old habits

Do you all find old habits hard to break. Im doing good with the fast food only wendys chili maybe every other week. But at home im trying to fix a meal we can all eat together so ive been trying new things,cause we all have a few pounds to lose. But sometimes they want there old standbys and i fix them knowing i cant eat them. Heres the big one i caught myself doing a taste test, oh crap if i tasted everyhting here would come the pds back,so its like no no lisa if it dont taste right they will tell you(and beleive me they do). My bil told me i was the reason my kids were heavy i led by example yes i know you horses patoot thats my goal is to teach them to eat better than i did, i didnt need his opinon. But i grew up on meatloaf mac n cheese mashed potatoes and corn roll and sweet tea and no bake cookies every sunday and the rest of the week was bad choices to. So when i got out on my own i figured out this was wrong and the clean your plate we worked hard for that your wasting. Now i tell my boys fix your plate dont glop it on there because you can always coe back for more. But how do i stop the taste testing....

Hello.  I am pre-op but I have been really working hard on this because I know what a problem it is for me.  I taste while I cook or eat something off of my son's plate.  It is terrible to break this habit.  That is where my extra calories are coming from.  Right now I have been just cooking two meals one for him and one for me.  I only cook absolutely what he will eat nothing more and nothing less.  If he is still hungry he can have a snack...like apple, mango, etc.  It has been hard and sometimes I feel like I am punishing him...but then I remember I am cooking portion sizes.  It is one portion and that is it.  If he is still hungry after his portion there is fruit available.   This is a way that I know I cannot take food out of his meal.  There is only enough for him and that is it.  It has helped so far, and he has not seemed to mind the change.  HOpefully this helps....it is just what I have done to help myself. Jennifer

I am guilty of taste testing too - not so much now, but definitely before surgery - it was more like a small pre-dinner meal really.  Now, its a little different for my situation because I am only cooking for my husband and myself so I cook very healthy 98% of the time, but still if I taste test much there's no room in pouchy for the actual meal.  And its a bad habit, so I am working to break it.  I still taste, but now its not often and its the smallest amount I can manage - just dipping the spoon into the sauce or something and licking a little of it.  Not only that, my seasoning abilities are kind of off since surgery, I tend to think everything either needs salt when it doesn't, or is way too salty when other people think its fine, so I ask my husband to taste instead sometimes.  He's the one who will be eating most of it anyway.

Old habits are hard to break.  I still "taste test" when I cook, but not like I did before surgery.  Now, when I cook and need to check or adjust the season, I'll take a couple really small bites, adjust and check the seasoning and then I stop.  Before surgery, I would have probably eaten a regular portion of whatever I was making in the interest of "making sure it was right."   You have to decide what's right for you, so that may mean no taste testing if this is a habit that you need to make a clean break from.  As you say, people can easily add seasoning when they eating, especially salt and pepper....   In terms of dealing with your kids, you've got the right idea -- work on teaching them how to eat healthier now so they can slowly lose some weight and develop some new, healthier eating habits.  Although they may complain about it at first, they'll adjust over time.  Although I'd caution you not to make super extreme changes and not allow the kids any "treats," otherwise they might start engaging in sneak-eating behaviors, which is a whole different problem.  What you really want them to learn is to eat healthy most of the time, and have treats in moderation only some of the time. 

Good luck breaking this habit - let us know how you are doing!!!

Kellie

yesterday we went to a cookout and i ate before i left. But i watched my boys (there teenagers) they had all kinds of goodies. but my boys each ate 1 hamburger and 1 hotdog each and dran**** water of course they ate pickles onions and tomatoes. but they skipped the cake and ice cream and etc. So i geuss its working...it was nice yesterday i havent seen some of my family since christmas and was told alot how good and healthy i look..wow i felt like miss america for a few hours.lol

This post hits home for me because I have heavy kids and I know its my fault....I Don't believe its all because of what we ate but I also believe its because of the jeans I passed on and the inability to say no and the ability to justify why its ok to have another cookie and why its ok to have just one more plate of food and also because I spent so many years cooking and saying things like when we get home I will make you a nice dinner will that make you feel better? its terrible i know.....Now I am trying like crazy to change things for my daugter mostly ....poor kid is jinxed with all bad from her mom and dad....she told me the other day though that her goal was to lose as much as she could this summer so shge could wear "girlie" shirts which is a big step for her because she wears mostly jeans and band shirts...and becaue she us talkign to me about it..... Thanks!  Estelle

Estelle...let me tell you I live with guilt every single day that I set a bad example for all 4 of my daughters who are now overweight (except the one who had WLS 2 1/2 yrs ago) but hell....she was once the biggest of all & is now the smallest.  I am having a very difficult time with some of my girls seeming to be avoiding me & will not verbally acknowledge my WL success. They are both very overweight and I think they look at me and are reminded of their own weight issues so they avoid me. This hurts like hell!  Here I was hoping to FINALLY set a good example and help them learn that they will face surgery one day too if they can't or won't change their habits now. I don't preach, I avoid talking about it altogether because I know when someone tried to talk to me about it before, I was annoyed. I just keep praying that in some silent way they will learn from my past mistakes before they develop serious health issues. Right now they range in age from 28-35.  We cannot change the past, only move forward. Estelle, your daughter probably feels like everyone else in the world can lose but her. I know that feeling. Your love & guidance will benefit her in the long run. One thing I know for sure....our kids watch every move we make...even when you think they aren't observing...they are!!  You are a shining example, so just add the love!  HUGS  Jeanine