Paying attention is a transforming act. When you pay attention – to what you weight, and what you are eating, and how much, and how you feel about it, and why you are eating, and when – you gain a store of self knowledge that is nearly as good as dieting.
Today, I know how much I weigh. I couldn’t have said that a year ago; I avoided the scale. One you start paying attention, you can ask yourself: do I like what I’m doing? Do I like all these things about myself? And if not, maybe I should do something about them.
So pay attentnion.
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – BLT wrap (200)
- 200 calories
Lunch – meatloaf (500); 3/4 whole wheat wrap (80)
- 580 calories
Dinner – chicken pot pie (530); Cheerios (200); milk (100); cookies (200)
- 1030 calories
Snacking – yogurt (150); chocolate nuts (160); kefir (200); bread and hummus (230); corn chips (140); bread and jelly (400)
- 1280 calories
Total for the day: 3090 calories (limit 1800 + 500 bonus from swimming, total 2300)
Pay attention anyway
The temptation to not write any of my food consumption down today was strong. But I did it anyway. And it was helpful. I was hungry early in the day – I had lunch before 11AM. I had dinner at 4PM, and I was quite hungry. I had more dinner at 6PM and then lots of snacking and bits and pieces of food through 9PM. The evening food was heavy on simple carbohydrates.
I’m not sure what kind of illness I have. It’s low grade. I have intestinal issues, but not severe. I feel cold at night, and need a lot of sleep. And I’ve had it for almost three weeks! It’s getting tiresome. So I have started on yogurt. All the commercials are full of the idea that you can help your intestines and improve the kinds of bacteria and critters that live there, by eating yogurts with live cultures in them. I’ll try it. But I had 3000 calories today, that is way out of control.
And here it is 10.45PM. I have to go to bed, or I feel like I will never get better. Good night!
-The Doctor