my addictions

my name is pam cooper an i'm addicted to wheat thin crackers and atkins protein bars.

i decided 3 weeks ago to kick those addictions. I knew that i couldn't do both of them at the same time so i decided that the wheat thin crackers would be the first to do.

i'm sure that some of you are shaking your heads saying wheat thin crackers??? thats an addiction??? yes. to me it is. theres not a whole lot of things that I can eat that aren't going to set off the LBS its doing so very good now that i am also ready to start (dare I say it!!!!) dieting! i am to the point where i can go longer without eating and now its time to pu**** to the 3 hour limit! woo hoooo what an accomplishment!

but the wheat thins were holding me back. i am being brutaly honest here...i was almost up to eating a whole box in a days time. do you knw how many calories those puppies have??? i was so very disapointed in myself when i first realized that i was almost eating a whole box. it ws just from grazing while driving to different customers. i just really did not realize by the time i did it was a bad habit that i coul dnot kick. it had become an addiction.

i had 2 boxes of them in the house and i put my foot down and said once they are gone i am not buying anymore. and i didn't. the first day was the hardest but i made it though and i kept telling myself just do it for 10 minutes then i said hey you did 10 minutes go for an hour and so on until all of a sudden it was a week. now its 3 or 4 can't remember. i'm glad i stopped i do not buy them anymore and i do not eat them at any of the different get togethers that i've gone to.

so now i decided it ws tim eto kick my atkins protein bar addictin. there are 5 bars to a box. they have germongos protein in them. they tastes just wonderful and have 2 grams of sugar plus the ones i like only hav 1 gram of sugar alcohol something that upsets my LBS plus my tummy if i have more than that. the really big thing is that they have chocolate drizzeled on them. the really big down thing is that they are 200 calories each. here comes the truth thingy...i was almost eating a box a day. not only was i haveing an additional 800 to 1000 calories but i was telling myself that its ok cause they have all that protein  in them. who was i kidding?  not to mention that at 8 bucks a pop thats a whole lot of money each week that i could be using towards bills over a months time.

soooooo yesterday i had the last one at 5pm. i plsnned my snacks and meals today for work so the box was filled with good things. i missed that 9am atkins so much. then at 12 i was thinking abut them omg i was so wanting them fortunately it was a busy day an i had so much to do that i didn't get to the point hwere i was thinking about buying at box of them until 3 pm. by that point i had to head back to the office for a meeting an din't have the tim eto stop. i did stop to pivk up milk but walked past the atkins aisle.

here it is almost 10 pm a full day without the one thing that i ate with such joy. that cost me so much money wise. that added way to many extra calories per day. do you think it was keeping me from losing? i'msure it had ahand in it.

so now i have to work at not having a new addiction. the worst thing si kicking one aediction then adding a new one to replace it.

i'm so tired.
Reenie are you proud of me??? of course its only  one day without atkins but he ITS ONE DAY WITHOUT ATKINS! im so proud of myself.
 

Am I ever! I absolutely understand what you're going through, Pam. I am tackling this in a new way and it seems to be having a ripple effect in the rest of my life. I'm calmer. My head is clearer. And today I am without sugar in my system. I am certifiably addicted to sugar. I have to get it out of my system. Period. No eating the stuff in moderation for me. It's killing me. I'm afraid to go back to my doctor for those tests because I know the diabetes has returned. But one baby step at a time. My new approach is a double-whammy: (1) I've hooked up with a psychotherapist who is an expert in eating disorders. I've only met with her once so far but I think this is a very good fit; I think she will help me. (2) I'm reading that book: "The Anatomy of a Food Addiction" - boy, it has simply opened my eyes to what's going on inside my brain, metabolically. Now that I better understand it, I feel better armed to fight it - beat it - instead of beating myself up as a failure. I have not failed my surgery; and my surgery has not failed me. I have a metabolic condition that is causing me to behave this way. It is treatable. So many people say that morbid obesity, a/k/a food addiction, is a disease. I am coming to the realization that is is more an affliction than a disease - we're not sick, we're afflicted - by something that is happening to us. Today, for the first time in over two years, I feel a sense of peace about all of this. No more torture. That's what we're really talking about, isn't it Pam? The impossible pull to eat that sugar is tortureous. I don't want to feel tortured. I'm worth more than that. And I am going to take the best care of me that I can. You do likewise, dear friend. Be well. Love, Maureen

Hey Pam, I just had an idea. Let's help each other get to March 1 - our beloved anniversary month - just 5 days away, free of the foods that we are addicted to. For me - I commit to you, right here and right now, that I will abstain from chocolate or any other form of sugar candy, cookies, cakes, etc., one-day-at-a-time until March 1. Sugar Free Me until March 1. Then I'll check in and let you and everyone know how I did. Ok, ball's in your court! What about it??? Buddy up??? Anyone else??? Reenie

Oh yeah, Chickies!  You know I'm in.  Three weeks now and I am working the pouch.  I am only losing slowly, but that sure beats gaining.  WE ARE NOT FAILURES, can we say this children?  Yes, I thought we could.  I , Crissie, do solemnly swear to do my best to do my duty to my WLS buddies, for as long as we all shall live(or something official sounding like that)  March 1st is a short term, obtainable, and measurable goal.  These are the most successful types of goals.  We don't eat that candy bar in one gulp, we eat it one bite at a time.  I have been treating myself as a patient.  Nursing diagnosis depends on something know as SOAP method.

S- subjective- What we say
O-objective- What we see or do
A-Assessment of the problem based on the subjective and objective data above
P-Plan, a short term, achievable, and measurable goal.

ex.
S-"Wow, I can't seem to go a day without a piece of chocolate(or whatever you particular problem)
A-I have been eating a box of chocolate covered cherries a week
O-Weight gain is probably related to overeating chocolate covered cherries
P-Will be able to remain chocolate cherry free until March 1st

ps I wasn't eating a box of chocolate covered cherries a week, but if I wasn't paying attention heaven knows I could have.

I don't know if this would help anyone else, but it seems to be helping me.  Could be just because 25 years of this crap has warped my thinking.  Anyway, I'm going to look for that book, Reenie.  My dear, Pammy, I am certain that Satan lives in a hollow tree just like those hateful little Keebler elves.  Together they whip up magical baked goods including Wheat thins.  They give them wholesome sounding names just to fool us poor humans into thinking they are calorie free.  That's the only way I can think of to explain how completely addictive wheat thins are.  I, too am a recovering wheat thn addict.  Smile my friends, God loves you and so do I

well its day two of no atkins. i didn' tmiss it as much today as i did yesterday but todays drama was the weather.
weather always over shadows food addictions for me. especailly any weather having to do with white falling from the sky. we didn't get alot and fortunately for me the town i work in was snow free. my home town wasn't as pammy friendly.
now that the work day is over and i'm safe at home i will not go out of my house until the morning. so the atkins at stop & shop can sleep well.
again today i planned my meals and snacks so i was ready with the good stuff. i've not kept track of the calorie's that i did yet eat today but thats will come along too. i do not feel that i'mover eating and the things i'm eating are good choices.
of course ther eis always room for improvement so next week i'm going to look at the diet. and start to fix that right if theres any errors.
today i also started to picture myself 10 pounds lighter. i imagined the weight going and remembered wearing different clothes. i reminded myself how good i felt when i looked in themirror and i promised myself that i would look that way again.
march is such a big month for us. i'm so excited that it is coming.
so we allneed to keep on posting its the smartest thing that we do to help ourselves.
we fought the battle before and won now its another skimish that we can fight and win again!
onward fellow weight warriors

Hey Gals
 I'm in with this-I have been working on the NO SUGAR Rule as well. Reenie I am addicted to it as well & it is killing me. Now that I am off all meds I have to cut the sugar too or I will be back on
them in a heart beat, I'm losing weight but not if I don't kill the sugar monster NOW.
Pammy keep up the good work, it's hard, but we can do this. Marchers have always helped
each other & here's to addiction's gone!!