A New Sensation

Hello Everyone and Happy New Year!
I know it has been a long time, but I was sidetracked by a kidney infection which knocked me off my feet for a while. Then before I knew it, it was Christmas. I operated in slow motion over the holidays, but everything seems to be okay now. I knew I was back to normal the other day when I woke up and thought about exercising.

So what is this new sensation? Zhu zhu? No. A Slanket?  Guess again.  How about an inflatable lamp? The more you pump it the bigger the balloon and the brighter the light? Nope. Read on.

One thing that happened while I was sick, which is not surprising, is that I could not eat anything. I had only soup, water, ginger ale, and the occasional Saltine cracker. Forcing myself to eat something was a new sensation for me. And it went on for a long time, about 3 weeks. At one point, my son bought me vanilla ice cream so I could get something down that had  some calories. Even with that, I lost 15 pounds.

In my earlier post about the water challenge, I tested the concept of forming a new habit in 3 weeks. It worked for drinking water, and it seems to be working now for eating. I no longer have to force myself to eat anything, but eating less is not difficult most of the time.On one or two occasions when I ate larger portions, I felt very uncomfortable. It is the same feeling of discomfort I now also get when I eat too much processed food or too much sugar.

At one point, my doctor was ready to put me in the hospital. That was a wake up call for me.  I always took my health for granted  until I got close to retirement.  But even then I was halfhearted about it. Now it is a top priority.

I also learned  the difference between real hunger and the desire (habit!) to eat. I eat even more slowly than I did before. I put my fork down more often between bites and savor the food. I really think about the taste and texture of the food. A few evenings when I felt the desire to eat,  I drank more water or a glass of V8 which tastes so good to me and fills me up. If that was not enough, I would just go to bed hungry. It turned out I really wasn't hungry at all. It was just an old habit (snacking) dying hard.

I apologize for dwelling on my illness, but I have to say it  changed a lot of things in my life  for the better. I have slowed my pace down and try to enjoy whatever I am doing. I make an effort to relax and enjoy a least one good laugh every day. I am eating as slowly as possible, putting the fork down more often, and savoring my meals instead of eating mindlessly in front of the tv or while doing something else. It is making a difference for me. I know it will for you too. I'd love to read your thoughts on this, so please comment.

And, yes the 15 pounds is still gone.
Marie