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Can I ask more about your diet in general, SoCrafty? I had IBS for years. Since I was 13 I struggled with it. I'm 29, so for over half my life. Have you tried elimination diets, and what of?
I tracked food years ago when I was first losing weight and it worked - and it taught me how to eat. 1300-1500 calories a day, day after day after day.
Unfortunately this was no longer enough when I became a runner, and later when I started cycling and lifting weights. But I still ate that way. 1300-1500 calories, day after day after day.
I'm tracking again now trying to re-learn how to eat at a higher calorie level. And it's really not fun. I'm fighting a lot of stuff. Fighting against not really being that hungry. Fighting against "That's SO MUCH FOOD" and "Yikes, that's SO MANY CALORIES!" It's actually kind of terrifying. There's some EDNOS stuff floating around in there too.
I don't like it. My ultimate goal is to be able to basically reset where my default caloric intake is - in other words, instead of routinely eating the 1300-1500 without thinking, eat 1700-2000 every day without thinking - and stop tracking again. But right now I'm back to being semi-obsessive about tracking. And I do hate it. But it's a necessary evil in order to fuel my workouts properly.
You might benefit from a similar paradigm shift. Instead of tracking to ensure you lose weight, track to fuel your workouts?
I'm not saying to definitely go to tracking right now, but something to think about. Even if you approach it differently it's still... well, yeah, it is what it is.
Sure. I have cut out altogether: Chips, pretzels, crackers, tortilla chips, pop corn, cookies, baked goods, muffins, candy. I do not eat fast food (restaurants, yes but places like McDonald's no). I cut back on bread (I don't ever get through one loaf a bread. I've gone months without buying one), cut back on bagels. I learned that I have a hard time with dairy so I don't have milk at all, and I take a Lactaid if I have more than a teaspoon of dairy (any kind). I tried to incorporate more yogurt, fruit and veggies.
A standard day for me would be a frozen breakfast burrito (about 240 cal) (just learned that you can microwave eggs, so ill be making my own starting Monday), 2 cups of coffee (slowly trying to break myself of it), I started eating an apple around 10:30, and for lunch it just depends. A lean cuisine, soup, a baked potato, or something to that effect, dinner has been like one portion of a Voila meal, or a piece of grilled chicken and a veggie, or steak and a veggie, maybe pasta and sauce. Trying to slowly drink more water - not my favorite. I have some sweet tea left and half a liter of soda left. Once that's gone, not buying any more.
I like broccoli and cabbage etc, but I was told I can't really eat that with IBS. I can't even have oil anymore. Even the smart balance butter bothers me. Been trying to eat more salad. weekends are still my cheat nights, but have been making healthier choices when I go out with my boyfriend. Actually ordered a salad for dinner last week.
Including my dinner tonight, my calorie intake today is only 1388.