Eating times. How much does it matter?

What matters most is doing the same pattern over and over again until it is engraved in your hormones.

I have a very low metabolism, and without paying much attention to my body, I've been carrying on the average 100 pounds too much. I tend to get caught up in what I'm doing, and not eat meals for eight hours or more. Then hunger hits me like a savage beast and I eat to0 much. When you get that hungry, you're not too careful about what you eat. My son and his wife are coaching me to spread out my meals evenly throughout the day and eat snacks in between because they tell me that it will help ramp up my metabolism and make it easier to lose weight. Right now I'm looking for a job and recovering from some major health problems, largely induced by being so heavy for so long. It feels so strange to have so much focus on food. The doctor has warned me not to have ANY salt, so we are working on low sodium meals for me. It is quite a challenge, and my son is training me to approach it in a scientific way. I also need to watch my potassium and calcium intake as I am taking blood pressure medication that also has a diuretic, so I am learning about foods rich in potassium: not just bananas (which I knew about), but also baked potatoes, acorn and butternut squash, white beans, lentils, avocado, dates, melon, papaya, soy beans and chard. I am learning about sodium levels in food as well. My cholesterol is also high, so I'm watching the fats as well.

I am eating a lot more tofu now, salads every day, and roasting vegetables. There is no doubt about it, I must make major changes in what I eat and how it is prepared. This is what happens when you reach age 59, and have been neglecting your body. I really love this website because it makes it easy to count calories and also track the exercise you get. It is so wonderful that I am staying with my son and his wife, who jog five miles every day. I follow them to the park at my own pace, but it is a great support in getting out there to watch them do it all the time. They really encourage me to go walking every day, and there are beautiful parks nearby in Portland, Oregon where they live. It's a new city to me, so I'm enjoying the walks and exploring the neighborhoods around us, especially the Overlook neighborhood.

So my latest mantra is to baby my body, and give myself all the loving care that I gave my son when he was a baby.