non-restrictive methods for healthy weight loss:

1. eat a filling, low glycemic breakfast with carbs, fat and protein
2. make small weight loss goals
3. don't eat past 8pm
4. only eat when truly hungry
5. if you crave something, get a small portion of it. cookies? don't bake them, buy one from a bakery. same with cupcakes, pie, etc.
6. stay hydrated with water, cocoa, tea
7. control stress eating with stress reduction techniques: yoga, music, reading, writing, relaxing tea (valerian/chamomile/mint), massage, sex
8. get some intense cardio in most days
9. whatever you do, don't binge! be conscious of not slipping back into binging.
10. relax and be content with where you are for now.

i'm confident that i can be a healthy, happy weight without starving myself. i just need to stop falling into binging episodes every few weeks. they generally start when i get stressed to the point that i feel i can only by stuffing myself with some food like cookies or pasta. i will stop being a binger once and for all. i will be a healthy, intuitive eater!

b: nothing
l: leftover pasta with olive oil and tomato sauce (300) slice of wheat bread with olive oil (220)
s: indian spice tea
d: bowl of curried chickpeas with olive oil (450)

calorie total: 970

exercise: 40 minute run/walk

i feel like breathing some life back into this blog by making posts with healthy tips. so we shall began (after my personal stuff first).

today i didn't eat so well. i've been getting off into the world of sugar and refined carbs (again) and its making me feel poopy of course. today i ate:

b: 2 slices whole grain bread with smart balance light and rasberry jam, egyptian licorice tea
l: 4 oatmeal cookies, veggie sub on wheat
s: a choco chip cooke, 2 double choco cookies, 1 macadamia cookie, 1 sugar cookie
s: two black iced coffees, 60 oz diet coke (????!)
d: mashed garlicky celery root and roasted brussel sprouts, six inch veggie sub on wheat, 2 more cookies
s: curried lentil burrito in white tortilla, choco chips, bite of zucchini bread, chamomile mint tea

i think its safe to say i ate way too much today. and i didn't even exercise. i took the bus to/from work. i was going to go running but didn't feel like it.

i feel like i'm far away from my old healthy eating habits. but first lets focus on the good. i still drink lots of tea (herbal, spiced, green), i make regular uses of healthy spices in my foods, i eat veggies when i can, i don't eat lots of fake meat products, i take my vitamins daily (b complex, b 12, chromium, magnesium). i often put flax into my food. basically what fucks me up is the food i get at work and being broke and unable to buy fresh organic foods. i dont find living on grains to be very satisfying and it causes me to overeat. things ive been eating a lot of lately: bread galore! pasta, cookies, oatmeal, peanut butter, jam, diet coke, black coffee, occasional apple/pear, veggie subs, veggie burgers. this all seems overly processed for me. i don't feel particularly bad but i think all the caffiene is masking the ill effects of my food. i used to live on veggies (raw and steamed), beans, lentils, yams, nut/seed butters, extra virgin oils, spices, dark chocolate etc. i will steer in that direction slowly once again.

so here my return to healthy living steps:

1. cut out coffee and diet coke. replace with green tea and cocoa. as much as i want while working. bring a thermos full to work if possible.

2. cut out wheat/gluten. instead of toast have oatmeal for breakfast. have a salad isntead of a sub at work. bring homemade dressing. bring bottle of spiced tea. bring apples for snacks. have an apple instead of a cookie.

3. cut out unnecessary sources of sugar. don't eat jam with added sugar. choose fruit over baked goods.

4. make sure to have a bowel movement in morning so digestion isnt screwed up. achieve this through yoga poses, drinking hot water with lemon or hot mint green tea or hot cocoa. staying hydrated helps.

5. go to bed on slightly empty stomach. not starving but not full.

6. go for high intensity quick run each morning to boost metabolism/energy levels and mood

one thing i've noticed lately is that even though im heavier than i was a few years ago, my face is thinner and more defined. this is probably part of getting older and losing "baby fat" but i enjoy it. i feel i look more elegant and feminine. of course im subject to bloating like everyone else but i've found certain substances help with removing water weight and they are green tea, cocoa, chamomile, mint, ginger, turmeric, spicy teas, cayenne, vinegar, lemon and grapefruit. i believe that most people who eat a standard diet full of gluten, sugar and salt are carrying around 10-15 lbs of water weight at all times. so to get rid of that i should cut out grains, sugar, excess salt and consume lots of the above mentioned substances. yoga, massage and high intensity exercise also help a lot.