Healthy Weight Loss

[always2late]

Originally Posted by Medusa

Daily Overshare Alert!


Another small victory today: This one wasn't about battle against the food per se, but more about battling against unhealthy thinking patterns.

We had to endure a 4-hour-long session with human resources today at work. It had the potential to be super-stressful and uncomfortable for our team and many of us were wringing our hands about the possible conversations. Our unit administrator decided to order pizza to try to ease tensions. He had said yesterday that they would "provide a healthy lunch" so I didnt pack lunch today and opted for packing just snacks and water.

I kinda freaked out a little in my head when I heard that the healthy lunch was pizza because my head is super black and white about what I can and can not do on my plan for better health. The black and white stuff says I have to go cold turkey off of anything resembling pizza, hamburger, ribs, ice cream, fettucini etc. (the stuff I love!). The real me knows that it is simply not reasonable to go the rest of my life without ever eating another piece of pizza or cup of ice cream so today I turned off the yakking in my head and ate ONE piece of pizza and used my snack cup of cantaloupe as a side item.

I ate that one piece of pizza and did not feel guilty and did not feel shame and THAT is truly a victory for me. The guilt-feelings and shaming stuff usually would have meant I ate the pizza, felt guilty and decided "Fuck it, I've ruined everything and I suck so I might as well cram my face with....you guessed it....MORE PIZZA!". Self-sabotage, front and center.

I refuse to do that ever again. I will not use shame and guilt as an excuse to let unhealthy thoughts take over so that I can sabotage some more. What I WILL do is say to myself "Is eating one piece of pizza reasonable?" When I can answer "Yes, that is reasonable" (taking into consideration that I have eaten a healthy breakfast and had plenty of water), I will proceed with the food (in moderation of course). I plan to walk a little longer tonight, not because I feel like I need to "work off the pizza" but because that's what I think will make me feel balanced.

Woman can not live by salad alone! We also can not live on shame, guilt, or self-sabotage. Sometimes we gotta turn that love-mirror on ourselves and say "A piece of pizza for lunch does not mean the end of a healthy lifestyle!".

Baby steps toward health. Whoomp!

Awesome post! And so very true....we can be our own worst enemies, and for no good reason! We hold ourselves to a near impossible standard, and then beat ourselves up for not holding to it. When in truth....we have AMAZING willpower and strength! Let's face it....how many of us have been on insane starvation diets? Diets that wouldn't satisfy a gnat? If that doesn't take willpower, I don't know what does! In my younger years I was a gymnast, until I blew out my knee. As a result I have an amazingly screwed up metabolism born of years of starvation. Now, like most on the thread, I am trying to eat better and get to a place of better health....but some of that old mentality still exists. The "You CAN'T eat that, and if you do you're a failure and you might as well just not even bother trying to eat healthy or better. Now go get a whole gallon of ice cream" mentality. I have to re-train my brain to believe that having a small portion of something I crave ISN'T a criminal act and, in fact, will benefit me in the long run by helping me to stick to a healthier eating plan!

[nycfem]

It has been helpful for me to separate "overeating" and eating something unhealthy from "bingeing." For me the goal of reminding myself of this is ultimately to see that I can on occasion overeat or eat something unhealthy and that that is really alright. It doesn't need to turn into a binge. Instead of getting upset with myself I try to sit with the anxiety and say to myself, "This means absolutely nothing bad, UNLESS I get frustrated and allow it to turn into a binge." I find it very hard to do, but it helps me to have awareness of this as a trigger for bingeing/ continuing to eat unhealthy or in large amounts for a prolonged period of time. I try and reframe eating one meal or one item out of my plan as a good thing, an opportunity to retrain my brain, to practice not operating in an "all or nothing" way of thinking. It also helps me to write it all down in my journal. I often find that what I thought of as a huge transgression was really not, and I can calm myself down and go back to eating healthy instead of feeling like a failure and bingeing out of hopelessness and a sense of not having control.

The other trigger for me is when I have been doing well with eating, and the scale doesn't show it. It's tough not to binge but to instead think realistically the same thought, that a few pounds up or down means absolutely nothing bad UNLESS I use it as an excuse to binge out of frustration. When I feel that frustration and urge to "jump ship" I sometimes write in my journal, "The only way out is through." To me this means that as long as I stick with my plan despite these hiccups, I WILL succeed. I can't do it by magic. I have to do it through overall steady commitment, even when I hit a bump on the road.

There are a few foods that I've successfully managed to cut out entirely, and I've found that helpful. I don't need to think, "Should I have this?" / "Should I not have this?" I am able to truly say to myself, "That food is not for you." Then my brain doesn't struggle back and forth over whether or not to indulge. With time and experience, my brain adjusts to ignoring what it's no longer used to accepting and over a few years, the cravings generally diminish. I had confidence that I could do this from knowing that I managed it as a teenager when I became (and still am) a vegetarian (no meat, chicken, or fish). I didn't do that for diet. I did it due to the ethics of factory farming, but it helped me in my eating because it showed me that it really is possible to adjust to abstinence from certain foods that don't feel like a positive part of my life.

When my mom had a heart attack with quadruple bypass surgery four years ago and I saw her attached to machines (She's healthy as ever now!), I was shocked into being able to follow through with a change that I've stuck to ever since then. I gave up all caffeine, including chocolate. I know that dark chocoate is healthy but I had a very hard time with just having limited quanitities of dark chocolate. I would find myself eating lots of candy and ice cream. After I gave up chocolate, while sweets have their allure, their really not as exciting without chocolate. Giving up the caffeine meant that I gave up Coke, which had been an addiction for a long time. Also, since I have a sensitivity to caffeine, I am able to sleep so much better and have less jitteriness and less anxiety.

About six months ago I also succesfully gave up "movie theater popcorn." Now I always bring my popcorn, like Jo discussed, and my drink. It also helps save a lot of money. I have tried giving up sugar but haven't nailed this one during the times I've tried, and the same goes for simple carbs (all the bad for me, tasty, white stuff). Since I can't seem to give them up at this point in time, I just try to do what I talked about in the first paragraph: Indulge now and then, and strive for it not to turn into a binge. It's an ongoing challenge!

[always2late]

I've just subscribed to the thread and haven't had a chance to read all the posts...so at the risk of repeating what's already been written...is anyone using stevia as a sugar substitute? I've found its really good and doesn't have as much of a "weird" aftertaste as many of the artificial sweeteners. I usually buy mine in the health food store, the pure stevia extract. It seems a bit pricey initially, but not so in the long run, because it is SO sweet you just need to use a tiny sprinkle. The bottle I buy lasts me for months and months. Its a great alternative to sugar...and even helps with my water drinking. I sprinkle a little in a water bottle with a squeeze of lemon when I am craving something sweet to drink.

[Medusa]

I use Stevia! Also have a bag of Splenda that I am trying to use up.

Im not doing much baking lately and dont use sweetener in my tea or anything so the only time I really use it is for baking or very rarely, a smoothie. (learned my lesson with unsweetened pumpkin!)

[Zimmeh]

Good Evening Everyone,

I normally don't add sugar to my coffee or tea. If I pick up my coffee at work, I try to find the sugar in the raw packets. I have found that the natural sugars, mess my stomach up.

Have a great night,

Zimmy

[Nina]

if I wasn't so mad at myself I would be laughing...

G had been here visiting for 5 days...we had a grand time and my eating was in control and fine...the plane leaves and, for the next 36 hours all I can do is eat..or think about eating...or take bites out of things and throw them away...it's food, food, food....

if I had ANY thoughts that food and feelings and stress and all that weren't connected for me, even I --Queen of Denial, can not miss it ...

and, the thing I really notice is how unsatisfied I feel...I'm not full, since truth told I am not eating as much as I think I am...and I am not numb, which is probably my goal...

I guess, as I think about it, I find that my disconnect button is not working so well...and thank goodness for that...I want to eat and I have been eating worse, but it doesn't work as well as it once did...and I am not willing to give up on my desire to be smaller...and my yearning for lots of new cute dresses...and to win the Bet...

mostly I don't want to slip...I am okay with a stumble but there really is little to no point to Fall...typing this out has really helped me process...and, I thank you for that...

I no longer have to eat my feelings...and that feels pretty fucking good!

[little_ms_sunshyne]

Today was an ok day. Went out on a date with T to a mexican restaurant. Didn't over eat and made sure that all of my meals today were low calorie.
Feels good to not feel like I have eaten my way to the other side lol

One small step...but feels like a leap for me!

[jelli]

Hello, my name is jelli and I am an emotional eater.

I am currently starting this book:

[jelli]

“Hunger and satiation are the guides to natural body weight…to feeding oneself with integrity.” ~Carol Bloom

[Medusa]

I'm glad Juney isn't in this thread because she'd probably shriek at the fact that I'm about to sing the praises of Sam's Club.

Went this morning after the Farmer's Market because I didn't find any greens there and also needed to stock up on some fruit.

I picked up a HUGE bag of Fuji apples at Sam's for around $4, 3 pounds of bananas for $1.50, pineapples for $2 each, some of that wonderful Laughing Cow cheese (the wheels that are garlic and herb flavor!) for $7.98 for 3 wheels.
Also picked up a 2lb bag of frozen mixed berries for making smoothies - $7

The thing I am most excited about is the 4-pack of EGG BEATERS! ($4.98)

I've been reading up on them and supposedly they taste just like regular eggs but without all of the cholesterol. I'm kinda stoked about trying them and am looking forward to some omelets loaded with onion and bell pepper and fat free cheese!

Anyone have any experience with Egg Beaters? Good recipes or tips?

[girl_dee]

I have used Egg Beaters before, or was it egg whites in a carton? Anyway I would cook down some taters, onions etc and throw the EB around that, like you would an omelet. You will need something binding, like taters to bring it all home.

[Dominique]

Anyone have any experience with Egg Beaters? Good recipes or tips?[/QUOTE]

Freezer friendly!

[girl_dee]

I prefer just real egg whites, with a lil yoke thrown in, the yoke has the bad stuff but tons of the good stuff. It's about balance. Most stuff where man has interfered is just not as good as nature intended.

[Dominique]

The egg (in the past) has gotten a really bad rap. They have revisited

just how good an egg is for you. I know for one, it's good for your brain.

I think frying it in butter or bacon grease is what made the egg bad (cast iron skillet days)

I try to use real eggs when I need to use eggs.....as I want the egg shells for my worms, but I don't use the yolk. I do keep egg beaters in the freezer, for those times I need eggs, and don't have any.

[girl_dee]

Perfect! I use the egg shells in the garden and the hens are laying about 5-6 eggs a day. I could MAKE egg beaters!

[Dominique]

Originally Posted by sassy_girl

Perfect! I use the egg shells in the garden and the hens are laying about 5-6 eggs a day. I could MAKE egg beaters!

excuse the two minute derail. I can never pass up an opportunity to save the earth. Egg shells that have not been boiled, are a constant source of nitrogen for the soil. And doing just as Sassy said, crushing the shells into the soil (any soil) will be a constant source of nitrogen.

Thank you!

[always2late]

I've used Egg Beaters, and I have nothing but good things to say about them. They make GREAT omelets!

[PaPa]

I purchased two quarts of egg beaters with peppers one day. I will say they are good and they are able to be frozen. Later they can be thawed and used as if it was just bought. :-)

[Rockinonahigh]

Yesterday I was on a hight about my new job,then I found out they had someone from another of the casinos pproperties come fill the job,so now I dont have the job I thought I had.Now that was bad enough but betweem the time I was told I had the job and then didnt was about four hours...I had already called the place I was working and already told them I had a new job.Where I was working is a place that gets ppl jobs working for non profits at minimum wage,at first we were working 20 houre a week,then cut the hours to 17 then recently to 12 hours a week...after taxes that aint squat.But I was hanging in with it till something cam in...it did then it didnt so now I had told the place I was working I had the other jiob,so now I have nother cause of the hireing freeze that came with the cut in hours.Its enough to stress out anyone.Im not worrying about paying my bills cause I have some income to cover them and then some.plus I saved most of what I made while working for the non profit.Needless to say I was very stressed out last night,had one of thise stress attacks I havent had in a very long time and nearly went to the hospital.I did eat more than I should but a bite hear and there then pitched it in the trash.Today im better but still feel like ive been sucker punched.the place said they will hire me back when the hireing freeze is over..till then I can pick up a fue bucks hear and there doing some catering and there are a fue places I want to check out.Im gonna make it but feel like I could puke again..

[Sachita]

Nothing is more healthy then a fresh egg. I'm talking right from the coop and has not been refrigerated yet. It is packed with aminos and vitamins. The best is raw but if you can't do raw soft cooked.

Is it realistic to have your own hens? If you can then you should because the health benefits of farm fresh just laid eggs are amazing and really yummy.