H.A.L.T.

Sometimes I have trouble identifying when I need to eat. I will wait and then I get shaky and light-headed and sick to my stomach – low blood sugar – it sucks. The acronym H.A.L.T. stands for hungry, angry, lonely or tired. Besides wanting to eat when I am hungry, I also want to eat when I am angry (see earlier post Triggers), lonely and tired. The T could also stand for thirsty. So the saying, “Don’t get too hungry, angry, lonely or tired/thirsty” is important for me to remember. All of those things are detrimental to my well-being if I let them go too long.

I am in a new profession where I need to keep peoples’ secrets. At times that makes me feel lonely. I noticed this the other day when I was sitting alone in a make-shift office and realized that I haven’t talked to a friend in a few days. This is contrary for me because I am a very social person. In this new profession I also get up very early and that makes for early nights which is one of the times I used to socialize. The times that are most convenient to talk are early morning (7am to 7:45) or late afternoon. These times only work for people who are out of my time zone. So it is time to try a few things outside of my comfort zone.

I started a new way of eating on October 30, and as of today (November 17) I have lost 10.6 lbs. I can’t do any physical exercise right now because of a knee problem and I am waiting for approval for a treatment to help me. I am looking forward to being more active.