Something I have been really excited about is volunteering. As I am currently out of school, and still not healthy enough to work, I decided to volunteer as a way of keeping busy. Now that its summer, its really easy to find many opportunities where I can donate my time and efforts to. Before I began, I made sure that I knew what I could handle and what I could not. I still get really high anxiety being out of the house past 4pm. This is because in my university days, I had to go to class in the evenings, and I have really bad memories associated with these times. Coincidentally, it was winter at that time, and I just have memories of shivering in my emaciated body waiting for the bus. I can only describe the feeling as J.K Rowling described the dementors:
“An intense cold swept over them all. Harry felt his own breath catch in his chest. The cold went deeper than his skin. It was inside his chest, it was inside his very heart. . . ."
Being underweight allows you to experience a whole new level of what cold is. I can tell you here and now that one of my biggest motivations to recover from anorexia is so that I will never feel that cold ever again! I will never forget it and will never wish it upon anybody. It is the worst feeling there is.
Anyways, (I know I tend to stray of topic!), back to volunteering. I knew that I could handle any task that would get me home before 4pm. For example, there was a group of women who go down to the Good Shepherd Soup Kitchen every second Thursday of the month. It is from 1pm-6pm. As therapeutic as feeding starving souls sounds, I knew I couldn't handle that right now, and I think one of the bravest and best things you can do for yourself, is to know just how much you can take on and that its ok if you can't do certain things. I volunteer through my church (I'm not at all religious btw, its just that the church had many opportunities available and it was easy to get the forms and things done as it is close to home and I can handle that!).
So far I have volunteered for 3 different "ministries", or volunteer positions. The first one; and this involves my whole family (can I just say that volunteering with your mum and dad takes family bonding to a whole new and awesome level. With eating disorders, its hard to do things like having dinner with the family or going to restaurants with them. Volunteering provides a way to socially interact with people, while bonding with your family, and at the same time skip the awkward eating parts!) This ministry is called "Coffee Sunday". Basically, after the 9:30 am mass, we serve coffee and cookies to the parish members. Its a great way to meet and talk to people, and you're not pressurized into eating anything, because of course you can use my go-to perfect excuse: "Oh I just had breakfast and I'm stuffed"...(Pat your belly for added emphasis! LOL ) Last Sunday was the first time my family did it, and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! We have now been assigned the first and third Sundays of the month to volunteer for this ministry.
The next one, that's coming up this Monday, is the "Senior Social". Basically, its a little gathering of all the old folks in our church, and they come together and "party it up"... with bingo and prayer services of course! I have to and help with serving refreshments, handing out name tags, helping with bingo etc. It's from 1:30 to 3:30, (I can handle that), and I actually am really looking forward to it. I've worked with people of all ages, however, I've never worked with seniors before! Its going to be a new, and hopefully, rewarding experience.
The third ministry I'm involved with is called H.O.P.E- Helping Other People Everyday. Basically, they provide free post-funeral lunches for the mourners. I have to help set up and facilitate the whole event. THAT I'm super excited for! The last thing on my schedule right now, is baking cupcakes for Pentecost Sunday (June 8th), which happens to be the birthday of our church. Now this is something I can hardly wait to do!
Notice something dear reader. All these things, they give me an excuse to wake up, and go through the motions of daily life. When I'm struggling and really wanting to restrict, I keep a reminder of what I have to do, in order to help me get through the moment. It takes away all the attention from Anna, and focuses it on something else. It really is exhausting to devote every waking hour to Anna and what she wants. By keeping busy, and by setting these small goals for yourself, it makes everything so much easier! It gives you a reason for waking up in the morning and getting out of bed.
I hope that by reading this, you can be inspired to go find something you are passionate about, and engage in that activity, whatever it may be. Something outside your eating disorder. When you find it, and I promise you that this is true dear reader, it gives you something worth fighting for. In the end, you know that you are fighting, rather that an ally of Anna's. She is a crafty manipulative bitch who cannot be trusted. Therefore, divert at least 10% of your energy from her. At first it will be hard. And then, as practice indeed does make perfect, it will get easier and easier. Good luck finding your passion! All you need to do is look within you to find it...because at the end of the day, you are fucking amazing! And you are worth it. And even though I don't know you, I know exactly what you're feeling. I've been there and I've done that. And I really hope you know that you are not alone!
Saturday, 24 May 2014
Art Therapy Examples
Some examples of my work (and fair warning, I suck at art!):
To keep me grounded and to remind me why I want to recover:
Positive Self-Affirmations:
A Mandala in which the quote at the end of this post is written:
"By starving yourself, you feed your inner demon"
Inspiring Quotes:
A Recovery Wall
A reminder that Anorexia is an unhealthy way of dealing with unpleasant feelings, kind of like an alcoholic who drinks to "drown his/her sorrows."
Art Therapy, Treatment, and other helpful coping methods!
Hey readers!
I know I haven't posted in a while. Sorry. I've been so busy lately. Let's give you an update of everything that's going on right now. Well, lets get back to basics- my physical and mental health. I saw my doc about a month ago. He reduced my medications, which I thought was awesome at the time, yet now I am really reconsidering it. I also meet with my family doc at least once every two weeks to do blood work, ECGs and weigh ins. My weight has not changed much, it actually dropped a bit from one weekend when I was really sick. I needed to find a way to gain it back, and I got an amazing idea from my family doc about how I could do so.
Basically, you increase your caloric intake by really small amounts. This could be as little as 5, 10, 25 , or 50 calories a day. This increase will make minimal changes to your weight (especially if you are active). You increase your weight at a pace that you alone are comfortable with. I feel like this could really work, because when I was in treatment, we got a 300 calorie per day increase each week if we didn't gain the required amount (1-2kg). This method was just terrifying and horrific. Before you knew what hit you, you're at a "normal" weight. Yet, the long term prognosis is that if you are not ready to be a certain weight, you cannot recover. This comes from my own personal experience.
At Credit Valley, they drugged us and bubble-wrapped us so much, that when I was discharged and life actually hit me in the face, with all its responsibilities and triggers, I couldn't deal. That's the reality of treatment. I don't want to crush all your hopes and dreams about going into treatment, however, I want to make it very clear that you don't go into treatment, and get "fixed". That's just not how it works. What going into treatment entails is learning enough coping mechanisms, such as mindfulness, emotion vs. wise mind, and many other DBT and CBT skills to get you through the day.
I still live some days where I wake up and basically do things in an automated way, because mentally, I'm too tired from Anna bitching at me. Those are the days where I literally have to break down simple tasks into steps in order to ensure I don't go batshit crazy! Those days feel like this: Wake up, Breathe, Eat, Survive until the end of the day when I can take my meds and go back to bed.
Other days, things are a little easier. When you slowly start replacing the thoughts Anna puts into your head with other things, you tend to feel much better! For example, something I do when I am in a really bad place is art therapy. I cannot emphasize how much this helps. Here's an example:
Anna is bitching at me because I ate 50 extra calories :
First, I acknowledge the fact that she's pissed.
Then I acknowledge the fact that it is ANNA, not myself, who is angry.
I know that my body needs as many nutrients as it can get (that's my wise mind speaking!).
Then I recognize the thoughts that keep popping up in my head. I go over to my pintrest page, and click on this board:
http://www.pinterest.com/cassyhighland/anorexia-recovery-aids/
I just scroll down the page. Grab a couple of markers, some paper, colour pencils and funky pens, and start "artistically" writing out the quotes on a paper and for every thought that Anna has, I replace, with one of these quotes. It really distracts you and keeps your mind off the noise of Anna's bitching. My room is filled with posters that I've made, and Mandalas (another miracle to distract you from Anna) and inspiring quotes. This is just something I do to help calm me down. It is one of the most therapeutic things!
Another thing I do, is I write down every thought that Anna has on half of a piece of paper. I mark one side "What Anna Thinks", and the other "What I KNOW". For every horrible or nasty thought she puts in my mind, on the opposite side I write something to argue back. This proves to yourself that you do have a voice and you do get to be heard. It's a way to take back a little control over the noise that's in your head!
Lastly, the most important thing I've realized....ANNA IS AN UGLY EGOTISTICAL SELF ABSORBED BITCH! She is not my friend. She is the devil that lives inside me. I'm going to end this post with an inspiring quote I found:
"By starving yourself, you feed your inner demon"
Just something to think about!
I know I haven't posted in a while. Sorry. I've been so busy lately. Let's give you an update of everything that's going on right now. Well, lets get back to basics- my physical and mental health. I saw my doc about a month ago. He reduced my medications, which I thought was awesome at the time, yet now I am really reconsidering it. I also meet with my family doc at least once every two weeks to do blood work, ECGs and weigh ins. My weight has not changed much, it actually dropped a bit from one weekend when I was really sick. I needed to find a way to gain it back, and I got an amazing idea from my family doc about how I could do so.
Basically, you increase your caloric intake by really small amounts. This could be as little as 5, 10, 25 , or 50 calories a day. This increase will make minimal changes to your weight (especially if you are active). You increase your weight at a pace that you alone are comfortable with. I feel like this could really work, because when I was in treatment, we got a 300 calorie per day increase each week if we didn't gain the required amount (1-2kg). This method was just terrifying and horrific. Before you knew what hit you, you're at a "normal" weight. Yet, the long term prognosis is that if you are not ready to be a certain weight, you cannot recover. This comes from my own personal experience.
At Credit Valley, they drugged us and bubble-wrapped us so much, that when I was discharged and life actually hit me in the face, with all its responsibilities and triggers, I couldn't deal. That's the reality of treatment. I don't want to crush all your hopes and dreams about going into treatment, however, I want to make it very clear that you don't go into treatment, and get "fixed". That's just not how it works. What going into treatment entails is learning enough coping mechanisms, such as mindfulness, emotion vs. wise mind, and many other DBT and CBT skills to get you through the day.
I still live some days where I wake up and basically do things in an automated way, because mentally, I'm too tired from Anna bitching at me. Those are the days where I literally have to break down simple tasks into steps in order to ensure I don't go batshit crazy! Those days feel like this: Wake up, Breathe, Eat, Survive until the end of the day when I can take my meds and go back to bed.
Other days, things are a little easier. When you slowly start replacing the thoughts Anna puts into your head with other things, you tend to feel much better! For example, something I do when I am in a really bad place is art therapy. I cannot emphasize how much this helps. Here's an example:
Anna is bitching at me because I ate 50 extra calories :
First, I acknowledge the fact that she's pissed.
Then I acknowledge the fact that it is ANNA, not myself, who is angry.
I know that my body needs as many nutrients as it can get (that's my wise mind speaking!).
Then I recognize the thoughts that keep popping up in my head. I go over to my pintrest page, and click on this board:
http://www.pinterest.com/cassyhighland/anorexia-recovery-aids/
I just scroll down the page. Grab a couple of markers, some paper, colour pencils and funky pens, and start "artistically" writing out the quotes on a paper and for every thought that Anna has, I replace, with one of these quotes. It really distracts you and keeps your mind off the noise of Anna's bitching. My room is filled with posters that I've made, and Mandalas (another miracle to distract you from Anna) and inspiring quotes. This is just something I do to help calm me down. It is one of the most therapeutic things!
Another thing I do, is I write down every thought that Anna has on half of a piece of paper. I mark one side "What Anna Thinks", and the other "What I KNOW". For every horrible or nasty thought she puts in my mind, on the opposite side I write something to argue back. This proves to yourself that you do have a voice and you do get to be heard. It's a way to take back a little control over the noise that's in your head!
Lastly, the most important thing I've realized....ANNA IS AN UGLY EGOTISTICAL SELF ABSORBED BITCH! She is not my friend. She is the devil that lives inside me. I'm going to end this post with an inspiring quote I found:
"By starving yourself, you feed your inner demon"
Just something to think about!
Saturday, 5 April 2014
Dear Anna... A letter to the bitch that ruined my life...
It seems as
though I always thought that you were a part of me. That you were my voice, and
that your thoughts, feelings and opinions were mine. Perhaps this is because
you look, sound and feel exactly like me, and in many ways you are me. When I
see you in my head, you appear as a taller, thinner more beautiful version of
myself. You are beautiful, strong, and in the habit of getting whatever you
want.
It is truly
ironic that you are so beautiful, because I know now how ugly you really are on
the inside. Revenge. Payback. Anger. The all or nothing attitude. All those
expectations you had for me. You made me not want anything for myself. You
erased all my goals, severed all my relationships with the people I loved and
made me feel alone, isolated, frustrated, and scared. You tricked me into
thinking that recovery would not be worth it. That if I recovered my parents
would ignore me again. I would have to go to parties again and interact with
people. I did not need friends, and I did not need to be a part of a world
where no one understood me and everything and everyone irritated me.
For the past
year, I have been resisting you and this has made it easier to see through all
the lies you keep feeding me. It is easier now to see your ugliness. You are a
siren, tempting me with your beauty and promise of love, friendship, comfort
and satisfaction. These are all things that you initially gave me, but the more
I wanted, the higher price I had to pay.
Initially, I
thought that if I listened to you, if I got thinner, I would get it all. I
would have friends, get good grades at school, and be the best version of
myself possible. If I just lost another pound, I’d fit into that perfect prom
dress. If I lost another, I would look amazing and confident as I crossed the
stage to get my diploma. A few more pounds, and I could run across the beach in
my swimsuit without worrying about looking fat. Just a few more, and getting
ready for university would be so much easier. After all, you do save time not
changing 10 times each morning trying to find an outfit you feel comfortable
in.
Eventually,
the price to pay got really high. The line between what I wanted and what you
wanted me to want for myself was blurred. Then one day, when I was in so much
pain that I could hardly bear to be alive anymore, I realized that it was just
not worth it anymore. I realized that all this time I was just existing, rather
than really living my life. This was no way to live and I decided to get help.
These past 6
weeks have been some of the most life-changing, challenging, and frustrating
ones I have ever had to go through. Yet, every tear, every urge that you beat
me up for not turning into a symptom, is worth how amazing I feel right now.
You used to make me thing that strength was staying days being hungry, or
running miles on an injured foot. In the past six weeks, I have realized that
yes, that was brave and courageous, yet, not exercising when every fibre of my
body is craving that high I get from exercise, is just as, in fact, more
courageous than giving into those urges.
As I am
slowly breaking away from the strong hold you had on me, I have so much more
clarity on why I ended up being with you in the first place. You took on the
controlling, methodical and strict role my parents had on me as a child. When
my parents gave up that role, you picked up the pieces. I was scared to make my
own decisions and of growing up, which is why I let you make all my decisions
for me. You prevented me from getting an education, finding meaningful
relationships, and growing into the person, I am supposed to be.
I do not
know if what you offered me is what I am meant to be, or if there is something
else out there. I just know that I’m trying an experiment right now. I am
taking some time off from you. I’m giving the small, weak, voice in my head
that I know is truly my voice, a chance to be heard. This is my time to shine.
This is my time to speak and to be heard. This time I am giving myself a
chance. As I write this, I can feel you sneering at me, telling me that I will
hate who I am without you. Maybe I will, or maybe not. I just know that for
right now, in this moment, not being in hungry and not having every bone in my
body ache is good enough.
I am scared
to let go of you. I am terrified about going forward in life without you
holding my hand. I am scared to walk the path I am meant to walk alone. My
parents, friends, and the staff here in the program have taken your place.
Eventually, I know that I might have to do this by myself, that I will always
want to turn back and come to you again for comfort. I hope that by then, I
will be strong enough to not fall back into your trap.
I have spent
too much of my life counting calories, instead of counting my blessings. I am
tired of that way of living and I want a new life for myself. Even though I am
scared, I want to give myself a chance. I never take the easy way out and I
know that one day things will get better. Life is not always going to be this
hard and its time I lived my life the way I want to live it. I am worth the
fight. I deserve food and I deserve to eat without feeling guilt or shame. I
deserve to be healthy. I deserve to be happy. I deserve a chance to live.
The Body and the Soul...a Philosophical view point.
The soul of a man is an intellectual soul that is capable of
understanding the natures of things. Plato and Socrates thought that the soul
and the body are two separate entities and that an external “God-like” force produces
the soul. It is perfectly understandable then to think that the soul is
imprisoned in the body. Taking Socrates and Plato’s idea of the soul,
specifically that it is trapped in the body and drives the body to be the way
it is, it would be logical to think that the soul would be trapped inside the
vessel. It is important to understand that the soul is seen as divine and pure.
It is not sentient, but is universal. However, since the soul is inside the
body, it experiences reality through the body. Therefore, the prisons of the
body also become the prisons for the soul. These prisons are the appetite for
food, luxury, pleasure and such sentient things. It is only when the body and
the intellect is free of these prisons, through philosophy, that the soul can
also be freed.
Can the soul be a
prison for the body? Aristotle saw the body and soul as a whole; one cannot
survive without the other. The soul contains the organizing principle of the
living thing. This organizing principle allows the secondary matter to become
what it is. The soul essentially puts the secondary matter together to form the
human being. This means that the soul is responsible for making the body what
it is. The body and the soul are united into one form. The soul acts as the
controlling headquarters that directs the way the body behaves and is formed.
According to Aristotle, the body is not the prison for the soul or the soul a
prison for the body. Rather, they both are co-dependent on each other and they
cannot survive alone.
My blogging promise to you!
I wake up on a windy, gray Saturday morning. It still shocks me that my first thought as I open my eyes is not "I hope the weather's good, so that I can go for a run." Instead a much more welcoming thought of "hmm... lets see what to eat for breakfast" enters my mind. As you read this, you probably are going... uh oh... we have a lazy blogger here who thinks of nothing but food. I do agree that I do spend a lot of time thinking about food. Yet, I'm not lazy. Far from it, in fact. Thinking about food and actually eating is really hard work for me. I am a recovering anorexic, and I'm working hard to get over this illness and move on with my life.
People might dramatize eating disorders, or minimize them by saying that it's a "first world" illness or only the "rich can afford to have an eating disorder." To be completely honest, before I had anorexia, I thought so too. Losing weight seemed like something society would look favourably upon and encourage even. Heck, the first time I heard about "anorexia" was on an episode of "Degrassi", where Emma ate only carrots to lose weight for a photo shoot. By the end of the episode, she get's hospitalized and then becomes all "better."
What the show fails to mention is that going into a hospital and getting re-fed, scratches only the surface of the illness. That once you stop eating and develop a fear of the most basic element needed for survival, your world is never the same. This blog is going to be about my daily reflections trying to make sense of my illness. In the noise that I now recognize as the sound of my eating disorder, I am going to share my daily reflections of life, and day-to-day musings. I've hidden my illness for a long time, about 6 years in fact. I'm not going to spend another day hiding behind it and being ashamed of it. It is a part of me, just like the birthmarks on my body, or the freckles on my skin. Unfortunately, this part of me dictates a huge part of who I am, and my constant struggle is learning to live without having it do so. I hope you enjoy reading through my blog, and can draw inspiration from it!
Monthly Check In!
Since I last wrote, a lot has changed. To begin with, I left Toronto General after about a month. Just being in treatment again, when I was so fresh out of Credit Valley's program, was exhausting and I was burnt out! However, just because I stopped going to a hospital to eat my meals, doesn't mean that I've stopped eating altogether!
I have kept up with my meal plan. You may wonder what that is. Well, let me explain it to you, dear reader. I eat what a "normal" person eats, calorically speaking. To break it down even more, each meal consists of what the eating disorder dieticians call "choices". Essentially, choices are synonymous to calories. For example, an apple, would be 1 fruit choice.
These choices can be moved around based on how hungry/full you are during the day. I am very hungry in the evenings and early in the mornings so I consume the majority of my calories at that time.
So here's my meal plan:
Breakfast:
Consists of 5 choices- this can be a package of oatmeal with a cup of milk (depending on the oatmeal type, altogether it can either be 2 or 3 choices. For example, an oatmeal package with a caloric value of 150 or higher, would be 2 choices. When prepared with a cup of milk AKA 1 choice, it would make 3 choices all together). Along with this, I usually add a boiled egg, a fruit, or a small 100g yoghurt. I usually do cottage cheese in the morning as it keeps me feeling full until lunch
Breakfast #1: Quaker High Protein Cereal with a cup of soy milk (3 choices in total)
Cottage Cheese (1) and
an Orange (1)
Breakfast #2: 1.5 cups of bran flakes with 1 cup of soy milk (3 choices)
Cottage cheese or yoghurt (1)
Fruit (1)
Breakfast #3: 1/2 Bagel w/ 1tbsp cream cheese and a boiled egg (3)
Cottage cheese or yoghurt (1)
Fruit (1)
Breakfast #4: Toast w/ 1 tbsp peanut butter (2)
Cottage cheese and yoghurt (2)
Fruit (1)
Lunch:
In order to normalize our eating as much as possible, and fit in with what the general population eat, we did sandwiches for lunch. This is a quick and easy way to get in a meal during your day to day activity.
The sandwich includes:
3 choices of protein (e.g. 1 slice cheese and 2 slices of deli meat)
2 starch choices (2 slices bread, or a large pita)
An added fat (a tsp of margarine or a tbsp of dressing)
After the sandwich, we have a "high energy" dessert food that can either be a dense 3 choice item (a cup of ice cream, a slice of pie or cake) or a combination of a 2 choice and 1 choice item (1/2 a cup of ice cream, or 3 cookies, or a granola bar >150 calories for a 2 choice), and a piece of fruit or a 1/2 a cup of pudding or yoghurt for a 1 choice item.
Snack:
3pm Snack: Usually I do a cappuccino with a cup of milk (1 choice) along with fruit and a yoghurt, to make my snack a total of 3 choices.
I combine what would be my late night snack, with my dinner, to have another high energy at the end of the day, since this is when I am really hungry.
Dinner:
This usually consists of oven roasted chicken breast, veggies, pasta with sauce and ice cream for dessert. Sometimes I do a muffin, with greek yoghurt for dessert. I currently have around 4 different dinners that I do.
Dinner #1:
Dinner #3:
I hope this helps and gives you some meal ideas. I've been able to maintain my weight with minimal activity. You may be scared to give it a try, and all I can say is, trust me! I used to be scared, but now I realize that in the end, it all comes down to numbers and science. As long as calorie intake is equal to calorie output, you will not gain weight. I'm living proof of this. It really does work! Please feel free to share your thoughts and ask any questions you may have!
I have kept up with my meal plan. You may wonder what that is. Well, let me explain it to you, dear reader. I eat what a "normal" person eats, calorically speaking. To break it down even more, each meal consists of what the eating disorder dieticians call "choices". Essentially, choices are synonymous to calories. For example, an apple, would be 1 fruit choice.
These choices can be moved around based on how hungry/full you are during the day. I am very hungry in the evenings and early in the mornings so I consume the majority of my calories at that time.
So here's my meal plan:
Breakfast:
Consists of 5 choices- this can be a package of oatmeal with a cup of milk (depending on the oatmeal type, altogether it can either be 2 or 3 choices. For example, an oatmeal package with a caloric value of 150 or higher, would be 2 choices. When prepared with a cup of milk AKA 1 choice, it would make 3 choices all together). Along with this, I usually add a boiled egg, a fruit, or a small 100g yoghurt. I usually do cottage cheese in the morning as it keeps me feeling full until lunch
Breakfast #1: Quaker High Protein Cereal with a cup of soy milk (3 choices in total)
Cottage Cheese (1) and
an Orange (1)
Breakfast #2: 1.5 cups of bran flakes with 1 cup of soy milk (3 choices)
Cottage cheese or yoghurt (1)
Fruit (1)
Breakfast #3: 1/2 Bagel w/ 1tbsp cream cheese and a boiled egg (3)
Cottage cheese or yoghurt (1)
Fruit (1)
Breakfast #4: Toast w/ 1 tbsp peanut butter (2)
Cottage cheese and yoghurt (2)
Fruit (1)
Lunch:
In order to normalize our eating as much as possible, and fit in with what the general population eat, we did sandwiches for lunch. This is a quick and easy way to get in a meal during your day to day activity.
The sandwich includes:
3 choices of protein (e.g. 1 slice cheese and 2 slices of deli meat)
2 starch choices (2 slices bread, or a large pita)
An added fat (a tsp of margarine or a tbsp of dressing)
After the sandwich, we have a "high energy" dessert food that can either be a dense 3 choice item (a cup of ice cream, a slice of pie or cake) or a combination of a 2 choice and 1 choice item (1/2 a cup of ice cream, or 3 cookies, or a granola bar >150 calories for a 2 choice), and a piece of fruit or a 1/2 a cup of pudding or yoghurt for a 1 choice item.
Snack:
3pm Snack: Usually I do a cappuccino with a cup of milk (1 choice) along with fruit and a yoghurt, to make my snack a total of 3 choices.
I combine what would be my late night snack, with my dinner, to have another high energy at the end of the day, since this is when I am really hungry.
Dinner:
This usually consists of oven roasted chicken breast, veggies, pasta with sauce and ice cream for dessert. Sometimes I do a muffin, with greek yoghurt for dessert. I currently have around 4 different dinners that I do.
Dinner #1:
- Oven Roasted Chicken breast (3 protein)
- 1/2 cup brown rice pilaff with veggies (1 protein and 1 veggie choice along with an added fat to season the rice and veggies)
- 1 cup of ice-cream (3 choices)
Dinner #2:
- Pasta w/ tomato sauce (1 starch and 1 vegetable with added fat)
- Chicken or tofu (3 protein)
- Small muffin (2 choices) and yoghurt (1)
Dinner #3:
- 1/2 cup lentil curry with tofu and veggies (3 protein, 1 veggie, 1 fat)
- 1/2 cup brown rice (1 starch)
- Brownie (3 choices)
I hope this helps and gives you some meal ideas. I've been able to maintain my weight with minimal activity. You may be scared to give it a try, and all I can say is, trust me! I used to be scared, but now I realize that in the end, it all comes down to numbers and science. As long as calorie intake is equal to calorie output, you will not gain weight. I'm living proof of this. It really does work! Please feel free to share your thoughts and ask any questions you may have!
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