Yikes, ArtCat. Did you want to have it all done at once? I don't know for sure what I would want - all at once and get it over or spread out over more appts and maybe it wouldn't be so stressful. Totally stressful, no matter what, I guess. Hope you survive.
Yeay! I survived! They had to do all the teeth at one time because they kind of depend on each other. Even with the temporary caps on, after almost 50 years I finally don't have Halloween teeth! I cried the whole way home. Now we just have to pay for it...
Teacher- you'll have to put up a picture of your new puppy. There's nothing cuter in the world than baby animals! Especially puppies and kittens.
I've been having TERRIBLE chocolate cravings! At first I thought I might be getting my period, but the timing's wrong, and nothing's happened. It's just driving me crazy. I've tried having one piece of chocolate, but it just doesn't go away. Does anybody have any low cal, low fat type of chocolate recipe they use for times like this? I know all about waiting urges out and stuff like that, but it's just not working!
Oh, Liz, congrats on the teeth! Having several large gaps in my smile, and no insurance or money to fix it, I can REALLY appreciate how happy you must feel!
As far as the screaming chocolate cravings, would a batch of low-cal/non-fat choc pudding do it? Using a wee bitty spoon, and serving it in the fanciest cut glass or crystal bowl in the house - then take your time and reeeeeeally savor that experience. A dab of non-fat or light whipped topping would add a bit of panache!!!
Are you saying you were crying from happiness? I hope not pain.
I just recently heard about chocolate/peppermint Altoids. I haven't seen them anywhere, but I was wondering if they might help with a chocolate craving.
Swiss Miss makes a low-cal hot chocolate mix that has 70 calories per envelope. I mix it with much less milk than you would for hot chocolate, and eat it with a spoon. Sort of like chocolate pudding. Sounds disgusting, I know, but it does satisfy the "chocolate tooth". Oops. I shouldn't talk about teeth.
Also, I buy 72% dark chocolate at Trader Joe's. I break it into squares (67 cal each). When I want chocolate, I eat one of those. Of course, there is always the temptation to eat it all at once. I keep it in the freezer. Since I, too, need some dental work, I think twice before trying to eat anything frozen.
I have not done well with my eating the last few days. I brought all this food to work so I wouldn't have to make my lunch at home while I am working the early shift. The trouble is, I have been only eating the things I really like and leaving the less favorite things for "later". The result is not enough balance, eating too much and then not being hungry at dinner, then eating more unbalanced stuff later in the evening. So...I am going to bring the rest of the food home and make my lunch at home like I usually do.
I bought a few Cliff bars because folks on here have raved about them.
1. Cliff bars are meal replacements, not snacks which is how I seem to use them. I keep them in the freezer, but they are very easy to nuke and become very ooey gooey yummy that way.
2. Any kind of "bar" seems to be a trigger food for me and I promised myself not to buy them.
3. Very high ED, and not very satisfying - not sure why this is because they have 250 calories each and lots of protein.
Anyway, no more Cliff bars. They are delicious and fine for someone who can control consumption and does hours of exercise per day. I am not that person.
I also bought a package of low fat Swiss cheese. I was gong to make a wrap sandwich with it!!?? I dunno what possessed me. Anyway, I ate the whole package of cheese on the way home. This was about 450 calories, added to a Cliff bar of 250 calories added to my usual stuff. Darn!
I was trying to cut back in order to loose instead of maintain. I moved my sandwiches down to one piece of bread, quit adding a sprinkle of rasins to my oatmeal, and quit adding a sprinkle of cheese to my salads. I think the small amounts of extras were keeping me happy emotionally. Without them, I feel the need to go on a carb/fat search. Certainly, what I did yesterday was much worse than putting 45 cal of rasins on my cereal or 1.5 tsp cheese on my salad.
I have also been getting into my husband's snacks. Yesterday I got out my little stool and put all of that stuff on a high shelf. I am not too likely to want something badly enough to get a ladder.
I also put all of my homemade bread in the freezer.
Sorry to go on at such length, but I need to figure out how to "get a grip".
PS I was just reading the lable on the Cliff Bar. The first ingredient is "organic brown rice syrup". It seems to me that this is just another (maybe healthier) word for sugar. Yes or No?
Last edited by gailr42; 05-07-2008 at 01:15 PM.
Reason: PS
Today was the first farmer's market. But it was raining and only a few vendors. The only thing I got was honey. I know not what I was expecting. They said that there would be more vendors as the weeks go on.
Liz- I'll get some pictures this weekend after I get my little guy.
Gail- I know exactly where you're coming from, and I think you're right that taking away the little things that you need to keep your spirits up just creates bigger problems later. You just need to find the balance. I used to eat a chocolate Yoplait whip every night, and I quit that because of the sugar. I think that's what's triggering my chocolate cravings, so I need to compare calories, etc, and find an acceptable substitute, or just work the yogurt into my daily intake. And, yes, I think "organic brown rice syrup" is sugar, no matter how nicely they put it.
I'm looking forward to the weekend- my kids are coming in for a great aunt's 90th birthday party! and mother's day, too, I guess.
Yesterday I packed up all my clothes that don't fit and sent them off today with my husband to be donated. An act of faith! Now if I gain weight back, I have nothing to wear.
I have all my old clothes packed up and ready to take to the thrift shop. I guess if we gain our weight back, we will be running around naked.
My DH's mother and the mother of his best friend from school days (50 yrs+) share the same birthday. They are both going to be 90 in Aug and a party is in the offing.
My eating went much better yesterday, with one little glitch. I was cleaning up after dinner and thinking that I was still really hungry. Well, turns out I was hungry because I hadn't eaten yet! I had put a piece of salmon on the grill for me to eat because DH was having Polish Sausage - (he had a craving - ). Well, I ate my salad and forgot about my fish. It was definitely done by the time I remembered it.
I have seen those Yoplait whips, but I didn't notice that there was a chocolate variety. Probably good I didn't see it. That reminds me that I also tried stirring that hot chocolate mix into plain, fat free yogurt. It is not bad at all. Even better to throw a few raspberries on top and put it in a pretty dish.
I wanted to add something about beating sugar cravings. It was only when I went on a total health food diet (no sugar, no processed foods, and avoided anything that tasted "sweet") that I was able to get rid of my sugar and chocolate cravings. Now that I have been eating a really clean diet for a few weeks, I am having some things in moderation. I try to make sure that I am meeting my nutritional needs for the day before eating it. So like, after a healthy meal, I'll have some sf/ff chocolate pudding (which tastes awesome now that I am not accustomed to sweets). I'm leery of trying real chocolate, but I think it would be ok to have a small amount of dark chocolate after a healthy meal. Today I had some Nestle no sugar added hot cocoa mix (also is fat free). It's 50 calories for a 6 oz. hot cocoa.
Even though I don't have sugar/chocolate cravings, I do notice that after a healthy meal, even though I am not hungry anymore, I feel like I need something. I realized that having some fruit after a meal will satisfy that sensation of needing something else. I think I am so accustomed to having dessert after dinner, that I have that feeling of needing it still. So try some fruit and see if that helps?
Susan, I think you are 100% correct about not wanting all the "junk" after eating clean for a while. I need to keep that firmly in mind! The more junk I eat, the more junk I want. I don't feel one bit deprived until I stray down the path of off plan food.
This is going to be part of my dinner tonight. What is special about my fruit cup is that the minneola, blackberries and strawberries are perfect! Ripe, sweet and juicy. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3285/...b422a305_m.jpg
>>>>>>groan<<<<<<< slowly waking up from a carb and fat- induced coma - made home-made pizza last night...made at least 6 pies...ate at least 6 pieces....I could try to defend my actions with some thinly-veiled, vague excuses - but there's no use. I binged. I cringed. Listen to the whine:"But it was so good! I made them with only a wee bit of cheese...I added (name a vaguely healthy ingredient here), it wasn't THAT bad..." Yep, it was that bad.
But onward and upwards! I started the morning with a bowl of high fiber, whole grain hot cereal, and hope I continue the day in a positive, healthy, controlled manner!
Oh wow, although I had a wonderful little mini-vacation, I'm very glad to be home again and slept like the proverbial rock last night. I think the scale must have missed me because he showed me a number slightly lower than the one he gave me four days ago -- even though my ankles are still swollen from the sodium and carb debacle I had while away. Will wonders never cease.
I think the Khats missed me . . . maybe . . . you can never really tell with the felines. Everything seems quite normal around here this morning -- including the dull, overcast, too cool weather. Oh well, I do have one really lonely tlip in bloom and you can see the beginnings of yellow bursting forth on my forsythias and the lilacs seem to have a few buds; so I guess Spring is on the way.
Okay . . . I'd best get myself moving and shaking around 3FC . . . hope you each have a wonderful day ahead of you . . . see you later.
! 
. This was about 450 calories, added to a Cliff bar of 250 calories added to my usual stuff. Darn!
Ontario . . . See you all later, gang . . . 
I binged. I cringed. Listen to the whine:"
Yep, it was that bad. 
must have missed me because he showed me a number slightly lower than the one he gave me four days ago -- even though my ankles are still swollen from the sodium and carb debacle I had while away. Will wonders never cease. 
