Will I Allow Myself to be Thin?

[AKirkland]

RE: Thanks Annette!

It seems many of us, myself included, have certain foods we crave and eat in spite of our good intentions. And once we start eating them, we can't seem to stop. Sugary stuff, creamy dairy, baked treats. (Have you ever heard someone say, "I couldn't wait to get my hands on that broccoli! I just couldn't get enough!"?)

There's a possible explanation for this. Many women suffer from a combination of food sensitivities and hormonal imbalances. Both of these things can cause intense food cravings far beyond normal hunger. Put them together and you'll find it really tough to overcome. For PMS sufferers, chocolate is the number one offender by far.

The theory is that both food sensitivities and hormonal imbalances cause the blood sugar and serotonin levels to drop, which causes you to crave the very things you shouldn't eat. Indulging sets up a vicious cycle: you feel better momentarily, but then the cravings come back even stronger, so you eat more, etc.

The proposed solution is to identify your offending foods and avoid them for a period of time to break the addictive response. Then, when you're feeling better and in control, you cautiously add them back, one at a time, to test your reaction.

Angela

 

[donna]

I come very late to this topic, but all of your comments were very interesting. In a popular weight management program I have been attending, our group leader called this "Almost Man". We all laughed, hahaha, but all your comments fleshed out (pardon my choice of words) the "why" of it all. Our common thread is we are human...not perfect, just human. Because of my program, I have made some adjustments in choices (as I think others have mentioned). Instead of potato chips, I buy baked potato crisps. I buy fat free frozen vanilla yogurt and have a half cup with ovaltine sprinkles. But the most important thing I did was to stop eating cookies and milk in the middle of the night...does anyone else do anything that crazy? Yeah, I would heed my 2 am potty call, swing by the frige for a glass of milk and two cookies. What was I thinking?

Addressing the comment about scales in December, I have openend a sliding glass door and thrown my scale into the backyard (angry face). Now that, my dears, is frustration.
OK, and perhaps a touch of immaturity.

 

[lorihart]

I finally got to sit down and read all of the post.I have been looking at this tread for quite sometime and have been quite intrigued by it all.
Everyone here are so well educated, it is truly amazing.And the funny thing is, is that we all learn from each other.
When I gained 15 pounds,(I started dating my husband),And then I slowly got back into fitness and eating right, my goal weight was 125.I have made it there and tetter tottered between 123-128.
After I reached my goal weight I started to slip down hill and started to eat some junk again.It slowly became a everyday ritual for me now.There is not a day where I don't eat something I shouldn't.And I remember also saying to myself."I will make it through all of Body Max today".Now, I have no trouble doing the whole tape and beleive it or not but I have trouble sweating in Imax.So, although my excercise as increased, my eating habits have gotten worse.
I wonder sometimes, do we want that treat b/c we know we shouldn't have it, or if we didn't have to watch everything that goes in our mouth, would we want it then?:-hmmm
So, I tried that.I tried pretending that I wasn't a healthy eater and just pick what I really wanted.Needless to say the healthy eating and the way that I live my life are not that easily replaced by" let's just try this".
I also have a problem with, while I am making supper.I will eat chips, cookies...whatever is in the cupboard that I shouldn't eat.Just b/c I am in the kitchen, not b/c I am hungry.
We diffently think about this way to much and that is probably why we all think the same way.
Oh, and this is what I ate today, if anyones interested:
8:30_candy
9:00- half a bowl of cream of wheat with some apple, and two egg whites
11:00-2 more candy, 3 taste of a pancake
1:00 protein shake, choc covered peanuts
2:00 pick at a muffin,cookie:-mad
3:00- half a chicken sandwich,cup of ck noodle soup
4:00 2 more candy
6:00 chili, tortill chips,cookie 3 more candy.
I think there is something wrong with me.....:-rollen
But I did do slow and heavy legs and shoulders, then tonight I didn't powerstrike 2.Think that cancelled out all the candy?
Lori

 

[K60]

RE: A few meek suggestions . . .

I understand what you're saying theoretically and this won't be a popular thing to say, but I'm hesitant if not downright hostile to the notion of "allowing myself to fail" (cheat)in December. What has worked for me, and I've maintained an 80 pound plus weight loss for almost two years now, was to make a conscious decision that the way I wanted to look/feel was way more important than eating crap. Usually, you can't have it both ways unless you're one of the metabolically gifted (like Cathe apparently is). To me, it's very simple. If you want to eat bad stuff, make that choice, eat it, and go on about your business. Just accept that it will have consequences to your efforts. When I want to eat crap, I think about what I'd have to do to work it off (perhaps an Interval Max for two brownies), it's an easy choice to say no.

 

[DawnA]

RE: K60 a few meek suggestions

Hi K60,

You are allowed to have a differing opinion here, it keeps things interesting! I think what Annette meant was to let go of the angst about holiday eating, not to gorge the entire month of December. I, for instance, plan to eat Pumpkin pie Thursday. In the past I would have beat myself up for it, and lost all enjoyment. But, what I should do is eat my 1 piece of pie, and enjoy it. 1, not 5 pieces. In the immortal words of Cathe, it's a break, not a vacation. A well deserved break for those of us who work so diligently all year long!

 

[Aquajock]

RE: To K60 -

K60, I echo Dawn - we gotta have a good mix of opinions here! The beauty of the Cathe forums is that we can have debates that don't turn into cat fights or flame wars!

Like you, I've maintained a significant scale-weight and dress-size loss for over 10 years now. And I've been in those days where there were "good" foods and "bad" foods, "clean" foods and "crap" foods, and would do some pretty hairy math every time I had a "bad" food to expunge it (how many more minutes on the treadmill? how many more laps in the pool? etc.) I did find over time that if I just stayed consistent with my exercise program, and continued to challenge myself with intensity (both in terms of cardio and strength training) my eating kind of normalized itself, I came to crave foods that provided the nutrients I needed {brownies included }, and every foray into a "bad" food or (heaven forbid) a skipped workout session wasn't going to lead me into the pit of zero control and couch-potatoism.

Like Dawn, I'm heavy into moderation these days as a mindset. I'm downright hostile to the notion that we have to sweat every calorie, carb/fat/sodium gram, as well as the notion that we have to sweat every hated inch we still find on our bodies. That kind of self-absorbtion is injurious to the spirit, is a huge time-waster, and becomes a form of hubris in the end.

Notice I didn't suggest going hog-wild and gorging on rich foods ad infinitum, nor did I suggest skipping working out entirely. Indeed, I suggested simply enjoying one's food and exercise programs this month for their own sakes. With the holidays upon us, I can't think of a better present to give ourselves.

Annette Q. Aquajock

"Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself."
(Desiderata)

 

[K60]

RE: To K60 -

I hear you and wasn't trying to be argumentative. I just know the slippery slope you can get onto if you "allow" yourself to eat "just one" of something. One becomes, two becomes three, and all of a sudden, 6 months of hard work are down the tubes.

To me, it's all about choices. I accept that I can't eat crap and maintain the weight I worked hard to get to. It would feel worse to me to gain weight than it would feel good to eat whatever, so that's the way it has to be. It's the same thing as when I have a stock (I'm a daytrader) with a profit in it and have to decide whether to sell or not. I feel bad when I sell and it keeps going up but not as bad as when I don't sell and then it goes down and I lose the profit I had. I know this sounds simplistic but it's worked for me. All or nothing.

 

[JenniferAnn]

RE: To K60 -

Annette, I think there's a difference between maintaining a healthy weight and losing weight. To do the latter, I think it's necessary to count every calorie etc, i.e. be self-absorbed. Weight loss is very difficult. Especially when we are trying to un-learn bad habits. Just like anything else, it takes a tremendous amount of effort. If I want to succeed at something I have to put my heart and soul into it. Weight loss requires that level of dedication. In the past few weeks, I'm finding that maintaining my weight doesn't require that much attention.

 

[briee]

RE: Thanks Briee and Dawn!!

OHHHHH AJ speak for yourself, although you will undoubtedly look like jumpy man after IMAX II, if you could take jumpy man and paste him to the ground with his tongue hanging out as if a mack truck smashed over him, yup that will be me.

Briee

(sweet of you to think so though )