Nightmares

I have been eating really healthy for the past eight months, but about six weeks ago turned it up a notch and got really serious. I breeze through my days hardly ever tempted to eat something I know will upset my tummy, but once I fall asleep, things change.

Every night I dream that I am chowing down on my old go-to comfort foods: Twizzlers. Pints of Ben & Jerry's. Nona's biscotti. I could go on.

I've had these anything-but-sweet dreams for more than a week. Granted, when I wake up in the morning and  discover it was a dream, the relief is huge and my commitment renewed.

But why am I having these dreams? Turns out, they are totally normal and it is not my sub-conscious telling me that my willpower is weakening. In fact, one sage person in a blog says when you have these dreams, enjoy them.  Revel in the tastes because they are costing you zero calories. Eventually they will go away, sort of like the dreams ex-students have that they missed a test.

Can't wait to see what tonight's treat will be.

Fish tales

I love fish. And once I found out that our local fish market was selling fish previously frozen, I decided to give the markets a try. I would seek out the fish not marked "previously frozen" because I had no idea when the market started the thawing process. For all I know, it could have been a week ago. And to me, that's not fresh.

But what really galled me was that much of the fish I bought tasted, well, fishy. 

I started buying all our fish at Trader Joe's and Costco. The fish is frozen solid, I defrost it as needed, and the fish tastes like the ocean.

Which is why I was very happy to see that Barton Seaver, director of the Healthy and Sustainable Food Program at the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard School of Public Health agrees with me. 

“The technology of freezing fish has evolved to the point where it’s comparable to, if not better than, fresh fish,” Seaver told NutritionAction.com.“Historically, seafood was frozen as a last-ditch effort to keep it from spoiling. If fish wasn’t sold by Friday, it was frozen so it could be sold when demand was up. So it was a crappy piece of fish to begin with. But these days, fish is pulled from the water, filleted, and frozen within hours. That sounds pretty good to me.”

He goes on to talk about stores that sell previously frozen fish, which he says are "shortchanging the consumer of many benefits.f it’s frozen, it can stay in the freezer until you use it on your schedule,” says Seaver. “Why thaw it and start the process of spoilage? Retailers are playing to a taboo about frozen fish.”
 So frozen it is.

All about the scale!

One of my new fave Web sites is Whole9, a community based on health, fitness, balance and sanity. Although I embrace all four concepts, it’s the last one – sanity – to which I relate the most.

One of the most helpful articles I have read on Whole9 is why we should take a hammer to our scales. For anyone like me who struggles to lose pounds, this is one habit I am trying to break. What follows are Whole9’s reason why the scale is woman’s worst friend:

1.  Scale weight fluctuates, and over the day weight can fluctuate by as much as five pounds. Seeing the number jump from one day to the next is anything but inspiring. Weighing daily does nothing for the big picture.
2. Scale weight says nadda about health. Plenty of skinny people are sick. Whole9 says that anyone can cut calorie count in half and exercise for two hours daily to drop weight. But does that say you’re healthy? No. Plus, your willpower will run out, you will start eating, and those numbers on the scale will jump up. That number says little about your relationship with food, hormones, digestive health or inflammatory status.
3. The scale blinds you to real results. Here, here! I have been trying to fit into a dress for a wedding. A month ago it fit, but looked horrid. Today, it looks fine, and I’ve only lost a few pounds. But my stomach has decreased inches because of the way I am eating. Plus, I am sleeping better, I have tons more energy, and I am just enjoying life more.
4. The scale keeps us stuck on food. We equate that number on the scale with the food we eat. Actually, a sleepless night can add some weight, but I never step on the scale and blame the higher number on lack of sleep.
5. The scale controls our self-esteem. Using a number to determine your worth – which is what that number means to many of us – is just wrong. A daily weigh-in can determine how the rest of your day goes. A little gain, and we’re angry. I little loss, and we might just eat.

I think it’s time to ditch my scale. Or at the very least hide it away and take it out on the first day of every month.

Full circle

After a week on my doctor's elimination diet, eating only fruits, vegetables (no nightshades), poultry, fish and lamb, nuts and seeds, beans, legumes and whole grains (except wheat, which I know I am allergic to), the scale remained stuck and my stomach still sported a double tire.

So I gave up beans, legumes and whole grains, which means I am eating Paleo, except I cannot eat eggs. And within five days I dropped seven pounds and my double-tire is beginning to deflate.

Amazing? I think so. I am also sleeping better, although I still wake up around 2, but within five minutes I am back asleep, averaging about seven hours a night. For those with no sleep issues this might not seem like such a big deal. Those with insomnia understand how monumental this really is.

What is so interesting is that I haven't once minded my diet. In fact, I am preparing some pretty fantastic dinners, and trying new foods at breakfast and lunch. The good news about Paleo is that the Internet is flooded with recipes, and the three Paleo cookbooks I own are becoming my bibles.


My husband, who has suffered through every diet I have been on, just asked me to do him one favor: Stick to this one this time. He never asked me that before, and I really don't want to let him down.

An important question

That's not me, but it's a perfect illustration of what goes on in my mind every time I think about food.

The allure of a diet is sometimes too great to resist. Thankfully I am determined not to give in, because I have learned that my previous all-or-nothing mentality did nothing but make me yo-yo through three decades.

I am devising my own way of eating and learning some important new tricks. For example, before I put a bite of food in my mouth I ask myself this simple question: AM I REALLY HUNGRY?

The amazing thing is that many times I scream "NO!" and that alone is enough to stop a trip to the fridge for a snack.

I also ask myself that question while I eat my meals. And when I get to the point that I begin to waver, I begin to chew my food even slower than I had been. What I am finding is that I am eating smaller meals, all more satisfying because I am really tasting the food. 

I made ONE New Year's resolutions this year: to think mindfully when I eat. Mindful eating is multifaceted, but the aspect I needed to concentrate on was to slow my eating down, to chew each bite of food, and to swallow when the food is liquefied. Not an easy task for someone who is always the first to finish my meals.

But one I am beginning to master, one meal at a time.

Food allergies: Magic pill?

Albert Einstein: One pretty sharp guy!

Yesterday, I had a long-anticipated appointment with a functional doctor, Tamara Sachs, M.D. The best way to describe what Dr. Sachs does is to call her a medical detective, looking for the underlying causes of disease that engages both patient (me) and doctor (her) in a therapeutic partnership.

What this means is that in order for me to achieve optimal health, I have some work to do.

I went to her for three reasons:

1. High blood pressure
2. Weight
3. Insomnia

When I started my 90-minute sit-down with her, she keyed in on my insomnia, something that has plagued me for three decades. Actually, she thinks it is key to why I am not losing weight easily. But that goes hand-in-hand with her theory that I am plagued with food allergies.

Today, I begin an interesting elimination diet for the next 30 days, one filled with produce, lean protein in the form of grass-fed organic poultry and lamb, wild fish and nuts, seeds and beans. And no booze, so good-bye wine for 30 days.

I am having extensive blood work done to determine what is going on internally, in addition to a test for food allergies. Her part of the equation will be analyzing the results of my blood work, so that when we come together in mid-August my observations on how I feel coupled with her analysis will determine the way I live the rest of my life.

It's empowering to become a partner in my health care. Will I ever have perfect blood pressure without mediation? Probably not, and I have come to terms with that. But at the very least I will understand what makes me sick, tired and sluggish. If it does nothing more than cut down on my twice-annual bouts with sinus infections/bronchitis, the cost of all this will be priceless.

The circle

A few days ago I read over some past blog posts. I have been in a circle of losing, gaining, losing, gaining since this blog started four years ago. (Actually for decades, but I haven't been documenting my failures.)

Yo-yoing at its best. The above graphic was my life. But not just mine. I think it's our national pastime. Consider these stats from CBS news:

• $20 billion is spent each year on diet books, diet drugs and weight-loss surgeries.
• 108 million Americans make four or five attempts each year to lose weight.
• 85 percent of people buying weight-loss products and services are female.
• 220,000 morbidly obese people have had bariatric surgery.

I could go on, but I think I made my point. The more we spend on diet fixes the fatter we get. I have. Many times over, which is why I cannot diet anymore.

I also must admit that the thought of losing weight quickly is still attractive. It's like a drug. But now, each time I am tempted, I look at the list I made of all the diets I have tried. It is long and sad. And it has cost me a small fortune, money I would much rather now spend on a trip somewhere interesting and exciting.

I have officially been eating as a normal person for six months now. It really feels good. I feel in control. I have tons more energy. No more indigestion. I never feel uncomfortably stuffed. I am sleeping better. Last year, if I slept five hours I considered that a milestone. Now, I sleep 7, 8, sometimes 9 hours each night. And I wake up ready to start the day.

I can honestly say I am brand new. Lighter, with still lots of weight to lose. But it will come off in time. By this time next year, I know I will be exactly at the weight I want to be. What a goal!