(27) What Foods Should You Eat?

With 0-5 you eat exactly what you want to eat. But sometimes it's hard to know exactly what you want. Listening to your body's cravings can be harder than it sounds. How do you know for sure what your body really wants/needs? Are you recognizing your body's actual cravings or do you eat certain foods thinking it's a craving when it's really a food that is only filling an emotional void in your life at that moment? I've learned over the years to rate my food. Ensuring that the foods I am eating are as close as possible to my body's actual cravings. There are basically three different ratings I give all foods. They are: Pleasing, Teasing, and Garbage.

Pleasing foods are the foods that you love most of all. The foods you start thinking about and desiring long before you see them or smell them. You crave them from deep down inside yourself. They're so good to you and when you eat them, you feel absolute body satisfaction. These foods are very specific and they are continually changing. If you've ever watched a naturally thin person eat, you'll see that they are annoyingly picky when it comes to what they will and what they wont eat.
My best friend from high school was like this. She has always been naturally thin. I was always jealous of how she could eat anything and stay thin. I remember on two occasions watching the way she ate and being quite surprised.
One morning we were eating homemade pancakes and she started picking off the little tiny crusty lumps of batter that had strayed away from the actual pancake but stuck to the sides of it. She said she didn't like those. My mouth hit the floor. Weren't the crusties just part of the pancake? Also, she liked Spaghettios but didn't like regular spaghetti. I couldn't understand this way of thinking then. Now I see that she was listening to her body and eating only the foods that were pleasing to her body.
A few of my own "pleasing" foods are lobster tail, crab legs and calamari. Big thick chunks of calamari. Especially those from a restaurant in Pueblo called Giacamo's. And I have to have fresh lemon squeezed all over it. I also love the chicken salad croissants that are served at wedding receptions. But not if it has fruit in it. Or if it does have fruit, I don't want to taste the fruit as fruit. I want it to add to the chicken salad flavor. My mom's chicken salad croissants are heaven in my mouth!

Teasing foods are the foods we grab when we're not really hungry but feel the need to nosh on something. When our emotions seem too much to deal with so we want to bury them under food. Teasing foods are easy to get and in our minds they taste better than they actually taste in our mouths. We don't think about them unless or until we hear, see, or smell them. They are basically "fillers". For me, classic "teasing" foods are Ding Dongs, chips, white bread, non-beef hot dogs... I like and want a couple bites of these foods once in awhile but any more than a couple bites will always make my body feel gross. And by the way, any food can become a "teasing" food. Our most "pleasing" food turns into a "teasing" food the moment we eat it past a 5. After you hit a 5, any more is just "filler", which makes us feel like yuck inside.

Garbage foods are just what they sound like, absolutely disgusting. The thought of them makes you want to gag. They don't taste good in any way shape or form. They're either too fatty, too salty, too sugary, too starchy, too blah.. We eat them and wonder why we just put ourselves through that torture. All of us have different "garbage" foods. Some of mine are bbq chips, doughnuts (most of the time), the fake sausage on pizza, Cheese Nips and any kind of candy. I'm a salt girl, I have to have my salt. I don't care for sugar too much but I do love my chocolate.

You want to be eating the "pleasing" foods as often as possible. You will always feel more satisfied if you eat foods that your body wants. This is one of the many reasons diets don't work. The foods you eat for a diet are all "teasing" foods. Skinless bland chicken, dressing-less salad, large amounts of plain carrot sticks... good sometimes but when eaten by force, boring, bland, and restricting.
When you you eat 0-5 and eat only the "pleasing" foods that make your body feel good, you'll find that eating will always be a satisfying experience. When you stop at a 5, you'll feel light and energetic and...naturally thin!

(26) When Food Finally Loses It's Appeal

Last night I was talking with a good friend who has, along with me, been implementing 0-5 eating as a way of life. We realized that both of us are now at a point with this eating plan in which the appeal for food as a crutch has begun to release it's choke hold on our minds. Food is losing it's appeal! I'm now finding it hard to even think about food when I'm not hungry. Actually the thought of putting food in my mouth before I hit a 0 makes me feel a bit queasy and my gag reflexes go into high alert mode. I'm starting to have very little desire or interest in food at all. When my body does hit a 0, it's almost an annoyance because I have to stop what I'm doing and go find something to eat. It's difficult to eat as much junk food as before. My body is calling out for healthier foods now. I think the reason for this is because getting to a 5 doesn't require large amounts of food. My body has to get all the nutrition it needs with what it's being given and it doesn't take much food at all to get me to a 5. Also I have more energy now than I ever have after eating past a 5.
Getting to the point of food losing its appeal feels like such a victory! Even though I'm not quite down to my natural weight yet I feel like I'm already naturally thin. But I do have a few words of caution to add right here. I've been eating 0-5 for quite a few years now and one thing I've learned is that "blowing it" will happen, usually when you least expect it. There will come a time when you eat a meal without thinking about what or how much you're eating. You'll suddenly realize that you've eaten too much and it will feel horrible. When this happens, you have to be able to Let It Go. Say to yourself, "I blew it, I don't like how I feel but it's not the end of the world. This is okay. I'll just wait for a 0 before I eat again". If you can't be okay with a "mess up" once in awhile, I guarantee the "mess ups" will continue to happen and you will quickly fall back into the old binge/guilt cycle. It's OKAY to "mess up" every now and then. Just let it go and move on.
Naturally thin people "mess up" too. They may eat a bit too much at Thanksgiving dinner or while eating out with a group of friends, or while eating on the go, etc. The difference for them is that after the meal is finished, they wont give it another thought. They'll go on with their lives and the next time they hit a 0, they'll eat only until satisfied.
I've gotten to this point of food losing its appeal many times before and many times I've "blown it". I really don't like talking about doing so well at eating 0-5 because I've done this before too and immediately after I talk about my success, I find myself running to the fridge for a mega binge. I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on my eating for the next few days. I don't want to lose ground here. I want to eat food as a means for fueling my body only!

(25) Is Exercise Overstated For Losing Weight?

I read an article that was very interesting. It's called " Exercise? A fat lot of good that is for weight loss". Here's the link address for it:

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/diet_and_fitness/article6878496.ece

It talks about how research is now showing that "the benefits of exercise for weight loss have been overstated"!! Whoa...stop right there you say!! And before I write any more I need to clarify that I am all for exercise. I think exercise is vital for living a healthy life and I know I would surely fall into a deep depression if I couldn't work out and move my body on a regular basis. I also think that pushing oneself harder and harder each work out is good for the body and the spirit. Our bodies are meant to move, it keeps them healthy.
As far as actually losing weight is concerned, maybe it is possible that how we eat will affect our weight loss more than the exercising.
I do know that by eating 0-5, you will not only feel better but the weight will come off even without any exercise at all. Eventually your body wont want all the fat laden foods that you crave so badly on a regular diet or if you're "watching your weight". You will still eat "forbidden foods" but sparingly because your body will be giving you signals and cravings for foods that are more proficient in keeping you feeling good and healthy.
The other day I ran out and bought a pizza for the kids'. Keep in mind that pizza used to be at the top of my favorites list and any time we'd have it I'd overeat and gorge myself with it. Imagine my surprise to realize that I don't really care for pizza anymore. I may pick off the toppings and eat them but the tomato sauce gives me heart burn and unless it's a thin crust, it's just too much white bread.
When you exercise, do something you enjoy. How long you exercise is completely up to you. I keep my workouts short and hard. 20 to 35 min. I enjoy running, lifting weights, yoga, dancing, jumping on the trampoline with my kids', swimming...the list goes on and on. I don't enjoy pushing myself for so long and so hard that I'm useless for the rest of the day. Have fun with your workouts. Recognize how good your body feels when you move it.
I've been sick for the past couple weeks so I wasn't working out and I felt lousy. I started exercising again this week and the difference in how I feel is amazing. I can actually feel my muscles toning and see them shaping...yeah!
It's my opinion that by eating 0-5, our bodies will melt down to their normal weight and by exercising, our bodies will get stronger, feel better, gain muscle definition and be healthier.

* I'm Finally Back!!

Hello! I'm finally back and I'll be posting regularly again. I apologize for being such a slacker with this blog. The move sure did throw me for a loop. Seriously I kind of lost control there for awhile. It was my usual stumbling block of eating 0-5 through the morning and afternoon but in the evening, watch out! I overate almost every night. And every night I'd go to bed feeling disappointed...again...for not being stronger and not taking control of my eating. I actually let myself get into the mindset of thinking that "This is as good as it gets". I felt doomed to live the rest of my life about 20 lbs overweight. I couldn't seem to make myself change so decided I may as well accept it.
Another reason I haven't been posting is because mentally I was fighting against it. Writing new posts would mean not only facing my readers but admitting that I was making bad eating choices. No one likes to admit they're wrong. But I am now admitting it and accepting that I've been out of control with my eating the last few months.
I think there's always something new to learn from our bodies and these past months have taught me something that I'm still trying to wrap my mind around. It seems to me like my body's eating patterns are always shifting and changing. Trying to force my body to lose weight backfires on me every single time. When I try to cut back on my eating for the sole purpose of losing weight I invariably come to the same result. I eat 0-5 or less really well for a short time and then out of nowhere comes one time of eating past a 5. This leads to another and then another until I am out of control again and have to refocus myself and start over. It's a redundant cycle in which I am very fed up with...literally.
While I've noticed that when I try to lose weight I always end up gaining, I've also noticed that when I eat 0-5 because it's what makes my body feel good, the weight starts to come off easily.
This seems so wrong and so against every idea I've ever had about weight loss...but at the same time, it actually does make sense. Weight loss will happen without much effort at all if I just change the way I think about food all together. Food cannot have a high priority in my life. It can't be my comfort or my friend. It can't be my happy place. It's not a hiding place or a reward. I have to put food in its place, and it's place is to fuel my body...period! Of course I'll still enjoy each bite I take and savor it all...but once my stomach is satisfied, that's it. No more eating until I'm at a 0 again... and that's okay!
We've all heard the saying "You are your thoughts". I think this is very true. By being obsessed and concentrating on how much we despise being "fat", we're actually holding on to the fat. We can't hate a certain aspect of ourselves and expect it to magically change into something we'll love. We have to shift our focus away from what we don't like/want and start concentrating on what we do like/want and how we do want to be. If we really want to lose the weight, we need to put all our thoughts and focus into thinking and behaving as if we are already a thin person. Thin people don't obsess over food. They don't even think about food until the moment their body hits a 0. They don't concentrate on losing weight. They just live their lives and eat only when they get hungry and stop before they get too full.

As for this blog, I'm hoping to set up some kind of interactive chat which will allow us all to motivate and give each other support. Also I welcome any questions or comments you may have. Thanks again for being so patient with me. My goal is to post a new article at least once a week.

(24) Eating Out & Appeasing Cravings

In the comments after chapter (9), Just Batty, said this: When I eat out (which is often, because of travel/work) I think "Oh, I have to eat all of this pasta or speciality pizza, or chicken or whatever because I won't be able to have it again for awhile and it's sooo good!"
I know I over eat, but these are my cravings. Not candy, not food at my house, not food at the grocery store, not even food at restaurants in Vernal, just what I eat out of town. To the point that I refuse to eat at a restaurant that is available in Vernal. What do I do then?"

I think there are two parts to this comment. The first being the issue of wanting to finish everything on your plate at a restaurant because it is "so good", you paid good money for it, and you may not get it again for awhile. This used to be a thorn in my side as well. When all that food is sitting right in front of you, it's hard to not eat it all. I think sometimes food actually has the same affect as an addictive drug would have.
Last night I watched a show on TLC called "I Eat 33,000 Calories A Day". It was very sad and quite shocking. It showed the actual amount of food that the four spotlighted very morbidly obese people eat in single day. It was dumbfounding to say the least. One of the women said something to the effect of feeling a euphoric high when she would binge eat. I've talked about needing to be aware of food while eating it but that wasn't her problem. She was very aware of her food. To the point of focusing only on the food and shutting everything else out completely. She'd get lost in the food, how it smelt, tasted, felt in her mouth and then going down her throat... She was doing all the things you need to be doing when you eat...only the actual amount of food she was eating was 5-6 times the amount of food her body actually needed.
You may be experiencing something comparable to this if you're eating out and have a difficult time stopping when you're at a 5. Not only do you love the food but also the whole experience of eating out. There's a waiter to serve you. You don't have to cook the food. You get to sit in a nice air conditioned/heated room where the atmosphere is specifically set up to help you feel good. And then this huge plate of food is placed before you. It smells so good and looks amazing. You want to get every last bit of joy from your dining out experience.
You start eating and find yourself "satisfied" much sooner that you'd like and long before your plate is empty. You feel disappointment and even anger at hitting a 5 so quickly. You wanted this experience to last a lot longer.
At this point my reaction used to be to throw up my white flag and surrender. I'd decide in my mind to just forget 0-5 for the meal. I was eating out so I'd give myself a free pass to binge. I could always start again tomorrow.
At that moment my eating became not an experience of enjoyment but a frenzied rush to stuff every last morsel of food down my throat...and then anything my kids' had left on their plates. I was already so full it hurt, I may as well keep going. I'd only stop eating after every last crumb was gone and the plates practically licked clean. Then came the uncomfortable drive home. I'd feel guilt and disgust at what I'd just done and I felt so full that it seemed I'd never want to eat again.
The only way I've found to stop overeating while eating out is practice. Trying over and over again to stop at a 5. After awhile I became able to stop at a 5, pack the rest of the food into a carry-out and then leave without eating more. I had to accept the fact that it's just food and I wasn't going to let it have the power in my life anymore. The more times I successfully ate out, the easier it became. I'm still a work in progress and it's still difficult sometimes but it gets easier and easier with every success.

I think the second issue to this comment is how to satisfy your cravings if it is impossible to get the food you really crave. My advice is take a moment to just be still. Get in tune with your body and ask it if there's anything else you could eat that would come close to what you're actually craving. If you're wanting a specialty pizza, would some kind of pasta with plenty of melted cheese satisfy you? If you want a chicken dish from Olive Garden, could you home make a chicken dish with a nice gravy? What could you eat besides your craving that would make your body feel good? The internet is filled with amazing recipes you could try out. Sometimes the foods you really want wont be available and you'll have to make due with what you have or can afford.
If you don't like the restaurants in your town, it seems the only other option would be to learn to cook food the way you really like it, or find an optional dish at a grocery store that is pre-made.
I've found that sometimes food just can't satisfy me the way I want and even need it to. After eating 0-5 for so long you forget what it's like to eat emotionally. So when there is an emotional issue that you're having a hard time dealing with you'll feel a little lost on how to handle it. You wont want to eat but you'll still feel unsettled. The only way to alleviate the feeling is to find something else to occupy your mind. Something other than food or that you feel uncomfortable in the first place.

I'm Sporadically Back.

Hi everyone! I'm now living in Pueblo, CO...but will be moving again in a few weeks to Pueblo West, CO. It's about fifteen minutes from where we are now. So I'll be posting again as often as possible. Chaos is my middle name for the time being :)
I want to start off by telling you about how horribly I've been doing with 0-5 eating this past month. The stress of the move seems to have gotten the best of me and most evenings I've found myself eating more than I should. But the really good thing about our bodies is that once they get down to their natural weight, they seem determined to keep that weight within about 5 to 10 pounds of "naturally thin". Over the years I may have gained or lost a few pounds but my body always seems to find its way back to my natural weight. So even though I haven't eaten very well at 0-5 this past month, my body has regulated itself and I haven't really gained or lost any more weight. Aren't our bodies amazing things!!
Something else I've re-realized recently is that overeating is actually a form of abuse to ourselves. Our bodies don't want extra food. They only want to eat when hungry and stop when satisfied. Stuffing ourselves to the point of pain for whatever reason: punishment, disgust, guilt, anger, sadness, loneliness, excitement, boredom, stress, habit, etc...is a form of abuse. We would never treat another human being the way we treat our own selves when we eat emotionally. In fact if we knew about someone being treated this badly we'd want to do everything possible to help that person. If we look at it from a different point of view, we realize that the person who is being abused and hurt is...ourselves. By eating to the point of pain, we are abusing the only body that we'll ever have...the body that has to get us through all of our life.
Now please don't get discouraged over this last paragraph and run to the fridge for that left over cheese cake (unless of course you're really hungry and cheese cake is what you're craving). Take in this information, let it roll around in your mind for a bit, then just let it be what it is and move on to the next moment of your life. Be happy and live happy. Life is far too short to be wasted on non-happiness!

* note to reader

On very short notice I'm moving to Colorado so I wont have a post up for a couple weeks. Good luck with 0-5 eating and I'll get another post written asap. Thanks