that have nothing tot do with a lack of self-control, but rather undermines a person's self-control. What is needed is for the person to become more aware of what is going on with their own bodies, what triggers this behavior, and learning over time to modify their behavior through making better choices for themselves.

Star33 a "few" of things:

- first you need to look at what drives you overeat int he first place. Is it that you are not eating breakfast, bored, lonely, feeling stressed? Figure out what triggers your impulse to overeat, and find better, non-eating ways to deal with it. Learn to distinguish betwenn your emotional desire to eat from actual physical hunger.

- go to your doctor and be checked out for diabetes or insulin resistence - uncontrolled blood sugar levels can trigger food craving. Ironic, but true - people who have too high blood sugar levels for long periods often feel tired or bad when they blood sugar drops down to normal levels. So they eat too much to get their blood suagr level up again. But it is a very dangerous cycle, so you should get checked out to make sure this isn't want's going on with you.

- eat a breakfast high in lean protein and fiber. For me, since I don't eat soy (see below), so I usually eat scambled eggs whites, or leftover fish or chicken with raw baby spinach or spring greens in the morning. That sounds weird but it's exactly what my body needs in the morning.

- don't eat bland food. Eat food with spices and herbs, not fat or additives, for flavor. many spices and herbs have addition health benefits that make you feel better, and a more flavorful meal is more satisfying overall. Good spices and herbs to includes in your diet: cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, tarragon, cumin/coliander/cilantro, parsley, chile peppers, thyme, dill, and oregano. Get a good cookbook if you don't know about using spices and herbs, or check out this site: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/lf_health/

- try to switch out coffee and soda for green or herbal teas. Have a cup of tea after a meal if you still feel like eating more, or whenever you have food cravings when you know you're not really hungry.

- regular exercise decreased appetite naturally, stablizes your hormone levels and blood sugar levels, and improves your impulse control. Try to exercise at least 3 times a week, for about 45 minutes, even if it's light exercise for starters. Just walking can be a enough to help you control your food intake.

- get regular sleep. Lack of sleep decreases impulse control, causes hormonal imbalances and makes you more vulnerable to stress. This not only makes you eat more, but your body gains fat faster because stress triggers your body to produce more cortisol, a stress-coping hormone that stores fat.

- avoid artificial sweeteners. These can trigger food cravings in many people. Ify ou have a sweet tooth, eat whole fruit (not juice). Whole fruit has unrefined sugars and fiber, as well as many vitamins that can help satsify your cravings.

- avoid processed foods as much as possible. This includes restuarant food. Many processed foods contain additives that make you hungrier and cause craving, like refined sugars and MSG. Even if you don't see "sugar" or "monosodium glutamate" listed on the indegredients, they may still be there. Refined sugars are often listed as corn syrup, fructose, dextrin, maltodextrin, or dextrose. Common MSG-containing additives come in the form of processed soy, corn, or other vegetable protein (like soy protein isolate, or textured vegetable protein)
or soy, yeast or grain that has been fermented, "autolyzed" or malted. BTW, I know this sounds liek a tall order, but the more you cut out procesed foods and make your own food, the better you'll feel and the more aware you'll be about your own body's nutritional needs. If you can't cut out all processed foods, try at least to limit them as much as possible, and overtime, trty to phase them out of your diet.

posted March 11, 2007 01:24 PM         

One more thing I'd add is, reach for water first if you think you're hungry and need a snack. Thirst can masquerade as hunger, and it's important to make sure you're well-hydrated for a lot of reasons; this can also curb cravings for junk food.

star33.. your experience sounds awful; I'm sorry you had to go through that.

posted March 12, 2007 05:37 PM         

Please check out my thread in Health and Healing.

posted March 12, 2007 06:33 PM         

When I read the first post here it was very apparent to me that food isn't the issue. I certainly agree that there are lots of foods that cause allergic reactions that we're not aware of, but I believe all the feelings involved here are feelings that exist regardless of what food she takes in.

Starr, I think you have insecurities and you don't trust people. Perhaps life up to this point has reinforced those feelings in you. You feel like a loner, so you keep yourself isolated from people who could enjoy you.

Believe it or not, people don't find you offensive. People think you're worthy and lovable, and they wish you would know this about yourself. If you want to feel more at ease with yourself just do what brings you the most self-respect. Over-eating is not the end of the world, nor is it a hindrance to going places in life. Ask Oprah. People who realize their own value don't necessarily put a whole lot of stock in appearances. Instead they understand where their talents lie, and start testing what these talents can bring them. I think you'd be surprised by how much some people will love you if you just open up a bit more, and stop being afraid to be who you are. You're a really terrific, special, irreplaceable person. Really!