Hungry?

[thistlechaser]

I've written about Humans of New York before. It's a wonderful site. A guy takes a photo of someone in New York City and asks them a basic question, then posts the photo and answer together. Some are touching, some funny, but all are worth reading. However, I always forget to check the site, so finally I just made a LJ feed. If you'd like to have it show up on your friends page, just friend this: humansofny.

Related, many people know about Cake Wrecks. If not, it posts daily photos of horrible or great cakes (mostly horrible). Like Humans, I always forget to check it though, but luckily there's a LJ feed: cakewrecks

The last feed is my favorite one. akwardstock/Awkward Stock Photos is sadly no longer updated daily, but when they do update, the oh so awkward photos which are up for sale are always amusing... or at least cringe-worthy.

And to continue the feed trend: Diet is meh this week. I'm working just as hard at it as last week, but in five days I've lost a pound. The amount I'm working feels way out of balance for the "reward" of what I'm losing. I don't think I'm eating too few calories (used an online calculator). I'm eating a little more than last week, but by that I mean 100-200 more, so not enough to account for such a slowdown in loss. Blah.

Discovery of the week: Sugarfree Jello ROCKS. It's really sweet, it feels like I'm eating something "bad". While visions of horse hoofs dance through my head, it is fun to eat. I need to buy more.

In non-food related news, the weekend was great. Saturday was nearly nonstop RP, and outstanding RP at that. Just like the old days when I used to RP over IM from morning until night.

I had the most awful craving for almost the whole weekend. I wanted fresh bread (the kind with a thick crust) slathered with a thick layer of butter. Stupid craving.

Comments

[blue-eye.livejournal.com]

I subscribed to Humans of NY...I miss my city, especially in the warmer weather.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I hope you especially enjoy it then!

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

I had just about forgotten about cakewrecks! I used to check that all the time. I should go see what new wrecks they have uncovered.

I think they make jello with seaweed now, not horse hooves. XD

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Oh! That's great to know! I don't mind seaweed in the form of Jello (though I'm not sure about eating it as-is). I figured they weren't just using hooves, they were using tendons and snouts and whatever else as well, which really wasn't any better than just hooves. Seaweed is much better than all of those.

It helps so much having Cake Wrecks on my friends list, I see it every day now, and one post per day doesn't make my friends list take hardly any longer at all to read.

Edit: Oh, blech. "Today, the gelatin in Jell-O is most likely to come from pigskin." And Snopes says:

Claim: JELL-O is made from bones and hides.

Status: True.

http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient/jello.asp

Edit 2: (Sorry for all the comment spam!) Okay, maybe I can take my blech back: "The collagen is boiled and filtered numerous times, dried, and ground to a powder. Because the collagen is processed extensively, the final product is not categorized as a meat or animal product by the federal government. Very strict vegetarians avoid gelatin entirely, but more permissive vegetarians have no problem including JELL-O in their diets. "

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

Agar was what I was thinking of. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agar
I guess they must only use it for Asian jello desserts!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Oh Interesting! I didn't know that Agar could be eaten. I remember using it for science experiments in high school (growing something in it). I wonder if the teacher had told us it couldn't be eaten because he didn't want kids to just randomly eat it (and potentially eat whatever bacteria we were trying to grow).

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

I don't think it has much flavor on its own. It would be a bad idea to eat your biology experiments anyway, haha.

[diello.livejournal.com]

Uggggggh Agar is SO expensive!!! It's the worst part EVER of making vegan pastries, hahaha!

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

I see it on the ingredient lists of a lot of the little jelly and pudding desserts at the Asian market. It must not be as expensive back in Asia!

[diello.livejournal.com]

I'll have to check the shelves at the Asian markets. I found a tiny packet at the big chain grocery for like $14! It was awesome, but totally not worth spending that much again for a tiny tiny packet (I could fit the contents in my hand).

[diello.livejournal.com]

Subscribed to Humans and CakeWrecks! Thank you :D
How do you make LJ feeds???

Are you exercising (I haven't been on LJ for a few days, so I may have missed the answer to this)? If so, completely switch up your routine, and things should start picking up again.

Are you kicking bread all together? Smart move, but those first few weeks suck so much!

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Do you have a paid or permanent account? If so, search LJ's help for 'syndicated account' and you'll find the how-to. It's really easy, you just have to paste in the URL for the site's RSS feed and give it a name for use on LJ, and that's it!

Kicking bread is more of a byproduct than my intent. The only bread I eat is rice cakes, since that's the lowest in calories. I sure am starting to miss bread though!

[tersa.livejournal.com]

I'm working just as hard at it as last week, but in five days I've lost a pound. The amount I'm working feels way out of balance for the "reward" of what I'm losing.

Your lying, lying brain is at it again. :) Eleven pounds is an insane amount of weight to lose in one week...but the first week tends to be a big one as well. THAT is likely the source of the slowdown, NOT the 100-200 more calories you're consuming.

One pound is more expected at the calorie level you're (hopefully) at. Keep reminding yourself this isn't a sprint, it's a marathon...and the rest of your life.

I had the most awful craving for almost the whole weekend. I wanted fresh bread (the kind with a thick crust) slathered with a thick layer of butter. Stupid craving.

A friend of mine who has been constantly battling with her weight for...well,years now...has a great rule of thumb for this I've adopted:

if the craving lasts longer than 72 hours, you're allowed to scratch the itch. Just do it in moderation.

So, like for the fresh bread and butter, try to get a small slice, or even better yet, something like one of those pre-made dinner rolls you can sometimes buy as a single at some grocery story bakeries, warm it up, put your butter on it, eat it, and then don't eat anymore. Eat it slowly, savor every bite, and then walk away.

Remember the mantra: eating well is about eating perfectly 80% of the time. Depriving yourself of something you really want is just going to make it harder on yourself and set yourself up for really binging. Show your biofeedback you're in control. :P :)

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

if the craving lasts longer than 72 hours, you're allowed to scratch the itch. Just do it in moderation.

I like that rule a lot. What I really wanted was one (or one thousand) of those rolls the bread booth at the farmer's market sells, but I knew I wouldn't buy just one (plus there are pretzel and popcorn sellers), so I just stayed home.

One pound is more expected at the calorie level you're (hopefully) at. Keep reminding yourself this isn't a sprint, it's a marathon...and the rest of your life.

Thanks. :) I wish I didn't have the extra pressure of "must lose or no surgery... and hey, wasted airline tickets and time off from work". Dieting alone is pressure enough without that. At least the 11 pounds is a really great head start -- if I lose "only" a pound a week for the rest of the time, then I'd still be okay. Not feeling safe, but okay.

This week is harder than last week. Just mentioning food now makes me really, really want it. Not hunger-wise, but I guess more like craving or missing it. Writing about bread has my mouth wet. My mother mentioned mac&cheese on the phone last night, and I seriously felt like I would strangle someone to get some. Guess it makes sense, since I've gone longer without those things than I did last week. I can't believe how little I appreciated those things when I was eating them as everyday things.

[tersa.livejournal.com]

What I really wanted was one (or one thousand) of those rolls the bread booth at the farmer's market sells, but I knew I wouldn't buy just one (plus there are pretzel and popcorn sellers), so I just stayed home.

That's really good to know yourself that well. :)

But if the craving continues, give yourself permission to buy one. You'll feel better if you do, rather than the break described there. ^^^

I wish I didn't have the extra pressure of "must lose or no surgery... and hey, wasted airline tickets and time off from work". Dieting alone is pressure enough without that.

Yeah, that sucks. :(

OTOH...there are some significant consequences if you slip up, I think the kind of consequences that will you keep you on it even when you might break.

This week is harder than last week. Just mentioning food now makes me really, really want it. Not hunger-wise, but I guess more like craving or missing it.

Yeah, that makes COMPLETE sense. Week 2 is generally far more difficult than week 1, like...your body is finally catching up to the fact that it's usual habits aren't being resumed and trying to tell you "hey, where's our usual stuff? Helloooo, *poke poke poke* are you listening?"

All I can say is: hang in there. Ride it out, and it should pass after your body has time to adjust to the new normal.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

OTOH...there are some significant consequences if you slip up, I think the kind of consequences that will you keep you on it even when you might break.

Very true. It's so easy to make "just one" exception. Just one fast food meal -- what could it hurt? Just one or two bags of cookies? But with this now, I can't. If I stick to the diet all week and lose something, then on Friday I can have one of my "final meal" dinners, but other than that there can be no exceptions.

like...your body is finally catching up to the fact that it's usual habits aren't being resumed and trying to tell you "hey, where's our usual stuff? Helloooo, *poke poke poke* are you listening?"

I think it's my brain, too. The first week it was almost fun. Challenging. Didn't I say something like I enjoyed being hungry because it was a challenge I could overcome? I'm SO over that. Gimme fries! Gimme chocolate! Now it's just work.

Ride it out, and it should pass after your body has time to adjust to the new normal.

Thanks! Part of that seems to be happening. It takes me three hours to eat my yogurt (or I make it last three hours, however you want to look at it), and that seems normal now. Over the weekend I had to "gobble" the last quarter of it down all at once because I had to do something and I didn't want Ellie helping herself to it, and that felt odd.

[gonzostar.livejournal.com]

I'm agreeing with the comment thread above me - think of it as the next week or two might "even out" the 11 lbs lost to being about 2 pounds a week. Honestly, you might have a week where you don't lose, and that would suck. Although that last week you can always add on the Hollywood Juice Diet!

I think her tip of 72 hours craving is a very good idea. Give it two more days. If that's still your craving, have it. Or else you could end up eating something worse.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I could handle two pounds a week. Still doesn't feel like enough, but it would be.

I really like that 72 hour idea, too! At least right now, it's something I'm going to do. Post-surgery is a different story.

I guess progress is being made behind the scenes, even though I haven't been told anything directly yet. The hospital just sent me links to two different online "classes" full of information about my upcoming stay. I'm torn between excited and scared -- I don't need the details about all the bad things that could happen while under anesthesia!

[gonzostar.livejournal.com]

Yeah, after surgery, espcially at the beginning, you really can't give in to some cravings because that food will make you sick. I have to say though, I haven't been having cravings. Haven't been feeling really hungry. It's really a relief.

Things in motion... you're right, scary and exciting! How are things going with that sleep machine?

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I hate that CPAP machine so much. I wear it until about 2:30 AM most nights (staying awake/lightly dozing all that time), then I rip it off and sleep a couple hours until my alarm goes off. Worst part is, the company has a monitor on it, so they keep sending me "helpful" emails and voice messages that I'm not using it at least four hours a night. Sigh! How is one supposed to sleep when being hit full in the face by wind tunnel-level winds? Sheesh.

I heard that! The surgeon said it might be a year before I feel hunger and I'll have to force myself to eat until it comes back. Too bad they can't produce that effect some other way, it sure would do the trick!

[spike7451.livejournal.com]

I follow Humans of New York but will definitely check out the other two.

Stupid craving.

.. I often crave that.

I think we al have those "plateau" times when dieting, so frustrating!

[twissie.livejournal.com]

I follow Humans of New York on tumblr - it's great! The things people share with him ... I wonder what I would have said - I wonder what he asks people to get the kind of quotes he gets.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah! No chance I'll run into him in California, but it's still fun to think about what I'd say. Probably the cliche "It gets better".