Ok, Dr Hope gave me 3 homework assignments and I promised I’d share them :

Assignment 1: The first is to re-trace my weight history. Largely that’s in my “about” page so I won’t bore you all with it. I’ve been fat since I was a kid and I never got skinny. I had some success losing some weight at times, but pretty much was size 18-22 for all of my 20s and half of the 30s. I remember being 12 and going shopping w my dad for my first ‘grown up clothes’ not in the kid department and I wore a size 12. (which in those days was smaller than today’s size 12, but still…).

Assignment 2: Second homework assignment is to list as “true or false” each of the 27 statements below. I’ll mark T or F for what I’m writing on my homework paper for Dr Hope. (Note : the homework is in French - I’ve used “starches” to refer to bread, pasta, rice etc type of carbohydrates - there is a specific word for this in French)

  1. I need to eat 3 meals a day (T)
  2. I need to not eat between meals (F)
  3. I need to never skip a meal (T)
  4. I need to have a big breakfast every morning (F)
  5. I must never leave in the morning without breakfast (T)
  6. What I eat in the morning can’t make me fat (F)
  7. One should never eat fruit in the middle of a meal (F)
  8. One should never eat fruit between meals (F)
  9. I should never mix starches and fats (F)
  10. I should never mix protein and starches (F)
  11. Everything eaten after 5pm is stored, not burned (F)
  12. Eating before going to bed makes one fat (F)
  13. Certain foods can’t make you fat (F)
  14. Certain foods make you lose weight (F)
  15. Certain foods always make you fat (F)
  16. To lose weight you need a balanced diet (T)
  17. To lose weight, you need balanced meals (T)
  18. Proteins can’t make you fat (F)
  19. To lose weight you need to drink water (F)
  20. For a cocktail, tomato juice is a better choice than alcohol (T)
  21. Starches can’t make you fat (F)
  22. Fats make you fat (F)
  23. A square of chocolate is more fattening than a nonfat yogurt (F)
  24. If I don’t eat vegetables I can’t lose weight (T)
  25. One should never eat starches more than once a day (F)
  26. I need to eliminate sugars (T)
  27. One needs to eat everything one likes in reduced quantities (F)

I think number 27 will turn out to be a big focus for her, and very difficult for me. I have always found it easier to avoid certain foods completely, because I have a hard time eating a “reasonable” portion of them…

Assignment 3 : Write the list of all your taboo foods

  • Pastries
  • Butter
  • Cakes, cookies, pies, desserts
  • Ice cream
  • Pasta, rice, potatoes
  • Bread (except whole wheat)
  • Cheese
  • Pizza
  • A lot of restaurant foods (sauces, preparation, etc, including most ethnic stuff Chinese, Indian, Thai, Mexican, Lebanese. I can manage w French & American easier.)
  • Candy
  • Anything breaded or fried
  • Most sauces

Maybe I’ll think of more taboo foods before my appointment tomorrow…

I’d love to see others’ Taboo Foods lists!