30 days AF starts tomorrrow!!! Need help with food ideas?

[keepwalking]

hello everyone especially fresh start. :welcome::welcome:i have now received all my supps and cd's and am going to start tomorrow - eek im scared! kept trying to tell myself i would be better waiting till after christmas but have decided ive been putting this off for too long! I am unsure what type of food goes best with the programme? i am not taking the medication but am worried about how my body will re-act to all the vits etc??? whats best to have for breakfast? i have also bought a pedometer and am going to walk every evening for a min of 30 mins. Anybody else starting for the very first time tomorrow?? could we compare notes?
i have my new headphones ready by my bed and have put all my supps in a 7 day pill box to keep me focused. cant wait to listen to them but have been patient this weekend as have been enjoying wine and dont want to start until i can do it all properly! would love some company on this path? KW x

[startingover]

30 days AF starts tomorrrow!!! Need help with food ideas?

Well, I think you have done some great preparation. For me, at the start I just ate whatever I could. But I would probably have benefitted from a more nutritious diet. I think if you aim to keep your blood sugar levels as stable as you can that will help. To keep them stable it is best to eat complex carbs like brown rice, wholemeal bread, fruit, vegetables, plenty of protein. Have as big a variety of foods as you can and drink plenyt of water. Eating little and often might help too.
All the very best and keep posting.

[MeowNow]

30 days AF starts tomorrrow!!! Need help with food ideas?

I drank wine cause it was healthy HAHAHA. SO have always have had good healthy food. no fast food for me, just wine and cheese HAHAHA..... Try Fish , salmon is the best, chicken is good too , skip the red meats and pork, add LOTS of veggies, any and all you like. Bannanas are a great souce of mag. that helps reduce leg cramps. Brown rice and lentils. and LOTS of water. Check out used book stores for healthy food cookbooks. My hubbie use to cook, now too sick so I am the star in the kitchen, IF you have time make soup with lots of veggies, it makes the house warm and smells good, good for the soul, just don't drink the wine too like I always did. I bought some sparkling lemon water and put it iin a pretty wine glass so I don't feel deprived. We will make it. Keep walking girl friend. I need to do that too. always write for support, it really helps me.

[keepwalking]

30 days AF starts tomorrrow!!! Need help with food ideas?

thanks you two great advice, i bought brown rice today and mackerel, i do have a healthy diet but also drink white wine coz its healthy!!! am so worried that the supps will make me feel odd and i have such a busy job - hence rewarding myself with wine every night. will keep you posted, where are you and have you posted your own story so i can read it? KW x

[startingover]

30 days AF starts tomorrrow!!! Need help with food ideas?

I take kudzu, lglut, allone and gaba and true calm as necessary. I just feel better really. Much more energy than I had before.....
I posted my story in Tell Us your story section.....its called Startingovers story :-)

[keepwalking]

30 days AF starts tomorrrow!!! Need help with food ideas?

SO just read your story - gulp! puts me to shame as havent had to cope with anything like that> you are a star! well done and stay strong, love and appreciate yourself xx

[MeowNow]

30 days AF starts tomorrrow!!! Need help with food ideas?

No I am jst starting myself. worried about the meds also as I have a high techie stressfull job, and use wine to un-wind at night. Will read startingover story. all so new to me. We can do it !

[startingover]

30 days AF starts tomorrrow!!! Need help with food ideas?

I was terrified too at first, thought I would never cope without my beloved wine. I was so very anxious about it. But once the al was out of my system the anxiety went.
It helps to find something else to do in the times that you would have spent drinking. I come here, walk my dogs read a recovery book or watch a film. All these things I find enjoyable and much more so since I have stopped drinking.
You can do it, both of you I am sure, you have the right attitude

[keepwalking]

30 days AF starts tomorrrow!!! Need help with food ideas?

mw are you taking the meds or just the vits? i ordered the topi etc but then cancelled! hate to be on medication but am hoping the cd,s and the kudzu etc will be enough where are u, usa or uk?

[keepwalking]

30 days AF starts tomorrrow!!! Need help with food ideas?

thanks s o - with folk like you here we will do it - i love walking hence the name and i love my two dogs, i have bought a notebook laptop so that will help me keep checking in for support! have two boys and top hubby and i want to connect more with them rather than all my enegy going into work and wine! kw x

[startingover]

30 days AF starts tomorrrow!!! Need help with food ideas?

Wow KW you sound just like me, I walk all the time with my 2 dogs! I also bought an IPhone so I could check inf often!
I think you will do just great.
Kudzu and lglut REALLY help my cravings

[Boss.man]

30 days AF starts tomorrrow!!! Need help with food ideas?

I have some specific thoughts on food cravings, particularly in the first week of being AF.

Wine contains two forms of "energy". For one thing; it has a lot of sugar (fructose) in it, about 80 calories per glass. In addition, if you've been a steady drinker, your body has been busy using alcohol by-products for energy.

Alcohol is turned into acetaldehyde. For most frequent drinkers this conversion is done twice as fast, and the chemical stays in the body for twice as long as non-drinkers. The liver then turns this into acetic acid (vinegar) and then acetone (nail polish remover). Yes, your body creates and burns biological nail polish remover; true fact.

There is evidence that in a drinker, these by-products are maintained at a stasis in the body for 24 hours or more, and that the liver is able to mediate acetone levels. So long after your buzz wears away, your body is busily "eating your drink" giving you energy for exercise.

So if you've been having five glasses of wine per day, your body will need about 500 more calories (about as much as lunch) just to stay even. If you don't have it, you are going to have a "blood sugar crash" and feel low energy and hungry. Unfortunately, even if you DO eat a lot of sugar, your body will likely go hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic during days 2-4 as your muscles adjust from burning acetone to burning glucose (blood sugar) and fat (which also converts to acetone).

The first time I went AF I lost 7 lbs in seven days. Don't do this. It's very hard on moods.

Instead, just work on ways to add the calories back temporarily. For me; Oatmeal Cookies were a lifesaver; I at 1-2 cookies between lunch and dinner, and 1-2 more in the evening. But I'm not a binge eater so I can actually leave a box of cookies on my counter for a week which is not what most people do. 10 cookies in a sitting will likely not help. You are looking for balance here.

Eating whole grains; granola, cereal bars, and nuts may help. I've also mixed my "diet drink" with cane sugar for about a week and that helped a lot. I personally stay far away from corn sugar, so I don't drink any soda or processed foods that contain it. As people above noted, high protein meals will not help, so stay away from fatty meats and keep cheeses in moderation. I have mixed thoughts on fresh fruit, because fructose may interfere with leptin, but dried fruit particularly colored fruits (dried blueberries, cranberries, raisins) may help a lot.

If you keep the sugar up too long, you'll gain weight. I started gaining after about two weeks of "sugar therapy". And by using sugar to compensate for metabolic change, you won't lose weight. But for me it helped a lot with the cravings for the first and second weeks. I actually think those cravings may be as much food oriented as your body shifts blood sugar production from an alcohol dependent state into a state that uses food instead.

Also be sure you keep up your fluid intake. If your body is accustom to 5 drinks in the evening, and you go to zero; that's roughly equivalent to moving to Arizona where the air is so dry. You'll quickly dehydrate which causes headaches and crankiness. It's better to over-hydrate, where the only side effect is frequent urination, than to under-hydrate.

I made a lot of notes in my document "Gaining Traction" here. They may also help:

http://www.box.net/shared/static/t81snedyvi.pdf

[keepwalking]

30 days AF starts tomorrrow!!! Need help with food ideas?

Many Thanks Boss Man this is jus twhat I needed. I have also printed off and read your notes on gaining traction, so so helpful!! I am feeling ok so far but it is only day 1 at 12 noon so a long way to go. I will nip out at lunch and get some nuts and dried fruit. I was also planning to have porridge for breakie - is that a good idea? I do want to drop some pounds as well as go AF so will try and fill up on the healthy stuff inc rice cakes and oat cakes like you mentioned. Thanks again - KW

[rustop61]

30 days AF starts tomorrrow!!! Need help with food ideas?

Hi Keepwalking

You sound just like me. I also have two dogs and walk every day. My only vice was too much wine. Good luck with the programme. I find that checking in every day also helps. There is a ODAT, (One day at a time) thread and many more. Hope to see you around.

Rustop

[Evie.Lou]

30 days AF starts tomorrrow!!! Need help with food ideas?

Grapes are a long time tested anti craving food.The fresh, not fermented kind.Also any very strong tasting sweet helps me.I keep cinnamon, licorice, peppermint candies close by and pickles, olives, peppers....anything spicy dulls the cravings for me..Best of luck on your getting and staying Sober.I really know that if I can do it, anyone can.