Eating.

I didn't sleep well at all last night.

Normally my problem is just staying awake during the day. I've always assumed this correlates with my addiction to caffeine--in trying to cut back, I would get a little spaced out by the afternoon. This week, I began to get the dizzies and I think maybe it wasn't the caffeine at all, but a problem in what I've been eating.

Yesterday, I decided to really examine what I eat in a typical day (for at least a few days so this is only day one). Wrote everything I consumed down on a list. Tried not to edit myself and was generous with the numbers. At night I looked at the totals and was absolutely horrified at the calorie count. Too low! Much too low. No wonder I've been sleepy. My brain's probably been eating itself just stay awake.

I was expecting too much fat too much carb and yes, those percentages are a bit high (or actually, the protein count way too low), but overall I'm not really getting enough of anything. There is the odd day that there's nothing to eat at the house, but this was not one of those days. There were times of the day that I felt really full. In fact I felt I overcompensated and ate more than usual or more than I really wanted to eat. Still, not nearly enough protein and missing about a meal's worth of calories.

Two posts ago, here on the Empirical, I was saying...

...When I talk to people these days, I tend to steer the conversation toward food, restaurants, bakeware, Microplane graters, getting discounted kitchen equipment, the produce at farmers markets...

Apparently I've been talking and not eating. I could stand to be more consistent. Like maybe not eating a large bowl of broccoli and a smaller bowl of pineapple sherbet one night and calling it dinner. I've been eating a bad combination of things that keep me heavy but are also deteriorating my insides.

It was so bothersome that it kept me from sleeping last night. It's daunting thinking of all the nutritional tweaks I'll have to make. How can I pack more calories into a day if I'm not hungry? What kind of fish is safe to eat? How does one even buy fish? Where should the fiber be coming from? I spent the morning thinking about it and am reassured by the fact that at least portion size and exercise are not my problem and cutting the bad stuff won't be hard at all. My problem is figuring out how to incorporate better foods and I know I can do that: I'm going to spend some time learning how to eat. I can't afford to not learn. I've been sick twice already this year and I'm THIRTY. I have a little team of healthnuts that have been coaching me this week but I'll take any additional advice, meal ideas, recipes, book recommendations, etc. via comment or email. I'm pretty much starting from scratch but am willing to learn and do what it takes to get on track. If you're like me and need some help, I'd be happy to share any info that I receive by IM or email (just ask) as I probably won't blog everything.

Is it possible to eat healthily in the Empire?