poppycom's Journal, 21 May 17

This happened with me a long time ago. I realised that really I had a love/hate relationship with food. Where I used to look forward to certain foods I now only see them as fuel to get me through the day. I buy small quantities of very highly flavoured food - different blue cheeses and so on - to give my taste buds a hit. I also got more adventurous in my cooking - mainly for hubby, but I like to see him really enjoy a new meal. 

Hi Poppy, your post resonated a lot with me and that "gap" is something that sounded familiar from my past as well. I can say that with time, things that once felt like "discipline" will increasingly feel natural and normal to the new you, it DOES get easier as you stick with the new way of living/thinking. What helped me with that gap turned out to be a mix of things...one thing that sort of carried over from lowcarb days was being inventive with food/cooking, trying substitutions, experimenting, so that I could keep enjoying things I knew I loved but in ways that fit into my new life in a better, healthier way - I haven't given up anything, I just learned what was appropriate for me, and make it work. I also got into new hobbies, things I might have resisted before...I got more into fashion - clothes started to be friends instead of "enemies" - I got more curious, more interested, more willing to try new things...oddly enough as I enjoyed life more, I felt I needed LESS, so I got more into refining what I owned and getting rid of clutter. I got more into weightlifting, because (esp at my age) it helps me get the shape I wanted after losing so much. The main thing was that getting healthier made every day - even BAD days - so much better, or at least easier to deal with, and improved confidence/energy means you might find new fun in things that, previously, didn't interest you. Try things out that maybe before you wouldn't have tried, open some new doors, you might be surprised at what you find lurking in yourself. :-) What did you love as a child? What are things you once enjoyed that you "forgot" as you grew up? What do you miss? Think about the life you want, imagine what you're doing in that life. The sky is the limit. :-) xox 

Poppy, I think you are already filling in that gap ,... you are cleaning out closets and becoming more motivated. That is a step forward towards releasing old baggage. 

thanks i think no longer working 7 days a week has left me with more time... but ill health and disability has stopped me from doing things that i would like to do..eg travelling for long periods/public transport or sitting eg cinema ot theatre.. which is why i always enjoyed eating out so much.. but that is still too much of a temptation... so i think i will start setting myself small goals eg read a book and work from there also, previously a lot of my spare time was spent with my children, but they are 15 and 17 so have their own things going on so thanks for the ideas and support.. like evrything else in my life, it is still work in progress :) 

I like spending my time reading up health articles on the internet, healthy recipes, etc. If I fancy a sweet treat, I'll eat something like the Nakd bars which you can buy in most supermarkets and health food shops. They're made of just dates, cashews and raisins, with various natural flavourings for variety. I think they're delicious and count as one of your five a day. You could also do some armchair travelling - reading up and looking at pictures of various countries or learn about places in this country. Perhaps you might like to learn another language? Try and think what new hobbies you could do that won't impact on your disabilities. Good luck 😊