The Ninj's Journal, 18 Dec 10

Okay Nina..turn that stinking thinking to more positive...your next mission if you choose to accept this is to rewrite the 3 paragraphs you wrote into more postive wording. I will help you with this if you would like...love you and want you to stay around for a very long time! TOWANDA!!!!!!!!! 

Ok FS world where there is a problem there is a solution: I am making changes to my lifestyle, and am continuing to live-it. I have made huge improvements in the foods I choose to eat. I love to share meals with friends & family and NOW I am my OWN BEST FRIEND and will take myself into the kitchen and get creative because I LOVE ME and enjoy cooking food that is colorful, fragrant, pretty, yummy and healthy to nourish my wonderful body. I will share my fabulous recipes with you as I start preparing loving meals for my body, mind and spirit. I will keep my R.D.I. in check daily, and am not overeating anymore and am eating things that make my body feel well. If I cook too much I will freeze it or divide it into several meals for the week, I am a cool cook in this way. TOWANDA!!!!!!!!!! I enjoy cooking for myself because I am a good loving person who loves to cook! I want to thank LisaOnline for guiding me to this site. She has been a great inspiration to me and I plan on inspiring her in cooking the most fabulous healthy meals because this is my gift to her. P.S. if you have time I appreciate it when you take the time to comment on my journals because it lets me know we are flying together on this wondeful journey..honk honk. TOWANDA!!!!!!!!!!!!  

I couldn't have said it better myself Lisa! You can do this ninj. Cooking and eating can be fun again and healthy. One day at a time, one step at a time. We are here for you. It will be hard at first and you have been through a lot but it will get easier and with all the support and great ideas you will get on this site there is no way you can fail. So chin up and lets get to it! Pleased to meet you Ninjs! 

Hi! Any friend of Lisa is a friend of mine :). I have found over this journey that I have come to love eating and cooking even more than ever. You just have to have an open mind to allowing your idea of "good food" to change. Instead of "good food" meaning high calorie, super sweet, fatty greasy meals, "good food" can mean food that tastes good and also makes you feel good and is healthy for your body. Your tastes can change if you give it a chance. It definitely doesn't have to be torture. So if you are eating things you don't like, just because you think you should, stop that right now. You can find ways to make the healthy foods just as satisfying as the unhealthy ones. I often post pictures of things I cook in my journal if you ever want to stop by and get ideas! 

Hello! I'm Lily. We'd like to invite you on this joy-filled journey together. Yes, you will have joy which is even better than happiness. I wish I know what you eat daily. Do you mind posting your food in-take so that we'd have an idea what to suggest you? I'm glad to meet you and hope we share support each other and continue on this road with many good buddies. You'll find out yourself soon :) Have a great weekend! 

Hi I'm sharon. There was a buddy here a few years ago named Imluuved and she had all kinds of health problems similar to your. She went from 170 pounds to 117 -exercising everyday and doing south beach diet. There are so many recipes here for everypossible diet. I think you just have to get excited about one of them, plan your menus and you are off and running. I struggle with wanting to share food with people and celebrate with food but I know it's a balancing act and I need more good contolled choices than bad- the 90/10 rule, good ninety percent of the time allows for a 10 percent splurge. Or if you make poor choices dust yourself off and start again. Have a good one 

You can do this! I know for a fact you can, it seems so hard at first but then everything starts getting better. I also loved cooking, but when I started new food, I hated it. The more I kelp on going it started becoming fun once again! And I understand about your conditions, I have some health issues also, may not be as bad as yours, but you will overcome them all and be a beautiful person which you are already. I wish you the best of luck and if your ever in need of someone to talk to I'll be here! 

Bless your heart and your soul!!! You are much loved by everyone here buddy. From the top of your head can you write down three things that you like about yourself? By starting a library of words and paragraphs that are positive about yourself you can start rebuilding your confidence to pursue your goals in a more positive way. What I want you to do is start a victory log... Every time you succeed at something write it down and when you get down get that paper out and read it to yourself. Just wanting to start is half the battle now take tiny steps that your comfortable with and you will succeed. As for your eating? Been there and done that with almost starving myself because I made eating so complicated. Creating an eating plan that works for you does take time but like anything trying different things and writing down how they affect you does help out. Have you considered going to a diabetic dietitian? I was referred to one when I was first losing weight to get educated on food... Maybe something to look into. 

Hi Ninj! First of all, you are lucky to have Lisa in your corner. She is one of the most encouraging buddies you could ever have. I've been on FS only since May, but I owe the advice and support of a lot of people on this site, including Lisa, in helping me shed over 40 pounds. You can learn a lot here -- and I'm sure you can learn to love cooking and eating again. Don't give up! :) 

it's tough My wife and i don't get to share meals too often too but when we do we always cook enough to eat later. so maybe try and cook ahead and then eat later in the week. You can always invite friends over once in a while, there are dozens of diabectic sites that have excellent ideas for menus and tips on how to maintain your illness .I hope this helps and you find the pleasure of everyone's company here too,there is some wonderful buddies here for you to meet.....  

Well hello my new friend, my name is BHA but everyone calls me Bren. You have no idea how this site will be soo good for you. We all are here for about the same reason. Health is the most important. We all have good recipes. There are a lot on here so you only have ask a question and there will be someone that will have an answer. Most of all you will have the best friends in the world as I have found myself. Lisa is one of the most inspirational one with her great journals. So ninj buckle your seat beat and enjoy the ride. Have wonderful evening. Bren  

Hi.Everything is possible with God.Keep trying.I was a huge food addict too.Now I managed to go from 75kilo to 66kilo.Thats almost 20pound loss.In fact at my highest weight I was 84kilo.If I calculate my total weight loss its almost 40pounds.I have another atleast 30pounds to go and I know its do-able.Keep praying to the Almighty so that he makes it easy for you.There is nothing He can't do.I'm sure He will help you.My prayers and best wishes are fot you.Take care. 

Hi my name is Babs. You have certainly come to the right place for support and with such a great friend like Lisa, I know you are going to succeed on this journey! We are all here for you, how we are all going about our journey may be different, but the struggles, successes, and triumphs are shared by all.  

Hey, The Ninj....it can be so hard when we are faced with changing our whole lifestyle....and it is scary...makes you feel like if you can't eat what you want, why even try. The first thing to remember is that just because you can't eat the things you used to, doesn't mean that you cannot enjoy what you do eat! There are so many good things out there that are good for you and that taste good, too. Experiment, try new things, make it an adventure to find new and good tasting recipes. And you are still young, you have a lot of life left to live...you simply need to change the way you eat. I am quite sure you can do it. And you will find plenty of help here on this site and from the people on here. Good luck! 

Hi, My name is Kathy. Chin up. We are all on this journey together and there is wonderful support with all your new friends here at FS. We all understand what you're going through and are happy to help. The journey of a thousand miles begins with that first step. Then you just slowly work on taking the next step and then the next. Sometimes we all stumble, but then you just get up and start again. I know for myself, I have just decided that I will be determined to get to my goal weight this time. I have days where I don't make the best choices, but then I just start again and try not to worry about what I feel I messed up on. I can't change the past. But I can certainly press on toward my goal and make a positive difference in my future.  

Hi, I'm Johanne. Like you, in March, I was given a death sentence. Since then I have literally turned my life around with the help of the tools on this site and my wonderful buddies here. Lisa is one of them. My taste in food has totally changed. You'd be surprised how fast it can happen. Like you, I no longer have family to cook for. I do large batches in my crock pot and put them up in one cup containers in the freezer, so I can think about other things than food. If cooking used to be the joy of your life, find new hobbies. I joined a medieval recreation group, so now my enjoyment with friends involves wonderful weekend events where we all get together and play in our various character rolls and crafts. I've become a spinner and weaver, but there are thousands of other groups and hobbies you can get involved in. Food is now so secondary to my enjoyment of life. You just have to look, and use us to vent. We all have our various problems. Mine, like yours are health issues. We are here to help and encourage. Good, good luck in this journey and I'm sending hugs.  

Hi ninj! There is a lot of good advice up there, not too much more that I can add. Someone once said that in order to avoid illness, one must never have been born at all. And, we will all die soon so the trick, I believe, is making *the most* out of the time we have left. Following the doctors advice and keeping to a good diet will be a piece of cake for you at this point. Try not to rely on just drug therapy and modern medicine though, use your own feelings and instincts to heal yourself naturally. Get fresh air and sunshine when available; walk among the trees in the early morning if possible; keep your mind on things that make you feel good and lift you up high; reach out to your mind and use it to it's fullest; be bold and follow your heart in all things, making adjustments along the way as you *will* make mistakes; and finally... live the time that you have left doing your very best at everything you possibly can, as there isn't much more that you can do. We have a wonderful community here, don't underestimate it. We are all here to help each other and are indeed fortunate to have access to a friend like Lisa. Best of Luck to you buddy!  

TOWANDA!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Hi Ninj... I'm here to support and encourage you on this journey. I also want you to know there are many foods that you can eat and learn to cook that are really healthy AND taste great. There are so many resources out there - most of them free and online. As far as the exercise goes... it REALLY is a matter of "Fake it until you make it!" Please believe me when I say that I absolutely hated exercise when I started this journey almost exactly a year ago. I forced myself to start and to continue, even though I generally dreaded it. But something happened along the way - about three months or so into it. I started almost looking forward to working out. Well, not so much looking forward to it then, but no longer dreading it. I knew it was making me feel so much better - mentally as well as physically, and it began to feel like it was stripping the years off of me. About four or five months into it, I actually DID begin to look forward to it. NOT to say there weren't days when I really wasn't feeling it, because there were and will continue to be. On days like those, I would tell myself, okay... just do 20 minutes of the workout. And more often than not, I would end up doing the entire workout video. I found several that I enjoy and as I became stronger and more fit, it became almost a competition with myself. I'd sometimes pretend someone was watching, just to make sure I wasn't just going through the motions. I tried to remain "present" and conscious most of the time. I figured I was putting in the time, I may as well give it the maximum effort. Sorry this is so long, but what I really wanted to impress upon you is that if I can end up loving exercise for all it's benefits, then I know anyone can. AND that there are healthy alternatives to almost all dishes... pick up a couple of cookbooks that are geared just toward that end. Or subscribe to a magazine like Clean Eating. Real food without all the additives and the processing really does taste so much better once your palate adjusts (and it does - you begin to be able to taste chemicals in processed foods after a while). And above all else, you do NOT have to be perfect. Just consistent. Good luck to you! 

Hooray...your here, your green light is flashing...Ready, Set, Go!!!! look at all these buddies, Life is good! TOWANDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!