Tuesday, December 03, 2019

An excuse for unhealthy eating

As I've gotten older, I have a lot of stomach issues, especially when something is bothering me or when I'm depressed.  I have a prescription for Omeprazole:  I take two every morning before eating.  As long as I'm not depressed or don't consume the wrong things, it works fairly well.  But let me get in a funk and I might as well be taking a lifesaver candy for all the good it does.  If said funk lasts a few days, I can't help but eat less.  So I lose weight.  

I carried extra pounds from the holiday season of 2018 until this fall, finally getting within two pounds of my "fighting weight".  Then came the stomach issues and the pounds magically dropped off.  I like to weigh 152 pounds; that was my goal.  But within a matter of a couple of weeks, unable to make myself eat much, I was 147.  

Not to worry, I've seen a doctor.  

I've gotten enough improved that I can now eat a normal amount of food when there's no acid reflux burning my stomach.  But I was still losing ounces a day.  Even the morning after Thanksgiving, when I had eaten everything in sight and plenty of it, I still showed a slight loss.  I was down to 147 pounds without really even trying.  

Yesterday I vowed to eat so many calories that I couldn't possibly lose weight overnight.  So I topped off a day of eating normally by eating a whole bag of Cheetos.  Not the small bag like people throw in their lunchboxes.  Oh no, a regular 8.5 ounce bag.

One of the reasons I managed to maintain my weight over the last ten or fifteen years is that I swore off chips of all kinds.  At some point last summer, I began to realize I do not like most potato chips, but I found out I do like Ruffles, especially cheese flavor.  Then one week Cheetos were on sale, so I bought a bag only to discover Cheetos were my new favorite food.  Who knew?  I used to make fun of my mom when she constantly snacked on Cheetos,, cheese balls, or the like; although she like the puffed kind and I like the crunchy ones.  Mother often had a can of Planters cheese curls laying on the empty side of her bed, so I assume if she woke up hungry they were her go-to midnight snack.  

So I occasionally bought more Cheetos, trying to be reasonable about my intake.  However, I had opened Pandora's box and there was no going back.  Yes, my friends, Ruffles and Cheetos were the ruination of me until nature decided to help me get back to controlling my intake by giving me a bellyache.

This morning I weighed almost 149.  Yes, the chips did their work in a grand manner.  Not only that, but my stomach is still in decent shape this morning.  

By the way, I don't mind my weight being 147.  I'm only 5 feet, six inches tall now, down from 5 feet, seven inches in my prime.  The thing I didn't like was losing weight every day no matter what I ate.  Losing weight for no reason is not a good thing; it's worrisome, because I was already troubled about other things, and the weight loss, along with the stomach discomfort, was giving me one more reason to fret.  It's amazing what the imagination can conjure up at such times.  

At this point an old saying comes to mind:  If I had known I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself.

And that's your report from a woman who is now addicted to Cheetos and, due to a good sale, possesses four bags that will need to be given away if she starts gaining weight instead of losing it.

Yours pathetically,
Donna




8 comments:

  1. Unexplaiend weight loss is not good. I have always snacked a lot but have also gained weight. Still it doesn't bother me as long as the clothes still fit. I cannot afford new clothes so will have to stop doing tht when the clothes no longer fit. Thankfully I have been wearing a lot of the same things for over 10 years now so they have gotten their use.

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  2. I agree with "Ma". I would try to find out why you have unexplained weight loss. I am 5 ft. 4 inches tall and weigh 134. That's about ten pounds more then I like. But I eat a lot of ice cream bars, breakfast bars and nuts. That probably explains it.

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  3. well now you've gotten me in the mood for Cheetos. i haven't had one in years. yum. yum. it sounds like your weight is ever so slowly returning to the place you want it to be. and if the loss continues instead, i'd see a doctor to find out whats going on.

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  4. Oh boy can I relate to stomach pain, my stomach is in a constant state of turmoil. Last month I had a series of test to try and rule out any serious issues (the C word) and that came back ok but stuff like IBS, reflux, gastritis were mentioned. There’s really no rhyme or reason to what causes my pain what bothers me one day doesn’t the next and even an empty stomach hurts. I do internalize my feelings so that too makes my stomach hurt. Ugh! Now as far as Cheetos go...flaming HOT is my jam and it kills my stomach hahaha. Sometimes I torture myself as I have very little willpower.
    xo
    Robin

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  5. p.s.) due to this post i have been unable to think of anything else. i bought myself a bag of Cheetos today and ate the whole thing. they were really good. now i have to reign myself in for the rest of the week.

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  6. Ohhhh.... stomach pains. I despise them with a passion! Every time I get stomach pains I can always do the "elimination diet" and find out what's causing it. Diet Pepsi makes my stomach nuts (pardon the pun) as do peanuts (not cashews or almonds). Crystal Light gives me heartburn within hours after drinking it, as does some coffee. When I have stomach pains now, my mind immediately asks myself "What did I consume that did THIS?!" :-( I'm so sorry you're ailing, Donna. <3 <3 As far as the chips & such, I'm a Type II diabetic... who still has the urge to eat the "crunchy stuff" (absolutely no desire for sugary stuff... never did). So you know what HORRIBLE thing I do? I skip a meal (usually supper) and eat my allotted carbs for that meal in chips... or Doritos... or Fritos.... or pretzels. Healthy choice? Probably not. A way that I can still get my crunch on, while staying within my diabetic diet? Absolutely. *haha* I'm allowed to have 1 carb exchange (roughly 15 carbs) before bed. That makes a nice bowl of Cheetos, did you know? I think it's 18 Cheetos or so. I count them out, put them in a bowl, and crunch to my heart's desire. Where there's a will, there's a way. :-D Love, Andrea xoxo

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  7. I'm sorry you have stomach issues! Glad you can usually keep them under control though.

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  8. I'm glad you're better now! I can't have certain chips around either. Crunchy Cheetos are on that list. Regular potato chips, Pringles and BBQ chips are safe. Salt and vinegar chips are another addiction of mine. Stomach issues are awful! I don't have them, but if I eat the wrong things(which are actually healthy foods), my intestines don't like me much. TMI?

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