Diet tips and tricks

[Jimi]

Huh, I didn't know you included oatmeal in your diet.

Yes I buy it by the 50 pound bag, oatmeal is naturally gluten free, yes you see gluten free oatmeal advertised and the only reason for that is that it is processed on equipment that is used on non gluten foods. Oatmeal is a good breakfast/ well any meal for a person with what I have.

 

[Mister]

So, i bought suspenders...lol, thats my latest diet trick

 

[Mister]

So, maybe this shoulda go in the cooking thread i dunno. i need a more better solution for toasted sesame oil. target used to sell a big ass jar for a few dollars, now its 10 dollars for a little bottle and most of its simply pure sesame oil or virgin and i nead toasted for my fried rice (the only thing im sorta good at cooking, rice, diced onions, canned sweet peas, an egg, dumped in a wok. i know my limits).

Never as good as the real thing im convinced its because i dont have one of those wok fire pits (always comes out more mushy than i like, but 10 cents worth of ingredients for 30 dollars worth of veggie fried from the restaraunt, its close enough

Edit-actually, if anyone is good at fried rice, id really like some help tweaking, cuz ive tried everything i can find online, and trial and error is just not getting it done. im trying to find a system so i can just get the 1234 things. premeasured, ready to dump in so i can stop trying to feel it out each time, like a working repeatable recipe, bing bang boom

2nd edit-currently my biggest obstacle is cooking the rice without the bottom gettin mushy, usually in the microwave, but i dont actually remember boiling it a pot being any different, but i could be wrong

 

[Bliss Doubt]

So, maybe this shoulda go in the cooking thread i dunno. i need a more better solution for toasted sesame oil. target used to sell a big ass jar for a few dollars, now its 10 dollars for a little bottle and most of its simply pure sesame oil or virgin and i nead toasted for my fried rice (the only thing im sorta good at cooking, rice, diced onions, canned sweet peas, an egg, dumped in a wok. i know my limits).

Never as good as the real thing im convinced its because i dont have one of those wok fire pits (always comes out more mushy than i like, but 10 cents worth of ingredients for 30 dollars worth of veggie fried from the restaraunt, its close enough

Edit-actually, if anyone is good at fried rice, id really like some help tweaking, cuz ive tried everything i can find online, and trial and error is just not getting it done. im trying to find a system so i can just get the 1234 things. premeasured, ready to dump in so i can stop trying to feel it out each time, like a working repeatable recipe, bing bang boom

2nd edit-currently my biggest obstacle is cooking the rice without the bottom gettin mushy, usually in the microwave, but i dont actually remember boiling it a pot being any different, but i could be wrong

@nadalama has a post on page 2 of this thread, in which she talks about using parboiled rice for her fried rice.

I don't ever make it because I've never mastered the flavors or the texture. I wish I could help.

I found this list of substitutes for sesame oil, but some of them don't look acceptable to me. Perilla oil looks interesting. Never heard of that before.

https://bakeitwithlove.com/sesame-oil-substitute/

 

[Mister]

@nadalama has a post on page 2 of this thread, in which she talks about using parboiled rice for her fried rice.

I don't ever make it because I've never mastered the flavors or the texture. I wish I could help.

I found this list of substitutes for sesame oil, but some of them don't look acceptable to me. Perilla oil looks interesting. Never heard of that before.

https://bakeitwithlove.com/sesame-oil-substitute/

I dont really need a substitute as to find a new place to buy it i guess, ive read all the substitutes too.

If i cant get regular rice right, parboiled i dont have a chance.

Im trying again uaing a completely different cooking instructions so maybe i can use more than a handful of rice from the middle

Edit-and yeah so far so good, no mush, see how it is later on after it cools

So yeah, after all that typing and yadda yadda yadda, anyone know a good deal on toasted sesame oil, thats all i was really looking for to be honest

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Don't EAT the cheezburger.

 

[nadalama]

I dont really need a substitute as to find a new place to buy it i guess, ive read all the substitutes too.

If i cant get regular rice right, parboiled i dont have a chance.

Im trying again uaing a completely different cooking instructions so maybe i can use more than a handful of rice from the middle

Edit-and yeah so far so good, no mush, see how it is later on after it cools

So yeah, after all that typing and yadda yadda yadda, anyone know a good deal on toasted sesame oil, thats all i was really looking for to be honest

Parboiled rice is much easier to cook than regular long grain rice. Just saying.

Is there an Aldi store near you? Looks like they have a brand of toasted sesame oil called Carlini for about $9 for a 16 Oz bottle. If no Aldi, maybe look at Instacart and see if you can get it shipped to you for a reasonable price.

ETA: I didn't notice that auto-correct had changed what I typed to "Paroled rice." Ha! Doofus auto-correct.

Was also going to say that the secret to cooking rice is to get the heat low enough so the rice doesn't scorch on the bottom, and then keep it covered the entire time it's cooking. Don't give in to the impulse to take the lid off and stir it. If the heat is low enough, you won't need to stir it anyway.

 

[Mister]

I'll refrain from making the chinese restaraunt joke about that cat everyone knows im thinking right now

 

[Mister]

Parboiled rice is much easier to cook than regular long grain rice. Just saying.

Is there an Aldi store near you? Looks like they have a brand of toasted sesame oil called Carlini for about $9 for a 16 Oz bottle. If no Aldi, maybe look at Instacart and see if you can get it shipped to you for a reasonable price.

ETA: I didn't notice that auto-correct had changed what I typed to "Paroled rice." Ha! Doofus auto-correct.

Was also going to say that the secret to cooking rice is to get the heat low enough so the rice doesn't scorch on the bottom, and then keep it covered the entire time it's cooking. Don't give in to the impulse to take the lid off and stir it. If the heat is low enough, you won't need to stir it anyway.

I do have an aldis, thank u. i never go in it cuz they dont have the particular stuff i eat usually.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Omygosh, I remembered something. I did make fried rice, and I really liked this recipe, took it to potlucks where every last spoonful would get eaten. I don't know why, but I guess I quit making it around 2012. It uses packaged brown rice you buy already cooked. The texture is good and it has a nutty flavor. You can use white rice of course, cook your own, or use the cooked packaged stuff. TastyBite makes Basmati, Jasmine, brown Basmati and other varieties. I'm convinced that brown rice doesn't cause the blood sugar spike that white rice does.

Ordinarily I would post this in the cooking thread, but this is fairly balanced, a meatless main dish, and you can leave out the sugar, but I'm telling you, Chinese restaurants use sugar.

Pineapple Fried Rice​

½ cup raw sliced almonds
Scallions or long green onions cut into 1" rods, or slivered shallot or slivered onion
Sliced jalapeno
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
One 20 oz can pineapple chunks, drained, reserving the juice
One package cooked brown rice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup whole snow pea pods or chopped broccoli, frozen is fine but fresh is better IMO
Other optional veg: grated carrots, bean sprouts, shredded cabbage
Fresh grated ginger root or ginger powder
Salt
Red pepper flakes
Peanut oil or other cooking oil
Butter or ghee
Chopped parsley or cilantro

Heat the oil and saute the almonds, scallion and jalapeno. Add the snow pea pods (or the broccoli) and saute very briefly until tender crisp (the veg will continue to cook as the other ingredients are added). Add the ginger, sugar, salt, and pepper flakes. Add the packaged rice, and rehydrate with some of the reserved pineapple juice. Add the tamari sauce. Stir well to unclump the packaged rice. Add the drained pineapple. Stir up to mix everything. Top with chopped parsley or the chopped green ends of the scallions.

Dunno what "butter or ghee" is doing in that ingredients list, but maybe at one time I felt it added something. Anyway, up to you.

No garlic in this one. I mean, garlic and pineapple? Nah.

 

[nadalama]

I'll refrain from making the chinese restaraunt joke about that cat everyone knows im thinking right now

One of my coworkers swears he was served half a fried cat in a Chinese restaurant once. To hear him tell that story is absolutely hysterical. He's a funny guy anyway.

 

[Mister]

success, 15 cents for 15 dollars of chinese food (just a guess)



Edit-ill look into parboiled rice i guess, i just skimmed what it was about and it seemed like many more steps that i am prone to screw up. this is actually one of those dishes that i consider enough food groups and nutrients to live off of with low sodium soy sauce.

Btw, If anyone is interested giant or acme/albertsons, i forget which, sells real mirin, not aji mirin, fairly priced.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Cereal slaw.

This is how to eat kiddie cereal without wiping out your eating plan, Take 2 (but this time it's a more adult cereal, organic bran flakes).


Stock photo, but this is the one I used.

This one is so ridiculous, I hesitated to post it, but on the other hand it's too delicious not to post it.

Slice and cut cabbage as for coleslaw, about two cups or however much you want. Add it to your big salad bowl, along with chopped jalapeno. An optional addition is a teaspoon of fresh grated ginger root. I used it because I have a ton of organic ginger root in the fridge at the moment. I felt it added a lot to this dish. Add plenty of salt because the salt will go to your other ingredients too. Add a tablespoon of mayo and stir it all up at that point. Top with a cup of cereal, 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds, and about 1/4 cup dried cranberries (I used the apple juice sweetened ones).



So yummy. The toppings fall in as you eat it. It's sweet and savory like any other slaw, and crunchy.



Calories:

Cabbage - don't count those calories
Half a large jalapeno - don't count those calories
Fresh grated ginger root - doesn't count
One tablespoon mayonnaise - 90 cal. (the vegan mayo is lower in calories than regular, or you can use low fat mayo for even lower calories)
One cup bran flakes (not raisin bran, just bran flakes) - 150 cal.
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds - 170 cal.
1/4 cup dried cranberries - 140 cal.
Total calories: 550

Not particularly low calorie, but I eat two meals a day, and it was a very filling breakfast-lunch. It isn't the strictly clean and healthy nourishment that some people want nowadays. Even the organic multi-bran cereal does contain cane sugar. I'm not that strict on anything except calories in/calories out, and choosing organic products as much as possible. If that's you too, you might love this dish.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Mmmm, sugar free, no sweeteners, just flavored sparklers. The vanilla one is good, but the chocolate one is absolutely a zero calorie dessert:

 

[Bliss Doubt]

This isn't a super low calorie drink, but a very moderate calorie special treat.

I cracked open a cold chocolate flavor Jelly Belly sparklng water, pictured in my previous post, filled a high ball size glass with it, added a glug of heavy whipping cream (50 calories per tablespoon), and sprinkled a little pinch of unsweetened cocoa powder on top.

I think that's keto, though I don't particularly do keto, but with no sugar and the heavy cream, keto?

A very nice Sunday treat. No need for any sugar. The cream tastes sweet, the chocolate water tastes sweet, and the pinch of cocoa powder makes it smell like heaven. You can add a maraschino cherry, 5 calories, if you want to get ridiculous, but then it won't be keto.

 

[Mister]

That looks good, ill vape some chocolate to join u...

Btw, i was looking at what my water filter does and doesnt filter, copper is on the doesnt list, so guess im still drinking it

 

[Bliss Doubt]

That looks good, ill vape some chocolate to join u...

Btw, i was looking at what my water filter does and doesnt filter, copper is on the doesnt list, so guess im still drinking it

Hmm, I don't remember a previous conversaton about copper in your water supply. I cook with tap water and use it to make coffee and tea, and they say you can get toxic by even bathing in it in some locations. I don't use a water filter, so I'm trying to ignore the hazards. Most of my drinking water is from cans, the flavored sparkling waters I enjoy.

This article indicates we need some copper:

What Are the Dangers of Chelated Copper Supplements?

Your body needs copper to promote iron absorption, to aid in energy metabolism, to help the immune and nervous systems function properly and to aid in the synthesis of collagen and red blood cells.

healthyeating.sfgate.com

But not too much. This article mentions some supplements that can help:

Is Copper Supplementation Making You Ill and What to do About it!

Copper has become a villain in the natural health field, but is it truly the issue or are we having issues with its transportation?

www.fixyourgut.com

@Jimi has been missing lately, but when he's back (hopefully soon ) maybe he'll have something to add.

 

[Mister]

Yeah he will, lol.
Mustve been having it with someone else. i was having digestive issues that seemed to correlate with me having a water filter on my tap, maybe there is something else, maybe its just coincidence

 

[Mister]

This isn't a super low calorie drink, but a very moderate calorie special treat.

I cracked open a cold chocolate flavor Jelly Belly sparklng water, pictured in my previous post, filled a high ball size glass with it, added a glug of heavy whipping cream (50 calories per tablespoon), and sprinkled a little pinch of unsweetened cocoa powder on top.

I think that's keto, though I don't particularly do keto, but with no sugar and the heavy cream, keto?

A very nice Sunday treat. No need for any sugar. The cream tastes sweet, the chocolate water tastes sweet, and the pinch of cocoa powder makes it smell like heaven. You can add a maraschino cherry, 5 calories, if you want to get ridiculous, but then it won't be keto.

View attachment 203309

This song made me think of this, lol

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Dessert is important. If I don't have a small controlled dessert several times a week, I risk passing out under a pile of candy wrappers when I can't stand the deprivation any longer.

I'm using stock photos for some of my faves:

These are 45 calories each:




These are 55 calories each, two of them for 110 calories of pampering and indulgence for dessert with strong black coffee and an inch of good brandy in the glass.




These are 45 calories each. Three of them a 135 calorie fancy dessert.



My grocery store always seems to have the Delizza products in stock, or at least one or two of the varieties. They're fresh. You get them in the refrigerated case.

I stood in the snack aisle for 15 minutes one time, reading all of the calorie labels. The Hostess Hohos have the least calories of all of them, 130 calories per cake, way less than the cupcakes and dingdongs, and these are of a real dessert size, but be careful. They're packaged in two's, so you could be tempted to say "oh hell, I'll just eat the other one too".




Finally, a good square of fine dark chocolate with the aforementioned black coffee and brandy will come in even lower in calories, and is really the best, but sometimes you just want a pastry or other special cheat day indulgence.

 

[Mister]

Ive added a half mile of cycling to my daily exercise to try and stop all this yo-yo weight ive been having since the holidays.

I have no idea how many calories kit kats are, but those and brownies are my two go to chocolate snacks

Edit-oh, and chocolate frosty's..i have a problem with those actually...500 some calories for a large, that one i do know, lol

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Ive added a half mile of cycling to my daily exercise to try and stop all this yo-yo weight ive been having since the holidays.

I have no idea how many calories kit kats are, but those and brownies are my two go to chocolate snacks

Edit-oh, and chocolate frosty's..i have a problem with those actually...500 some calories for a large, that one i do know, lol

Frostys, you mean from Wendys?

Exercise is a great thing, the best thing IMO, for keeping fit, but I don't get enough exercise myself. I sit at this desk and work work work, then sit at this desk and play on the forums, and shop online, watch videos, then I sit in my big chair and listen to podcasts.

Yep exercise, good for you.

 

[Mister]

Frostys, you mean from Wendys?

Exercise is a great thing, the best thing IMO, for keeping fit, but I don't get enough exercise myself. I sit at this desk and work work work, then sit at this desk and play on the forums, and shop online, watch videos, then I sit in my big chair and listen to podcasts.

Yep exercise, good for you.

Yep, wendys, something about the consistency, not quite soft ice cream, but more than a milk shake.

I just use an exercise bike, just a cpl minutes a day of all out pedaling as fast as i can go

(Its keeping away the suspenders tho for sure, lol)

 

[Jimi]

 

[Mister]

Im gettin lighter

I have 5- 10 more pounds to lose of non-yoyo weight before im good to go

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Im gettin lighter

I have 5- 10 more pounds to lose of non-yoyo weight before im good to go

Do you know the make/model of your exercise bike? I'm thinking of getting one. I used to enjoy long walks untl the stray cats around here ate up all the birds and squarrels, and the air is so dirty from crap they're spraying, full of aluminum and barium salts (which I only know because people who lose trees get the soil tested).

 

[Mister]

Oh i have no idea, its a recumbent one someone was giving away

Edit-freemotion...its not like a fancy peloton with a display or anything

I just totally pigged out on chicken too, but ww says thats 0 points, so no biggie i guess

 

[fuzecate]

I'm not as plant based as Jimi, so I use organic butter for baked or mashed potatoes, and in my curried potato & pea dish. I was just wondering what he was using, since I knew he wouldn't use butter.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

I'm not as plant based as Jimi, so I use organic butter for baked or mashed potatoes, and in my curried potato & pea dish. I was just wondering what he was using, since I knew he wouldn't use butter.

You are quoting my August 22, 2022 post.

Is there a question or a further comment?

 

[nadalama]

You are quoting my August 22, 2022 post.

Is there a question or a further comment?

Hinky meter going crazy here.

 

[Jimi]

Just wanted to share this with all who are watching their calories, we also have to watch the hidden dangers of sweeteners

BEST SWEETENERS ​ Blackstrap molasses, molasses Coconut sugar; (crystals and syrup) Dates Honey (raw, unfiltered) Maple syrup (real one) Yakon syrup Unprocessed stevia (a natural sweetener) Pure monk fruit (a natural sweetener) JUST OK ​ Cane juice and sugar Date sugar and syrup Stevia; brands such as Stevia in the Raw, SweetLeaf Monk fruit (mixed most often with erythritol)​

BEST AVOIDED ​ ​

Agave and agave nectar (high in fructose) Barley malt Beet sugar Brown rice syrup Brown sugar Carob syrup Corn syrup Dextran and dextrose Ethyl maltol Fructose Fruit juice concentrate Glucose Golden sugar/syrup Grape sugar High -fructose corn syrup Lactose Malt syrup Maltodextrin Maltose Manninol Raw sugar Sorbitol Sorghum syrup Sucrose Turbinado Table or white sugar Xylitol

DO NOT CONSUME ​ Acesulfame Potassium (Sweet One) Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet) Saccharin (Sweet’N Low) Stevia (White, bleached, or highly processed; stevia such as Truvia and Sun Crystals) Sucralose (Splenda)​

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Gawd, I just ate a pound of strawberries.

The 145 calories in a whole pound of fresh organic strawberries, no sugar or chocolate dip, is not the worrisome thing. The worrisome thing is thinking "I'm gonna binge", then washing and draining them all so they can all be eaten in one sitting.

Okay for now. I'm full, uncomfortably full, but the sound of an exploding bellyfull of strawberries might scare my neighbors.

 

[Mister]

The production value of that clip is simply amazing

 

[Mister]

Ive been on a cottage cheeze diet lately. It actually seems to kinda work.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

The production value of that clip is simply amazing

Hah, I just wanted something that didn't bring to mind images of unpleasant bodily functions. The issue was only that I felt like I was going to explode. I swapped it out for a better vid now.

 

[Mister]

Oh i hate that bloated feeling. Yes guys can feel bloated and bitch about it, lol

I am well aware that thos fad diets are incredibly unhealthy, but damn do they get results (its not out of desperation either, i just happen to be on a cottage cheese kick lately for some reason, yummy)

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Oh i hate that bloated feeling. Yes guys can feel bloated and bitch about it, lol

I am well aware that thos fad diets are incredibly unhealthy, but damn do they get results (its not out of desperation either, i just happen to be on a cottage cheese kick lately for some reason, yummy)

If you've never tried ranch dressing powder mixed into your cottage cheese, you may be in for a treat. You can get organic ranch powder packets nowadays. I like to add to that mixture some chopped cucumber and black olives or chopped avocado. Avocado adds serious calories, but they're good calories.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Diet tip: Summer produce prices make cheap salads

Product tip: low calorie organic ramen

This is a wonderful, refreshing salad I used to eat all the time. Now it's been too long since I had it, and when summer comes the produce prices improve. I got the pint of organic baby tomatoes for 1.39, a large organic cucumber for 80 cents. I only used half of that abundance for this salad, and already had the organic onions in the fridge. It doesn't need any dressing. Salt and pepper make the flavors shine.



I felt it would be a refreshing and filling counterpoint to the 200 calorie organic ramen I found. You get those little packets of super cheap ramen and they're 450 or more calories, and the label has the nerve to say it serves two people. This Koyo packet really says it serves one, at 210 calories.


Stock photo, it's just easier.

That left me enough calories to enjoy a dessert of these luscious mini chocolate cream tarts, 200 calories for the whole packet of two.


Stock photo

 

[Mister]

If you've never tried ranch dressing powder mixed into your cottage cheese, you may be in for a treat. You can get organic ranch powder packets nowadays. I like to add to that mixture some chopped cucumber and black olives or chopped avocado. Avocado adds serious calories, but they're good calories.

Bananas r my fav for that mix, never tried black olives, but i luv plain olives and i can see me liking that mix
Bananas and sour cream is another one i like

Im having probs thinking about the ranch dressing being good but i guess ill have to try it n see for that one, lol

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Bananas r my fav for that mix, never tried black olives, but i luv plain olives and i can see me liking that mix
Bananas and sour cream is another one i like

Im having probs thinking about the ranch dressing being good but i guess ill have to try it n see for that one, lol

Right, well if you don't like ranch dressing, you won't like it in your cottage cheese.

Nanners and cottage are good too. We all have our own tastes.

 

[Mister]

Right, well if you don't like ranch dressing, you won't like it in your cottage cheese.

Nanners and cottage are good too. We all have our own tastes.

No, i luv ranch dressing, im gonna try kinda dipping it in the salad dressing i have.

Update-tried it, its good, kinda just turns it into chunky ranch dressing with 8 times less calories (thats a lot less, dig it)

 

[Mister]

 

[Bliss Doubt]

After a rather gluttonous cheat day yesterday, and attending our supper club at a friend's house last night, I'm enjoying a repentance day today. I guess those are the games I'll always play, but having only one cheat day a week means having only one repent day, and even then, only when I have gone overboard on cheat day.

I took a fruit and cucumber salad to supper club, and have made a modified version of it for my breakfast-lunch today, the only differences being that I used a few red pepper flakes for them, but for myself I added some fresh chopped jalapeno, and mine is on a bed of lettuce, which I didn't do last night because lettuce will get brown edges and wilt if it waits when you have to transport the dish somewhere. Also I dressed mine with a little mayo. Theirs didn't need it. The residual juice on the pineapple, and the bursting juice from the clementines, with salt for the cuke and onion, all mitigate the need for dressing.

Mine today:

Romaine
Canned juice pack pineapple chunks, drained
Fresh clementine sections
Sliced cucumber
Chopped fresh jalapeno
One long green onion, both the white and the green parts
Salt
Just a little mayo to moisten the lettuce (this pic is before I added that)



That wouldn't have been enough to keep the beast at bay until I go out for burger & a band with friends tonite, so I cooked up one of these little 210 calorie organic ramen packets to go with it.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

That looks delicious with the olives and all the crunchy ingredients, but I wonder if there isn't something I didn't make clear.

It looks like you poured on some ranch dressing. What I was suggesting was stirring ranch dressing powder (just the powder alone) into your cottage cheese. Don't use too much. Stir it up and taste it until it's right. It really elevates the flavor of the cottage cheese. I use an organic variety of the ranch powder packet.

Anyway, it saves even more calories instead of adding any.

Bon appetit.

 

[Mister]

That looks delicious with the olives and all the crunchy ingredients, but I wonder if there isn't something I didn't make clear.

It looks like you poured on some ranch dressing. What I was suggesting was stirring ranch dressing powder (just the powder alone) into your cottage cheese. Don't use too much. Stir it up and taste it until it's right. It really elevates the flavor of the cottage cheese. I use an organic variety of the ranch powder packet.

Anyway, it saves even more calories instead of adding any.

Bon appetit.

Haha, no, it was clear, i had ranch dressing on hand tho, and even the tiniest bit makes the whole cottage cheese taste like it, all i can say was epic salad, no crunchies tho, olives cheese, lettuce carrots, just the usual

BtW if i see one more actual restaurant making a sandwich with doritos for crunchies in it i think im gonna flip out, lol (i know they r basically nachos, but its like too far when an ingredient comes from a vending machine, ya know)

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Haha, no, it was clear, i had ranch dressing on hand tho, and even the tiniest bit makes the whole cottage cheese taste like it, all i can say was epic salad, no crunchies tho, olives cheese, lettuce carrots, just the usual

BtW if i see one more actual restaurant making a sandwich with doritos for crunchies in it i think im gonna flip out, lol

When I say "crunchy stuff" I'm referring to the lettuce and carrots I see there.

Me too, no interest in all those trendy recipes for chicken baked in doritos crumbs, or even the fast food tacos made with doritos shells. It's all trash.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

No cooking required for a beautiful breakfast-lunch, but it does leave calorie room for a little cereal with yogurt, or some toast.



I can't get enough watermelon in summer, but after this I conclude that the watermelon with seeds has more flavor.

 

[Bliss Doubt]

Eating in America, with gratitude.

I'm a bit obsessed with two YouTube channels, Eugenia Cooney and Hungry Fatchick. Both have had their channels up for around ten years. Cooney was out for a while when her friends did an intervention that resulted in a 5150 abduction into a hospital psych ward for evaluation, which led to her extended stay at a treatment center. Anybody can look up the facts online by just searching her name. Cooney has never eaten on camera. Her channel is about clothes, makeup, cosplay, though she just did one a couple of days ago about learning to garden.



Hungry Fatchick (Candy Godiva) eats on camera on her mukbangs (eating shows). She has told her story in her videos, of being abandoned as a child, taken in by her grandparents, alternately comforted with food and put on diets so strict they caused lifelong damage to her metabolism.

These two women are at opposite ends of the spectrum of dysfunctional relationships with food. Both are very pretty, personable, humble, entertaining, sweet, and they seem kind. It seems remarkable to me that both are still alive. I have no judgment for either of them. Both of them make me think of my own mortality.

At over 400 lbs. Fatchick says she has no issues with blood sugar or blood pressure, but has breathing problems that are evident in her videos, and has been hospitalized a few times for abdominal infections. She has done videos from her hospital bed.

When I look at Cooney, I have to wonder if she has a skeletal deformity that has nothing to do with anorexia. Her lower arms have become more spread out and paddle like as compared to her upper arms, during the years she has been on YouTube. I just don't see how she can go on living if that's really anorexia. Her vids are energetic and chirpy. Girls who starve themselves will usually die young.

I wonder if eating disorders are as prevalent in countries where populations suffer chronic starvation, or if they are the results of so many choices among the abundance we enjoy in our country. Even here, the lowest income people in our population have the highest rates of obesity and diabetes. Altogether it makes me grateful for my relative sanity. I used to wish I could become anorexic just for a while, get used to denying myself food, to going hungry, drinking water. If I had my way with food, I would go the other direction, like Fatchick, eating pasta and a whole pizza for this meal, a big plate of eggs and pancakes for my next meal, 20 tacos for the next one, and so on. She often washes it all down with diet soda.

I believe indulgence is necessary to stay on the healthy path when you love food as much as I do. I like making homemade curry mashed potatoes with peas, sometimes enough for three people as a side, but it's the main dish for me, so I can justify eating it all, with a mini ice cream cone for dessert. It feels kind of like a binge, but without the regret. I thank heavens for ingredients, ideas, choices. I'm grateful for the 210 calorie packet of ramen; grateful for thin pizza crusts I can spread with sauce, top with a sprinkle of cheese and a few jalapeno slices, and enjoy without feeling the least bit deprived. I'm grateful for 50 flavors of sparkling water that contain neither sugar nor artificial sweeteners. I'm grateful for 50 calorie Delizza mini eclairs so I can have TWO eclairs. Two? Two. Even snack foods, organic rice cake minis, 10 calories each in flavors like cinnamon toast and white cheddar. Pickled okra. Food to nourish and nurture, food to bless, food to entertain, glorious food.

Above all I'm grateful for friends to cook for and to share ideas with. I'm grateful for VU friends who share their ideas in this thread.

 

[Mister]

I feel bad for both of those women. The anorexia is probably easier to intervene with at least.

The second woman i just feel bad for. I mean, if u say she says she healthy, cool i guess. I imagine if u get fat eating healthy food, all the bad things that give u diseases arent really a factor.

Shes relatively young tho, i hope her weight issues dont cause problems with other body organs, joints, back, etc, as she gets older. Some ppls bodies just seem to be able to handle that weight better than others so i wish her luck.

I recently switched to thin crust pizza too. (My continuing boycott of dominos going from 3 topping to a 1 topping pizza deal is still in effect, those a**holes)

Bacon, onion, and black olives was the best combo, guess it will be going on my 4 pack costco thin crusts (ill have to find a replacement for bacon, bacon causes canser anyway, so maybe just as well

And Ive done the temporary anorexia starvation diet. (Things like eating a single hard boiled egg as my only meal for a day) It worked for my purpose, and ive managed to keep the weight down for almost 2 years now, but it was an extremely unhealthy way to do it (there were times i couldnt keep water down even)

 

[Bliss Doubt]

I feel bad for both of those women. The anorexia is probably easier to intervene with at least.

The second woman i just feel bad for. I mean, if u say she says she healthy, cool i guess. I imagine if u get fat eating healthy food, all the bad things that give u diseases arent really a factor.

Shes relatively young tho, i hope her weight issues dont cause problems with other body organs, joints, back, etc, as she gets older. Some ppls bodies just seem to be able to handle that weight better than others so i wish her luck.

I recently switched to thin crust pizza too. (My continuing boycott of dominos going from 3 topping to a 1 topping pizza deal is still in effect, those a**holes)

Bacon, onion, and black olives was the best combo, guess it will be going on my 4 pack costco thin crusts (ill have to find a replacement for bacon, bacon causes canser anyway, so maybe just as well

And Ive done the temporary anorexia starvation diet. (Things like eating a single hard boiled egg as my only meal for a day) It worked for my purpose, and ive managed to keep the weight down for almost 2 years now, but it was an extremely unhealthy way to do it (there were times i couldnt keep water down even)

Oh I didn't say Fatchick is healthy. I'm just saying she downplays her health issues. She does complain of terrible hip pain all the time, and I believe those recurring abdominal infections are from poor circulation. She could get gangrene with something like that. She does try to control herself. She gets depression. Her fans have watched her dabble with keto dieting and then abandon it. Lately she's just taking a "better choices" approach in her mukbang vids, like her fruit day, her "Daddy's Delights" wrap and fruit salad. I so sympathize with her trying everything, and I so relate to her returning to the bad food binges after a while. If only we could see the results of our efforts more quickly, but it takes time to lose a pound.

It sounds like you've really dealt with your own issues with aplomb. I'm no doctor, but they say you can live on an egg a day because of the intensive nutrient content. Nobody wants to do it for very long, but as a jump start I would never feel I had to warn anybody they were going to die from doing it.

Making peace with food is, to me, the ultimate goal in controlling weight. You can talk about exercising. Yes, we all need that, but to figure out how to indulge in foods you love without regret, we live in an era of possibilities, a wide range of choices and ideas.

Thank you for commenting. I always love to see you here.