Try to do better this coming week

Even though I had some "good" days as far as not overeating and following my food plan, I also had some "bad" days, as well.  I found that I want to overeat on Hamburger Helper or Tuna Helper.  I bought and prepared these only because we were so tight on money this week that I was forced to let go of my original intentions to cook up regular recipes that needed alot of ingredients to HH & TH.  A normal portion for one of those preparations is one cup, period.  That is a good amount of food - why do I feel it "isn't enough"?

I won't be posting my food today, but I appreciate all your comments and support.

Denise Phares/kitties4
 

Things like that are hard for me to eat a little of also. My only suggestion is to add as much meat/cheese as you can to try to sway the balance of fat & protein.

It is very hard to eat lower carb on a budget. I can only suggest to read ads in the paper, write a menu from what you see on sale:

whole chickens: Roast with garlic/salt/pepper, then de-bone & stew in chicken broth, add in onions/carrots/celery/mushrooms/red bell.  Add  a handful of partially cooked barley or brown rice.

hamburger: mix with a packet of Lipton Onion soup + 1 egg, stuff a large mushroom and bake. Serve with a baked potato & cottage cheese + green onions

hamburger:  spice like meatloaf, stuff red bell peppers + barley or brown rice.  Cover with italian flavored tomato sauce, bake.

A good budget-stretcher for our family has always been my mom's famous bean sprouts and hamburger. But since I've learned more about nutrition, I've altered the recipe a bit. I brown a pound of organic, free range ground turkey, and quickly sautee either bean sprouts (if they're available and fresh) or shredded cabbage, into the meat. Top with a small amount of tomato sauce, and season with soy sauce (read the label, and buy carefully).

I'm sure the 'Helper' box mixes have something in them (maybe MSG?) that promotes overeating. 

You can also buy quantities of veggies for not much money, and although extravagant recipes call for expensive ingredients, GOOD recipes do not. I tell all my "losers" that they have no business shopping in the middle section of the store for the most part. If it's processed, it stays far from your lips. Raw fruit with breakfast, raw vegetables with lunch and dinner... egg white omelets, sliced turkey over a veggie salad, taco salad using browned ground turkey and fresh salsa... so many choices.

Turkey, right now, is a highly affordable protein source. One bird = lots of meals! A very, very good soup can be made from your leftovers.  

And I'm rambling.

All the best to you, Denise.

Ruth aka MomShap

I am not currently on a "low carb" diet.  I am following my doctor's food plan "Managing Your Diabetes", with the food pyramid in mind.  I don't personally feel low carb diets are particularly healthy.  That's just my opinion.  I know people can lose weight quite quickly on them, but I could never stick to any regimented diet, any more.  I did that off and on throughout all my 20's, 30's, and 40's, and am burned out with that route.  I cannot "diet" any more.

I will be going back to OA meeting, working the 12 Steps all over again, and looking for a new sponsor.  My eating disorders therapist and just prayer alone are not enough to keep me out of insane overeating.  I just can't do this by myself, with only prayer & a therapist.  I need a structured group of other overeaters who understand what I'm going through to make it, I'm coming to believe.

I did even worse today - I ate candy & bread that belonger to my one client, without her being aware of it.  This is a form of stealing, and I need to stop it immediately.  I've already gained a pound last month, do I need to gain more to come to my senses, and stop the insanity?!

I also need to take this one day at a time, one situation at a time, one minute at a time, if it comes to that.  I need to choose to treat myself lovingly, as my therapist suggests.  Eating junk food and overating are treating myself with hate and loathing, as I have in the past.

Thank you for your support and love.  I'll need all of it to recover from this terrible addiction.  I've been addicted to various things throughout my life - emotional addiction to an ex-client, who was trying to break up my happy marriage, fantasy addiction to get me through the day when I hated reality itself, spending addiction which is linked to my worse addiction of all - food addiction.

Denise Phares/kitties4