On and Off


On Sunday I weighed 210 pounds. For three days I've spent 16 hours a day not eating, and the rest trying to eat sensibly. I now weigh 215 pounds.

So, a new approach. When I start eating, it's easy to find an excuse to not stop. And when I haven't eaten for a while...the temptation to start isn't out of hunger; it's more out not having anything better to do.

My relationship to food is like other people's relationship to television. In fact, it's like my relationship to television. Binge-watching.

Where was I? Oh yes. I'm going to try alternate-day fasting. One day with no calories, the next with a little of whatever seems appealing, and so on.

This psyllium stuff. The packaging tells me I should take two capsules three times a day. It also informs me that six capsules contain 3000 milligrams. Which is an unnecessarily roundabout way of saying one capsule contains, on average, 500 milligrams. Which by a certain inexorable logic means the prescribed dose contains 1000 milligrams. Which is one gram.

Psyllium can absorb (so I read) up to 14 times it's own mass in water, so one saturated gram of psyllium is 15 grams. Which is about the weight of two sugarcubes. Which isn't very much.

Okay: Weight, mass, and size - not the same things. But it's still not very much.

It certainly does no harm in the digestion department, but as an appetite supressant...well, it isn't. And as a food bulker...it's just a little oversold. I shouldn't be surprised.

What I said about not having anything better to do. I've spent so many years spending so many hours of the day feeling rubbish, having 1 or 2 hours out of 24 when I felt up to doing anything...it's a bit daunting having a whole 8 hours of energy. Or even 12.

It's possibly a bit late in life to discover most of the day can be used for doing things. Seeing as I'm now 46.

Who could have guessed? All you need to get your life back is to do less of that thing you always enjoyed less than you expected.

Please shoot me before I turn into a celibate vegan spiritual-but-not-religious nofapper.

1 comment:

  1. It's never too late to go do the things that make you happy. It's never too late to start exploring new horizons and trying out new things. Have an adventure. Have fun trying out new activities! Life is for the livings, so live each day as an opportunity to do the things that make you happy!

    If I could go back in time and advise my younger self, I'd say: Travel more! Don't let other people talk you out of following your gut instincts. Do the things that make you happy. Try new things! Don't waste time on regrets or worrying about what ifs. Just live!

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