Alligatorob's Diary

I had been in a hurry when I read your post that included the story of Anpu & Bata. That is an amazing story!
 
It was a good day, ate well and I feel good. To be honest though I had to fight off some pretty fierce urges to eat, some of the worst yet. I managed by eating small snacks and trying to do something to take my mind off of them. For lunch and dinner I put a lot of Tabasco sauce on my food, that slows my eating and makes it feel like I am eating more than I am. I got through it and am fine now.

Cate had suggested jerky snacks a few weeks ago, so I ordered some. They are little silver dollar sized medallions of about 20 calories each. I liked them, unfortunately the grandkids liked them more, they didn't last. Just got a new supply today, I'll see how long these last.

Some of our peaches are starting to look ripe, but still feel pretty hard, some of the orchards in our neighborhood are starting to pick and sell peaches, it won't be long now.

Monday
breakfast yogurt 80
cereal 150
2 plums 60

snack 2 mandarin oranges 92

lunch
spaghetti with tomato sauce. and lots of Tabasco 201

snack
1/2 slim jim 45

dinner shrimp and bean noodle stuff with lots of Tabasco, calories off the package 370
jerky 20

nightcap
beer 156
jerky 20

total calories 1,194

The Yellow River in China underwent a major course change in 1194, moving its discharge over 200 miles to the south from the Bohai Sea to the Yellow Sea. There it remained for about 700 year, only returning to the Bohai Sea in the late 1800s. I don't know much about the Yellow River, but I do know the Mississippi, which changes its discharge to the Gulf of Mexico about every 500 years. Its been about that long since the last shift and were it not for the US Army Corps of Engineers the River would have shifted west almost as far, to the Atchafalaya River. Already a significant part of the Mississippi's flow goes down the Atchafalaya and its just a matter of time until the Corps' diversion structures fail and nature takes it course. That will by pass Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
 
Fascinating, about the big rivers (Australia doesn't really have any of those) changing course. Huge impacts on the populations concerned - of myth-founding proportions, I'd expect.
 
Melon a great snack when you need something too . And filling . Are you drinking water ? I think sometimes I'm thirsty maybe more then hungry
 
aiminglow said:
Fascinating, about the big rivers (Australia doesn't really have any of those) changing course. Huge impacts on the populations concerned - of myth-founding proportions, I'd expect.
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I don't Noah about that! Yes stories of floods are some of the most pervasive we have. The story of Noah is probably the oldest written story of any kind; early versions found on Cuneiform tablets dating back 4,000 to 5,000 years. Now a days we have things like the Banda Aceh tsunami and Hurricane Katrina.
 
Have you tried yogurt with the live cultures in it? It's high in protein and calcium and some studies show that it cuts cravings. I try drinking a lot of water and doing something active outside to distract myself and fill myself up if protein doesn't help. I also have berries or something with a little dark chocolate (I use unsweetened and make a shake with berries) if I have terrible sugar cravings and am about to cheat. I hope you find good healthy distractions!
 
alligatorob said:
Struggling with cravings again. I just ate a good lunch and my instincts were urging me to keep going. I am not hungry, but sure do want to eat.

Trying to find ways to divert my attention, like posting here.
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You can do this Rob. You’ve come too far to let cravings win.

They don’t last. Just immerse yourself in something else. Can you go for a walk?
 
Hi, Rob. Do you have the cravings after you have consumed starchy carbs? I do. Marsia's suggestion of yoghurt with the live cultures in it is a good one. Often after a very healthy, but light meal G & I both feel like a dessert (the fantasy is lemon meringue cheesecake) & have a small bowl of Greek-style yoghurt with some sort of fruit on it (berries or a half a banana) & that does the trick. The stomach & the brain are both satisfied.
 
Good for you for finding diversions! I expect the cravings have long since subsided (didn't someone say they only last about twenty minutes?) but if not - my answer is to go for something crunchy, such as a really good apple, or maybe celery, or good old carrots!
 
Thanks y'all I got though it, mostly just toughed it out. Posting here helped, I didn't want to have to report back with a binge, and all the advice and support helped me know others care what happens.

It got me thinking, not eating all I want has kind of left a hole in my life. I enjoyed overeating and have not found a replacement. The fun was not just in the eating, but in preparing and sharing large rich meals. I still do some of that, but I don't partake of much of the food. I am also seeing the same thing applies to alcohol consumption, my more frequent and higher volume nightcaps were fun. It made conversation or watching TV more enjoyable. I have not stopped drinking but my new lower consumption rate isn't as much fun and I've found no replacement. I suppose eating and drinking right will take more life adjustment than I had realized. I know finding a way through this will be for the best and make me a happier person. I am already happier most of the time, when I can feel the effects of losing weight, and a good feeling about being on the right track. But it doesn't replace everything, not the same as the rush of satisfying a primal urge to over indulge.

Oh well, enough complaining. In the end today was a good day, with the help of a bunch of you I fought off today's cravings and ate well. For dinner I did have one of those higher calorie things I have always liked, a sort of Dagwood sandwich made with eggplant and tomatoes from the garden. We just picked our first eggplant, got 3 good ones. When we lived in Florida we got lots of eggplant, more than we could eat and they were ripe and the plants productive for well over 6 months, 9 months for some varieties. Here it Utah the eggplants are not so happy, last year we got none, but this year we have a few. I just discovered that you can grow okra here, our neighbor has some, I was surprised. I always thought Okra took hot humid weather and a long growing season, but maybe not so much. Okra is a favorite of mine, will plant some next year.

Tuesday

breakfast
yogurt 80
cereal 100
blackberries 36

lunch - same as breakfast
yogurt 80
cereal 100
blackberries 36

snack
2 mandarin oranges 92

dinner - eggplant sandwich
eggplant from our garden 40
olive oil 40
breading 20
bacon 129
Gruyere cheese 174
dried tomatoes, from our garden, dried by my wife 30
hummus 45
pita bun 120

total calories 1,122

The Zhou dynasty was founded in 1122 BC, it lasted almost 800 years, the longest lasting dynasty in Chinese history. Zhou rulers introduced the concept of the "Mandate of Heaven", one of the most enduring political doctrines in East Asia. This Mandate of Heaven justified a lot of war, rape, and pillage, sounds a lot like the justification of Western rulers at that time and much later. I don't know a lot about Chinese history, but the more I read the more parallels I see to my own culture's history, the names and places are different, but the succession of bloody wars and war lords all justified by some self serving nationalist or religious theme sounds familiar. I guess we are lucky to live in more enlightened times, sometimes anyway.
 
Really glad you staved off the cravings and the eggplant Dagwood sandwhich sounds delectable! Wish we could grow eggplants. When we get a greenhouse, I am going to try.

I am a tea totaler, so my fattening drink I gave up was tea with honey and cream. I now make drinks that I can drink during my fasting times, and though they aren't as exciting, the ritual of making them and having them does help to make things nicer. When we go out as a family for dessert, for example, I just have a black tea or an unsweetened iced tea, and just enjoying something with everyone else make the time special. One thing I noticed is that ice really makes drinks fancier, so even bubbly water tastes more interesting with ice. And occasionally I do something special that is still fairly good for me, like juice a watermelon and add in some juiced limes for watermelon limeade. I used to grow wheatgrass and juice with with cucumber and that gives a good kick that makes me feel really good. Have to start doing that again! (Do I sound excessively Californian?!)
 
alligatorob said:
It got me thinking, not eating all I want has kind of left a hole in my life. I enjoyed overeating and have not found a replacement. The fun was not just in the eating, but in preparing and sharing large rich meals. I still do some of that, but I don't partake of much of the food. I am also seeing the same thing applies to alcohol consumption, my more frequent and higher volume nightcaps were fun. It made conversation or watching TV more enjoyable. I have not stopped drinking but my new lower consumption rate isn't as much fun and I've found no replacement. I suppose eating and drinking right will take more life adjustment than I had realized. I know finding a way through this will be for the best and make me a happier person. I am already happier most of the time, when I can feel the effects of losing weight, and a good feeling about being on the right track. But it doesn't replace everything, not the same as the rush of satisfying a primal urge to over indulge.
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That is SUCH an important realization (thank you for reminding me)! Taking away things from our diets will often make us feel deprived, especially if they´re things we have an emotional attachment to, so it´s really important to add in new things as well. Maybe you can have an internet hunt for fun, healthy drinks? Spicy teas, fresh herby lemonades? If, like Marsia said, you enjoy the process of preparing your meals/snacks you´re way ahead of everyone who (like me) just wants to grab something easy and stuff it down their throat.
 
alligatorob said:
It got me thinking, not eating all I want has kind of left a hole in my life. I enjoyed overeating and have not found a replacement. The fun was not just in the eating, but in preparing and sharing large rich meals. I still do some of that, but I don't partake of much of the food. I am also seeing the same thing applies to alcohol consumption, my more frequent and higher volume nightcaps were fun. It made conversation or watching TV more enjoyable. I have not stopped drinking but my new lower consumption rate isn't as much fun and I've found no replacement. I suppose eating and drinking right will take more life adjustment than I had realized. I know finding a way through this will be for the best and make me a happier person. I am already happier most of the time, when I can feel the effects of losing weight, and a good feeling about being on the right track. But it doesn't replace everything, not the same as the rush of satisfying a primal urge to over indulge.
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Snap. I feel a lot of those things (not the cooking part). Drinking in moderation is nowhere near as much fun, nor is worrying about calories all of the time. I think we both know what needs to be done & all the blah, blah, blah about alcohol, but some of us are different. Life to me is more fun with a few bubblies. Last night, if there had been a big bag of chocolates or fudge or anything disgustingly fattening & sweet in the house I think I would have eaten the lot. It's ok to rail against it all sometimes. I'm glad I didn't have anything here, nor did I have any wine as I knew I was just craving something to fill the void. We're mere mortals.
 
Rob it must have been a day for it as a lot of what you wrote ring true for me too. I had what I call a really hungry day yesterday. I did have some chicken when I got to the point I needed to eat. Went for a walk after and forgot about it then. I notice I have it maybe one day a week. There are some great tips here .

We call eggplant aubergine.
 
Rob, I feel like you’re talking directly to me. I got some form of satisfaction from overindulging, and it needed to be replaced with some other indulgence. For me, it was exercise. I get an incredible sense of well-being from a good workout. It’s as satisfying as a whole bowl of peanut butter :smilielol5:! Or pint of vodka. Seriously, I think the dopamine rush is real.

PS I highly recommend the coconut oil :biggrinjester:
 
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