In the Guardian Guide section today there was a link listed to a story about a woman who left a McDonald's Happy Meal out on a shelf for a year.
Clicking on it I'd thought it would be gross, but it looks practically the same. Worth a look. You've got to wonder what food that doesn't rot would do to your body.
Since doing Atkins, and then even more with Primal, so much more of my food has been in the fridge. I think that freshness and the amount of time something takes to go bad must be a factor related to health. My fridge is crammed with vegetables, salad leaves and hard fats, whereas the cupboard has just nuts, seeds, eggs and spices. (And my husband's carbs, but I ignore them!)
With Primal as opposed to Atkins, one of the best things is that I can have a fruit bowl with actual fruit in!NB Atkins does have a berries, and then a fruit rung, but I could never quite get there. With Primal Blueprint, fruit is on the menu from the start. Yay!
Saturday, 27 March 2010
Thursday, 25 March 2010
The Importance of Sleep (and Relaxation)
Wow, check out this bed! I was searching flickr for a picture for this post of big fluffy pillows and came across this photo stream of beds by eklektick. It seems she creates a bed theme or look each month and posts them on flickr - and actually sleep in it. This halloween one was my favourite, but the others are great too. Worth a look.
So, sleep. As I have said before Mark's Daily Apple is where my primal journey really began in earnest. I check it everyday or so. Today's post is on sleep, and I would recommend reading it even if your aren't in the least primal. The long and short is that sleep is very important and even a little bit of missed sleep has a negative impact on your ability to function. And man, is that a timely reminder for me.
I kind of intend this blog to be a hideaway from non-food and exercises stresses in life, so don't want to drone on about the crapness of my life at the moment (though, hell, it's all relative and I definitely have a better deal that a lot of people). But at the moment the stress is getting in the way of one of the Primal Commandments to get enough rest.
So in the last two nights combined I have had about 7 hours sleep. And I love to sleep. I often get nine hours. And I'm feeling the deprivation. And it is not good. If I get anymore dull-witted I might have to replace my cutlery with plastic to avoid injury to myself.
I think getting more sleep will be my next Primal Priority now I feel a bit more in the groove of eating and exercising.
But what if you can't sleep not because you're out partying like a 20 something maybe should be, but lying there worrying and fretting and gnashing your teeth like a total crazy?
So we come to relaxation. And my inability to do it. Good food and exercise certainly help me to deal with stress. If I were to eat a whole load of sugary, pastry, bready carbs now I'd feel comforted for about an hour and then I'd turn into the carb monster and then I'd feel guilty and worse and in need of more comforting. Not worth it.
Meditation works for me. But I never seem to find the time or be in the mood. Or my neck and back are so tense that being in a mediation pose is just more painful. A doctor once told me I have the tightest neck muscles they'd ever seen, and I was sorta proud, like at least my commitment to worrying was clear to the medical professionals. I was 17 then and life has not got breezier since.
I've developed a weird jaw pain over the past few days and Dr Google tells me it could be stress from clenching my teeth and possibly grinding them in my sleep. Either that or I have moments to live, you know how it is with googling medical problems. The internet must be a hypercondriacs dream/nightmare.
Anyway, when the going gets tough, the tough get going, and the weak, it appears, hobble themselves with back and jaw ailments. How do you calm down primally? Can a seasoned worrier ever really chillax?
And just to say: I total admire that bed. It makes mine look pretty darn unappealing, covered as it is in dressing gowns, books and biro marks.
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Pondering Fat Acceptance
Is fat political? Does fat-ism exist? As a long-term student of politics I have a tendency to see everything as political. And I would also say, yes fat-ism does exist. I worry I may have been guilty of fat-ism myself at times. Even at my largest (which these days does not seem that big) I was guilty of thinking harsh thoughts about people's size, or their size combined with their outfit, even if they were slimmer than me.
Part of the reason so many people want to lose weight, I think, is because of this judgement that they would make of others, and are aware of others making of them. Even though I had a thyroid problem, and so knew first-hand that for some people weight gain is not the result of endless sofa-bound eating, I still had that knee-jerk reaction about myself and others.
Anyway, the reason I am blathering about this is because I have recently been reading Fatshionista which often touches on fat acceptance, as well as great fashion.
But for the first time I understood that Fat Acceptance was about more than just not berating yourself about the extra pounds. There is no one definition, but fat acceptance includes the idea of being healthy at any size, like eating right and exercising. When I think of my insane yoyo dieting and some of the dumber diets I have tried, this is an appealing and sensible idea. It is also about doctors not seeing the health problems of the overweight as all linked to their size - which is something I have experienced.
Perhaps most importantly, fat acceptance makes the case that discrimination against overweight people should end. Sometimes, especially watching some comedy shows, it feels like larger people are the last group that people can laugh at without feeling guilty. Which strikes me as odd. When shows and films feature fat characters that get cast or suited-up for laughs (e.g. Monica from friends in her fat suit) how are the 20% of obese people (here in the UK, and 32% in the US) supposed to feel?
So, why aren't I casting my lot in with the fat acceptance movement? I have thought about it. And I envy people who are able to accept their fat, or at least decide to work their way towards accepting it. But I know that for me, it would be a lie. I don't accept being overweight, and I don't like it. I have been overweight, I have lost the extra pounds and regained them. I hate yoyo dieting. This blog is about ending that. I am not clear I will succeed for good. After all 95% of dieters have a relapse. BUT I feel I have to try because I don't like the alternative.
Also, if I were to move towards accepting my fat I am not sure I would be able to be healthy at any size. It is fighting the flab and maintaining any loss that stops me from being the carb-monster. As much as I appreciate that fat acceptance is about freeing yourself from this hyped-up dieting spiral, it is not something I feel I can do. I would like to think this opinion covers only me, but I'm as guilty of the next person in making a snap judgement about someone because of their size.
This is not to say I am anti-fat acceptance. On one level I kind of envy that level of self-belief. Anyone being happy with their size is great in my opinion. Although, having said that, there are possibly limits. I think deliberately getting larger and larger is sort of worrying. In this case a woman is deliberately trying to reach 1000lbs. Her husband's encouragement seems troubling to me. If someone's partner was encouraging them to get thinner and thinner to the point of anorexia it would be equally troubling, but because she is large I feel I should censor myself.
What about you? Anyone out there consider themselves part of the fat acceptance movement? And can you be a slim fat activist?
Edited to say: I just realised that Fatshionista's logo features a plump cat - the choice of the photo above was accidental, or subliminal because I was thinking about it. Either way it is a homage, not a copy. Also cats are brilliant.
Part of the reason so many people want to lose weight, I think, is because of this judgement that they would make of others, and are aware of others making of them. Even though I had a thyroid problem, and so knew first-hand that for some people weight gain is not the result of endless sofa-bound eating, I still had that knee-jerk reaction about myself and others.
Anyway, the reason I am blathering about this is because I have recently been reading Fatshionista which often touches on fat acceptance, as well as great fashion.
But for the first time I understood that Fat Acceptance was about more than just not berating yourself about the extra pounds. There is no one definition, but fat acceptance includes the idea of being healthy at any size, like eating right and exercising. When I think of my insane yoyo dieting and some of the dumber diets I have tried, this is an appealing and sensible idea. It is also about doctors not seeing the health problems of the overweight as all linked to their size - which is something I have experienced.
Perhaps most importantly, fat acceptance makes the case that discrimination against overweight people should end. Sometimes, especially watching some comedy shows, it feels like larger people are the last group that people can laugh at without feeling guilty. Which strikes me as odd. When shows and films feature fat characters that get cast or suited-up for laughs (e.g. Monica from friends in her fat suit) how are the 20% of obese people (here in the UK, and 32% in the US) supposed to feel?
So, why aren't I casting my lot in with the fat acceptance movement? I have thought about it. And I envy people who are able to accept their fat, or at least decide to work their way towards accepting it. But I know that for me, it would be a lie. I don't accept being overweight, and I don't like it. I have been overweight, I have lost the extra pounds and regained them. I hate yoyo dieting. This blog is about ending that. I am not clear I will succeed for good. After all 95% of dieters have a relapse. BUT I feel I have to try because I don't like the alternative.
Also, if I were to move towards accepting my fat I am not sure I would be able to be healthy at any size. It is fighting the flab and maintaining any loss that stops me from being the carb-monster. As much as I appreciate that fat acceptance is about freeing yourself from this hyped-up dieting spiral, it is not something I feel I can do. I would like to think this opinion covers only me, but I'm as guilty of the next person in making a snap judgement about someone because of their size.
This is not to say I am anti-fat acceptance. On one level I kind of envy that level of self-belief. Anyone being happy with their size is great in my opinion. Although, having said that, there are possibly limits. I think deliberately getting larger and larger is sort of worrying. In this case a woman is deliberately trying to reach 1000lbs. Her husband's encouragement seems troubling to me. If someone's partner was encouraging them to get thinner and thinner to the point of anorexia it would be equally troubling, but because she is large I feel I should censor myself.
What about you? Anyone out there consider themselves part of the fat acceptance movement? And can you be a slim fat activist?
Edited to say: I just realised that Fatshionista's logo features a plump cat - the choice of the photo above was accidental, or subliminal because I was thinking about it. Either way it is a homage, not a copy. Also cats are brilliant.
Monday, 22 March 2010
Talking Myself Down from the Ledge
It's day three of eating primal, just after lunch. And the cravings have hit. HARD. All I can think about is my poison of choice - Cadburys Dairy Milk with hazelnuts. Last week when the carb carzy was in full swing I ate 250g family size bar a DAY.
When I did Atkins the first nine meals were generally enough to get me into ketosis and start to stop cravings. I am a bit worried that with the Primal Blueprint, with more carbs including fruit, that cravings will stick around longer.
So I'm posting here to set myself up with some accountability. The longer I do this the less of a probablem these cravings will be. I know this, but yet my brain is screaming at me to eat something sugary - like the Dairy Milk. I don't have any, but I do have some old orange marmalade in a cupboard which would go great on some hot buttered toast with a cup of tea.
I will not give in!
Having said that any ideas for tackling cravings gratefully recieved!
When I did Atkins the first nine meals were generally enough to get me into ketosis and start to stop cravings. I am a bit worried that with the Primal Blueprint, with more carbs including fruit, that cravings will stick around longer.
So I'm posting here to set myself up with some accountability. The longer I do this the less of a probablem these cravings will be. I know this, but yet my brain is screaming at me to eat something sugary - like the Dairy Milk. I don't have any, but I do have some old orange marmalade in a cupboard which would go great on some hot buttered toast with a cup of tea.
I will not give in!
Having said that any ideas for tackling cravings gratefully recieved!
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