CatHerder's Journal, 23 Jan 16

I've been reading about various aspects of dieting and the psychological aspects. I remember when I was in counseling for depression and was told to avoid black/white thinking. I am also prone to obsessive thinking. I think that just goes with my OCD.

So what does that have to do with dieting? The OCD is what compels me to log everything I eat. It appears some people have trouble with that. I have the Fatsecret app on my phone as well as using the website. Most times I log my food before I eat it, whether at home or eating out. For me it is the way I stay accountable. The times I don't log I tend to overeat.

Over the almost two years I have been on this current journey I have re-framed how I look at food. I started on Atkins and had the mindset of carbs/insulin = bad, fat= good. This is a classic pattern of black/white thinking. My approach now is to look at food on a scale of its nutrition. I try to eat the more nutritious foods and minimize the foods with lower nutrition. I also don't limit my foods, if I want cookies I have a cookie. The key for me is to limit it. As I eat more of the nutritious foods I really don't crave the low nutrition foods (crap). This is a big change for me and it has taken quite a while to get to this point.

I also think of foods in terms of macronutrients, fat, protein and carbohydrates. I have higher fat days mixed in with higher carb days. Most days I try to stay balanced. The human body is great at switching between energy sources and does this on a regular basis. Insulin triggers nutrient storage. Its counterpart is glucogon which triggers ketone and glucose production. Both are part of the feedback system to maintain stable blood glucose.

What I have found out is the human body is very adaptive. I believe that to lose weight you need to eat less than you burn. It sounds so simple. The issue is the human body doesn't want to change so its feedback systems resist. There is also a mental aspect that can be greater than the physical aspects. The key is to find a diet that allows you to create the energy deficit that can be sustained for life.

Back to my journey and wishing everyone the best on theirs.

97.1 kg Lost so far: 8.6 kg.    Still to go: 6.4 kg.    Diet followed: Reasonably Well.

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1770 kcal

Fat: 73.81g | Prot: 127.98g | Carbs: 172.40g.   Breakfast: Kind Nuts & Spices Madagascar Vanilla Almond. Lunch: Marketside Broccoli Slaw, Bolthouse Farms Classic Balsamic Dressing, Minute Instant Whole Grain Brown Rice, Classico Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce, Perdue Ground Turkey 93/7. Dinner: Pittman & Davis Smoked Boneless Peppered Ham. Snacks/Other: Buttered Popcorn Popped in Oil, Pure Protein Dark Chocolate Coconut High Protein Bar, StarKist Foods Pink Salmon in Water, Swiss Miss Sugar Free Hot Chocolate, Broccoli. more...