Super stressful week. Problems all around. I had that aching need to indulge, to overdo it, to just feast and gorge until my problems disappeared.

What did I turn to?

Spaghetti squash. I ate a very small squash (probably about 1.5-2 cups of edible veggies) with a tablespoon of butter and a dash of salt.

Gone are the days of the chocolate, ice cream and potato chip binges. I have turned to one that requires far more effort to prepare and eat.

I can't put my finger on it, but there is something unbelievably wrong with this situation.

way to go. I tried spaghetti squash a couple of times but didn't get the hang of making it just right, it either came out too soft or too crunchy, although it was very filling and I could eat a lot of it.

mind sharing how you make yours?

But then again - oh so RIGHT!!!

I have not completely totally gotten over the urge to eat, "just to eat" when stress hits. Certainly it's a heckuva lot better (understatement), but there are times when I WILL turn to food. And I do exactly what you do/did. I will turn to something that won't derail my plan. That won't cause me more stress then it solves. That makes me feel good while I'm eating it and IS good for me and continues to be good for me, long after I'm done chewing.

Weigh (yes mis-spelled on purpose) to go!!! And I do hope your week calms down and the stress eases. But it's good to know that you've gotten through a stressful episode and STAYED on plan! You've done it once, you CAN do it again and again.... VERY empowering.

I poke a few holes in it with a fork. Microwave it for about 5 minutes, to soften a bit. Then I cut it in half. Scoop out the seeds. Lay it in a pan with about 1 - 2 inches of water. Cut side down. Cover it with foil. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour or so, depending on the size, or until it is very soft (that's how I like it). When it's done, I just scoop out the flesh with a big spoon. I like to eat it with a tomato based sauce. Very often I'll saute lots of onions, portobello mushrooms, peppers, then I'll either added canned diced tomatoes and spices or just some jarred marinara sauce. Then I'll sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese. Yumm. I've also added chicken strips to the saute mix and have made a yummy full meal out of it.

Good for you.

Got me to thinking about salad as stress food. CHOP! SLICE! DICE! TEAR! RIP! SLASH THOSE VEGGIES! Just making it would be a great stress reliever!

Well done! Keep it up!

Cheers,

J

Fantastic!!

Thank yous all around!

ringmaster, if I'm making it just for me I use a really small square (about 1 pound or less). I use a serrated knife to chop part of it off, like making a top. Then scoop out all the seeds and put a bit of butter (<tsp), EVOO or even a sweet juice (like apple or orange) in the middle. Replace the top loosely and pop it in the microwave for 10 minutes. It's soft, but not mushy, and has a crunch without being hard.

When it's done and cool, put some butter/EVOO in on top of the strands and use a fork to loosen them up. If I don't just want the squash, I'll mix in some petite peas, pomegranate seeds, raisins, dried blueberries...basically, whatever sounds good and I have on hand. Once it's cool, you can eat it straight out of the shell.

Ugh. I had planned on not posting this here but now I kind of feel like I need to because this morning is not going well.

My husband left me on Sunday. He said I forced him into it but that's just an excuse. On Monday he said he wanted a divorce. On Monday night I called him in an absolute RAGE telling him that this simply would not happen without us fighting for our marriage first. He responded with douchebaggery. On Tuesday, he pulled his upper half out of his lower hemisphere and decided he wants to work it out. So, now, we're separated, I'm living with my parents (who have pretty bad eating habits) with my kids and I'm just, in general, miserable.

I don't know why, but this ordeal has made it doubly important for me to lose this weight. Part of our "making it work" plan is learning how to be a healthy couple again. He's going to take me out on dates. I want to be thin for this. I know it's shallow, but it's almost like...I want him to have a reason to be jealous. I've been overweight and had no self-confidence for so long, I feel like he hasn't had a reason to worry about other men looking at me/chasing after me, like he used to.

On the other side of things, if it doesn't work out in the end, I already have the dating deck stacked against me. I'm 24 with 4 children. No need to compound the problem with 60 extra pounds.

I'm spending more time outside, just walking because I have the baby strapped to my chest, but it's something. My dad takes me and the kids for a walk each night when he walks the dog, and my mom wants to start some kind of exercise routine. I don't know how healthy it is, or if it will even help, but it's go me going again. I'm shooting for 5 pounds per week. It's high, and on the "unhealthy" side according to some (if I actually meet it), but at least it will get me motivated to meet a goal.

*deepbreath* I feel better now...

So cool - way to go

Altari, first *HUGS* it sounds like you are going through a very rough time. I hope things start to lighten up for you...I hope you and your husband come together as a couple and move forward as such. I am just sending you good vibes and hopes for you.

I think it is great that you turned to healthier options when your emotions were high. I myself still fail and let my emotions control me, but I have been finding that the "old food" has lost or is loosing that appeal for me. I don't want to be comforted by food...I'm not there yet personally, but can understand the pull and need to find healthier options. I myself have been doing that, but have yet to try spaghetti squash. I have been wanting to as desperately need a replacement for pasta.

*HUGS*

Big, big hugs! I am so sorry things are so challenging right now.

I applaud your desire to keep a goal in mind but wanted to encourage you to swap out that scale goal for some behavior goals instead. I think weight loss in a specific time window goals are just such, excuse my French, crappy goals because you have so little control over the actual scale numbers and so much more control over the right behaviors. They WILL eventually become scale numbers but rarely do so on any sort of predictable time table. So much better to set yourself up for success with setting goals on things you can control.

You have plenty of challenges and things you can't control right now. I encourage you to consider not adding some you can easily avoid.

Hugs,
Peg

When I have those incredibly crappy moments or even days, I listen to
http:///www.youtube.com/watch?v=91OQ...om=PL&index=38