Good food for better mood

[TrueSeeker]

Hello everyone,

I think that we all experienced how a good feed can make us feel better but we do need to keep it in healthy levels and that can spoil the good feeling. I'd like to share my experience with food and how we managed to get that great feeling of full stomach from hearty food while keeping our weight under control.

Some time ago we started putting on weight due to health issues and just purely from getting old. I've never used to have weight problems while my partner has struggled all his life that by the way never ever bothered me. But I didn't like myself putting on weight and was worried that it could get out of hand and the earlier I'll deal with it, the easier it'll be.

So we did some research on how to lose weight while still being able to get a good fix that we both love. We came across intermittent fasting and it sounded really good to us so we thought we give a go
while adjusting it a little bit to our liking.

We needed to lose weight first so had to go a bit hard on it to start with. Our target was one kilo a month, we thought that it was sustainable and not too painful. We didn't want to put ourselves off dieting. So we decided to have one big hearty meal every two days. Anything in between just to have tiny small bites just when the hunger gets too much, it could be anything. We just have a little bit of cheese, some nuts, piece of fruit, slice of bread and sometimes even a glass of water can take the edge of hunger away. It took us a year to get to the weight we were comfortable with. I lost 8 kilos, my partner lost 12 kilos. He always has to be better at everything! haha

Now, we just keep our target weight, we do one hearty meal every day and have tiny meals the rest of the day to manage the hunger. When our weight goes up, we have a day off and go back to tiny meals and the weight goes down again. I love how we are able to have a good feed and get that comfortable feeling that everything is ok while keeping our weight under control.

Here's couple of more tips:
We bought a proper scale and got into habit of weighing ourselves every morning so we can see what food does what. One kilo fluctuation is ok but anything more than that needs to be fixed. We hunted for recipes for food that we really like. Now with the internet it is very easy to find recipes for food that we missed from childhood or anything we felt like eating. We still like our takeaway now and then but not as much as we used to.

I think it would be great for everyone to share our stories, food or recipes that make us feel better.

PS Please try to watch the weight as it can spoil the fun.

[Ggrand]

Hello Trueseeker,

I am so happy that your new eating habits have been successful for both you and your partner….well done..

I was always in a healthy range until mental illness caught me in its horrendous grip, mh meds changed my weight dramatically…25 kilos was added so quickly….I was upset and not happy with what the meds have done with my weight….so I basically ate very little to loose that weight, Nope it didn’t shift at all, even going days with eating enough to feed a bird only….I got so unwell and eventually landed in hospital after a fainting attack…I talked to my then psychiatrist and he asked me a question…”What is more important for me, my mental health or body size?”….of course I said my mental health, because it was and sometimes still is detrimental to me….

He suggested 3 small but nutritious meals a day, which covers ingredients from all the food group’s recommended….protein, natural carbs, fruit, vegetables etc…which I did do, but again no weight loss…but I did feel better within me…the only way to loose that weight for me was to stop my medication ….I wasn’t prepared fo do that…Yes I’m overweight still by 25 kilos, I’ve plateaued their now for a few years and have accepted that this is me now…

I have heart disease, others may have diabetes, high cholesterol, liver, kidney problems etc…so I’m just adding to those reading this, is to please speak to your Dr before you start any new weight loss regimen, for your own benefit…

I  honestly do feel so happy that what Trueseeker is doing has helped both her and her partner….I’m actually in awe of them….and wish both of them continued success…

My kindest thoughts with care..

Grandy..

[TrueSeeker]

Hello Grandy,

thank you for your kind words. I'm happy for you that you've found your balance too. And yes, we all need to consider our health issues. I'm glad that you have your “Lolly gobble bliss bombs” to make you feel better when you need to.

Hugs