Food Journey Update

 In the last 5-6 months, I have come to a few conclusions for my food journey:

1. Make small sustainable changes. The goal is to have a sustainable process and not weight loss as an end goal. E.g. I exercise consistently cause it helps me manage inflammation. I am not trying to push myself to do more and more or better and better. Even if I fall off the wagon, I should be able to get back on the wagon if I am not pushing myself to perfection. That is key - sustainability over a prolonged period of time.

2. Sugar increases inflammation and must be avoided/minimized - at most 6g of sugar per day at most. This has been the most challenging one for me. Sources of sugar are easy to find. Read at least 2 books that gave me a lot of insights about this.

3. Processed food is to be avoided. It's not just that carbs/sugars/proteins are concentrated in processed food, but the satiety index for processed food is lower. So you end up eating more cause you don't feel full.  Honestly the biggest challenge for me is having access to unprocessed foods that I can cook easily and eat. E.g. it's easier to eat a protein bar. Whereas takes more effort to boil an egg or make a protein smoothie. Plus I have a negative connotation associated with cooking. I am working with a therapist right now to hopefully manage it. Dr. Jason Fung's talks really helped me understand the impact of processed food. I also need to read his book on obesity to understand how to regulate hormones during this journey (eating/living healthier).

4. Snacking is to be avoided - to give my body a break. If I keep snacking, then the insulin levels in my blood will never go down and then all the calories from the food I eat will be stored... and not used.

5. Ask for help. E.g. I got a nutritionist cause I needed help from some one to help me figure out what to eat and what not to eat. I got a personal trainer because I needed someone to teach me how to do strength training properly and to keep me accountable. I got a therapist because even now I am not over COVID-19 and I should've asked for help sooner. Mental health is important. Can't take care of myself if I am not mentally happy.

6. Sleep. For the most part, I have been sleeping around 6-8 hours a day for the past 5-6 months. Working with the nutritionist really helped me recognize the adverse effect of lack of sleep on my eating habits and life in general. I pat myself on the back every time I realize that I am sleeping well. Luckily I have managed to maintain a good habit of avoiding coffee/tea after 5pm. Just need to keep doing the same.

Next steps:

i. Keep doing sustainable small steps: 20 minute fast walks on walkpad/park, 5-15 minute mediations per day

ii. Therapy, weekly strength training

iii. Avoid snacking. i.e. eat only 2-3 times a day. 

iv. Rank each food item I eat based on satiety index. The awareness should help me pick foods with higher satiety index.

v.  To avoid buying processed takeout/delivery, I am going to try using instacart for while to see if having healthy unprocessed food options at home on demand helps me eat healthier. This would be helpful during crunchtimes at work when I don't have time to go shopping.

vi. Need to blink more to protect my eyes. Added a reminder for myself. Let's see how that fairs.

vii. Set aside periods of time on my calendar where I take a complete break from my phone. (Using Do Not Disturb Mode).... even if it is during day. Reading a book called Dopamine Detox to help me reduce all the over simulation in my life.