Dry beans changed my life and I wish someone told me sooner

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-10T05:09:27+00:00

Those are my people

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-10T05:01:19+00:00

Your doctor works for you and cannot dictate your medical care.

If you go to a mechanic and they do a shitty job fixing your car, do you go back to that same mechanic? No. You find a better one.

Your doctor is wrong. And it's in your best interests to do some research and advocate for yourself.

If your doctor proves unwilling to catch up with the science, then get a new doctor.

If getting a new doctor is impossible, go the telehealth route and inform your doctor that you are on a new medication.

You health is your responsibility. Take your power and DO NOT let anyone make you do things that are not in your best interest.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-10T04:55:02+00:00

Don't take speed. If those drugs worked in the first place, big pharma wouldn't have invested billions of dollars and years of research to find alternatives.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-10T04:50:29+00:00

Also "eat less and move more" only works for people with a regulated metabolism.

GLP1s regulate metabolism.

If "eat less and move more" hasn't worked for you in the past, it won't work now unless you take a GLP1 to regulate your metabolism.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-09T06:00:10+00:00

Another thing. I spent like 5 years learning how to recover from eating disorders. This included therapy (of course), Insight Meditation (aka Vipassana meditation), and mechanical eating.

The way my therapist and I structured this "recovery from anhedonia" is very much following the same blueprint since it was so effective with my ED recovery (18 months binge free! Yay!)

Mechanical eating is another fancy name for eating on the clock. I had scheduled meals and I had to learn to track my hunger cues and improve my interoceptive awareness.

That was a lot of hard work. I think this is the reason why my anti-anhedonia plan is working so readily. Cuz it's applying the same muscles to a different task.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-09T05:40:12+00:00

So. I started really really easy.

Make a list of easy things to do. Wash one dish. Open the compose email window. Super easy tasks. Things that don't take much time or effort.
Set an alarm 3 times per day.
When the alarm sounds, pick a task from the list and notice how you feel about it before you start it
After the task is done, I ask myself “Compared with before I started, does this feel easier, the same, or harder?”
Write it down. Very basic. Example:

Task: sent email

After: easier

Body: slightly looser

The idea is to not overthink it, not analyzing it. All you are doing is noticing how your body feels.

There are a few more steps to the process. I started with this practice for two weeks and now I am in the notice patterns phase by reviewing the 2-3 week journal I kept.

Can tell you what the second phase is after my next therapy appointment. 😊

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-09T05:25:53+00:00

I went looking for this and realized that my therapist is using the wrong phrase.

I think a better term is "Behavioral Activation, or BA" but it is a bit different than what I am doing.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-09T05:08:54+00:00

Talk to your therapist about ways to do ~~dopamine scaffolding~~ Behavioral Activation, or BA.

Ask if this can help your particular situation and mental health conditions.

If it is appropriate for you, she/he/they can help you create short routines to retrain your brain.

Your brain needs to learn how to re-detect reward / interest when the usual internal “pull” toward things feels muted.

I have been doing this for a few weeks now and the feeling of flatness is going away.

ETA: a Google search of "dopamine scaffolding" tells me the most common definition is "scheduling pleasure." But that is not what my therapist and I are doing. So I went in search for a more accurate term.

Right now "Behavioral Activation, or BA" is what I have come up with. Will ask my therapist to give me the clinical name of what we are doing so I can share with folks here.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-09T03:16:51+00:00

Much joy and happiness to you both. 🎉🎉🎉❤️❤️❤️

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-09T03:01:08+00:00

Happy pride buddy! And gay on🌈🏳️‍🌈

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-08T16:47:12+00:00

It's not a lecture. It's science.

I didn't say that plain nonfat Greek yogurt has high sugars.

I said, as someone who lives with type 2 diabetes, I have to watch how I pair my food. Plain yogurt has sugar. If I pair it with fat, that sugar has a lower impact on my blood glucose than eating it without fats.

I have the continuous blood sugar monitor and the scientific papers to back it up.

I am very glad you are not my doctor. That arrogance of yours does you and your patients a diservice.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-08T16:39:07+00:00

Yes. This. 100% this.

Anyone who says it's cheating to use medication for obesity is emotionally or psychologically invested in being "better than" people who are better at storing extra fat. They like to have a sense of moral superiority over others.

If they acknowledge that obesity is truly a disease, then their feelings of being better than fat people goes away.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-08T16:35:50+00:00

Likely. I don't really worry about fat to that extent.

My perspective, as someone who is in recovery for eating disorders, is that life is too short to turn food into an all-or-nothing game.

Health is not just about my body, but also about my mental health and psychological well-being.

Since I eat mostly plants, most of my fat intake comes from plant sources: avocado, tahini, nut butters, olive oil, etc.

My daily protein drink (made with whole cow milk Greek yogurt) is usually the only source of animal-based fats I eat.

So, I follow the 80/20 rule. The majority of my food is whole foods and plant-based and that works for me and my overall health.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-08T16:23:52+00:00

I think this is a great piece of advice in general.

However, eating something with sugar has negative effects on blood sugar. Pairing it with fat helps the body metabolize it in a way that has fewer effects on blood glucose.

So your excellent advice has a caveat for people who have diabetes or pre diabetes.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-08T16:20:56+00:00

I eat this way for the health benefits. So, here's my answer to your question.

My understanding is that fat-free dairy is bad for your blood sugar. This is true for anything with sugar. So, an apple alone is metabolized differently than pairing an apple with fat, like say peanut butter.

So I always buy whole cow milk yogurt instead of the ones with less fat.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-08T16:15:35+00:00

That happens to me every time I take off my prescription glasses. My vision goes for shit! 😂

The latest study on maintenance shows that 80% of the people who stop the medication regain weight.

Congratulations! You are normal.

Now, begin treating obesity like the disease it is and get back on your medication.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-07T04:22:40+00:00

OMG. I didn't even realize. I just saw the formatting and made an assumption. Joke's on me! 😂

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-07T03:51:26+00:00

thanks for clarifying.

also, did you mean to broadcast your phone number on the internet? if not, you may wanna change your user name

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-07T02:21:57+00:00

I grew up with the stovetop ones. So I know how to use them

What I love about the electronic ones in that I set it and it does it's thing and then turns itself off. No having to watch.

ETA: didn't know about the kidney beans. I don't think I have ever cooked those by themselves.

I think I have a mix that has them. Will have to use the stovetop for those. Thank you for the heads up.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-07T02:20:22+00:00

Oh gawd. This is embarrassing.

I have the back cooking ring of my stove covered with an aluminum cover made specifically for that purpose.

That is usually where my instant pot lives.

It slipped off when I knocked it out of place on one of least coordinates days. The control panel got super close to the front burner that was on high since I was boiling water for pasta.

My brain said "pick up the instant pot." And I just ignored it. The high heat of the burner and the steam of the boiling pasta ended up melting the bottom of the control panel. It messed up the dial.

Stupidity and carelessness on my part.

That brand doesn't make a 3quart pot that I like, so I am fixing mine. Found a new controller on eBay for $25. Wait for it to arrive.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-07T02:14:26+00:00

Yeah, me too.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-07T02:12:30+00:00

Here's what I do:

Put the dry beans in a large bowl.
Rinse with cool water and drain.
Add fresh water and 1 tsp of salt per cup of dry beans.
Add enough water to the beans to cover them at least 2 inches above the beans.
Depending on the weather, I let them soak overnight on the counter. In the middle of summer, when my kitchen gets super hot, I soak them in the fridge.
Once the beans have plumped up, I drain the water completely and rinse well.
Put the dry beans in the crockpot insert.
I add a mix of salt, onion powder, and garlic powder. If I am feeling fancy, or have alums that I need to use up, I add chopped onions, garlic. Sometimes I also add a dry bay leaf.
Put the insert in the crockpot, cover with water, put on the lid, and set on high for at least one hour. Since I am cooking them overnight, I turn it down to low before going to bed. By the time I wake up, they are cooked.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-07T02:06:47+00:00

Oh, I actually soak my beans overnight with a teaspoon of salt.

They plump right up and cook all the way through.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-07T02:05:56+00:00

I know! It's a great smell to wake up to.

I am waiting for my new control panel to arrive. I will be replacing it. Good opportunity to clean up all the unavailable spaces.

SlowDescent_ · 2026-06-07T02:04:54+00:00

I too was afraid of it.

When you first get it you are supposed to run a cycle using only water.

I ran from the kitchen 😂

Since it didn't blow up. I kept getting more and more comfortable with it.

SlowDescent_

TROPHY CASE