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Lolomi
POSTED: Thu, 11/04/2010 - 6:01pm
How to begin?
Hi you out there. I need some help to start my recasting, so I would be grateful for some tipps and stories. First of all, I´m new here. I´m 28 years old and come from Germany (so please let me off, if my English is clumsy). I first read FWDGF 5 years ago on a trip to england and ever since I changed my attitude to eating. But I never made it to really recast, because I just don´t know how to do it? I made an inventory of my eating habits and know them quite well. But when it comes to start the recasting I just don´t know, where to begin. There are so many things I want to change, that I don´t know, what to do first. So perhabs, someone of you out there has had the same problem and managed to overcome it! It would be great to get some tipps for the "first step" after you did the food inventory and the magical leek weekend. It will be appreciated! Greetings, LolomiMIREILLE'S CALENDAR
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Lolomi
POSTED: Fri, 11/12/2010 - 7:03pm
Hello again
Sorry, I didn´t post any reply in the last few days. I got a new computer and didn´t manage to connect to the internet. Sadly, I also didn´t quite succeed with my baby steps. Well, I managed to drink at least 3 glasses of water per day, so maybe I can work that out easily. But not eating between meals seems to be a more difficult thing to me than I thought. The result of this week was that I even ate more (especially chocolate) in between than before. So I´m not quite sure what to do about it...Well maybe it was just that I had a lot to think about this week and couldn´t quite concentrate on eating. I hope that writing this I get some new idea, what to do about it. Greetings LolomiVintage1944
POSTED: Fri, 11/12/2010 - 7:17pm
Hi Lolomi
The not snacking thing is hard for many of us.And how to not overdo the chocolate is another.I am finding that the water intake and walking has helped me this week.Mireille says 3 meals a day and no snacking,but as a French women never lets herself get hungry,an en cas is a good thing to have on hand.Unfortunately,I tend to eat the en cas whether I need it or not.So I am trying an increase in water.Perhaps,you are thirsty and not hungry.That is the case with me,especially when I am stressed or tired.Try to drink even more water.Good luck.Glad you got your computer up and running. JeanLolomi
POSTED: Sun, 11/28/2010 - 12:25pm
Hello Jean,
I´m very sorry, that I didn´t answer the last two weeks (oh, such a long time!). There were so many things for me to think about, and I can´t really tell about any success, so I just forgot to write. Well, I´m not sure, if I´m really thirsty when I crave the chocolate or other snacks. Somehow I feel, that I even crave those sweet things more, WHEN I drank so much water. I just want to have something with flavor. Well, I like herbal teas and tried them. But, alas, somehow that doesn´t work. What kind of en cas are you carrying with you? I don´t have a good idea for it. Fruit and vegetable is a bit critical. Either you eat them or you have to throw them away, because they will decay. And fruit always make me even more hungry. Maybe it´s just not the right time for me to change something because there are so many other things I have to think about. So, doing the other things perhabs will bring me on the right path to learn french eating :) I would be glad to get a tipp about the en cas thing. Wish you all a lovely first advent. LolomiVintage1944
POSTED: Sun, 11/28/2010 - 1:17pm
Good Morning Lolomi
So pleased to hear from you.I was wondering how you are.It is a matter of finding balance.A balance that fits you and your lifestyle,I think.As for the en cas,I tend to take protein type things with me eg.some nuts,a hardboiles egg a piece of cheese,hummus with a few crackers or celery sticks.My guess is (I am NOT an expert)that a carb encas sends your blood sugar up,out comes the Insulin and you are hungry again.I have Type 2 Diabetes and learned that when trying to understand the problem.If you want some carbs.,go ahead but be sure to have protein with it.As for the water,good to drink no matter what but if you are hungry still ,then I suspect you are truly hungry.Try having your tea with your en cas.See what that does.Most of all don't give up.It is a big learning curve.Cravings are another struggle,but that is in your head not your stomach.Not that it makes it easier.Bloody annoying are cravings.I find distraction helps.I have had a weight problem for YEARS and have dieted to the detriment of my health and now weigh more than I ever did.BUT with this lifestyle I am finding balance and am not gaining weight.Some of my medication makes it very difficult to shed weight.I am working on being more active and positive(changing the ""stinking thinking")and being as happy and healthy as I can be at this moment.No longer delaying happiness until I lose 10 pounds or something as useless as that.It does feel overwhelming to try to make several changes at once.Pick one or two and move forward.Surprisinly other thigs from that long list in ones head,fall into place.BTW,Fruit does make me hungry too,yet with yogurt added(protein)it is much better.Anyway,I'll stop here for now.Sorry to be long winded.Let's keep talking and help each other through this.I hope your Advent is lovely,too.JeanLolomi
POSTED: Wed, 12/01/2010 - 4:47pm
Hello again
Hi Jean, well, it seems, I´m not a diligent writer. I´m very sorry for that. I was very delighted about such a long answer :-)And I did try and followed your advise: I took some bread and cheese with me (it always remains from breakfast, as at 6 o`clock in the morning I only manage a yogurt, a coffee and a herbal tea). It´s just a small piece of bread, so it´s seems to have the perfect size for an en cas. And it also has the protein! And that really helped! No snacking today! Lucky thing to live in Germany when it comes to bread! We have so many different sorts of bread here - whole-grain, multigrain, white bread and so on. I always miss them, when I´m outside of Germany. You´re completely right about the carbs making you hungry because of the insulin. Well, maybe so-called "slow-carbs" would help, but fruit defenitely isn´t a "slow-carb"-food, so obviously, it must make us hungry. Well, my next step will be: still trying to eat three proper meals without snacking and now testing the en cas. Tomorrow, I will also take a teabag with me to my work, so I can have a herbal tea there instead of water. Somehow, I can´t stand water before lunch. Now, what will be your next steps? It would be great to help each other on the following steps! Many greetings, LolomiVintage1944
POSTED: Thu, 12/02/2010 - 1:53am
Hello to you
I am pleased the protein worked for you.Your planned steps are excellent.Please let me know how it works out.My next steps are to work on compensations,planning out my food intake and movement on a weekly basis a la Francaises.Also,am going to reduce refined sugar.It is a problem.I agree bread is wonderful.It is my favourite food.Fortunately,we have very good bread here.I live close to Montreal,Quebec and the French influene is moving in to Ottawa,at last.Montreal is a foodies paradise.Let's ontinue on the healthy path together.PS.Your Avatar is lovely.What herbal tea do you like?Best wishes.JeanLolomi
POSTED: Sat, 12/04/2010 - 8:56am
Hello Jean, well, in the last
Hello Jean, well, in the last few days, the second breakfast I have (the bread and cheese) work out very well. Now I have two small meals in the morning, when I can´t eat so much, and two greater meals for lunch and dinner. Well, I still have some problems to find the right size for dinner. But I think the ideas will come with time. So, you´re from Canada? Somehow I thought everyone here was from the US. Is French you´re native language then? I agree, bread is the most important food for me two. Unfortunately, cake and biscuits as well. My favorite herbal tea is mint, but I also like lemon balm, anise and fennel. Do you like herbal tea as well? I´m delighted that you like my avatar. It´s a photo I took at Trinidad. The bird looks as if it were posing for the camera :-) I like its blue colour and the yellow "rubberboots". Now, how is your food-plan working? Greetings and a lovely second advent, LolomiVintage1944
POSTED: Sat, 12/04/2010 - 1:10pm
Hi
Canada it is.We are officially a Bilingual country,English and French.My mother tongue is English.I do have some French.The major portion of French people live in Quebec,with other relatively large communities elsewhere.We are a mulicultural country.The issue of French becoming an official language here is a delicate one,fraught with tension and bad feelings.But I think how can it hurt to know more than one language?It can't.Enough language politics!!As for food...so much more pleasant to think about.I am learnig to eat more things in smaller amounts.I have more veggies and try to be seasonal.I,too,divide my meals,when I work.It takes care of hunger and stress related eating.Carbs,how I love them,but I am sure to keep lean protein at the forefront now.I am a big coffee drinker and need to add more tea.Mint is lovely(my son's favourite)Of course anything lemon is good.Will look foranise and fennel flavours,as I like the tastes.Thanks for the ideas.
Marilyn
POSTED: Sat, 12/04/2010 - 11:53am
Hi Lolomi
We are a very diverse group. There are a few of us from the UK as well as those from the US. Some from 'down under' and some from Europe.We all try to embrace Mireille's Manifesto. Sometimes we stray but always find our way back. Looking forward to hearing how you get on follwing the french lifestyle path. Bonne chance.
Vintage1944
POSTED: Sat, 12/04/2010 - 12:49pm
Canada
You forgot Canada.;-))Marilyn
POSTED: Sun, 12/05/2010 - 6:19am
Desolee
So sorry Jean. How could I forget the country of my Soul Sister.Vintage1944
POSTED: Sun, 12/05/2010 - 11:34am
OK
I'll forgive you.LOLMarilyn
POSTED: Sun, 12/05/2010 - 4:27pm
Merci
Je vous en prie.vickie2
POSTED: Sun, 11/07/2010 - 2:31pm
Hi Lolomi
Welcome Lolomi! I think the best concepts that I got from Mirielle are balance and portion control. I read French Women Don't Get Fat in 2005 and these are the main concepts that I have consistently tried to follow. I know you will find that all of the people that post on this board are kind and supportive. This is a great place!lmdavenport
POSTED: Sun, 11/07/2010 - 1:36pm
My Starting Point - Mindful Eating
Congrats on starting Lolomi! My starting point (this past Friday, so I'm officially on day 3) was mindful eating. I'm SO used to eating breakfast & lunch while I'm working, and dinner (and breakfast/lunch on the weekends) in front of the TV & computer. While it's very hard for me to give up my computer & TV while eating, I have begun to mute the TV on commercial breaks and only eating then. I'm taking smaller bites and focusing on how my food tastes. I'm especially loving the contrasting flavors (bitter lettuce greens, sweet dressing, crisp apple in my salad). By only eating on commercial breaks, it's allowing me to slowly break my habit of eating in front of the TV, and I'm also allowing my body time to recognize when I'm full. I also switched to a dessert plate rather than dinner plate. I might fill it up, but I'm realizing that's all I need.Lolomi
POSTED: Sat, 11/06/2010 - 3:45pm
Hey you! Wow, now that I
Hey you! Wow, now that I found my starting point it´s so simple to go on! My first two days went very well and I even found new baby steps to take: at each meal, I will stop eating, once I feel full. So I can find out, how much I really need to feel fine. And I will have a big glas of water (resp. herbal tea, I can´t stand water in the morning) with each meal and one in between. So I will have at least 5 big glases of low calorie fluid each day. As for the leek soup: I would like to do it later on, as I´m still recovering from an operation I had to undergo a few weeks ago. I don´t think that a low calorie weekend will work well with the wound healing. But your version sounds very good, so I will get back to you, Kalee! Greetings, LolomiVintage1944
POSTED: Sun, 11/07/2010 - 12:54pm
Great work
And I agree,pot op.recovery is not the time to fast or cut nutrients.hope you are well. JeanVintage1944
POSTED: Sun, 11/07/2010 - 12:55pm
Typo
pot actually means post.UneVieChic
POSTED: Fri, 11/05/2010 - 3:53pm
Begin With The Worst
Figure out what is the worst thing you do that sabotages your weight/health and get rid of it. If you can do the leek soup, it's delicious, I recommend it. Or even a leek and potato soup with creme fraiche (the calorie count is ridiculously low, and it's so filling a tea cup is all you need at a time). Feel free to e-mail me kaleemarie (at) yahoo (dot) com for the recipe, I have a great one! But after you've done that you do have to figure out what is causing the most damage and eliminate it for the time being. Hope that helps! Kalee http://www.uneviechic.blogspot.comSheri
POSTED: Fri, 11/05/2010 - 11:30am
Welcome!
As with anything we want to change - pick one and start there. Perhaps the one that is easiest to change (more water? no distractions with meals? walking stairs?). Or perhaps the one that bothers you the most. Anywhere is a good place to start.Vintage1944
POSTED: Fri, 11/05/2010 - 10:54am
Lolomi
Welcome to our wonderful community.I appreciate what you are experiencing.It does feel overwhelming at first.But as Linda says" one at a time."And drop in here often for support.We are always happy to listen and help if we can.The Leek Soup is not for everyone but if it doesn't work for you simply keep on with the rest.Your English is excellent.Take care.Jeanmiamoki
POSTED: Fri, 11/05/2010 - 10:44am
Welcome
I never did an actual recasting with the leek soup. What I have tried to do is take it one problem at a time. Like Mireille says - you first need to know your offenders before you can make any changes. Then you have to deal with them one by one. You said you are German so at least you don't have the television as an offender (well at least not as much as we have in the states). I know that when I turn off the tv and serve dinner my husband and daughter both look at each other like uh oh - Mom is going crazy again.. I light a candle and we sit and enjoy each other's company and enjoy the food that has been prepared. Don't worry. You will have days that are great and other days that aren't so great. The key is to just be consistent. Keep at it, you can do this! These boards are great for support. Hope this helps.Lolomi
POSTED: Fri, 11/05/2010 - 11:53am
Thank you all
Thanks to all of you for your warm welcome! It´s really good to talk to someone, who has the same goals - it somehow helped me to decide where to start: the first step I will do is to try not to eat between meals to get some structure into my eating habits. I think, then it will be way easier to decide on the next step. It´s really hard to talk about these things to friends or family. They didn´t read the book and the method is really hard to explain, because in the end, the method is to find your own method. I´m looking forward to posting here again! Greetings LolomiMarilyn
POSTED: Fri, 11/05/2010 - 12:47pm
Welcome
A little late with my welcome but I have not been posting for a couple of days. I think you are on the right tracks but do not let yourself go hungry as that is dangerous. Make sure you have a healthy 'en cas' with you at all times so you are not tempted by sugary snacks. Plenty of water as you may be thirsty not hungry. But remember baby steps to start with, you cannot change your lifestyle immediately, it takes a while. Looking forward to reading of your progress. Your English is good, it is not the easiest of languages to learn and I admire the way you have learned it, we English are very lazy when it comes to learning another language. Take care and bonne chance.Vintage1944
POSTED: Fri, 11/05/2010 - 12:25pm
You are most welcome
It is good to know you found your starting point.Yes,it is difficult to get others to understand,specially if they haven't read the book.We are of "like mind" here and that is tremendously comforting.OXO JeanVintage1944
POSTED: Thu, 11/11/2010 - 5:17pm
Starting point/recasting
I have decided to refocus my energy on walking and drinking enough water.So far so good.valerie51
POSTED: Sun, 12/12/2010 - 11:08pm
One of the simplest things
I do small things and try to work them in consistently. One of the easiest things I do during my days when I'm off work is to exercise during every commercial break on the television. I'm usually puttering and not necessarily watching the tv, but at every commercial break I run up and down stairs or march in place or lift weights...and since every commercial break is three to five minutes...and there are 5 of those during a one hour show, sometimes more, it really adds up! I also march in place when I'm watching a favorite show. These aren't diet things, but they are things I can do that add up.