[ninepaw]

So I went to fill out a bunch of paperwork, because I'm starting at my first job on Saturday(I'm freaking excited!) And when my mom picked me up we went to the store to pick up a few things. We were in the bakery and she said my dad wanted desert tonight, and picked out a chocolate fudge cake. now, 1/13th of that cake is something like 290 calories, and that's a TINY slice. I know I would've wound up with a bigger slice. So I decided to go a healthier route, and got a loaf of angel food cake, so instead I'll have strawberry shortcake which is WAY better for me than the chocolate cake. So now I can have my desert and not feel too guilty!

[AmberD]

Way to go!!!!

[ninepaw]

Thanks!

[BeezKnees]

Ya know, after a while of not eating the fudge cakes and whatnot, I sorta like the angel food cake better. Maybe it tastes better because there's no guilt.

Way to go!

[cajungal328]

That is so great... It's all about changing the way we think about food. You know. I mean, training our brains to want healthier things. To adjust our eating habits, not to really eliminate them, just adjust and moderate them in a better way.

It's NOT about starvation and deprivation... That is never a good route to go on. It is dangerous and unhealthy. The more we deprive ourselves, the more we crave, the less likely we are to succeed in our journey. Truth.

[Libby1972]

We all deserve treats. But the wonderful thing is, you knew to only savor a little bit. That's great. See, I used to eat half or all the cake... Now I only enjoy a few bites. It's only a flavor savor thing..

[Cheryl14]

Nice goin' with that fudge cake! When you can THINK intelligently around food rather than going CRAZY around it, then you feel some sense of control OVER the food. That's a beautiful thing! Who knew that we would have to do so much THINKING about food in order for it not to control us?!!

I read in The Thin Commandments by Stephen Gullo, M.D. that a good way to handle it is to tell yourself that you can have whatever food that you want, BUT certain foods and behaviors will get you to your goal, and others will not. WE have to learn to make the right choices that will help us get to our goal.

For me, my struggle has been to get rid of a lot of old, bad connections with food. I sat down one night and tried to think of all of my food connections that I could ever remember...down to the eating Vanilla Wafers and milk in front of the TV as I watched cartoons as a kid on Saturday morning. One by one I listed them and thought about them and promised myself that I would NOT have those kinds of relationships again with overeating food!

I LOVE angelfood cake with strawberries! I have a gluten-free vanilla cake in the oven right now that we'll be having for dessert with fresh strawberries and blueberries and blackberries. My future DIL has Celiac disease and can't have any wheat products. It's been fun to try out all the recipes from gluten-free cookbooks and from the Internet, too. She's had to drastically alter the way she eats since her diagnosis, but it's all good, and she feels SOOOO much better. When we eat what our body needs, we DO feel better!

Cheryl