[ozma]

I'm not so much dieting as trying to make sure I maintain my current wieght.

I'm about a kilo (2.2lbs) above the weight I like to be right now, because an ankle injury and a wrist injury have been preventing me from doing some of the hot yoga I do and has also meant a reduced practice schedule. Not being able to excersize as much means that I have to be more careful about how I eat.

I don't count calories. I live in a place where caloric values are not always on food, the restaurants serve food not on most western food charts, and I primarily cook at home. I have to pack a lunch 5 days a week (or face the paltry amount of japanese convini food that I can eat). For me eating well means generally undertsanding what I eat, how I eat, not bringing danger foods home, and not worrying too much.

Maintaining good eating habits here means that I am trying to be more organized with my cooking. I'm trying to keep a good record of what I have in my tiny fridge/pantry so that I can best use what I have and I can cook with few extra trips for food. The more stuff I need to run aorund for, the more likely I'll eat something easy and elss healthy. A reduction in cooking always means more ready-made/ordered/meals out (the selection of what a veg can eat here is already limited) and less healthy habits for me.

My hatred of speaking Japanese on the phone keeps me from pizza, even thought I can order it with minimal hassle.

I currently take stock of my fridge in the morning, pack a cookbook to look over during slow tiems at work if I'm not sure what I'll cook later, and I keep a list of what stock itemks and spices I have at home in the same booklet I keep track of reciepts and finances.

I'm also trying to keep tracks of what treats I eat.

I don't have the same obsacles of holidays that most fo you have. I am safe from Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years treats. Japan has New Years treats, but they also involve healthy items like mandarine oranges and nuts (if I stay away from the mochi-cakes)

My biggest enemy right now is the slowdown in my regular work-outs, the hibernating urges of winter, and Season Affective Disorder, which ameks me crave more starches and charbs than usual.

My friends are Black rice salads with maranated beans, bits of feta, artichokes hearts and tomatos. THey are my go-to main components of lunches ( not low fat, but enough fat and protien that I don't crash) and homemade soups.