*Trigger warning* Eating for Health and Wellness

[Guest_1055]

I have been struggling eating and eating healthy foods over the last couple of weeks. I really do not want to go back further to how I use to eat, that is eating junk food, takeaways, copious amounts of chocolate, processed junk and comfort eating.

Finding it challenging to stay motivated to actually prepare what I know helps me feel better mentally, emotionally and physically. Plus I have been feeling overwhelmed with other stuff happening in my life, which somehow makes it more challenging. The old unhealthy comfort eating thing is coming back. And I think I am getting concerned and scared about that. I so much do not want to go back to how I use to be. I was so sick. Plus I now have some physical things not right in my body , so I need to be more careful and mindful of what I eat. ( Pre cancer cells , high blood pressure )

I was eating really well since Febuary of this year, it’s just the last couple of weeks I haven’t.

So I would like to use this thread to help me be accountable to Beyond Blue people. So like a diary where I can post and report what I eat. And also any healthy eating tips, motivating strategies to help eat better or anything related to healthy eating for our bodies including our mental health.

[MsPurple]

HI Shelley

I love ice-cream. I know Ben and Jerry's have a vegan variety instore and in supermarkets. Also there are almond milk varieties too. I don't know. Definately my favourite food. If someone says what is my favourite specific food it would be 'peanut butter icecream'. (especially Ben and Jerrys and Baskin Robins) Only issue with ice cream is it isn't the best in winter

[Guest_1055]

Yeah I have seen the Vegan Ben and Jerry's ice-cream. Also there is a vegan cornetto and a vegan magnam. Thing is they have refined sugars and other processed stuff. I really got to stay away from those . It makes me ill.

When it gets warmer I will have a go at a nut milk, soymilk or maybe coconut milk type one. The sweetener will properly be either raw honey, medjoil dates or coconut sugar. Or maybe sweet berries or mango. Have you made ice cream before? I do have an ice cream maker.

And mm I like peanut butter.

[MsPurple]

I went to Daiso today. They were selling dried mango. It was delicious 🙂 I do enjoy dried fruit. Especially before exercise or when I am craving sugar. I love mangoes but this time of year it is too expensive so dried is a cheaper alternative. I have also been into putting dates in my porridge. Yummo

I am doing temp work for a month. The hours are from 3:30-11:30pm so I am having to try organise what to take. We have microwaves, sandwhich press and fridges so it is pretty nice.

[Paw Prints]

Hi Shelley Anne,

You said on you exercise thread, that you have been going through a rough patch, so I thought I would pop in here, as I'm guessing the healthy eating possibly went pear shaped as well & I want to give you some support.

We both know how extra hard it is to keep to good habits when we are struggling. So if your eating hasn't been as healthy as you might have wished, please try & accept it as being "as good as you could manage" which sometimes is all we can expect of ourselves. I believe you can make the changes you want to make, please be gentle with yourself.

Paw Prints

[MsPurple]

HI Paw and Shelley

I have gone through a bit of a rough patch, which caused me to go back to old and poor eating habits. I talked openly to my therapist about it. Has helped me open up but the answer to why I do it hasn't been solved and will take some time. She reminded me not to be so hard on myself. Having set backs can suck, but it is ok because we can learn from them. May take some time and we can only tackle it when ready, but it is ok.

[Guest_1055]

Ah hi Paw Prints. Yes your are right. 🙂 I have been struggling with the junk food. Pretty much the junk food is always the same, the addictive kind. Hot chips and chocolate. I long so much to be free of this. It’s like a trap, I start to feel sad, unloved, lonely, etc then without thinking just gravitate to it. Then held in it and then keep eating this junk food, then start to feel foggy headed, tired, dissappointed, then physically ill.

I have not had any junk yesterday or today. And I am still feeling physically ill, plus all the other above feelings. And a headache as well.

It normally takes my body about 4 or so days to feel better, once I stop eating the junk.

How you going with the cutting down of dairy milk?

Shell

[Guest_1055]

Hi Ms Purple,

How you going with the new temp work? You can make some healthy meals in one of those sandwich presses. I sometimes use a piece of wholemeal Lebanese bread, spread either homemade hummus or cashew cheese on it, then layer tomato and baby spinach. Press and heat. Then eat this crispy type deliciousness. I find it a good way to help myself eat more green leafy veg.

And yes I wonder why you gravitate to the not so healthy foods. Do you feel unloved at those times? Or maybe when you start doing something new, like your new temp work maybe?

[Paw Prints]

Hello Shell,

When you feel your mood slipping is there anyone you can reach out to for support? Would you feel able to reach out here on BB or one of the phone lines? I'm not able to supply a physical shoulder for you to lean/cry on, but I'm happy to offer my cyber one. You could say as much or as little as you need or maybe even talk about something completely different if you wanted a break from your thoughts. No pressure, just a thought if you felt it might help.

Don't be too hard on yourself, for turning to the junk food, it isn't all down to willpower. Did you know that studies have shown that turning to junk food when we are down isn't just us giving in to habits, but we actually have a biological trigger to seek foods high in fat/sugars from our hunter/gatherer days when we could go days without finding any food. It was a survival trait that when they found such foods they would also be triggered to eat as much as possible so as to add body fat to act as an energy source on lean days. We still have those same triggers & recent studies have shown that some people are more easily triggered than others.

Hope the headache is easing.

Paw

[Guest_1055]

Ah Paw thankyou for your kindness.

I sometimes talk with my sister when we regularly going walking. I tend not to write much on here about myself. Though I have done in the past. I don't know but thinking and pondering about sadness or whatever can make me worse. I then start to feel sorry for myself or dwell in self pity. I have done that so much over the years. And still fall into that trap. What I want to do and maybe I am learning this. Is to say OK I feel sad, like acknowledge it. Generally I know what starts the sadness off. As it's similar things each time. OK I have lost my train of thoughs, and have become muddled up.

Thanks for your willingness to help me Paw.

Hope you are getting along OK there.

[Guest_1055]

So thankful that I have gone 1 whole week without eating junk.