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Baraka_Guru · 12-23-2008, 08:45 PM

It's late and I'm about to head to bed, so I'll make this brief to start:

Don't worry about being a "picky eater" when it comes to healthy food. There is a world of food out there you might not have discovered yet. We will get into this later.
It's good that you have past experience with portioning. That's one advantage.
It can actually be a good thing to have a "sickeningly" regular eating schedule.
The biggest problem I see in your meal/snack timing is between 2:30 (lunch) and 7:00 (dinner). This is 4.5 hours between eating. I have a general rule: If it's been more than four hours since eating something, it's been too long. This rule should be in effect until dinner. You might want to add a small snack somewhere in there, possibly at around 4:00 or 4:30.
Besides point #3, you have a good timing basis for your eating habits. Build on this and you will see the problems between lunch and dinner, and dinner and bed, disappear, especially once you figure out your optimal food choices.
Water is good, but it's possible to drink too much. How much are you drinking each day?
Don't feel bad about a small bottle of Coke and some fries once a week. Another misconception about good nutrition habits is that one needs to be a saint for it to work. Even the best of us "cheats" now and again. The key is what's typical on a daily basis. Learn how to savour such treats. Using them as rewards is a good strategy.
Black tea with no sweetener is a healthy drink, but try to cut off your consumption of caffeinated beverages after 4:00pm. Caffeine can interfere with your sleep which can affect your body's fat management. Despite what you might read, tea is not a strike against hydration. It's mostly water, so a cup of tea counts as a cup of water, for the most part.
How often do you eat fast food? This could be a big factor, especially if it's a lot of fried chicken.
As far as exercise is concerned, how is your walking on flat surfaces? What about riding a bike or swimming?

Feel free to ask for clarification on any of this, and the more information you can offer, the better. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I know you can do it.

12-23-2008, 08:45 PM	#4 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	It's late and I'm about to head to bed, so I'll make this brief to start: Don't worry about being a "picky eater" when it comes to healthy food. There is a world of food out there you might not have discovered yet. We will get into this later. It's good that you have past experience with portioning. That's one advantage. It can actually be a good thing to have a "sickeningly" regular eating schedule. The biggest problem I see in your meal/snack timing is between 2:30 (lunch) and 7:00 (dinner). This is 4.5 hours between eating. I have a general rule: If it's been more than four hours since eating something, it's been too long. This rule should be in effect until dinner. You might want to add a small snack somewhere in there, possibly at around 4:00 or 4:30. Besides point #3, you have a good timing basis for your eating habits. Build on this and you will see the problems between lunch and dinner, and dinner and bed, disappear, especially once you figure out your optimal food choices. Water is good, but it's possible to drink too much. How much are you drinking each day? Don't feel bad about a small bottle of Coke and some fries once a week. Another misconception about good nutrition habits is that one needs to be a saint for it to work. Even the best of us "cheats" now and again. The key is what's typical on a daily basis. Learn how to savour such treats. Using them as rewards is a good strategy. Black tea with no sweetener is a healthy drink, but try to cut off your consumption of caffeinated beverages after 4:00pm. Caffeine can interfere with your sleep which can affect your body's fat management. Despite what you might read, tea is not a strike against hydration. It's mostly water, so a cup of tea counts as a cup of water, for the most part. How often do you eat fast food? This could be a big factor, especially if it's a lot of fried chicken. As far as exercise is concerned, how is your walking on flat surfaces? What about riding a bike or swimming? Feel free to ask for clarification on any of this, and the more information you can offer, the better. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I know you can do it. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 12-23-2008 at 08:50 PM..