I'm on the other thread but this might actually be more my speed. I can get pretty obsessive and self-flagellating about counting calories. Using My Fitness Pal appears to have woken up some disordered-eating thinking that I thought I kicked 20 years ago. (Does it HAVE to tell me, on days that I go over my limit, "Oh hey, if every day were like today you would gain 1 bazillion pounds in the next 5 weeks, fatty!")
My goals for the year are:
- Practice yoga.... let's say more days than not. Every other day would be a good goal. Right now I'm doing a 30-days-of-yoga challenge so am doing it daily but that's a lot easier when it's 3 degrees out every day and leaving the house for any reason is unappealing. I don't think I can keep up daily yoga when it's gardening season and I'm otherwise busy with stuff that involves leaving the house.
- Less booze. This got out of control last year; not excessive drinking really, but drinking a glass of wine or a beer after work more days than not. (It was my coping mechanism when the national news got to be too much for me.) I believe this is largely responsible for the 10 pounds I suddenly packed on over the summer/fall. Right now I am shooting for no more than 2 drinks per week.
- Eat minimal crap - sugar, white flour, grease. For the past few months I've been doing no white carbs, but am finding that a SMALL amount of potatoes or white flour seems to help me feel less hangry all the time. This is the opposite of how our bodies are supposed to work, but it seems to be true for me so far.
- Sleep better. I admit I have no idea how to accomplish this. I have the same problem as you, lhamo, of waking up in the middle of the night (usually due to the cat, or having to pee) and then not being able to fall back to sleep because anxiety. I'm also pretty sure I'm in perimenopause and the night sweats are just killing me.
- This is a really vague goal but I don't know how to make it more specific - figure out how my body works now that I am older. I used to have to watch what I ate very closely, when I was in my 20s (and was an overweight child and teen). Around age 30 I suddenly grew a metabolism and could eat what I wanted without gaining. Last fall, I discovered that I could no longer fit into my pants, and got weighed at the doctor and was shocked that I'd packed on 10 lbs without changing my habits (other than drinking more booze). With perimenopause starting now, I honestly do not know what my body wants, how much I can eat, how much I need to exercise, etc. Was it just the booze? Should I quit gluten? (Signs point to no). Should I quit sugar? (probably, but so far I've just cut it waaaay down and I don't think I want to completely quit as I'll feel deprived). I'm really just guessing. My body, which I could always rely on before to cope with whatever I put into it, feels strange and not in my control now.
So in general I want to figure out what works for me and what feels good and what keeps me healthy. I have no idea how to do this, mind, other than tracking calories closely and I find that somewhat triggering. So, more to come on this, I guess.