Nourishment while losing weight

I wanted to type 'diet' but it shouldn't be called diet cause of the negative connotations. And nutrition sounded official and clinical, of which I am neither. So the title 'nourishment' fits the bill.

I suspect that part of obesity is the expansion of the stomach. I am not a doctor and can't elaborate here, but my suspicion (cause of my health and fitness journey) leads me to believe that I eat more cause I don't get the 'full' feeling sooner. It is so hard to stop eating before you get the full feeling. However I suspect that I need to stop at 75-80% (almost) full at 20 mins post meal. That is also hard to do, eat for 20 minutes or slowly to register the almost full feeling and then stop. A lot of us eat so quickly and read/watch tv or otherwise distract ourselves while eating. No wonder we don't get the 'full' feeling sooner. Eating with others and focusing on your meal will allow you to register the almost full feeling sooner.

I don't always diet as I have tried and failed with a lot of them. However I think it is critical to feed ourselves well while trying to loose weight. If I don't feed myself sufficiently and well then I will reach for the chocolate bar. It is very important to eat plant based foods at every meal and your body will recognize them and reward you with the sufficiently full feeling sooner than any other type of food. If I can't get full during a meal I will try to eat an apple, cut fruit, more vegetables and other plant foods. Then I feel satiated.

A lot of times I am too lazy to make myself a meal, lunch for instance, since I am home often during the day. Then I find I crave sweets and chocolate, it is like my body is trying to get satiated without a meal and chocolate will do the trick. Anyway chocolate and cravings and other addictive foods will be mentioned in another post. I just want to mention that we need to feed ourselves healthily with plant and other foods and to not neglect or starve ourselves regardless of where we are, who we are with etc.

You can't feed yourself well if you don't have good food at hand. A huge part of eating well, is getting in to a food shopping routine, find a favorite store, finding a shopping list that works for you and sticking to it. If you take your favorite junk foods off the list then make sure you have something to substitute them with. Don't deprive yourself of nutrients and nourishment. Buy lots of plant based foods, whether fresh (important to have something fresh at every meal cause it helps the gut), frozen, or canned/processed. Get in to a grocery shopping routine to make sure you can nourish yourself well. There are lots of options for groceries these days if you don't or can't shop often. Shop Amazon - Subscribe & Save is great for bulk & staples, Peapod is very reasonable (they also take coupons) and in most neighborhoods nowadays, and there is the store pickup options at lots of local stores (they will collect your items and you just need to pay and take items home). Those conveniences may be worth it in saving time & money, and avoiding temptations.

Do you have something that works? Share below.

@myHFjourney

Introducing Prime Pantry - Everyday Essentials Delivered to You

Shop Amazon - New Coupons in Grocery - Save Up to 30% on Select Food Items Shop Amazon - Best Sellers in Grocery Shop Amazon - Deals in Grocery & Gourmet

How I dropped my cholesterol over 50 points!

I've always had high cholesterol numbers since I was a young adult with normal weight. But I've always loved food and chocolate and snacks. Growing up my mother cooked traditional Greek vegetable dishes mostly, so why was my cholesterol so high? My parents had high cholesterol most of their lives too. Doctors told me it was genetic and I need to be cautious with lifestyle. I would also have periods of activity bursts throughout my life lasting for weeks or months at a time.

I went for a blood test physical a few years ago and my cholesterol was in the high but normal range! My cholesterol was usually in the mid two hundreds and on this occasion it was 187! I was amazed, and looking back there were some major changes I had made but didn’t know they contributed to this drop.

We had joined a farm co-op that summer and prior to that we had a veggie share box from a co-op in the spring so I had been eating a LOT of vegetables for most of the year. We ordered the full box share and my kids are picky eaters so I would get more than my fair share of the veggie boxes so I would be eating a LOT of vegetables on a daily basis.

I was focusing on organic and natural products too but I suspect the amount of veggies I was eating had more impact than the organic nature of the vegetables. However I would recommend you minimize your exposure to chemicals and buy organic when you can.

I was gardening and spending a lot of time outdoors with my kids. Perhaps vitamin D also contributed. But I suspect the amount of vegetables I was eating was a bigger factor in my unusual cholesterol drop than vit D or activity levels or anything else. I was still overweight and still trying to fit activity in my lifestyle. So I suspect the amount of veggies I ate daily was the major factor in surprising me with such a major drop in a key health number.

Do you have high cholesterol? Any interesting findings from your history?

@myHFjourney