Harriet

Is it emotional eating if I eat something because it's delicious and I want to, even though I'm not hungry? If so, how do I stop? I'm not sure I have any particular feelings other than the desire for deliciousness.

That is what the book says. I'm just having trouble believing that I'll eventually stop. What if I'm just feeding a new cookie addiction? It's just so hard for me to believe I won't just keep eating all the refined carbs forever and ever... like I used to. No, it has to be oreos. Other cookies seem disgusting and uninteresting to me. I haven't been restricting in general terms... but they are definitely symbolic of things I wanted but couldn't have for many years. They definitely have a sort of forbidden sparkle.

You know best. Enjoy the experimenting and make sure you go for the other things you want/deserve at the same time as going for the weight loss - no need to delay them. Good luck!

Awesome! Let's smash some stuff! Oh, wait.... I mean... let's look at puppy gifs and say "awwww". Anglophone based in Germany here. I'm temporarily in the USA, but usually live in Berlin. I don't suppose you have time for intensive language classes over your holidays? I rapidly improved when I went to a class that was three hours each on four days per week. It takes about four weeks to plough through each of the six levels (A1-C2) but to be honest, just doing a C2 class won't get you to C2 level, which entails near-native levels of fluency and eloquence. It'll get you to B2 or C1, though.

But I didn't eat them with moderation, I ate two thirds of a packet in one go. And I keep thinking about them now that they're gone :/

So, um, I bought a packet of oreo-type cookies for the first time in many, many years, and ate most of it in one day. Delicious. But also, enough calories to fuel a smaller person for an entire day. Not sure what to think. The IE book would say having cookies around will teach me that they are nothing special, I would eventually stop scarfing them in excess number. But a look at industry food-development practices would say that these foods are carefully designed to be irresistible, and that they're simply not the kind of food our hunger or intuitions evolved to cope with. I think my inclination is to not totally ban such foods, but also not to buy and keep them around the house as I would other groceries. I noticed I went for the cookies, and on another occasion, a cupcake, right after having a salad for lunch. The salad is one of the most high calorie meals I regularly eat, yet it leaves me craving carbs, at least sometimes. Or maybe I just had a couple of hungry days. Actually I seem to have developed a strong interest in carbs generally. Oats, farro, bread, wild rice, quinoa, and sugar, nom. Anyway, I'm getting pretty comfortable with honouring my hunger and giving unconditional permission to eat... not sure if I'm doing quite as well at eating mindfully, stopping when full, or introducing gentle nutrition. I'm more just eating everything (some whole foods, some junk). What's the next step?

I definitely have these types of days. Listless do-nothing days where even the tiny hurdle of starting a thing seems too high so I flit from distraction to distraction. Kindness to yourself, a good night's sleep, and a dose of your preferred exercise are indicated.

Excellent. Stick at it. You need to finish this story. You need the whole experience, from conceiving an idea to writing out the first draft and then revising to your satisfaction, in order to level up at writing stories (as opposed to getting really good at starting stories). I'm currently slogging through the mid-to-end part of a story, and I'm not hugely inspired. I don't even like looking at what I wrote. But I'm doing a tiny bit more each day. I think I'll feel relief when I reach the end, because then I'll be able to think about ways to make it better. But it needs its skeleton first, and that means writing out the story (not to be mistaken for writing plans and outlines of how the story will go). I did the bare minimum--six minutes--today. Other days I do more.

A liftless day. My knee/shin still hurts. Also, I look fat. Oh well. I finished reading Graeber's "Bullshit Jobs". It sounds lighthearted but he's actually a radical anarchist type who thinks our economies are structured more like feudalism than capitalism. It did make me laugh a few times, though. Started reading the Barbell Prescription so I can summarise it for my father. I also walked to the art shop and bought a sketch book and some pens so I can do some low-stakes sketching. I'd like to get into the habit of doing it daily, but we'll see. No promises. Just an unthreatening open invitation to myself.

Nice job. You know yourself and what works for you, and you asserted your superior knowledge when challenged by an expert, which many of us find difficult.

Awesome that you're collecting data to motivate you! I hope you feel better soon! Rest and recovery and warm blankets are good.

That's awesome! I am now totally intrigued.

Oh, that's actually super helpful, because I saw that the public library wants proof of residence and I wasn't sure what that meant in concrete terms. I'll see if I can find something addressed to me, but honestly, Mr Harriet has been taking care of all that stuff since we moved to America. Hmmm. Hmmm. Actually, I'm not sure there's anything addressed to me. Hmmm. So... maybe instead of firing his physio, he could tell him he wants to do simple compound moves where he can get measurably stronger? Like maybe the physio could help him find a squat, hip hinge, and press and pull variations that are safe for him... Maybe it's the physio who needs some more guidance about his goals?

Wut. Is that even possible. Isn't that like 6 big-girl plates on each side and then some? Too shocked to even feel impressed. Ugh, I hope the lease and move goes as planned. I'm imagining little pixellated spaceships exploding the lease in my mind's eye with little pixellated laser beams. That's what you meant by good thoughts, right?

Awesome! You can absolutely do it! The short story will be written and submitted, I feel it in my bones.