Oral Allergy Syndrome

 Food  3 Responses »
Oct 052009
 
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I’ve had this annoying thing for a few years – some evil fairy responding to my previous thinking that allergies were a bit overblown.  Oh well.

Anyway, it means that I get itchy mouth & throat, swollen lips etc when I eat raw (ready for this?) apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, plums, almonds and potatoes.

No, I didn’t eat raw potato to figure that out; I peeled potatoes then stuck my finger in my eye with dramatic effect.  I’ve done that so often that I’ve been forced to question my intelligence.

The allergy isn’t life-threatening  – it just limits fruit consumption.  To oranges, kiwis, berries and bananas.

But yesterday I made a discovery!  I had read somewhere that eating fruit in season and recently picked will also reduce the effect of the allergy.  So I bought some locally grown 2009 vintage apples and tried one all peeled and chopped.  Nothing.  No itch. Bliss.

Today I’m going to actually bite into one through the skin and see if I can get away with it.  It’s hard to explain the simple joy of a fresh apple when you haven’t had one for a couple of years.

 Posted by Millie at 8:46 am  Tagged with:

Fine Lines

 Thoughts on the Process  2 Responses »
Oct 052009
 
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Sunday was ok.  I have SO much on my plate right now that I let thoughtful eating fly away, but yesterday I thought through my day in the morning and stuck to the plan.

Success at this thing is often just being thoughtful about what I’m doing and what I’m going to do.  I’ll never (again) be an obsessive planner because it’s not good for me but thinking through food for a day is a useful tool.

The husband is away and that gives me both time to think and time to wallow – fine line.

SO…..

useful: planning      not useful: obsessing

useful: thinking       not useful: wallowing

useful: trusting       not useful: ignoring the problems & hoping they’ll go away  (that one just came to me)

I saw the phrase, “lives life lightly” the other day and now I think I know what it means.

So today I will live life lightly.

I’m going to let that phrase role over my tongue for a while – lives life lightly – that sounds right and good in these stressful times.

 Posted by Millie at 8:13 am  Tagged with:

The Wagon or Not

 Starting Again Again, Things to try  4 Responses »
Oct 042009
 
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I’ve decided to ban the phrase “fall off the wagon”.  It’s too all or nothing: you’re on or you’re off, succeeding or failing.

I like to think of  this as a game of catch like we used to play as kids.  Each catch “counted” towards the all-time record.  When you drop the ball, you just start again at one and head for the record again.  How depressing it would have been if we’d berated and criticized each other with every drop.

So from now on I’m thinking of “dropping the ball” rather than “falling off the wagon”.  I hate the wagon.  I can’t stay on the wagon.  But I can play a game of catch – enjoy the process, chat with a friend and head for the all-time record.

So what constitutes a “catch” day?

For me, it means:

  • eating well to relieve hunger rather than emotion
  • staying within my calorie range for the day
  • moving somehow, some way
  • a day of appreciating what I have and working hard towards what I envision for myself
 Posted by Millie at 8:27 am  Tagged with: ,

Getting back in the game

 Starting Again Again  No Responses »
Oct 032009
 
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Here’s what I know: eating well and exercising aren’t just a “lifestyle option”; they are crucial ingredients in a sane and productive daily life.   How do I know?  I’ve just a couple of weeks doing no exercise and engaging in mindless eating. The result was that discombobulation that makes even simple stresses hard to deal with.

A couple of years ago it might have taken me months and a scary weight gain to get me back in the game but now it only takes a couple of weeks before I can’t stand the feeling of a tightening waistband and the sugar-induced lethargy that pins me to the sofa.

So this morning I disentangled myself from the negative voices in my head and went for a long walk with a few bursts of jogging – almost five miles of good music and a pounding heart.

One day at a time.

 Posted by Millie at 10:00 am

You should know…

 Talking It Off Info  No Responses »
Oct 032009
 
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Welcome to Talking It Off!

I’m all right talking to myself but community is always better.  Feel free to comment on any post.  If you just want a place to keep track of how you’re doing, post your news on the Daily for that date.  Consistency not required – say something when you feel like it and when it helps you get to where you’re going.

Here are the guidelines for the site.

Please join in if:

  • If you are exhausted from the process of “dieting” and would like to talk your way to a healthy, balanced and sane life with food and your body.
  • If you are following a sensible program that puts value on health and doesn’t forbid any food group.
  • If you are beyond the rush of dieting adrenaline and just need help putting one foot in front of the other.
  • If you’re feeling like you just have to knuckle down without any “click”.
  • If you’re looking for a place where slip-ups lead to plans and encouragement – absolutely no whining or excuses.
  • If you can deal with NOT describing your food slip-ups in detail.  Please don’t be angry if “I ate 60 Twinkies” type comments don’t get posted.  We all know what it means to fall into a vat of calories – details aren’t necessary.

Please stay away:

  • If you are sure you have the answer – the diet, the single food or the “challenge” that will motivate us to permanent weight-loss.
  • If you’re feeling super fired up and ready to take on the world.  All the best, but this probably isn’t the place for you. Yet.  We’ll be here for you when the euphoria wears off.
 Posted by Millie at 9:09 am
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