Every day, I keep track of my food intake. Every week, I post my weight. There are a few exceptions. When I am sick, strange things happen to my appetite. Then strange things happen to my weight. This is one of those times. For dinner, I had a nice vegetable curry, one of my favorite recipes. The rest of the day was not so typical.
My food intake and calorie count
Breakfast – dulce de leche torte (400); peanut butter and jelly (400); bratwurst sausage (300)
- 1100 calories
Lunch – ramen soup (120); Italian sausage (200); pretzels and cheese (200)
- 520 calories
Dinner – vegetable curry and rice (400)
- 400 calories
Snacking – ice cream (350); cookies (200)
- 550 calories
Total for the day: 2570 calories (limit 1800)
Calorie and carbohydrate overload!
Recently, I have had a cold and have had strong cravings for carbohydrate rich foods. After a short struggle last night, I decided to let go today and fulfill my desire for carbs. I would continue to track everything but not live by my usual food goals and calorie limits.
Something like this happened in February. I didn’t track my food intake for three days and just wrote “carb feeding frenzy” with a guesstimate of 2000 calories per day. When the cold ended a few days later, my regular appetite returned and I resumed tracking.
This time, I am paying more attention to what I am eating, though not restricting myself. It is strange. Eating more calories and more carbs doesn’t feel satisfying. At least, not as satisfying as my hunger-first method, that I have been living by for several months. The feeling of being full is there, and that feels really strange. I haven’t eaten enough to feel stuffed full since early April, when I went to the lunch buffet. (And that buffet was carefully prepared for. I was hungry for that buffet and I enjoyed….well, the first plate full. After that, it wasn’t as exciting.) Right now, and simultaneously, I want to eat more carbohydrate rich foods, but I am not enjoying the sensation of being full. Mixed messages….
I don’t expect to make any progress on my weight loss at this rate! But tomorrow is a new day. Meantime I will try to figure out what to do about this craving while sick. Have a good night!
-The Doctor