Ladynredd -- Hope you're feeling better. I have had a summer cold over the last week and it is miserable. Can't stand having a runny nose when it is SO HOT out!
Ashlirose -- glad you are back as well! And glad to hear that your plan is working for you! My mom is eating low carb and it is totally working for her to stay off sugar completely -- not even one taste, much less "moderation". I think we all have to find what works for us, and thankfully we can each tailor our plan to suit our particular quirks!
Personally, I would have an easier time with weight management overall if I tightened my reins on my choices, but I seem to go through phases -- periods of total avoidance of my danger foods followed by periods of playing with fire. Maybe that is going to always be my cycle, but I recognize it makes things harder. Sigh.
Mars -- great job only eating when hungry during vacation! So much of my vacation eating in the past has been for pure entertainment, never a good thing!
Thanks for the needed encouragement Mrs. Snark! It was relatively easy to eat well on the trip because I had full control of my meal times and wasn't with people who eat triggering foods, aka family As soon as I was back at work, I felt the old "hunger" return, boredom, responsibilities, etc. But not too bad. I was watching for that so not taken by surprise.
I think I'm a lot like you with enjoying the roller coaster. I have a good friend who kicked some addictions. When I described my cycle, he suggested my times of eating in a very controlled way might be for the purpose of being able to feast on the sugary things with abandon, guilt-free. I think he is spot on, for me anyway. I don't think I'll be someone to avoid every molecule of sugar--it's in virtually everything that I don't prepare at home from scratch. But overall, I think I will avoid it, esp the processed stuff.
Yesterday was a little too random for my goal of losing wt, but still not bad. I felt hungry all day, a bit headachy--probably on the verge of a scale whoosh, but instead I kept eating. Today is official weigh in, and time to refocus on a more structured plan for a couple more weeks. It's nice to be free of cravings, though I know they are lurking somewhere. It's also a huge relief to feel my clothes loosening.
Yesterday:
B protein shake
L protein chips, great big salad, evoo
D chicken, WF BBQ sauce---trigger potential broccoli
S Quest bar, protein chips, kept picking at the veggies I prepared for the rest of the week--red pepper slices, broccoli, asparagus
no exercise, 2 L cold herbal tea
I'm totally addicted to carbs. It's frightening actually. I feel awful while hopped on them, but I do get a quick fix and they taste SOOOOO good. Those people who say they lose the taste for things? I WISH!!!
ONLY a person who has an addiction to food or some major other issues that lead to over-eating could swing as much weight gain and loss as I do. I gained 50 pounds in 10 months!
I'm totally addicted to carbs. It's frightening actually. I feel awful while hopped on them, but I do get a quick fix and they taste SOOOOO good. Those people who say they lose the taste for things? I WISH!!!
ONLY a person who has an addiction to food or some major other issues that lead to over-eating could swing as much weight gain and loss as I do. I gained 50 pounds in 10 months!
Hi Melissa, I just read your 'back again' post. It sounds like you've had a year of meeting multiple challenges. Glad to see you are getting a chance to focus on yourself now.
SAD has an impact on me, too.--I plan for it all year. Well, dread might be the more accurate word. Usually I try to white-knuckle it and restrict carbs once the days become noticeably shorter. This year I'm planning to do the opposite and increase carbs but just not processed or sugary ones. (Had a melt down doing low, low carb in the dead of winter) I wonder if food & other addiction stem from trying to balance our brain chemicals, esp. the ones related to mood.
I am a food addict, but I am becoming stronger than my addiction. The past couple of days I overate quite a bit, yesterday was worse than today. I had a trigger food (a certain meal replacement bar) that was "on sale" so I bought the box (contains 5). I told myself not to eat it, but I ended up giving in and grabbing one. Well I took a few bites, and before I could finish it, I tossed it, because I'm worth more than that. I am so shocked and grateful for my progress, it isn't worth undoing for a cheap sweet I've had a million times. Today's calories were 2,140 which is 670 over. I will do better tomorrow, great thread btw <3.
Mars -- oh BBQ sauce, that little devil. It is definitely a trigger for me. Almost right up there with jelly on my list of things that make my go food-batty!
CandidCamster -- took a spin through your blog -- you are KILLING it, and you are just the cutest thing! 15 months of rocking it, CONGRATULATIONS!
My downfall with food is and always has been convenience. I don't eat from fast food (I literally can't, it makes me very sick and I'd rather not live in the bathroom if I can help it), but it's the quick, easy stuff at the grocery store. Frozen stuff, boxed dinners, meals that are very quick and easy to make. I don't know how to cook at all, but I am learning.
A box of macaroni and cheese is over 1,000 calories! It's crazy. I don't like making 3 pots of stuff for one person (like meat, a vegetable, a carb or whatever else.) Then you have to wash it all (no dishwasher) and then put away the leftovers (more dishes later, ughh). Did I say that I HATE doing dishes? It's just all so much work and I absolutely HATE IT. I'm going to try to get some recipes of food that I like and that is healthy and make a big pot of it and save it for the week. I've read that many people that have lost weight have done it that way. Who can live a normal life and then make 3 healthy meals a day for one person? It's just a lot of work and for me personally, it's unrealistic. This is why I always end up going back to those cheap, easy boxed dinners or something frozen. I have been trying to make better choices with the frozen stuff, but it's still hard. 23 years of bad habits doesn't just disappear overnight..
Tranquilize -- I eat ALOT of convenience foods because I just don't like cooking. I'm 48 this year, if I haven't learned to love cooking by this point, it just isn't going to happen. I wouldn't even make mac-n-cheeze for myself because that involves waiting for something to boil, lol. Nooooooope, no time for that. Not a fan of dishes either! I'm right there with you.
Chopping vegetables is about all I'm willing to do, either to eat in salad or a huge veg burrito, or to roast on a giant pan in the oven. That is the extent of most of my cooking.
I also loooove the portion control convenience of frozen meals. And the things I choose as microwave meals, I would NEVER manage to cook for myself, anyway. So I choose from an assortment of Amy's and Tandoor chef frozen meals (I'm a BIG fan of Indian food) that I love (I'm vegan, so my options are somewhat limited) and canned soups that are yummy (Amy's Golden Lentil Dal is awesome, their canned chili rocks, and their Thai Coconut Soup is delicious -- just toss in some fresh broccoli) and I keep steamer veggie bags in the freezer and fruit on hand -- because a frozen meal is generally too low in calories to make a full meal. But a microwaved Vegetable Korma frozen meal + a bag of microwaved steamed brussels sprouts with EVOO and garlic powder & pepper + a pile of pre-cut-by-the-store watermelon and I'm ALL SET.
I guess what I'm saying is that if you just never discover a willingness to cook, you can still come up with a plan that works for you! Embrace the convenience, drop the guilt about choosing freezer meals, and enjoy.
I am a food addict, but I am becoming stronger than my addiction. The past couple of days I overate quite a bit, yesterday was worse than today. I had a trigger food (a certain meal replacement bar) that was "on sale" so I bought the box (contains 5). I told myself not to eat it, but I ended up giving in and grabbing one. Well I took a few bites, and before I could finish it, I tossed it, because I'm worth more than that. I am so shocked and grateful for my progress, it isn't worth undoing for a cheap sweet I've had a million times. Today's calories were 2,140 which is 670 over. I will do better tomorrow, great thread btw <3.
If I had a nickel for every time I tried to keep Quest bars around, only to have them calling out to me 24/7 I would be very wealthy! And of course buying in bulk is economical, so there is that pull. Bravo to you, Candidcamster for tossing it, and for being accountable, AND for going forward! So easy to go down another path of self-scolding or eating even more since you already were over your planned amount. That's really quite an accomplishment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tranquilize
I have been trying to make better choices with the frozen stuff, but it's still hard. 23 years of bad habits doesn't just disappear overnight..
Hi tranquilize, It sounds like you are off to a good start--maybe you are doing better than you realize. You are taking a good analytical look at your likes and dislikes. Ultimately crafting a plan that fits you is what will work, rather than forcing yourself to follow some sort of reform-school, 'fix-me' diet. I rally like what Mrs. Snark wrote, both her suggestions and also the idea that we all have it within ourselves to figure out the best way to eat and get to a sustainable & happy weight.
Over time, you may find that your tastes change a little, that you actually don't mind doing a little prep or dishwashing. But totally ok to just do it the way you like
Here's my accountability check in.
Yesterday was difficult. I didn't eat enough for breakfast and it just went downhill from there. If I mismatch my food & energy needs on workdays, I risk getting into a place of significant physical hunger without opportunity to eat. I felt hunger all day long and kept eating to satisfy it, but it was distracting me--maybe there was an overlay of simply being worried about getting hungry vs actual need for food. When I was much more over weight, I had plenty of fat to burn and this sort of discomfort didn't crop up on the low carb diet. Now, with 15-20 lbs to lose, it seems harder for my body to access its stores of energy. Sigh....
Anyway, here goes:
B protein shake/coffee, later on protein chips and soy nuts
S broccoli, sweet pepper slices
L great big salad, veggies, chicken, evoo
S coffee, a little protein shake, Pizza slice
D protein chips, pizza slice, garlic bread--baguette-sized from a restaurant
S steamed broccoli, asparagus, evoo, 2 quest bars from a convenience store on the way home
I finally felt full, maybe a little over full. This morning I awoke with something like vertigo. Not sure if it's from all the sodium or some sort of reaction to all the sudden carbs or calories.
The good: 1. no sweets were eaten. 2. I did not respond to the bingey voice that suggested it would be okay to write off the day & have anything else I could think of that I had missed lately. The voice was there in my head, but I was wise to it and could ignore.
The bad & the ugly: protein overdose; a little disappointed that my great plan for keeping on top of hunger needs tweaking.
In hindsight, I underate for breakfast because I was hoping to speed up my weight loss. It backfired. Sometimes it's necessary to learn the same lessons a few times, lol!
thank you Mars, unfortunately I did have a terrible night, the day was OK, I even exercised earlier but the night...I binged to the tune of nearly 3,000 calories. I went out to pick up a few things from the grocery store and came home with $17 worth of frozen sweets! I never want to do that again ack!
candidcamster, don't feel too bad. Your progress is great and a couple of flops won't derail everything. This is a concept that I have to keep reminding myself. I haven't had any sweets in weeks and I guess I'm starting to feel withdrawal symptoms? Sleepiness, extreme fatigue, woke up this morning with the migraine from ****. I bought some heads or tails Oreos when I went grocery shopping about a week ago. I haven't even opened them until this morning. And I only have the two which is the suggested serving size, logged it in MFP and I'm still on track for my macro goals, so I think some splurges are ok if you can control it. One food I can't control is bagels and cream cheese, so I have only bought them once this entire 3 month journey so far. And surprisingly I did well with them, which is great too. But believe me, I have gone overboard, to the grocery store and bought stuff that I wanted to kick myself for when I got home. Luckily, I don't live alone so I can give anything bad to my mom or brother which helps a lot. We each have a shelf in the pantry and I'm constantly cleaning my shelf and I put anything I shouldn't have bought on their shelf, lol it's the little things. And they're usually happy for the surprise.
candidcamster, don't feel too bad. Your progress is great and a couple of flops won't derail everything. This is a concept that I have to keep reminding myself. I haven't had any sweets in weeks and I guess I'm starting to feel withdrawal symptoms? Sleepiness, extreme fatigue, woke up this morning with the migraine from ****. I bought some heads or tails Oreos when I went grocery shopping about a week ago. I haven't even opened them until this morning. And I only have the two which is the suggested serving size, logged it in MFP and I'm still on track for my macro goals, so I think some splurges are ok if you can control it. One food I can't control is bagels and cream cheese, so I have only bought them once this entire 3 month journey so far. And surprisingly I did well with them, which is great too. But believe me, I have gone overboard, to the grocery store and bought stuff that I wanted to kick myself for when I got home. Luckily, I don't live alone so I can give anything bad to my mom or brother which helps a lot. We each have a shelf in the pantry and I'm constantly cleaning my shelf and I put anything I shouldn't have bought on their shelf, lol it's the little things. And they're usually happy for the surprise.
I salute you tranquilize! I would not be able to give up those things to anyone, and would likely trespass into their shelves That's a great system you have going, though! Do you find that once you've gone through the motion of getting the things at the store, you can move on?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Candidcamster
thank you Mars, unfortunately I did have a terrible night, the day was OK, I even exercised earlier but the night...I binged to the tune of nearly 3,000 calories. I went out to pick up a few things from the grocery store and came home with $17 worth of frozen sweets! I never want to do that again ack!
candidcamster Relapses happen and they sure can be unnerving. I hope you are feeling okay and not being hard on yourself. My 2 cents is that although a binge is usually disappointing, yours was not all that bad, at least compared to what I can do, 'nuff said! Can you discover what led to it? For me, it's often a 'pleasure deficit' & food is then the default solution, before I even realize what's going on.
Fwiw, I'll share what I learned from a nutritionist recently: binges are generally driven by one or the other, or varying combos of 2 causes: physiological hunger (e.g.,reaction to calorie restriction); and psychological such as habit, stress release, pleasure-seeking, etc.
Physiological hunger can really amplify the strength of a binge urge, on top of whatever else might be driving it. I can't always pinpoint what causes me to go off the rails, but thinking of it in this way has been helpful.
My vulnerable time is generally in the afternoon/evening so I try to avoid going to the store then. It can be challenging, as I'm pretty creative at finding things I simply have to buy at 8 pm, lol. Getting past the pizza shop next to the parking lot at work is also tricky sometimes.
Today's check in
After overeating on Fri, I did a little damage control--still ate a bit too much on Sat, but it was low carb. Better on Sunday, and I went for a short but steep hike. Today I'm on track so far. I feel a lot better without sweets, and don't really miss them.
B protein shake
S grilled asparagus, protein chips
L great big salad with chicken, evoo
Tranquilize - have you considered checking pinterest for some easy one pot meals? I know my easy and go to meal is chicken and veg stir fry. I just cut up a breast of chicken and pan cook it in a tiny bit of olive oil spray with salt and pepper. Then I add a bag of frozen vegs, then a serving of Soy Vey Teryaki, mix it around. This gives me dinner and lunch for the next day. Its done in about 15 min.
My extremely challenging week is over. DS the Younger has walked across the stage -- summa cum laude, yet! I knew his grades were good but somehow I hadn't realized he was eligible and it was VERY emotional for me.
I feel I did well with regard to the food, esp. on two occasions where I walked in with a plan of what I would eat, then found that circumstances had changed and my plan went out the window. The first was a luncheon at a very nice Italian restaurant. I intended to order chicken, only to find that their broiler was down and all they could do was salads, pizza and pasta! So I ordered a big salad topped with chicken and made sure to drink lots of water and focus on the conversation -- which is what I was really there for anyway.
The second occasion was the catered lunch after the graduation. My daughter in law ordered the food -- 5 different kinds of pasta!! ACCCCKKKK!!
What saved me was that there was a big platter of fresh fruit, and two different kinds of salad. So that's what I filled up on -- in spite of DH continuing to urge "moderation" -- he still doesn't get it.
Talked a bit to one sister in law who really needs to lose weight about the changes I've made recently to my eating plan. She really needs to lose weight and our conversation always eventually turn to how hard it is to lose weight and keep it off, how much her feet & knees hurt, etc. She seemed to totally "get" that it's easier for me to not eat certain foods AT ALL than to take a few bites and then try to stop. I don't think she's ready to take the "extreme" step of complete abstinence yet but at least I've planted the seed. Next time I'll see her will be the 4th of July and perhaps my weight loss will encourage her.
All in all, I'm pleased with my performance. No binging, no eating of foods that are off my food plan. I was up a couple lbs. when I first got home but that was more from a slight change in bathroom habits which have now been resolved. Feeling good and it's full steam ahead!
As soon as I was back at work, I felt the old "hunger" return, boredom, responsibilities, etc. But not too bad. I was watching for that so not taken by surprise. 
broccoli
That's a great system you have going, though! Do you find that once you've gone through the motion of getting the things at the store, you can move on?
Relapses happen and they sure can be unnerving. I hope you are feeling okay and not being hard on yourself. My 2 cents is that although a binge is usually disappointing, yours was not all that bad, at least compared to what I can do, 'nuff said! Can you discover what led to it? For me, it's often a 'pleasure deficit' & food is then the default solution, before I even realize what's going on.
