Yearofhealth2023's Notizen, 25 Okt 23

I am a visual/ artistic person, so looking at pictures releases dopamine, making me feel good 😊 I look at decorating & garden photos. I also watch nature & dog videos that make me smile. When I see food photos, I may spend a moment. Sometimes, I get ideas of something new to incorporate in my meal preparation. I don't think I'm a food addict. I can have foods in the house I may choose not to eat & resist them if it's not in my plan for the day. I gained weight because I simply ate more than I should. I still like to eat, but I manage it better by tweaking recipes to be healthier/ lower calorie. And I balance higher cal foods with lower cal foods, so it all evens out.  

The pictures don't bother me. Seeing French fries, donuts, pizza, brownies, etc don't make me want to see my house and get something I've seen. Pictures of warm bread can be difficult. Same with chips. Right now I am pretty determined to stick to my plan. Sometimes the determination lasts a day or two, sometimes months. I do enjoy SherryB's food pictures knowing she is maintaining and making delicious looking meals. No one would want to see pictures of my 1/4 hosted bagel with a tiny smudge of lower fat cream cheese! 

Leave my house, not see my house! 

Toasted bagel! Geez I do try to proofread, but my tablet has a mind of its own 

I heard on a neuroscientist’s podcast (Huberman?) that all our reactions to stimuli (like food pics) would fall somewhere on a continuum from “Yum!” (I like it, more please) to “Meh” (neutral) to “Yuck” (no, thanks). I like to look at food pics because I can notice the changes in my food likes with my new WOE. Because I’m pretty open minded about food and a home cook who knows that food can taste great even when it does not look great, I rarely get the Yuck! in response to homemade stuff (more often in response to some packaged store junk). But it’s been interesting for me to notice that stuff that used to be more on a Yum side of the spectrum have shifted to decidedly Meh/Yuck-ish side, like melted gooey cheese. (Sorry, I hope I’m not offending the cheese lovers here). And things that used to be kind of Meh are now more exciting. I have added things to my diet like tofu, white fish, beets, and more fruit—all inspired by things I have seen here. It’s partly based on conscious desire to incorporate more healthy variety and partly by seeing how it actually looks on someone’s plate and going “Yum!”😀 

I also look and enjoy looking at foods I won't eat.  

I have no forbidden foods, but I have foods I only eat occasionally. I love to cook and I enjoy seeing what others prepare/eat.  

Ah I understand. A genuine food addiction. Props to you for knowing yourself well enough to recognize and having the willpower to say no. If I had that kind of willpower I’d give up all sweets and beer.  

Cheryllyna yes. True food addiction. Complete with waiting to be alone with chocolate or ice cream of potato chips. I used to wait for hubs to leave for work and then break out those things. And then hide the wrappers at the very bottom of the garbage can. That is addict behavior only with food and not drugs or alcohol. I recognized it when i was doing it and did it anyway. I seem to have two modes of dealing with stress or anxiety. I either starve myself completely or i binge. Only thing i never did was purge and that was because i couldnt make myself throw up back in my 20’s (thank goodness or i could add that to the list). My life is no longer filled with enormous stress and turmoil and that has helped tremendously. This past year i did a lot of soul searching and i understand when and where my addiction started and why. I left home at 15 and by 17 i didnt know if i would have food for the day or not so would eat when food was offered whether hungry or not. And some other things that happened as a young girl….so understanding should lead to healing and maybe i am healing just not all the way there. Im sorry you understand. It’s not a fun addiction to have. 

SHIRFLEUR i hope to be like you one day. In so many ways. I think you are perfect💋 

Morticia - right?! 

Agnes-i hope to become more and more like that as i continue to educate myself on nutrition and food. Honestly😂🥰 

Fritzy so now we have to see that measly little bagel with smidge of cream cheese😂. Cream cheese is one of the things i cant have in the house. My mom used to mix up Philadelphia (the best) cream cheese with milk and salt and that was dip for chips. I took it to a whole new level thinking it was just fine to eat the entire block of cream cheese as my dip for chips. Just loved it. The creamy cheese and the salty chips. Dang. 

Sherrye-my problem has never been quantity it has always been quality. I dont eat large volumes but i would eat highly caloric items. I wonder if that is what it is—dopamine. I also look at pictures and videos of animals as well as homes and interior design. I love those things (in addition to food pics). Im very good at interior design and have done it a little for family so there was often satisfaction. I also have rental houses that i treat like my own and routinely do remodeling on (honestly they are way too pretty to rent but i loved doing it-now that im not working tho that will be stopping). So for me that is an interesting observation. Dopamine. You are one of the folks on here that i love love seeing what you are eating and hope to one day be able to be like.  

RPL-i must confess i have spent a lot of money designing the interior of my home and all of my rentals. Not gong to happen anymore as im not working but it satisfied some creative thing inside of me every time ive done it (going back 20 ish years when i could actually afford to). Ive been told i should do it for a living im just not willing to take the $$ to build clientele. Not to mention not everyone wants to spend the $$ to get the look they want but thats another story. I sure do love it tho. This past year has been a re-arrangement of accepting that if i want to just get whatever i want when i want i have to go back to work or live more conservatively. Conservation won as health came back😬🥰. If i ever became so wealthy i would have a heyday!!! And way more animals😂 

Ddrudd i definitely like looking at food. I check my own weight daily (not necessary for most to check daily). I do this so i can see what i did the day before that may affect the scale. I do check other folks weight occasionally myself to see if their woe is working. For the most part, the ones ive viewed, it is which is super exciting. 

Zoofeather-fatsbook? Sorry i dont facebook. Im guessing thats a joke?? 

Spencer-you are exactly like me. To a T except my daughter also doesnt like to cook so dont have that help. Wish i did sounds nice. 

Swayne, it is kind of comical isn’t it😜😂. Some of the crazy food that no sane person would ever eat more than once in a decade makes me think wow, looks amazing but who is crazy enough to eat like that. And im plenty of crazy when it comes to making bad food choices in my lifetime. But they are fun to look at. You look like you’ve gotten a handle on exactly how to take care of yourself. Kudos my handsome friend! 

Outer-probably 15-30 minutes. Mostly on fatsecret when reading the posts that pop up on my login. Some i look for tho. Buenita, sherrye, shirfleur (love her breakfasts and they are healthy but so pretty). Sometimes on other sites tho im not actively looking for them they just pop up. I made an instagram account 5-6 months ago to follow my surgeons surgical outcomes and had never been on it before and lo and behold things I LOVE were popping up. Animals, animals, houses, interior design and…wait for it…crazy delicious food items from different restaurants around the world. It was literally a whole new world for me. I called it “the instagram” and my 34 year old daughter cracked up. “Mom, it’s just instagram.”