Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with eating

Rocky VI - The Christmas Dinner

bitteroldman — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:29:47 -0800

How can I maximize appetite recovery between X-mas lunch and X-mas dinner? So every year, the same thing happens - Christmas Eve dinner at my parents, Christmas Day Lunch at my brother's, Christmas Day Dinner at my in-laws.

Now, the rational answer would be to politely explain to everyone that I will only eat a little bit of each meal in order to thoroughly and thoughtfully enjoy everone's culinary offerings at each sitting.

But now, that wouldn't be any fun, would it? Moderation is so overrated! Besides, I have a reputation to uphold!

So the question is dear Mefites, what are your tips and tricks to recover your appetite between two big meals only a few hours apart?

More info: I'm specifically concerned about X-mas Day Lunch and Dinner - Lunch is usually @1:30, while Dinner is @6:30.

I'll probably go jogging in between meals - but that's the only thing I can think of - is there a length of time I should look at?

Any other ideas? Brandy before eating? Oh, and the wacky tobaccky is not an option despite its appetite inducing effects!!

All I want for Christmas is...two butt cheeks

bilabial — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:01:56 -0800

Ravenously hungry in the middle of the night, lazy, and bored with my known options. Also: eating plenty in the daylight. Bonus round: I'm poor. I've been adding some physical activity to my life. 10 - 20 minutes of bike riding, 2-4 days a week. I got the brilliant idea that building some upper body strength would improve my confidence, so I went to a rock climbing gym. Which I love. I'll be going back (the confidence? I brought some of it home from the gym! It doesn't even smell bad!).

But. I'm already to small for the regular adult harness. I eat nearly all day long - nuts, fruit, cheese ravioli, ice cream when it's BOGO at Publix. I try to drink juice instead of water (again, I stock up at sales) and I just started making alcoholic drinks with I syrup, limes, and seltzer.

Oatmeal with whole milk for breakfast. Eggs. Plenty of bacon (on sale a lot! I have 2 packs in the freezer!), fruit, and fresh veggies in my diet.

I carry candy bars everywhere when if remember to look for them cheap - bags of Baby Ruth bars were on sale last week.

I live alone, so buying bread is not cost effective, especially as even when toasted, previously frozen bread is...ick.
Protein shakes are expensive, the stuff made with powder requires lots of willpower (to be less polite, that shit is nasty) and I really think eating is fun. I don't want my unconceived children to ever see me choking down something I clearly don't enjoy.
Help me improve my lifestyle, not just find a quick fix. Exercise depletes my calories quickly. Before I added the climbing 2 days ago I was down 10 pounds below my comfort level. If I can't stem this tide, I'll have to quit climbing. (also, I got a package deal with a harness that's too big. If I keep going with this I need to sell it and buy one that fits, but I'm not investing until Im pretty sure I can sustain it.)

Metafilter, fatten me up. Delicious beans and rice recipes that feature
lard? Yes please. Websites for reaaly good grocery coupons on junk food I can eat at home? (I like doritoes, and ice cream, but sadly I often prefer more natural choices. Butter is natural though...) I'd like things I can prepare ahead, that might freeze well (or not), some things that require little prep - adding calories to a hot dog? I'm game.

My bloodwork is good, you are not my doctor, and I am not asking for medical advice.i

Upscale eats in Seoul?

GilloD — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:57:54 -0800

A nice place to eat in Seoul? Maybe between $100-200 for 2 people? I'm looking for a nice place to take my wife in Seoul. So far, our adventures outside of the world of Samgyupsal, Gimbap joints and mystery soups have been underwhelming. Cuisine doesn't matter.

Both Le Saint Ex and Mignon Terrace in Itaewon were underwhelming, especially at the price they commanded. Looking for someplace kind of quiet, upscale and nice.

Suggestions? I'm lost. We're good at holes-in-the-wall and we ate well when we lived in New York, but when it comes to something more than street food in Seoul, I'm lost.

Why do I always get so hungry late at night?

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:32:35 -0800

Why do I always get so hungry late at night? I tend to go to bed around 12:30-1 am, though it usually takes me a long time to fall asleep. I always get hungry around 11-12, and if I stay up later than usual I get especially hungry. I usually eat something, but even then I don't feel full. I've been this way for several years, if not forever; I don't remember ever not being like this.

Maybe-relevant info: I'm 23 and male. I don't have any relevant health problems except a tendency to fall asleep late and wake up late (for which I take melatonin). I eat pretty nutritiously, mostly vegetarian. (I may lack some protein, but I try to get it from legumes; I might also lack some kind of vitamin, but I'd have no idea how to tell). I don't exercise much, though I think I had the same problem back when I did exercise more. I tend to consume a lot of caffeine, mostly tea (which I usually avoid drinking after 8 pm unless it's decaf).

Does this happen to anyone else? It seems like everyone else I know eats dinner somewhere between 6 and 8 and then doesn't eat anything after that until falling asleep, so it seems pretty weird! It's supposedly unhealthy to eat late at night, so is there anything I can do about it?

Anonymous just because I included a lot of identifying information.

Thinking my way to recovery from an ED

Anonymous — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:19:16 -0800

Help me take control of thoughts that make me feel like an ugly giant. I'm recovering from an eating disorder and I'm really struggling. I've been referred to a psychologist and had my first appointment yesterday (after a long wait), and I know it's going to take quite a long time to make any real progress there. In the mean time, I'm looking for any help I can get.

I've gained 7kg and am now at a "healthy weight" but sometimes I feel disgustingly huge, even though I can rationally tell myself that at my old weight I didn't have periods, my hair was falling out etc, despite the fact that I didn't feel that thin. Some days I look at myself and I look quite pretty and healthy and I feel great, other days I look absolutely massive and awful and feel embarrassed to go out, and then of course I can't bring myself to eat since I'm "already so big" and then I start getting physically weak and realise that I have to eat even though I don't feel hungry, but get really anxious about actually eating and don't want to do it, or feel really guilty when I do, like I'm a fat kid stuffing her face with cake, even though I'm only eating natural, whole foods. Often I regret having eaten and try to burn it off with excessive exercise.

Obviously my appearance can't be changing that dramatically from day to day, so I know it's got to be in my head, but it's hard to keep that in perspective when with my own eyes I'm seeing someone very large and lumpy. I've been trying to fill a blank book with resources to help me when I get stuck in that bad mental headspace. For example, last time I was too emaciated to get out of bed, I wrote a list of all the things I like doing that I can't do when I'm skinny, but can do even when i'm fat, so that's in the book, (as is that "fantasy of being thin" article), which I try to flick through when I start feeling yuck. I guess I'm looking to crowd out my unhelpful thoughts with other ideas so that sensible logic wins out and I can enjoy my life. When I cut down my eating my hormones go all funny and I get hot flushes and night sweats and disturbed sleep, and feel too exhausted to socialise/go to work etc - I don't want to live my life like this anymore!

Any suggestions for things I can tell myself, or that I can write down/print out for my book, would be much appreciated. In particular I'm looking for help in breaking the "you're disgustingly huge, why would you be needing all those calories?" line of thinking and help to see my appearance more consistently every day but anything you think would be helpful would be welcomed.

How to eat for fun.

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:35:50 -0800

I want to re-learn how to enjoy food and the process of eating. For who knows what reason, I never really learned how to just enjoy food. I'm going to spare gory background details because even if they were important, I want to focus on the future rather than the deep inner meaning for my sorta-ish eating issues.
I've been a vegetarian for about five years or so, so I'm very health conscious...for the most part. During the day, I try to eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins (mostly tofu/meat substitutes) and some dairy. I rarely stray far from "healthy" foods during the day. At night I sometimes go on crazy binges and end up feeling sick and out of control. During these periods, I usually binge on carbs, cookies/cake, basically anything I can get my hands on. What's odd is this times of complete lack of control are punctuated by a day where I simply won't eat anything.
I want to learn how to eat "normally"--whatever that means. How can I learn to just eat ONE slice of pizza and not constantly be thinking about more food, or the guilt of that slice? How can I just eat ONE cookie and not the entire batch?
I'm looking mostly for pragmatic solutions, mindsets, etc. I've tried some behavioral therapy, but it wasn't really for me. Thanks for your help.

Diagnose Strange Eating Malady

Mickelstiff — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 05:02:45 -0800

Diagnose this problem I have been having for several years and is getting worse. Often when I eat I start having hiccups, then, sometimes, I end up having to vomit. I am going to a different doctor this week and I will try to find out more. OK, often but not always I start eating and then I hiccup. It seems if I can belch during this process I will be OK, but if I can't it will get worse and I'll end up having to vomit. Usuall it is Ok after that, but just the other night it kept on going and I was in the bathroom for 2 hours. My previous doctor said I had esophageal spasms and prescribed dococlymine, but it doesn't seem to have helped. Thanks.

How to feed our cats?

lolalivia — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 07:41:08 -0800

Question on the feeding of two cats with different eating disorders. We adopted two cats, Tiger and Grey, a couple of years ago. They are both now approximately three and a half years old. Tiger is a good-natured cat that will eat continuously until he throws up. Grey is a very anxious cat and will usually poop on our bed upon our return from being away for more than two days.

Here is their food history:
- We were feeding them on an all wet Friskies diet, but the vet told us to feed them dry as well.
- We switched to a Science Diet mix of less wet and some dry, hoping that if we mixed the dry in with the wet, it would slow Tiger down. This did not work.
- We found a lot of MeFi-ers recommending higher quality foods to prevent this. We switched to MaxCat. This did work for Tiger, but then Grey started having chronic diarrhea. According to our vet who did many tests and found nothing, his diarrhea was likely a food allergy.
- Now they are both on a bland Science Diet I/D wet and dry diet as before, only Tiger has returned to throwing it up, once or twice a week.
- Grey still has diarrhea, 1 month later, despite my administering anti-diarrheal meds and a probiotic to him for a little over two weeks after the vet visit.

Here is their feeding-style history:
- We have tried feeding the cats in separate rooms, Tiger in the kitchen and Grey in an adjacent spare room.
- When we leave the door to Grey’s room open, Tiger will eat all of his food quickly, then take over Grey’s food and eat until he throws up.
- We have changed the food bowls so they are deeper and he cannot eat as fast. This did not work.
- We have tried feeding each cat a separate diet, but because this entails both separate dry and wet foods for each cat twice a day, this was not a long-term option that we, as pet-owners, could maintain.
- When we close the door to Grey’s room for 30 minutes to give him time to eat, he will not eat all his food at once, and Tiger will finish Grey’s food once the door has been opened. Sometimes he will throw up from this.
- When we remove the food after the 30 minutes, Tiger will eat more quickly when next he is fed and definitely throw it up.
- When we remove the food after the 30 minutes and leave a small amount (about 1/2 cup) of dry food out between meals, Grey will eat throughout the day and, as a result, has gained 2 lbs. in the past year.

In addition, I have tried Feliway plug-ins and collars to help our anxious cat calm down, but they do not appear to help his upset stomach at this time. I cannot afford to medicate him with Prozac or any other long-term medication.

Where I stand is that I have a cat with diarrhea, despite food switches, and a cat that throws up because of the food switches. I am close to a breaking point with this, as I feel I have exhausted almost every option to meet the dietary needs of these two cats.

Could you get cancer by eating a cancerous tumour?

Sully — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:11:10 -0800

Not that any human would ever do this, but what would happen if someone ate a cancerous tumor? Like, if they waited around a surgical room, and it was removed from someone's breast, or pancreas. Would the stomach acids kill it? Could the person get cancer by eating it?

References to books in pill form?

Devoidoid — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:34:42 -0800

Desperately seeking references to books in pill form. Or liquid form. Or as a tasty spread. My memory and Google-fu have both grown weak with age. O mighty MeFi, can you give me the titles of any works in any form, books, articles, tv shows, comedy sketches, cartoons, whatever, that contain mentions of or references to books in pill form, or even any sort of acquisition of knowledge through physical ingestion?

How can I succeed in my diet?

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:46:59 -0800

I've been trying to get under a certain weight for weeks. Whenever I know that if I do well on a certain day, I'll have reached my goal in the morning, I tend to subconsciously self sabotage (by over eating or eating something I know will make me gain weight the next day.) Then I'll end up gaining a few pounds and needing to start all over. I think it's because I told myself it was hard to get under that number, and now it's become this huge goal that I can't seem to attain. How do I get over the self-sabotage so I can continue on the weight loss journey?

(Note that I have binge eating disorder, so for me overeating automatically means +2 or more pounds.)

nomming with my eyes

kidsleepy — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:26:51 -0800

For such a picky eater, I sure like to read a lot about food. What good food books can you recommend? I've recently been on a food book kick. Books I've read and enjoyed are The Man Who Ate Everything, Julie & Julia, My Life in France, and Cooking for Mr. Latte. First person, humorous accounts rich in descriptive detail. I also enjoy it when there's a few recipes throw in. Bonus points for authors learning to cook or trying new foods.

What else would I enjoy? Whet my reading appetite!

For 75 bucks they'd better serve liquid gold

The Whelk — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 10:28:27 -0800

Post-ComicConFilter: Best Sunday brunch in San Diego that's not the Hotel Del Coranado? Near downtown a plus. Views or unusual atmosphere doubleplus.

Help me plan a healthier daily diet.

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:42:27 -0800

Help me plan a healthier daily diet. I really want to eat healithier. I don't think I'll be able to cut out meat from my diet entirely, especially not right away, so I'd like to work my way up to it. I also don't have any great love for most vegetables so that is something I'll have to work up to as well.

I've recently cut way back on fast food. I don't eat out more than once or twice a week, but I'd like to make that not at all, or at least very rarely.

I also have a job where I want to take a lunch or dinner type meal to work with me. I have access to a microwave and a refrigerator there.

Currently a typical day looks like this:

Breakfast: bowl of cereal, usually Oh!s or Honey Bunches of Oats (with cinnamon), with 2% milk. Sometimes I'll cut up a banana and add it in. On rare mornings, I'll scramble a few eggs and have buttered toast. I always burn bacon when I try to fry it.

Lunch: chicken or roast beef (from the deli, not pre-packaged) sandwich with fat-free mayo, lettuce and havarti cheese on multi-grain wheat bread with crackers and maybe an apple.

Dinner: This is where I have the most difficulty. I'm just now trying to teach myself to cook. Some nights I'll just go without. Other times I'll heat up a salmon patty and have some macaroni & cheese with it.

I can cook, I'm just lazy about doing so. I've taught myself to cook some delicious chicken pasta, but that's about the extent of my skill so far. I want to include more fruits and vegetables in every meal, and preferably have more frequent, smaller meals/snacks throughout the day.

To help, here are some of my likes and dislikes:

Like: melons, bell peppers, black olives, tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, onions, apples, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, chicken (white meat only), beef, most any kind of fish (but no shellfish), pasta, avocado, pineapple

Dislike: pork, ham, pastrami, mushrooms, spinach, anything too spicy or sour

Willing to try: beans, just about any other vegetable

Links to sites with good tips, info, and recipes would also be appreciated.

I don't always have a lot of time to prep meals, so quick-prep meals are a plus. I also have two crock-pots (one large, one small), a toaster, and a blender at my disposal at home.

Bonus points if you can recommend something good to drink (besides water) that is not too sugary or expensive.

Why does my wife eat in this strange way?

winjer — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:50:14 -0800

My wife eats in a different way from anyone else I've ever seen eat, and I have no idea why. Most people eat a little bit of each foodstuff at a time, but she doesn't. Most people given a plate of food with a few different things on it will eat some of each thing, so a bit of this then a bit of that, then back to the first thing.

Instead she'll eat say, all the carrots, then all the potato, then all the beans, then all the meat, completely finishing one foodstuff before moving on to the next.

She does this completely consistently, for every meal, and never eats any other way. None of the rest of her family do this, and nobody else I've met has ever done this either.

She has no explanation for why she does this, she just says she thinks it's perfectly sane.

Do any of you do this, and has anyone got any idea of why someone might do this?

We're Probably Crazy, But We're Thinking About Eating Bugs

batgrlHG — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:24:00 -0800

Where can I eat bugs in southern California - on purpose? I blame this partially on watching too many episodes of Bizarre Foods and partly on y6 for thinking this is a good idea. (It's probably not, but we're silly that way.) We're looking for a place that serves bugs on the menu - and while I can google up a few places (there may be a Thai place in Santa Monica, can't find a link at the moment) I'd love to know if anyone has actually been to a restaurant that served bugs in the US. We can also road trip to anywhere in southern CA, will be going to Las Vegas soon and will be at the meetup in New Orleans. Any suggestions? (Yes, I'm afraid we will take photos.) Or any tips on bug eating, even if you've only had them in other countries?

I'm leaning more towards something small like ants and away from something like the giant cockraoch that would take more than one bite. y6 thinks scorpions sounds like fun.
*eye roll*
Obviously we're hoping that at a restaurant the bug supply will be something raised at home and not just scraped off the wall.

I've done a few searches here but may have missed a thread - most of the ones on bugs were about getting rid of them or eating one by accident. Let me know if I've missed something obvious!

Help me eat/feel better.

Anonymous — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:26:01 -0800

How can I find a general therapist who specializes in helping people with eating issues? I'm significantly overweight. Over the past year or so, I've been seeing a nutritionist, though it hasn't had much effect on my habits or behaviors. A few months ago, I stopped seeing her, because I found that I tried to use my nutritionist as a therapist: I'd talk with her about my issues with food and eating, but those issues are wrapped up in my general life issues (I can find it difficult to do things to take care of myself), and she wasn't up to the task.

It seems to me that a better way to tackle my issues with food (which are pretty garden variety: emotional eating, using food as a reward, inability to keep myself from eating everything that's put in front of me) would be to see an actual therapist, but one who helps people with eating issues. Do such therapists exist? How do I find one in the New York area (and specifically one who works on a sliding scale)?

I've never used a therapist before, but this is an area in which I could really use some help. Throwaway email: harlemnonymous@gmail.com.

Diabetes, glucose, and food -- Oh my!

DrGail — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:39:18 -0800

Type II Diabetes filter: How do measured glucose levels vary depending on how long it has been since eating? My husband was just recently diagnosed with Type II diabetes, based on an A1C reading of 7.3. He has made numerous lifestyle changes: careful food choices, no binging, regular exercise, eating three meals a day instead of one. (I nag very effectively, as you can see!) This has brought his second A1C reading down to 6.1, without any medication, so we feel like we're definitely on the right track.

But I keep wondering what the "curve" looks like if blood sugar readings are plotted against the hours since eating. A search of the internets hasn't turned up any generic curves we can use as a reference.

For example: His after-dinner blood sugar readings are usually done about 1 - 1-1/2 hours after having a Dannon Light Yogurt for dessert, instead of the 2 hour delay the doctor recommends. If he were to wait until the 2-hour mark before testing his blood, would the reading be higher or lower than the one he gets at the 1-1/2 hour mark?

If he were to take his blood sugar readings hourly, over several days, we could discover the curve empirically. This is not an option, though -- he would never go for it.

So I'm hoping one of you wonderful MeFi folks either knows the answer to my specific question or perhaps can point me to a generic curve that exists somewhere on the 'net.

please help resolve my tofu troubles

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:43:59 -0800

Can I eat this expired (but frozen) tofu/tempeh/tofurky? I just moved into a new apartment and my new roommate's old roommate left behind some food in the freezer. At first I was delighted to be inheriting free food, but now that I've checked the best by dates, I'm not so sure. Details:

Tofurky: "enjoy by" 08/23/08
Yves Meatless Deli Ham: "best before" 02/13/08
White Wave Baked Tofu: 09/02/05 (date has no qualifier before it)
Sunergia Soyfoods pesto tofu: 04/22/06 (also no qualifier)
SoyBoy Tempeh: April 26 (says that it can be "sold frozen for 6 months after date" but, the date doesn't have a year after it and considering the other fake meats, I wouldn't bet on it being 2009)

I do not know for how long any of this was frozen, nor can I contact new roommate's old roommate to ask.

So...can I eat any of this? If it were anything else, I'd probably just throw it away, but I do love fancy tofu products (and very rarely buy them myself due to their fancy prices) so this would be a free food grand slam.

Rabbit meat in NYC?

soma lkzx — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:17:22 -0800

Where can I buy rabbit (for eating, not petting) in NYC? I've been calling around but haven't had any luck so far. I'll carve it up if I have to, but boned would be best. And it's for tonight, so anything involving special-ordering is sadly a no-go.

(I'm off of the F in Brooklyn, but willing to travel)

Why does my dog have no interest in any kind of food?

geeky — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:05:45 -0800

Why does my dog have no interest in any kind of food? I know YANAVet and YANMVet, but we are working with a vet we know and trust and at this point I'm just looking for additional suggestions.

We adopted our dog, a female beagle approximately 3 years old, from the SPCA in January. She had been a stray and needed a lot of TLC. She had bad ear infections in both ears and pretty severe worm infestations. The good news is that we've gotten both of those problems cleared up. However, throughout all of this she's had persistent periods of time where she just wouldn't eat.

We had been assuming the loss of appetite was a symptom of her various other problems over the past few months, but now that she's otherwise healthy, she's still not eating consistently. When this first started, she would stop eating for 2-3 days, then go back to eating normally for a couple of weeks. However, it seems to be getting progressively worse. Over the last 2 weeks she's been eating very little, just 1/2 cup of food every couple of days at best.

She's had bloodwork done twice, urinalysis done twice, and numerous fecal samples taken. All came back normal, with the exception of slightly elevated protein levels in the urine. She had one incidence of vomiting blood over a month ago, which caused the vet to assume the problem is an ulcer. We've been treating her accordingly, with doses of Pepcid every night (to control acid production) and doses of carafate (sucralfate) as needed to help sooth her stomach. At first the carafate made a dramatic difference and had her eating within 20 minutes of dosing. Now even the carafate doesn't help in getting her to eat.

We've tried a couple of different dog foods (Science Diet and a no-allergen version of Natural Balance). She gets NO people food, with the exception of a small amount of peanut butter once a day to give her the Pepcid and on occasion, when it gets really bad, I will make her boiled chicken and rice. Even that usually takes some serious cajoling and literally sticking it in her face before she will eat it. The only thing she will consistently eat is Milk Bones, and even then she sometimes saves them for a day before eating them.

She has no other symptoms, aside from maybe slight lethargy and sometimes we can hear her stomach rumbling. She'll eat grass when she really doesn't feel well. Everything is, ahem, coming out properly. She's not vomiting. She just won't eat!

Like I said earlier, we are working with a vet. We have another appointment on Friday. At this point, I'm just looking for suggestions. What else could I ask the vet about and what other tests we should look into? Have you ever had a dog do this before? Does this sound like an ulcer to you? Any idea what could be causing her to not want to eat at all? We love this stupid little dog to death and it's breaking our hearts to not be able to make her better.

How to take advantage of my colonoscopy prep?

sholdens12 — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:58:40 -0800

I'm getting a colonoscopy today, which means I've essentially emptied out my digestive system. How can I best ease my way back into eating and use this as an opportunity to eat better?

Looking for some healthy recipe resources

Afroblanco — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:15:58 -0800

Looking for cookbooks, blogs, websites, and forums that specialize in simple, healthy recipes. I'm a single guy who doesn't have a whole lot of time to cook or wash dishes. But I'm tired of eating out all the time, and would like to change my eating habits.

I'm not looking for a "diet." I want to make a permanent change in the way I eat.

I like healthy/vegetarian food, but am not myself a vegetarian. So no dietary restrictions really, except that the food must be healthy, nutritious, low-fat and low-calorie.

I don't mind putting some effort into my meals, but ideally these recipes wouldn't require a lot of time-consuming preparation or cleanup.

Assume that I don't know anything at all about cooking, because, well, I kinda don't.

How to turn an apple into a banana

cloudsandstars — Sat, 23 May 2009 10:15:40 -0800

I'm an apple, but I'd much rather be a banana. How can I get rid of my middle and reshape my body? Unfortunately, my lofty goals at the beginning of the year turned out to be an epic fail for me. I have managed to lose about 7 pounds over the last 7 weeks, but I remain around 50 pounds overweight. I am the textbook "apple" shape, with most of my extra weight around my middle. I know this is unhealthy, and it is starting to look bad, too. Not to mention the effect it is having on my emotional state of mind and confidence level.

I've already cut way back on my sugar intake and portion sizes, and have simply started moving more. That is helping, but I'm afraid that with my slow metabolism, it will take years to get this harmful weight down to a manageable level. I'd rather it take months.

So, what I'm really asking here is: Are there any specific foods should I eat, foods I should avoid, and which exercises would be most effective in helping me get rid of this particular type of stomach/hip/back fat?

I'm a busy girl, I work a lot, am trying to save money, and would prefer to do any exercising in the privacy of my own home.

Thanks.

How to stop nervous behaviors during conversation?

Anonymous — Fri, 22 May 2009 05:46:17 -0800

I've been told I'm a very good conversationalist, but when I talk to people, I often get nervous about silences. This leads to two problems: 1) I compulsively fill in silences with questions or comments, in a way that eventually exhausts me, and 2) if food's available, I tend to impulsively snack and mindlessly eat to have *something* constantly happening (admittedly I often am munching away even when there isn't a silence). Any tips on changing these behaviors?