making a belly change….

Hey all!!! OMG, so please don’t shoot me!! I have been SOOOO busy and have completely neglected my poor little blog.  NO MORE… i am back!!!!!

I will do a quick write up about what i’ve been up to in the last few months….

but here is my new blog on my belly change!

New food rules for me!! I have been STTRRUUUGGLING with too much food at dinner.  It’s almost 99% more psychological than anything and I am sabotaging all of my hard work.  I heard Trish Blackwell (Trishblackwell.com PS> AMAZING podcastS!) talk about this on her podcast and I’m going to put it into motion… along with all of my other food revisions as well!

Now I just need to plan out WHAT I’m going to eat!?? Lol!

AS SEEN ON TRISH BLACKWELL’S PODCAST!

• 3 Hour Rule
• 2^nd serving rule (small serving first)
• Small pleasures, don’t ever sacrifice a small indulgence.
• Use the “Hunger Scale:” Eat  consciously, checking in w/yourself before, during and after the meal, noticing how your body feels and how your mind feels (www.doctorjenn.com)
• Don’t engage in diet talk or behavior – See more at: http://www.trishblackwell.com/5-intuitive-eating/#sthash.UZFysw1m.dpuf

 HUNGER SCALE

0=starving

1=empty

2=ravenous

3=hungry

4=pangs of hunger

5=neutral                                 4-6 is my “GOAL” zone! and i will be okay if i hit a 7 for now!

6=satisfied

7=full

8=stuffed

9=uncomfortably stuffed

10=sick to my stomach

– See more at: http://www.trishblackwell.com/5-intuitive-eating/#sthash.UZFysw1m.dpuf

What are my other food revisions??

Well. Let met me enlighten!

If you’ve read my past posts, you know that I have issues with IBS, or so that’s what they tell me.  And I am convinced that is because they don’t know what else is wrong with me.  In all of my research, I really should do an elimination diet or the FODMAP to see if I get any relief, however, I feel like a three year old screaming “I don’t want to!”.  I really don’t want to give up anymore.  It’s hard enough being 30, and trying to have a social life and find what you can eat that doesn’t upset your stomach, or makes you look 3 months preggers, OR having to explain yourself EVERy time you eat in front of someone.

I have learned to be confident in my decisions with food.  It is what it is, I can’t change it!  So I am okay with it.  However, after about the third person questioning what you’re eating, or why you’re not eating, or looking at me crazy because I have to send my food back because the order came with croutons even though I asked for it without, can be exhausting! (Almost as exhausting as that sentence.  Wow, do I detect passion in my writing? Lol.)

I have gone through and had success with little pieces of diet plans!

First, I started with the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan.  BEST investment.  Because it really started to help guide me with my gluten free lifestyle.  I was able to integrate dairy free into the plan as well! Plus, losing those last pesky lbs didn’t hurt too much either!!!

To this day, I still follow that plan 80% of the time.  My only pitfall is squash at dinner.  And I usually overeat it!!

I have been going through the motions with the gluten/dairy free lifestyle for a while now.  I know that most people will say that stress and IBS don’t mix.  They don’t!  I had a little hiccup in a diagnosis gone array a month or so ago, and there was quite a bit of grief and stress related to it!  All is better now, however I think my stomach didn’t like my psyche too much during that time!

I did some more research and one of my favorite bloggers, Sarah Koffman @ http://www.sarahkayhoffman.com/ was talking about her ebook one day.  The Gutsy Girls Bible.  If you struggle with any digestion issues, this is a great resource from someone who understands, and has gone through it.  Still going through it too, if you read her blog!

I started reading her book and I began to slowly eliminate things from my diet that way too… I have stopped eating avocados, tomatoes, I try to cook my veggies instead of eating them raw… I don’t eat peppers anymore (RIP salsa!).  However, for all that I gave up, the feeling of eating a meal and not feeling like I am going to float away after is worth the sacrifice!!

I have learned to identify my “triggers”, or foods that I know will show up in symptoms after eating them.

However, along with that ‘stress’ came some old revolving food issues for me.  I didn’t realize it until this Monday.  I have a disordered eating past.  I have definitely come a LONG way and will never return to not eating.  However, I still battle with my relationship.  I don’t think I’ll ever be cured, but just able to deal with it better on a daily basis.  AKA food can’t win.  It doesn’t control me. BUT, I sometimes slip.  And I have realized that I have been ‘overeating’ now.  This morning I woke up with food guilt for the first time in a few months.  And this past 6 months, I have had food guilt at least 3 times.  That’s 3 times too many in my book.  NO ONE should have food guilt.

Okay, so I guess I should back up…. do you know what food guilt is?? www.hercampus.com defines food guilt as a spectrum.  There is your basic food guilt where you indulge in a meal and feel horrible the next day.  Then there is a more serious situation, where after every single meal you feel excessive guilt, shame or potential regret.  When I was in my disordered eating phase, every meal had food guilt. It is no way to live.  No person should feel any bit of shame for eating a meal!  Or feel badly for fueling their body.  It took me a LONG time to get over that guilt, so even when it rears its ugly head in a non serious way I get cautious.

Well, when I realized this, I thought about what can I do to change it?  If I stay the same, then I will probably go down a path that I will not like myself for.  And life is just WAY TOO SHORT not to like yourself!!  So I have made a decision to try another technique!  This grade my hunger thing!  I am going to go back to eating my 6 meals a day, which I have sort of gotten away from, and I am going to gauge each meal!  Half way through, I will stop and ask myself, am I still hungry?  If I am, I will finish my meal.

I am also a psychological eater… is anyone else tricky like this?  I will take 1 serving size and make it into two.  I always feel more satiated if I eat two servings vs. one… even thought that two really is one.  Hey, it works for my silly head and belly!

So I will keep you updated on my new habit! And let you know how I do!!

In the meantime….

Have you ever suffered from food guilt?

 Do you play tricks on yourself to let you think you’re eating more, when you’re really not?

oxo