68. Food Diary

I’m going to start a points system soon, based on when I’ve been good and bad. For example, a green tea will be 10 points, and a coffee will be minus 10 points! A decaf minus 5 points etc.

I’ve also bought colored stickers to stick on my wall chart, to indicate when I’ve been good. I don’t intend just to have them for food – the red ones are for work, blue for exercise, yellow for diary and weekly tasks (1 per day). Green is for Healthy Eating, and if I do not acquire a certtain number of points, I can’t have a green star!

I’ve yet to work out what foods are worth what points, but it has only just occurred to me, that I have no way of measuring how disciplined I am.

Ironically I was very naughty today. Have you noticed when that happens, I just list SOME of the naughty foods I’ve eaten, not list them all, like I should?

OK, I went on a trip to a safari park, and had very good intentions because I took a banana and porridge with me. But when we all had lunch in the café, and I smelt the meals, I couldn’t resist – I had french fries, sausages and gravy. And a cappucino. Ooops.

I also had a ham sandwich later and several jaffa cakes, which boast 1 gram of fat per cake, but that’s not the point; it’s still full of sugar and god knows what else. I bought a whole packet, but shared them with everyone else, so I reckon I only had about 4 or 5.

Then tonight my friend brought pizza round. It wasn’t even thin and crispy. Now my legs are itching like mad. Serves me right.

So today would probably be minus 200 points! and I’d need a truck load of green tea, and vegetables to put it right.

67. Bloating

Many people mistake bloating stomach bloating for IBS and that’s silly. Irritable Bowel Syndrome would often mean you range from constipation one day, then the opposite a few days later. It is recognised as being caused almost entirely by stress, although it can be cured by a good diet.

But then so can ordinaryu bloating. We’re all guilty of abusing our stomachs by eating irregularly, and having large meals after allowing ourselves to get over hungry.

A lot of people feel full at lunchtime, in the evening or after a large meal. Eating small reqular meals ensure that the stomach never gets overloaded. Irregular meal patterns and an unexpected large meal with a lot of fluid can end up stretching the stomach muscels causing it to expand and 'bloat'. Not eating breakfast and then eating a large lunch can have the same effect.

Air in the stomach can cause it too, usually by eating too fast. Exercise is brilliant for air in bloated stomachs, because it forces air out! So burp your way out of discomfort!