There's a current "funny" going around on facebook -- "i hesitate to ask anymore how dumb people can be, because some seem to see it as a challenge" or words to that effect. But it's still a valid question!
I'm reading a very intelligent treatise on the role of food intolerance on CFS/ME, and after implying that the more perfectly people follow a diet designed to minimize known food intolerances, the better they feel, the article goes on to say that they hesitate to recommend this kind of avoidance technique! It seems that patients consider this healthful practice onerous, difficult and burdensome -- awwwww, poor things.... You CAN get significant improvement of life-limiting illness, but you're actually going to have to give up your favorite toxin!
What's the deal, here??? Is it THAT traumatic to dump wheat, or dairy, or chocolate, or whatever, in order to GET YOUR LIFE BACK?
This viewpoint points out some really screwed-up priorities! YES, you're going to have to think and plan ahead. Yes, you'll have to forgo some goodies MOST OF THE TIME (experience seems to point out that, once identified, trouble foods can be used on an extremely rare basis once the body has done some healing and the reaction threshold is lower). Yes, you WILL have to exercise a certain amount of "won't-power."
There is no free lunch when it comes to wellness. A few people (especially the young) can eat, drink and do whatever they want without noticing deleterious effects, but that doesn't apply to the majority of us, especially aging women. I'm willing to trade regular high-histamine foods in my diet (yes, even wine) for increased well-being! I'd rather be OFF misery-inducing treats than ON side-effect-producing pharmaceuticals! ... How about you?
Showing posts with label willpower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label willpower. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Thursday, October 11, 2012
"gateway drug ... to CARBS"
:-) I changed the emphasis in this quote a bit, for dramatic effect. Unless i'm much mistaken, it needs to be attributed to Dr. Mike Eades. I made note of it when i first read the words, as important to the scheme of things in my life.
The gateway drug to carbs is ALCOHOL.
I'm not sure of what all the mechanism includes, but part of it is simple disinhibition. The fact is so well-impressed upon my brain, it isn't easy to sneak up on me with forbidden temptations but i can rationalize to myself under the influence of a couple of glasses, and give myself permission to eat questionable things. Sometimes -- not often, thank heavens -- the things are downright, unquestionably WRONG for me.
And THIS is the best reason to keep "bad" foods OUT of the house. Who knows what dark mood, bad event, or simple "liquid overindulgence" might trigger a run for the cheetos? If they ain't there, it's easier to avoid them.
Yesterday, the shipment from the Concannon wine club arrived, and i had to open a bottle to make sure it shipped all right. ;-) Two glasses in, a pizza sure would have tasted good, but i was too strong to be tempted to order one. The stash of hotel popcorn that i'll be taking to Texas with me, later this month, was less resistable. At least it had palm oil instead of hearthealthypolyunsaturates....
The gateway drug to carbs is ALCOHOL.
I'm not sure of what all the mechanism includes, but part of it is simple disinhibition. The fact is so well-impressed upon my brain, it isn't easy to sneak up on me with forbidden temptations but i can rationalize to myself under the influence of a couple of glasses, and give myself permission to eat questionable things. Sometimes -- not often, thank heavens -- the things are downright, unquestionably WRONG for me.
And THIS is the best reason to keep "bad" foods OUT of the house. Who knows what dark mood, bad event, or simple "liquid overindulgence" might trigger a run for the cheetos? If they ain't there, it's easier to avoid them.
Yesterday, the shipment from the Concannon wine club arrived, and i had to open a bottle to make sure it shipped all right. ;-) Two glasses in, a pizza sure would have tasted good, but i was too strong to be tempted to order one. The stash of hotel popcorn that i'll be taking to Texas with me, later this month, was less resistable. At least it had palm oil instead of hearthealthypolyunsaturates....
Friday, September 14, 2012
another reason people love ELMM
...Not only is it SIMPLE and intuitive, ELMM provides self-aggrandizement to those who flock to its banners.
I was just reading Dr. Sharma's post for today, and it hit me: it's all about oneupsmanship! ***I*** am not overweight and you are, therefore ***I*** am a better person because ***I*** control my appetite and have the WILLPOWER to get off my butt and EXERCISE!
Now, THIS is not an original idea, but rather sad; an awful lot of people have been so misled by modern entertainment and pop-psychology that they feel they have to be special somehow, and the best way to do that is to make somebody else "lesser." It's finally considered uncivilized to do this in an across-the-board fashion with race, "handicap" and gender, but those with a high-school-level brain (whether or not they have their PhDs) still bolster their self-importance by means of artificial logical arguments ... like ELMM.
(So how do i explain those who insist on the relevance of ELMM, but are still overweight? Hmmmm....)
;-)
I was just reading Dr. Sharma's post for today, and it hit me: it's all about oneupsmanship! ***I*** am not overweight and you are, therefore ***I*** am a better person because ***I*** control my appetite and have the WILLPOWER to get off my butt and EXERCISE!
Now, THIS is not an original idea, but rather sad; an awful lot of people have been so misled by modern entertainment and pop-psychology that they feel they have to be special somehow, and the best way to do that is to make somebody else "lesser." It's finally considered uncivilized to do this in an across-the-board fashion with race, "handicap" and gender, but those with a high-school-level brain (whether or not they have their PhDs) still bolster their self-importance by means of artificial logical arguments ... like ELMM.
(So how do i explain those who insist on the relevance of ELMM, but are still overweight? Hmmmm....)
;-)
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
another milestone
I just "ran" up the stairs for the first time in months. :-D I confess -- there wasn't as much bounce in my bound as there was before i hurt my knee last winter, but the point is, i FELT like running up the stairs and i made it up them in fewer seconds than usual.
Tyrosine, i sing thy praises! I'm taking a gram every morning, and another half in the early afternoon. It's probably sharing the glory for my excellent fat-burning these days with carnitine, but the energy and verve i credit principally to the T.
And we know that when our energetic systems are working properly we WANT to move. I'm coming to believe that the laws of physics need just as much paraphrasing as those of thermodynamics, when it comes to biological applications -- you know, the one that says "a body at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force" is the one i mean. Uh, it ain't outside. And the "inside force" that's inclining me to move more nowadays isn't the force of my will.
Tyrosine, i sing thy praises! I'm taking a gram every morning, and another half in the early afternoon. It's probably sharing the glory for my excellent fat-burning these days with carnitine, but the energy and verve i credit principally to the T.
And we know that when our energetic systems are working properly we WANT to move. I'm coming to believe that the laws of physics need just as much paraphrasing as those of thermodynamics, when it comes to biological applications -- you know, the one that says "a body at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force" is the one i mean. Uh, it ain't outside. And the "inside force" that's inclining me to move more nowadays isn't the force of my will.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
"i don't" eat cake
I disagreed with Dr. Freedhoff's column today, in a minor way. Of course, being a person prone to fattening most of my life, my point of view is different from his, as a practicing physician.
He deals with people with a WIDE variety of problems and personalities, i'm sure. As a result, he has to approach each new problem in a what-works-for-the-mean fashion, and then refine the treatment depending upon the reaction of the patient. I COULD be right in the middle of the pack and respond typically, but i rather suspect i'd be more of an outlier, and in that case, the "right" approach/treatment would be all wrong. This goes for the psychology of dietary change as well as the physical aspects of it.
In his posting, Freedhoff says, "my issue is whether or not blind restriction is a sustainable long term strategy. My experience says that it isn't, and that blind restriction, the belief that if you're trying to manage weight or live healthfully you simply can't (or don't) eat nutritionally bereft but hedonically wonderful foods, is one of the reasons so many dieters ultimately fail."
My point is, when most people change their eating habits in order to lose weight, they're not thinking "i'm going to eat like this for the rest of my life" (even if they ought to). They're living life in a day-to-day manner, wondering if they can hang in there, wondering if they'll actually take off a significant amount of fat THIS time, and dealing with all kinds of derailing surprises, pleasant and unpleasant. The last thing in the world they need to think about is, am i going to be content doing without foodstuffofchoice when i'm 70?
When people are dealing with food restrictions TODAY, they need tools that will help get them THROUGH today without undue hunger and stress, in such a way that the diet isn't ruined. Tools like ... foods that are pleasant and satiating enough though "innocent," until their bodies unlearn the bad habits that got them to this point in the first place. Tools like ... tested ways to beat stress. Tools like sleep and metabolic-flexibility-promoting exercise and truly useful supplements. Tools like mental habits that encourage one to take the dietary high road.
In that vein "i don't" eat grains, or sugars, or a lot of other things. This is not to say i NEVER have them these days, or that i never will again. I just DON'T, as a generality; it makes things easier. Like what i said before about stubbornness=willpower. My choice. Eating the Italian bread on the table while waiting for the saltimbocca to come? I don't eat bread -- no decision necessary.
So if you're in the doc's position, you may need to strategise like a general planning a campaign -- looking down the road and thinking "we must not allow the troops to feel hopeless, even though it doesn't look very encouraging." Those troops in the trenches though -- eating their k-rations and worrying about going over the top later -- need to be able to say, "today, 'i don't' eat cake ... but i will when i go on leave."
He deals with people with a WIDE variety of problems and personalities, i'm sure. As a result, he has to approach each new problem in a what-works-for-the-mean fashion, and then refine the treatment depending upon the reaction of the patient. I COULD be right in the middle of the pack and respond typically, but i rather suspect i'd be more of an outlier, and in that case, the "right" approach/treatment would be all wrong. This goes for the psychology of dietary change as well as the physical aspects of it.
In his posting, Freedhoff says, "my issue is whether or not blind restriction is a sustainable long term strategy. My experience says that it isn't, and that blind restriction, the belief that if you're trying to manage weight or live healthfully you simply can't (or don't) eat nutritionally bereft but hedonically wonderful foods, is one of the reasons so many dieters ultimately fail."
My point is, when most people change their eating habits in order to lose weight, they're not thinking "i'm going to eat like this for the rest of my life" (even if they ought to). They're living life in a day-to-day manner, wondering if they can hang in there, wondering if they'll actually take off a significant amount of fat THIS time, and dealing with all kinds of derailing surprises, pleasant and unpleasant. The last thing in the world they need to think about is, am i going to be content doing without foodstuffofchoice when i'm 70?
When people are dealing with food restrictions TODAY, they need tools that will help get them THROUGH today without undue hunger and stress, in such a way that the diet isn't ruined. Tools like ... foods that are pleasant and satiating enough though "innocent," until their bodies unlearn the bad habits that got them to this point in the first place. Tools like ... tested ways to beat stress. Tools like sleep and metabolic-flexibility-promoting exercise and truly useful supplements. Tools like mental habits that encourage one to take the dietary high road.
In that vein "i don't" eat grains, or sugars, or a lot of other things. This is not to say i NEVER have them these days, or that i never will again. I just DON'T, as a generality; it makes things easier. Like what i said before about stubbornness=willpower. My choice. Eating the Italian bread on the table while waiting for the saltimbocca to come? I don't eat bread -- no decision necessary.
So if you're in the doc's position, you may need to strategise like a general planning a campaign -- looking down the road and thinking "we must not allow the troops to feel hopeless, even though it doesn't look very encouraging." Those troops in the trenches though -- eating their k-rations and worrying about going over the top later -- need to be able to say, "today, 'i don't' eat cake ... but i will when i go on leave."
Saturday, June 2, 2012
breaking news: bad diet promotes ... bad diet!
I've been having car trouble, far from home. The good news is, of course, that if i'm going to be STUCK far from home, my daughter's house is the best place to do it. On the other hand, with the holiday atmosphere going on right now (the school year having ended yesterday and my husband around all week), the calm atmosphere dear to my soul has been non-existent. I've been eating crunchy things, a horrible temptation i have when frustrated.
There's a new baby elephant in the room. I guess i have to experience difficulties of the present kind to help keep me humble, because this is something i would NEVER have expected to happen.
My brain isn't working right. My mood is "off," too. My body is uncomfortable. I'm whining....
I KNOW i need to go back to a clean diet and i'll feel much better, but my motivation is in the basement ... or would be, if there WERE a basement here. It's kinda like in a monster movie, when a character knows s/he is turning into a badguy and doesn't want to do it, but can't stop the process. I'm sure my regular readers are familiar with the study in which a prison population was randomized and given a vitamin or not: micronutrients were found to significantly affect behavior. Is the sneaking "creep" of antinutrients in a restaurant diet (even in GOOD restaurants) stealing away my brain- as well as my will-power?
Kinda looks like it, doesn't it? D'ya ever see the sad-looking person at the next table with a plateful of pasta or big ol' sandwich that's mostly bread, and you want to say, "For heaven's sake, throw that away and get yourself a STEAK!" It's not as easy for them as it would be for us; they've been brainwashed by their very diets. They're zombies. They're Indiana Jones before Short Round poked him in the belly with the torch.
Ouch. I'm okay now. But now i have to exert the self-discipline which gets me back onto the correct path. I can do it.
There's a new baby elephant in the room. I guess i have to experience difficulties of the present kind to help keep me humble, because this is something i would NEVER have expected to happen.
My brain isn't working right. My mood is "off," too. My body is uncomfortable. I'm whining....
I KNOW i need to go back to a clean diet and i'll feel much better, but my motivation is in the basement ... or would be, if there WERE a basement here. It's kinda like in a monster movie, when a character knows s/he is turning into a badguy and doesn't want to do it, but can't stop the process. I'm sure my regular readers are familiar with the study in which a prison population was randomized and given a vitamin or not: micronutrients were found to significantly affect behavior. Is the sneaking "creep" of antinutrients in a restaurant diet (even in GOOD restaurants) stealing away my brain- as well as my will-power?
Kinda looks like it, doesn't it? D'ya ever see the sad-looking person at the next table with a plateful of pasta or big ol' sandwich that's mostly bread, and you want to say, "For heaven's sake, throw that away and get yourself a STEAK!" It's not as easy for them as it would be for us; they've been brainwashed by their very diets. They're zombies. They're Indiana Jones before Short Round poked him in the belly with the torch.
Ouch. I'm okay now. But now i have to exert the self-discipline which gets me back onto the correct path. I can do it.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
back in the saddle
Okay: i'm fired up to start being perfect again! :-)
It's SO easy to eat and sleep the way i should when i'm by myself ... it makes me feel guilty! Selfish. When others are around, even my husband who is supportive of my choices, i frequently sabotage my ideal diet. THAT is my weakness, MY failure of willpower.
Every failure, though, is a learning experience. What i learned on this last trip is that even though i know where to go and what to order in restaurants to get a low-carb meal, i have to be careful to get a large enough serving of protein, and i need to ask for butter to augment the usually-low fat content of commercially-available meat. I would have thought that i'd learned that before, but it took the Strong Medicine regimen to teach me what satiation properly feels like. Red-meat protein and saturated fat. Period.
The fact that i can SENSE additive ingredients in certain meat products is a clue to how i should order meals. I have to ASSUME that even a hamburger in a respectable restaurant is going to contain more carbs than one i make at home, and reduce vegetables in my diet accordingly. ASSUME that bacon will be sugar-cured (ditto for ham), and that "cheese" won't be like the stuff i choose at the grocery. ASSUME that the seasoning on a steak will contain suspicious ingredients, and the steak itself will be "select" grade*, rather than "choice." ASSUME that the olive oil EVEN IN SUPERIOR RESTAURANTS will actually be a blend. Disgusting but true. :-(
On the road, i'm going to have to assume that they're sneaking carbs into me, so the only way to be truly LCHF is to order like a ZC.
_____
* it's an interesting thing that, when i was in college taking animal-science classes, the grade which is now "select" used to be called just "good." the low-fat propaganda caused the industry to redefine its terms. "good" just doesn't sound good ENOUGH. :-P
It's SO easy to eat and sleep the way i should when i'm by myself ... it makes me feel guilty! Selfish. When others are around, even my husband who is supportive of my choices, i frequently sabotage my ideal diet. THAT is my weakness, MY failure of willpower.
Every failure, though, is a learning experience. What i learned on this last trip is that even though i know where to go and what to order in restaurants to get a low-carb meal, i have to be careful to get a large enough serving of protein, and i need to ask for butter to augment the usually-low fat content of commercially-available meat. I would have thought that i'd learned that before, but it took the Strong Medicine regimen to teach me what satiation properly feels like. Red-meat protein and saturated fat. Period.
The fact that i can SENSE additive ingredients in certain meat products is a clue to how i should order meals. I have to ASSUME that even a hamburger in a respectable restaurant is going to contain more carbs than one i make at home, and reduce vegetables in my diet accordingly. ASSUME that bacon will be sugar-cured (ditto for ham), and that "cheese" won't be like the stuff i choose at the grocery. ASSUME that the seasoning on a steak will contain suspicious ingredients, and the steak itself will be "select" grade*, rather than "choice." ASSUME that the olive oil EVEN IN SUPERIOR RESTAURANTS will actually be a blend. Disgusting but true. :-(
On the road, i'm going to have to assume that they're sneaking carbs into me, so the only way to be truly LCHF is to order like a ZC.
_____
* it's an interesting thing that, when i was in college taking animal-science classes, the grade which is now "select" used to be called just "good." the low-fat propaganda caused the industry to redefine its terms. "good" just doesn't sound good ENOUGH. :-P
Monday, March 26, 2012
Monday, Monday
...and the paleoblogosphere has been DULL recently! I usually find something to write about easily, inspired by either the brilliance or idiocy of things i've been reading elsewhere, but not this week. The most stimulating material i've seen are rants, and i'm not very good at responding to those. Blame the Mercury Retrograde? :-)
Weight loss stalled last week, too.
There comes a time in every human enterprise, when things just seem to bog down. Like trying to run in a nightmare, you can't seem to get any traction, and the monster behind you gets closer and closer.... It happens after you start a new job or hobby; you've learned the basics, the shine of novelty is dimmed, and it's time to buckle down to the grunt-work. It DEFINITELY shows its face, in every dietary plan i've ever utilized.
It's easy to backslide at this point. Take a "vacation," and the next thing you know you've regained the last five pounds, and what you had to do to get rid of THOSE doesn't work anymore. Resign yourself to always being a butterball, or treat yourself to a goodie you've been fantasizing about, and say you'll get strict next week? NO. You can't let intellectual or dietary boredom derail you. Ground lost may never be regained, at this time in our lives. This is one of those moments when you HAVE to dig in your heels, refuse to wimp out, slog on through.
You need to have a fallback strategy -- something that you know will inspire and encourage you. The first thing that always comes to mind, for me, is watching movies in which the hero conquers her/his own demons to succeed, like "Aliens" or "The Goonies" -- just make sure it's a movie that doesn't require popcorn consumption. ;-) Go outdoors and do light work in the garden, so that it'll be more of a "break" than a chore. Search out a restaurant like those Brazilian grill types that became popular a decade ago, where you can get a carnivore's feast on a day you don't feel like cooking, yourself. Do something you know you're damned good at, no matter how "silly" (a favorite of mine is Freecell, in which almost every game is winnable -- and i have to figure out HOW).
I will quote Jack Lemmon, quoting Billy Wilder: "You're as good as the best thing you've ever done." [Assignment: memorize this.]
You ARE.
Weight loss stalled last week, too.
There comes a time in every human enterprise, when things just seem to bog down. Like trying to run in a nightmare, you can't seem to get any traction, and the monster behind you gets closer and closer.... It happens after you start a new job or hobby; you've learned the basics, the shine of novelty is dimmed, and it's time to buckle down to the grunt-work. It DEFINITELY shows its face, in every dietary plan i've ever utilized.
It's easy to backslide at this point. Take a "vacation," and the next thing you know you've regained the last five pounds, and what you had to do to get rid of THOSE doesn't work anymore. Resign yourself to always being a butterball, or treat yourself to a goodie you've been fantasizing about, and say you'll get strict next week? NO. You can't let intellectual or dietary boredom derail you. Ground lost may never be regained, at this time in our lives. This is one of those moments when you HAVE to dig in your heels, refuse to wimp out, slog on through.
You need to have a fallback strategy -- something that you know will inspire and encourage you. The first thing that always comes to mind, for me, is watching movies in which the hero conquers her/his own demons to succeed, like "Aliens" or "The Goonies" -- just make sure it's a movie that doesn't require popcorn consumption. ;-) Go outdoors and do light work in the garden, so that it'll be more of a "break" than a chore. Search out a restaurant like those Brazilian grill types that became popular a decade ago, where you can get a carnivore's feast on a day you don't feel like cooking, yourself. Do something you know you're damned good at, no matter how "silly" (a favorite of mine is Freecell, in which almost every game is winnable -- and i have to figure out HOW).
I will quote Jack Lemmon, quoting Billy Wilder: "You're as good as the best thing you've ever done." [Assignment: memorize this.]
You ARE.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
slippery slopes
Since the time i began eliminating "neolithic" foods from my diet, any try at reintroducing them illustrates to me how bad i feel under their influence, and how addictive my body finds them. Small servings of certain carbohydrates fuel a strong desire for more (this might be why: http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/search/label/Fiaf%20%282%29%20starving%20amidst%20plenty).
Yesterday morning, i felt stressed -- bad starting point. I suspect that the circumstances (workman coming to fix my security system for heaven-knows-how-long, as well as wondering how extensive the damage was going to be) were exacerbated by the damp weather. Humidity can help to set off allergic issues even worse for people who are inclined to mold sensitivity and candida overgrowth. Even though my diet is low in the things that encourage candida, i'm VERY sensitive to mold. Therefore, deciding to have a little hot sake with my lunch was an error in judgement.
One of the things your gut bacteria can do is turn carbohydrates to alcohol and send them racing into your bloodstream. Four ounces of sake added to the self-produced alcohol created a minor buzz completely out of proportion with the actual amount i drank. I decided to have a handful of macadamias, too.
Later, i felt a sugar craving -- highly unusual with me. I retrieved an almost-forgotten stash of SUGAR-FREE jelly beans, and had a couple of tablespoonsful. It was hard to stop there, but i did.
I ended up at many more carb-grams (and a few more total calories) than are common for me, at the end of the day. The polyol-induced gas i endured as a fitting "reward" for my indulgence. This story could be part of a modern Aesop collection, because the moral is so blatant:
Physical and mental stressors incline one to do things that are counter-productive to wellbeing. THIS is one of the times to dig in your heels, and resist a single step down this road, because there are too many forces working together to sweep your feet completely out from under you, and carry you to entirely undesirable destinations.
Yesterday morning, i felt stressed -- bad starting point. I suspect that the circumstances (workman coming to fix my security system for heaven-knows-how-long, as well as wondering how extensive the damage was going to be) were exacerbated by the damp weather. Humidity can help to set off allergic issues even worse for people who are inclined to mold sensitivity and candida overgrowth. Even though my diet is low in the things that encourage candida, i'm VERY sensitive to mold. Therefore, deciding to have a little hot sake with my lunch was an error in judgement.
One of the things your gut bacteria can do is turn carbohydrates to alcohol and send them racing into your bloodstream. Four ounces of sake added to the self-produced alcohol created a minor buzz completely out of proportion with the actual amount i drank. I decided to have a handful of macadamias, too.
Later, i felt a sugar craving -- highly unusual with me. I retrieved an almost-forgotten stash of SUGAR-FREE jelly beans, and had a couple of tablespoonsful. It was hard to stop there, but i did.
I ended up at many more carb-grams (and a few more total calories) than are common for me, at the end of the day. The polyol-induced gas i endured as a fitting "reward" for my indulgence. This story could be part of a modern Aesop collection, because the moral is so blatant:
Physical and mental stressors incline one to do things that are counter-productive to wellbeing. THIS is one of the times to dig in your heels, and resist a single step down this road, because there are too many forces working together to sweep your feet completely out from under you, and carry you to entirely undesirable destinations.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
more on willpower
If you haven't read the gnolls.com references in my other "willpower post," i entreat you to do so! Don't torture yourself the way western society would have you do it!
It's all about stubbornness ... and brain chemicals.
I was just looking at some early postings on blogs i recently discovered. Rarely ever suffering food cravings anymore myself, i realize how lucky i am; a lot of people struggle with them often. They have my deep and sincere sympathy!
Time was, i did have cravings. The difference between *now* and *then* is, 1) i'm customarily eating a very-low-carb diet, so my blood sugar is as steady as a rock; 2) the high-good-fat-adequate-protein content of it keeps me well satiated; 3) i've tweaked my vitamin/mineral intake through foods and supplements to the point that i believe i'm deeply nourished.
Not only does my body seem happy with the way i'm fueling it -- i see that eating this way is beneficial for my mood and cognition. I'm more cheerful, less anxious and defensive, and increasingly "strong" and determined; it's been clearly noticeable for weeks. I don't know EXACTLY what's going right, but i'm grateful for it.
Believing as i do that "overeating" is partially driven by malnutrition, I have to wonder if people who decry their own "lack of willpower" aren't short of some nutrient they need....
It's all about stubbornness ... and brain chemicals.
I was just looking at some early postings on blogs i recently discovered. Rarely ever suffering food cravings anymore myself, i realize how lucky i am; a lot of people struggle with them often. They have my deep and sincere sympathy!
Time was, i did have cravings. The difference between *now* and *then* is, 1) i'm customarily eating a very-low-carb diet, so my blood sugar is as steady as a rock; 2) the high-good-fat-adequate-protein content of it keeps me well satiated; 3) i've tweaked my vitamin/mineral intake through foods and supplements to the point that i believe i'm deeply nourished.
Not only does my body seem happy with the way i'm fueling it -- i see that eating this way is beneficial for my mood and cognition. I'm more cheerful, less anxious and defensive, and increasingly "strong" and determined; it's been clearly noticeable for weeks. I don't know EXACTLY what's going right, but i'm grateful for it.
Believing as i do that "overeating" is partially driven by malnutrition, I have to wonder if people who decry their own "lack of willpower" aren't short of some nutrient they need....
Thursday, February 16, 2012
on willpower
For decades, we were all told that the only thing we had to do was to eat a small amount of non-fattening foods and exercise like maniacs, and we WOULD be thin. When we were younger and our metabolisms more robust, it seemed to be true. With a little determination we could drop a few pounds pretty quickly, though when we stopped paying strict attention to what we were doing, those pounds returned rather fast.
As i approached literal "middle age" (half of the "threescore years and ten"), and weight loss was becoming more difficult, the low-fat paradigm took over and i naturally jumped on the pasta-wagon. And remember the "Rotation Diet," ladies? :-) "Eat to Win," if you participated in any sports? (I was a fencer in those days.) One lenten season, i vowed to keep my daily fat intake within 10 grams, and i managed to lose one pound per week, eating all i cared to. ...Trouble was, i was always unsatisfied on the low-fat regimen no matter how much i ate, and when weight loss stalled, i had no incentive to continue, so i never reached my goal.
Atkins was a blessing, because i was even older and harder to reduce, and on it, hunger no longer was a problem. Yes, weight loss stalled eventually, but it's easier to be "good" when you're not obsessing over food every waking hour. I "fell off" when my husband's job had me spending a goodly amount of time in New Orleans, where the food is HEAVENLY, and staying out of the french bread, Handgrenades and Hurricanes is darned difficult. OMG, how i LOVE NOLA!
Sounds like i've been digressing from my proclaimed topic, but no -- i just have a habit (a bad one, my husband thinks) of having to indulge in a lengthy prologue before i can get to my point.
What with all my diet "failures" and a lot of other things in my life, at which i haven't been as successful as i should like, i took society's judgement of people like myself and came to believe i had poor willpower. When the going gets tough ... Tess moves on to something else. In many respects, it HAS been true, but i've reassessed the subject in the recent past -- more on that later.
In one of J Stanton's articles in his OUTSTANDING series on hunger, he discusses willpower and what happens when you exercise it to limit eating. Not only is it highly stressful, therefore making one secrete extra cortisol and thereby inhibiting fat-burning, it also puts a drain on our blood glucose levels, and until those are normalized, willpower is lessened because we have less fuel on board to sustain it. Yes, you got it -- exercising willpower makes you more hungry and lessens your ability to exercise it some more! In this sense, exercise makes you weaker, not stronger. Read the article linked above -- it's excellent! His conclusion is that a successful weight-loss program must minimize the requirement of willpower, and i couldn't agree more, but that's not where i'm going with this....
If you've ever been accused of being stubborn, chances are you have all the willpower you need -- if you really value the goal you've set. When a cookie derails a person's low-carb or paleo diet attempts, that person doesn't want to be thin and healthy as much as s/he wants pleasure in the short term. It's natural in human beings and i'm not in any position to cast stones -- i cave in far too often, myself. But i no longer brand myself with the "lacking in willpower" label. I know better.
I engage my stubbornness (aka, WILL) when i want to accomplish something difficult or unpleasant. I say, "this is MY goal; screw the forces which try to derail or distract me. Temptation can't get the better of ME!" Here is where exercising willpower does make you stronger: you use your stubbornness to want an outcome greatly enough so that you override petty temptations. When the month of "being perfect" taught me how good i can feel without dairy, sweeteners and alcohol in my diet, it fueled me to want to feel that good some more (as well as continue losing weight and gaining health). My stubbornness is a match for the difficulties of the path. Hell, my stubbornnes is a match for just about anything if i get it wrought up enough.
As i approached literal "middle age" (half of the "threescore years and ten"), and weight loss was becoming more difficult, the low-fat paradigm took over and i naturally jumped on the pasta-wagon. And remember the "Rotation Diet," ladies? :-) "Eat to Win," if you participated in any sports? (I was a fencer in those days.) One lenten season, i vowed to keep my daily fat intake within 10 grams, and i managed to lose one pound per week, eating all i cared to. ...Trouble was, i was always unsatisfied on the low-fat regimen no matter how much i ate, and when weight loss stalled, i had no incentive to continue, so i never reached my goal.
Atkins was a blessing, because i was even older and harder to reduce, and on it, hunger no longer was a problem. Yes, weight loss stalled eventually, but it's easier to be "good" when you're not obsessing over food every waking hour. I "fell off" when my husband's job had me spending a goodly amount of time in New Orleans, where the food is HEAVENLY, and staying out of the french bread, Handgrenades and Hurricanes is darned difficult. OMG, how i LOVE NOLA!
Sounds like i've been digressing from my proclaimed topic, but no -- i just have a habit (a bad one, my husband thinks) of having to indulge in a lengthy prologue before i can get to my point.
What with all my diet "failures" and a lot of other things in my life, at which i haven't been as successful as i should like, i took society's judgement of people like myself and came to believe i had poor willpower. When the going gets tough ... Tess moves on to something else. In many respects, it HAS been true, but i've reassessed the subject in the recent past -- more on that later.
In one of J Stanton's articles in his OUTSTANDING series on hunger, he discusses willpower and what happens when you exercise it to limit eating. Not only is it highly stressful, therefore making one secrete extra cortisol and thereby inhibiting fat-burning, it also puts a drain on our blood glucose levels, and until those are normalized, willpower is lessened because we have less fuel on board to sustain it. Yes, you got it -- exercising willpower makes you more hungry and lessens your ability to exercise it some more! In this sense, exercise makes you weaker, not stronger. Read the article linked above -- it's excellent! His conclusion is that a successful weight-loss program must minimize the requirement of willpower, and i couldn't agree more, but that's not where i'm going with this....
If you've ever been accused of being stubborn, chances are you have all the willpower you need -- if you really value the goal you've set. When a cookie derails a person's low-carb or paleo diet attempts, that person doesn't want to be thin and healthy as much as s/he wants pleasure in the short term. It's natural in human beings and i'm not in any position to cast stones -- i cave in far too often, myself. But i no longer brand myself with the "lacking in willpower" label. I know better.
I engage my stubbornness (aka, WILL) when i want to accomplish something difficult or unpleasant. I say, "this is MY goal; screw the forces which try to derail or distract me. Temptation can't get the better of ME!" Here is where exercising willpower does make you stronger: you use your stubbornness to want an outcome greatly enough so that you override petty temptations. When the month of "being perfect" taught me how good i can feel without dairy, sweeteners and alcohol in my diet, it fueled me to want to feel that good some more (as well as continue losing weight and gaining health). My stubbornness is a match for the difficulties of the path. Hell, my stubbornnes is a match for just about anything if i get it wrought up enough.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
vacation laziness and temptation
I'm staying on the straight-and-narrow -- barely! :-)
It's only my second full day here at my daughter's house, and i ate some CIAB*! <gasp> Well, it was something i found at the grocery store, and since the ingredient list contained acceptable things, i decided to indulge (this IS a vacation after all...). Vegetable crisps cooked in palm oil, with a little sea salt. Not bad, but not luscious enough to be a danger.
We also went out for lunch, where i made up for the fact that i didn't bring along my copper supplements. A dozen oysters on the halfshell -- YUM --they just give me a glow of content.... I feel a LITTLE guilty about the blackened chicken breast on my mixed-greens salad (dressed with lime juice) -- but not much. Anything that was in the spice mixture which might have been questionable, was in very small quantity. In the morning i weigh in again, so the rest of today i'll be "good."
Tomorrow, i might be kinda bad. It'll be 28 days, not 30, but i MIGHT be adding something back into my diet. My daughter and i have a date with "the girls" for sushi (sashimi and seaweed salad for me), and under the circumstances, a glass of white wine may well be unavoidable. ;-) Not promising -- not even close to "decided" -- but MAYBE....
Then again, being on-a-roll is not something that i'm willing to sacrifice lightly. I've long considered it easier to be "perfect" than "moderate." We'll see.
*CIAB = "crap in a box/bag"
It's only my second full day here at my daughter's house, and i ate some CIAB*! <gasp> Well, it was something i found at the grocery store, and since the ingredient list contained acceptable things, i decided to indulge (this IS a vacation after all...). Vegetable crisps cooked in palm oil, with a little sea salt. Not bad, but not luscious enough to be a danger.
We also went out for lunch, where i made up for the fact that i didn't bring along my copper supplements. A dozen oysters on the halfshell -- YUM --they just give me a glow of content.... I feel a LITTLE guilty about the blackened chicken breast on my mixed-greens salad (dressed with lime juice) -- but not much. Anything that was in the spice mixture which might have been questionable, was in very small quantity. In the morning i weigh in again, so the rest of today i'll be "good."
Tomorrow, i might be kinda bad. It'll be 28 days, not 30, but i MIGHT be adding something back into my diet. My daughter and i have a date with "the girls" for sushi (sashimi and seaweed salad for me), and under the circumstances, a glass of white wine may well be unavoidable. ;-) Not promising -- not even close to "decided" -- but MAYBE....
Then again, being on-a-roll is not something that i'm willing to sacrifice lightly. I've long considered it easier to be "perfect" than "moderate." We'll see.
*CIAB = "crap in a box/bag"
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
three week point
...and the weigh-in was as bad as i expected it to be. Up 1.2# from last week, and i've been PERFECT. It's water -- there's no delusion about that part -- i can feel it all over my body. It's still discouraging, though.
This is where temptation creeps in. Not temptation to quit, but to TWEAK. I considered having today as a water-fast day, or a fat-fast, and not recording my weight till tomorrow. I considered dropping the coconut milk because of the big calorie load -- and i don't "believe in" calories! (That's a figurative expression, because of course they exist....) I was tempted to add in sucralose ahead of schedule, because i'm quite sure it has minimal impact on me; then i could drink tea instead of coffee (and i must have it sweet).
Time to get tough with myself. I'm going downstairs and make myself a big bacon-and-egg scramble. I'm not going to change a bloody thing. The coconut is IN, and two full meals a day are IN, and sucralose, nightshades, etc. are OUT. I'm GOING TO force myself to drink more water throughout the day (i thoroughly dislike water-chugging). The bad numbers are going in the record, and with any kind of luck, next week's will seem far more impressive than they would have looked otherwise.
This is where temptation creeps in. Not temptation to quit, but to TWEAK. I considered having today as a water-fast day, or a fat-fast, and not recording my weight till tomorrow. I considered dropping the coconut milk because of the big calorie load -- and i don't "believe in" calories! (That's a figurative expression, because of course they exist....) I was tempted to add in sucralose ahead of schedule, because i'm quite sure it has minimal impact on me; then i could drink tea instead of coffee (and i must have it sweet).
Time to get tough with myself. I'm going downstairs and make myself a big bacon-and-egg scramble. I'm not going to change a bloody thing. The coconut is IN, and two full meals a day are IN, and sucralose, nightshades, etc. are OUT. I'm GOING TO force myself to drink more water throughout the day (i thoroughly dislike water-chugging). The bad numbers are going in the record, and with any kind of luck, next week's will seem far more impressive than they would have looked otherwise.
Friday, January 20, 2012
hungry today!
I woke up with an appetite this morning, pretty much for the first time in MONTHS. Drat.
Two possible reasons leap to mind, and i'm praying it's not this one: my fat cells may be producing less leptin, and leptin (as we know) is the body's own appetite suppressant, the most important signal of energy repleteness. I didn't think this reaction set in till much later in the weight-loss war.... :-( When one loses fat weight, the cells get smaller and they secrete less of this precious hormone (because the fat mass is not inert flesh, as was the theory until very recently -- it is, in fact, your largest endocrine gland). Producing lots of leptin tells the brain that there's enough energy storage on board, thank you very much, and we don't need more.
When the quantity produced by the fat cells significantly decreases, the brain gets the notion that something may be wrong with the food supply; if there's going to be a shortage, we'd better ramp up appetite and store more if possible. THIS IS USUALLY WHY PEOPLE CAN'T KEEP DIETING INDEFINITELY -- they get unmanageably hungry, and the brain causes them to fixate on food. It has nothing to do with willpower -- this is how animals are hard-wired. In starvation (dieting), metabolic and brain changes are triggered, whose purpose in the world is Survival. This is NONCONTROVERSIAL -- how do you think the better research scientists have kept themselves busy recently? ;-)
The other most likely reason for my hunger this morning is the quality of my meals yesterday. There are plenty of animal studies which show that what you eat today influences what you want to eat tomorrow. I'm wondering now if the seafood chowder i had last night might have contained enough carbohydrates to start the blood-glucose-insulin-hypoglycemia-hunger roller-coaster. If so, i'll have to be more careful with that dish in future, which would be a pity because it was REALLY GOOD.
Although i was still in ketosis when i checked first thing today, i'm hoping it's the latter, because that's easily fixed: i eat plenty of good fats and moderate protein today and go light on the carbs, and my body happily continues burning fat and ketones as its main fuels.
Just in case, i'll knock back a couple of ounces of coconut oil later -- doesn't hurt to have the heavy-artillery of the weight-loss war on alert....
Two possible reasons leap to mind, and i'm praying it's not this one: my fat cells may be producing less leptin, and leptin (as we know) is the body's own appetite suppressant, the most important signal of energy repleteness. I didn't think this reaction set in till much later in the weight-loss war.... :-( When one loses fat weight, the cells get smaller and they secrete less of this precious hormone (because the fat mass is not inert flesh, as was the theory until very recently -- it is, in fact, your largest endocrine gland). Producing lots of leptin tells the brain that there's enough energy storage on board, thank you very much, and we don't need more.
When the quantity produced by the fat cells significantly decreases, the brain gets the notion that something may be wrong with the food supply; if there's going to be a shortage, we'd better ramp up appetite and store more if possible. THIS IS USUALLY WHY PEOPLE CAN'T KEEP DIETING INDEFINITELY -- they get unmanageably hungry, and the brain causes them to fixate on food. It has nothing to do with willpower -- this is how animals are hard-wired. In starvation (dieting), metabolic and brain changes are triggered, whose purpose in the world is Survival. This is NONCONTROVERSIAL -- how do you think the better research scientists have kept themselves busy recently? ;-)
The other most likely reason for my hunger this morning is the quality of my meals yesterday. There are plenty of animal studies which show that what you eat today influences what you want to eat tomorrow. I'm wondering now if the seafood chowder i had last night might have contained enough carbohydrates to start the blood-glucose-insulin-hypoglycemia-hunger roller-coaster. If so, i'll have to be more careful with that dish in future, which would be a pity because it was REALLY GOOD.
Although i was still in ketosis when i checked first thing today, i'm hoping it's the latter, because that's easily fixed: i eat plenty of good fats and moderate protein today and go light on the carbs, and my body happily continues burning fat and ketones as its main fuels.
Just in case, i'll knock back a couple of ounces of coconut oil later -- doesn't hurt to have the heavy-artillery of the weight-loss war on alert....
Thursday, January 19, 2012
celebrate
I love the Old Farmer's Almanac; i used to run out and buy it every fall when the new issue went on the news-stands, but in our wonderful* electronic age i can access its information with less trouble and clutter**. I also get their e-newsletter informing me of upcoming holidays, gardening advice, and recipe suggestions (largely useless for a low-carb "paleoid" like me).
OOOH! am i responsible for coining a definitive term? More excitement! ;-)
The newsletter i received yesterday reminded me that this coming Monday is Chinese New Year; in their words: "The new year is by far the most important festival of the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on the second new Moon after the winter solstice. The holiday is a time of renewal, with debts cleared, new clothes bought, shops and homes decorated, and families gathered for a reunion dinner. Chinese New Year is marked by fireworks, traditional lion dances, gift giving, and special foods."
I firmly believe in celebrating holidays, not least holidays which belong to other belief-systems and cultures. Most people, throughout history and all over the world, tend to celebrate the same basic archetypes, like "light is good" and "starting over gives you a new lease on life." Christmas, Diwali and Channukah (and, without doubt, countless more) are all "light" holidays. Rosh Hashanah (with Yom Kippur coming right before) and the Chinese New Year -- well, you can guess.... "Other people's holidays" give you a chance to realize the idea intrinsic to the holiday, without all the emotional baggage associated with your own.
I'll not be trite and talk about the usual New Year stuff -- i'll concentrate on the celebratory aspect.
Most people need more joy in their lives: it's the antidote to stress. What makes you happy? What do you enjoy DOING? Did you know that exercising in ways you don't like is stress-producing, and thus less effective than something you like? Did you know that exerting will-power in dieting is also stressful?
So FIND some joy! If your old/usual activities are tiresome and no longer exciting, try new things till one "clicks." Maybe you need a challenge. That's why i chose the new activity i did, because i knew it was outside my native skill-set. It makes me move (exercise) in a way that i have to THINK about -- therefore, it isn't mindless and boring, and distracts me from the amount of energy i'm exerting. And my instructor and fellow-students are friendly, supportive, FUN ladies -- the kind of people who don't bring you down.
Monday is the Chinese New Year -- celebrate it! I'm going to buy myself some new clothes, settle (emotional) debts (to myself), and find some traditional dishes that work with my PPC diet options. Too bad i'll have to miss the lion dance....
Happy Year of the Water Dragon, everyone!
*i mean this in the truly literal sense: full of wonders! :-)
**confessing "sins" again -- there are piles of books on most of the horizontal surfaces of my house.
OOOH! am i responsible for coining a definitive term? More excitement! ;-)
The newsletter i received yesterday reminded me that this coming Monday is Chinese New Year; in their words: "The new year is by far the most important festival of the Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated on the second new Moon after the winter solstice. The holiday is a time of renewal, with debts cleared, new clothes bought, shops and homes decorated, and families gathered for a reunion dinner. Chinese New Year is marked by fireworks, traditional lion dances, gift giving, and special foods."
I firmly believe in celebrating holidays, not least holidays which belong to other belief-systems and cultures. Most people, throughout history and all over the world, tend to celebrate the same basic archetypes, like "light is good" and "starting over gives you a new lease on life." Christmas, Diwali and Channukah (and, without doubt, countless more) are all "light" holidays. Rosh Hashanah (with Yom Kippur coming right before) and the Chinese New Year -- well, you can guess.... "Other people's holidays" give you a chance to realize the idea intrinsic to the holiday, without all the emotional baggage associated with your own.
I'll not be trite and talk about the usual New Year stuff -- i'll concentrate on the celebratory aspect.
Most people need more joy in their lives: it's the antidote to stress. What makes you happy? What do you enjoy DOING? Did you know that exercising in ways you don't like is stress-producing, and thus less effective than something you like? Did you know that exerting will-power in dieting is also stressful?
So FIND some joy! If your old/usual activities are tiresome and no longer exciting, try new things till one "clicks." Maybe you need a challenge. That's why i chose the new activity i did, because i knew it was outside my native skill-set. It makes me move (exercise) in a way that i have to THINK about -- therefore, it isn't mindless and boring, and distracts me from the amount of energy i'm exerting. And my instructor and fellow-students are friendly, supportive, FUN ladies -- the kind of people who don't bring you down.
Monday is the Chinese New Year -- celebrate it! I'm going to buy myself some new clothes, settle (emotional) debts (to myself), and find some traditional dishes that work with my PPC diet options. Too bad i'll have to miss the lion dance....
Happy Year of the Water Dragon, everyone!
*i mean this in the truly literal sense: full of wonders! :-)
**confessing "sins" again -- there are piles of books on most of the horizontal surfaces of my house.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
one week in, impressive progress
I woke early this morning, eager to enter my first week's results in the PPC's progress tracking tool. ...Earlier than i should, in fact -- i sat up WAY too late last night, writing (which is also going well, but i won't go into it here).
I couldn't be more pleased with my progress. I'm not eating a significant difference in number of calories, but a few staples of my ordinary diet have been pulled from under me by the strictness of this first phase of the Personal Paleo Code. Generous amounts of heavy cream and butter, and phases of home-made yogurt use were customary with me. Wine with meals, and the occasional not-sugary cocktail also fit into my idea of what the civilized bohemian should be drinking. I even decided it would be wise to cut the nightshades. Cheese, cream cheese, rice, stevia in my coffee, a couple of sucralose-sweetened sodas per week -- all banished. About four and a half pounds of "ugly fat"* have also been banished. In only one week.
Did i mention, i'm hypothyroid? It's BLOODY hard for me to lose weight, though when i first started Atkins i had this same sort of success. Trouble is, once you dump the worst dietary offenders (white flour, sugar, fruit juices) ... where do you go from there? Eliminating seed oils, when i first discovered paleo, and balancing omegas 3 and 6 only take you so far. Tweaking vitamin/mineral intakes, ditto. Add to that, the fact that i'm now considered to be "of a certain age," and no matter what anyone tells you about it being natural to get dumpy now, it's still not a good thing to do, for many reasons.
One gets in a pattern of eating "permissible" low-carb/paleo foods. Until and unless you steel yourself into a month of puritanical eating, you'll never know exactly which food is doing what to you. I can tell you, IT'S WORTH IT. It's a social pain-in-the-ass, and i'm lucky that my husband's business-trip was of long enough duration for me to be able to concentrate most of my attention on what i'm doing. ...Wait, maybe THAT had something to do with the stress-snacking urge i suffered the other day. Did the electrical outage distract me from my iron-backbone concentration? If so, it goes to show what conditioned behavior patterns do to you -- one major distraction, and it's back down the slippery slide....
Well, i have another 3+ weeks before i can even THINK of adding in some of my deletions. (Toward the end of that time, i have a major social event coming up; gotta consider it a challenge -- even a DARE -- and ramp up my "stubbornness response" to see it through.) The heady progress i've made this week won't last, i'm not fostering delusions about that. But the remaining signs of "physical degeneration" i've experienced, like my once-injured knee's tendency to arthritis pain, SHOULD also improve ... and i've yet to add in the REGULAR tabata sprints on the stationary bicycle.
"Ain't no stoppin' us now!"
* Reference to a very old joke: "wanna get rid of that ugly fat? divorce him!" Or "her", i guess. :-)
I couldn't be more pleased with my progress. I'm not eating a significant difference in number of calories, but a few staples of my ordinary diet have been pulled from under me by the strictness of this first phase of the Personal Paleo Code. Generous amounts of heavy cream and butter, and phases of home-made yogurt use were customary with me. Wine with meals, and the occasional not-sugary cocktail also fit into my idea of what the civilized bohemian should be drinking. I even decided it would be wise to cut the nightshades. Cheese, cream cheese, rice, stevia in my coffee, a couple of sucralose-sweetened sodas per week -- all banished. About four and a half pounds of "ugly fat"* have also been banished. In only one week.
Did i mention, i'm hypothyroid? It's BLOODY hard for me to lose weight, though when i first started Atkins i had this same sort of success. Trouble is, once you dump the worst dietary offenders (white flour, sugar, fruit juices) ... where do you go from there? Eliminating seed oils, when i first discovered paleo, and balancing omegas 3 and 6 only take you so far. Tweaking vitamin/mineral intakes, ditto. Add to that, the fact that i'm now considered to be "of a certain age," and no matter what anyone tells you about it being natural to get dumpy now, it's still not a good thing to do, for many reasons.
One gets in a pattern of eating "permissible" low-carb/paleo foods. Until and unless you steel yourself into a month of puritanical eating, you'll never know exactly which food is doing what to you. I can tell you, IT'S WORTH IT. It's a social pain-in-the-ass, and i'm lucky that my husband's business-trip was of long enough duration for me to be able to concentrate most of my attention on what i'm doing. ...Wait, maybe THAT had something to do with the stress-snacking urge i suffered the other day. Did the electrical outage distract me from my iron-backbone concentration? If so, it goes to show what conditioned behavior patterns do to you -- one major distraction, and it's back down the slippery slide....
Well, i have another 3+ weeks before i can even THINK of adding in some of my deletions. (Toward the end of that time, i have a major social event coming up; gotta consider it a challenge -- even a DARE -- and ramp up my "stubbornness response" to see it through.) The heady progress i've made this week won't last, i'm not fostering delusions about that. But the remaining signs of "physical degeneration" i've experienced, like my once-injured knee's tendency to arthritis pain, SHOULD also improve ... and i've yet to add in the REGULAR tabata sprints on the stationary bicycle.
"Ain't no stoppin' us now!"
* Reference to a very old joke: "wanna get rid of that ugly fat? divorce him!" Or "her", i guess. :-)
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