Listening to what they tell you…
I’m trying to start the jogging thing and last time I did that was encouraging – I ran for 30 minutes, 20 minutes of that in one stretch! Jolly good, I thought. 
Here’s the thing, yesterday I went for my walk in the morning and then to the gym in the evening to hit the treadmill. Well yesterday was a whole different story. All I could do was 10 minutes of running and 20 minutes of cycling.
Today I fell ill. I have horrible suffocating chest pains, a fever, a sore throat and my head is so swollen my tonsils are peeking out of my mouth and my eyes are popping out of the sockets. :O
There you go. A plunge in physical stamina is a sure predictor of an approaching illness with me. I’m laying low today, because there’s really nothing else I am able to do anyway, and because I’m doing some major travelling on Sunday. But on Sunday I’ll be once again taking a shower in my own bathroom, sleeping in my own bed, in my own flat, cuddling up to my fuzzy buddy - my dog, I miss him soooooooo 
… yeah and the BF, too. I’ll be fine, then.
But this sort of gets to what Jenn wrote in her blog today… I think our eating problems have detached us from our bodies. I can’t really tell when I should eat… until my stomach starts growling and that is after a whole day of poor nutrition, much too late. I can’t tell when I’m thirsty, either. If I switch my brain off, thirst will actually drive me to the fridge, as my natural reaction to any kind of displeasure is eating. I won’t even start with things like knowing when you need salts, or certain vitamins, or calcium, and so on. So I do what most of us do. We acknowledge that we don’t know what we need and switch any kind of response to our needs off.
So I keep a water jug on my desk and a glass near the sink and have a glass of water whenever I remember to look at them. I eat at a predetermined hourly schedule and plan all my meals at least one day in advance, but usually three days in advance. I take multivitamins after lunch every other day and 250 mg of vitamin C every night before sleep. I’m a machine, not a sentient human being. I’ve stopped responding to what my body is telling me and now I AM TELLING THE BODY WHAT IT NEEDS.
Now, if you ask me, that is shameful. But it’s the only way I can live a moderate and balanced lifestyle and keep my weight under control.
Do you do better? What do you do? How can you tell what you need?
Or is the answer just to repeat the routine until it gets under your skin? I can tell you that most people that look really well, fit, youthful and emotionally stable are big creatures of habits. They live on a schedule. Probably that really is the answer. Routine. No listening to our bodies.
Sorry to hear that you aren’t feeling well. I will pray that you get better soon.
For me, planning in advance and sticking to a flexible*** routine is “it.” The people I have known who succeed know generally what they are going to eat and what portions to eat.
***(Meaning I might switch what I have for lunch or dinner or snack, but it falls within certain guidelines.)
I read an article on magazine on the Curves website about “mindless eating” and THAT is the biggest problem with not having a routine.
They did fascinating studies about how people who eat mindlessly eat more and don’t have a sense of hunger shutting off, etc.
It is a great article - well worth reading about how things like the size of the plate you use will affect how much you eat.
Here is the site link for the article, in case you are interested.
http://www.curves.com/diane_mag/
I really hope you feel better soon.
As for knowing what my body needs (or not knowing)…..I am pretty much on a routine….I do things almost like a robot…Yeah, no fun but it keeps me in line most of the time…..I do sometimes go off path but I try to still be healthy with the choices I make.
Take care and feel better soon.
So sorry to hear you are not well. Hope you have a speedy recovery.
I used to NOT listen to my body. The older I get though, the harder it is to ignore. :0 Now when my energy is zapped, I can usually recognize why. Shaky… too much sugar. Tired… not enough sleep at night. Brain fog… not enough carbs… stuff like that. I still push myself every now and then, but not near like I used to. If it’s 104 degrees outside and I’m clearing brush on my property and I get light headed, I don’t drink water and keep going. I get under the air conditioner and relax. LOL I’m learning a lot about what carbs do for you, what protein does, etc. I think it’s just a matter of slowing down and really pay attention to your body and what it needs. When I have a chest cold and fever, my husband knows to go straight to the chinese place for hot and sour soup. It’s the only thing that give me comfort….
Hope you feel better soon Lidecka….
hot and sour soup is great stuff for that. I usually go for horseradish salad. But I’m doing something else righ now… hot diet coke with lots of freshly grated ginger in it. I only use coke on these occasions … it sounds horrible but it’s really good and it works, too…
Hope you feel better very soon. Please tell us about the horseradish salad. The coke and ginger are new remedies to me, but I guess that would be like a hot toddy without the alcohol. As far as listening to my body, when I stay on my food plan I will get cravings for certain veggies. Will eat lots of tomatoes, then maybe it will be sweet potatoes or kale. When I am on a binge and I give in to unhealthy cravings, the whole system gets out of whack.And I feel numb. Does any of this make sense to you? Hang in there and know we are thinking of you. 2 hugs to you. I’m not afraid of germs. GET WELL
I hope that you find your healthy state soon.
I keep to my schedule and just grab good foods because they are there. I never go long with out food. In fact that is sometimes the joke..lol If I did not eat until 1 PM I would be a right beotch and that is no laughing matter. I would have headaches and feel dopey. This is extreme, but you know what I mean.
You are finding out what is right for you and sometimes that takes time. I know what I know for myself after years of illness. I believe you will find your answers. I do believe in consistancy and balanced meals.
Hope you feel better soon Lid. Don’t stress too much over the whole food/drink scedule or you’ll make yourself really ill! LOL
Take care. x