Combating Regain - How's it going?

Happy Monday Everyone

Sure do hope that you are feeling like you are headed in the right direction today.

It's been over a week since my last post on this subject and I just thought I'd check in with you all and see how you are doing?

It's been a really positive couple of weeks for me now, had some realizations along the way, along the path of "addictive" behaviors, such as last Friday when I had these two jars of swedish fish that were given to me from my firm, they sat there all week without me really having any and then Friday I was a bit bored, I mean I had all the food I needed to fuel my body and was not hungry, but decided I wanted a few fish, well I counted out 8 and then went back for more and it was like I opened a dam and I got a plastic bag out from our kitchen area and dumped both jars of them into it and gave them to another secretary here who puts out candy for the people who work here, I seldom go by and want any of it, plus I must admit to the fact that I would be embarassed to take any.  I also noted the sneak eater in me still exists, so there are things I am still learning about myself in regards to my food habits and that is not to say I don't write down everything I eat, but I don't want people to see everything I eat and when I discussed that in support group on Saturday I was amazed that others do the same thing, so there is a sense of comfort in knowing I am not alone and by admitting this stuff out loud there is a great opportunity to change.  This comes from childhood and then from being asked by my exhusband and others at various times throughout my life, as to whether I should be eating that?  Now I think it comes from the fact that I am someone who went through this surgical intervention and feel like I should not be eating this or that and since I do occasionally eat things that are not what we are supposed to, that I have to hide that fact.  What foolish thinking, am I not human and just because I needed to have surgical intervention, I never started this journey believing that all my ways would go away, nor did I envision never having this or that, but I do envision being thin and healthy and so I need to make choices that serve that purpose and binge eating is not something I need to indulge in.  So first I need to ask myself why am I wanting to eat and then when I want to have something from the list of things I probably should not eat, I need be mindful of what I am eating and whether or not that food will trigger in me a desire to keep going and if I cannot take a single portion size and put it down, then I really need to not have it and I need to be proactive about such things. 

So lots of positive stuff coming to light of late and I am still doing what I must to combat this disease called obesity via working out or some form of physical activity for instance on Friday I was off kilter and did not leave enough time to get to the gym, so I instead took Roxie for a 40 minute walk in the a.m. and then a 45 minute walk in the p.m. and on Saturday I did the same thing and I also can state that this past weekend I ate healthy and did not have any foods that do not fit into healthy and smart choices.

My hope in writing this thread continues to be that in my ruminations, you can gain insight and know that you are not alone and that together we can fight the good fight!

Hugs, Laureen

 Laureen....great post....something for me to be thinking more about!!

Hugs......connie d

HI Laureen
SHOULD YOU HAVE ATE THAT ???  KIDDING ................
I know that feeling but you know what .  If i am exercising every stinking day LOL which i do and actually like it ,   i dont feel so bad if I eat something xtra. I think too as we go along the boredom is the real killer .  For me anyway ...
I am bored , see cookies on TV, think hmmmmm   I can make that only with Splenda and less fat..
OFF I GO and then i create this big batch of cardboard that i cut back on to much and to the garbage it is ... No longer bored and way to tired to start over and after licking the bowl ,  am satisfied  LOL 
Good post and so true for all of us I think.   We go through life dreaming of yum yum food and is a hard thing to break.  I was looking at all the people in Walmart this weekend and thinking how overweight America is .  Not judging them just looking and thinking how tough it is when there are so many unhealthy foods out there that are cheap and with the economy ....people dont have much choice I am thinking.
Have a blessed day
Hugs
Shirley

Shirley,

Like you, I experiment with recipes and I will tweak them until I find the right combination and love doing that, for instance I took a banana bread recipe and tweaked it to a point of very yummy and healthier version, however, it is still high in carbs so I don't make it often and when I do, I freeze it because otherwise I would have a piece every day and that is where my addictive behaviors take over...  on the successful end of recipe playing, I love to cook, so experimenting is a way of life and more times than not, I come up with great things in my kitchen, nothing out of the ordinary, but healthier versions of foods that are otherwise anything but healthy.

I also hear you on the fact that it is expensive to eat healthier, but I think it also is about people not wanting to invest time well spent in preparing and creating healthier meals in their kitchens, because with a little brain power and creativity, you can eat healthy on the cheap.

I'm also with you on the "if I'm exercising" thought process, as knowing I am burning 500 calories a day gives me a bit of freedom to indulge some, my problem came when I wasn't exercising and I was eating like I still way (lol). . .

Thanks for your thoughts, I enjoy that part of posting this thread more than anything else. . .

Laureen

Laureen
I also come of with some great recipes although when I was first swapping applesauce for the fat , I made some booboo's :) 
I just made this wonderful wheat banana bread that is pretty awesome ....you dont even have to use a mixer to mix it .
Bread has always been my weakness..  I too, love to cook and bake , I bake several times a week and take to work ,,,all my folks come by my office almost everyday to see what we are having..lol   MEANING THEY as I seldom have any .
I make sure I get in 30 vigorous minutes of exercise everyday ...at least that and then when i do have something xtra I dont beat myself to bad ..
I always look for little acts of kindness that will make my life feel filled with purpose and it also keeps my mind on something besides having a snack .
We all need to lead a purpose filled life .
Hugs
Shirley

Hello Laureen, that was a great post you did and so was the Sat. meeting,Like I said in the meeting my worst time is when I am home and looking at TV,Sun. was a bad day grazed way to much , lucky for me the foods were all good one's. The aching stomach and the dizzyness reminded me of what I had done to myself. Mon was back on track and so far so good this am. I need to get away from that tv, well life is all about mistakes and your reactions to them. Good luck and see you on the 3rd weds.

Glad to see you here and I'm happy that you are getting something from my post and I look forward to seeing you next week. . .  Yes, life is largely about learning from those things that have not worked before and the willingness to try it differently going forward.

See you next Wednesday!

Laureen

Welcome to our little corner of the world!

Thanks for sharing Laureen, and isn't it nice that your not alone.

Sneak eating...I'm not into that. I'm right out there with eating anything thanks to Mindful Eating. Nothing is off limits so I don't have to feel ashamed about eating something. Jus****ch the portions and make sure I don't go back for seconds. Thin people eat treats and don't feel ashamed. Why should we?

So people if you treat yourself, enjoy every bite, be aware and when the food/treat stops tasting fantastic in your mouth time to throw it away.

Like Laureen I give the crap away and not leave it in my house or tell the kids to take it home with them.

Still to this day to combat my cravings I really feel exercise helps. It keeps you moving and when your exercising you are NOT eating.

Most of us are night snackers especially when we sit in front of the boob-tube. You can replace those chips, cookies and popcorn to healthy snacks, you know you can do it. Make it easy on yourself and make sure the fresh veggies and fruits are up front in your fridge. Tape a message to yourself on the fridge something like..."Make the right food choice for you. I deserve to be a normal weight, I deserve to be happy".

So yesterday I worked out in the pool, pushed myself and today it's back in the pool again. I increased my weights when I was working out too. Today my body is going "whoooooo, I feel it"!
But its a great feeling. I'm getting my Mojo back. I'm excited, maybe it's changing jobs starting Monday and doing different things. I will be doing overtime cuz I promised my current boss that I would continue to help her out after I'm done on the unit. Get paid overtime and keep her head above water. I'll just work out a little later than usual.

The gym is closed next week, they offered us using the YMCA but I'm just gonna go home, walk and work out in my little pool. Ride my bike. That's my plan I'm sticking to it! LOL
Also my BFF is going to be in her friends wedding, they went to nursing school together and have kept a great relationship up. So my BFF wants to lose 10 pounds in 6 wks. It's doable. I told her the challenge is on! Hugs Laureen, keep moving and groovin! Debbie

Debbie,

You hit the nail on the head when you said that thin people have treats, so why can't I. . .  That is a great point, and one we discussed in our support group on Saturday, thin people are not obessed with food the way many of us have been, as well as the fact that many of us have been programmed into not being able to eat this or that, we have to relearn that it is ok to have a treat here and there, so long as it is a single portion size and we don't go back for more. 

Therein lies the problem for many people who are food addicts, because we have to learn what foods set off cravings that become complusions once we ingest them, no different from the alcoholic or drug addict who once they open themselves up to the booze or drugs, the switch is broken and it takes a disaster to get it unstuck. 

I have learned along my path what foods are ones I cannot have, because once I do I just won't stop until the bag/container is empty, that or if I really want something, ie, a bag of chips, I go out and buy a single serving size and savor each piece of whatever it is to satisfy that desire, as I believe part of my addictive behavior was eating because it was there and not necessarily tasting it because I was shoveling the food in.  Another thing I subscribe to now, and this holds true to when I have been most successful, is that if I am not having a physically active day, I need to not indulge in things that I know to be something to fuel my body, so on those days I get to the gym or am doing heavy housework, gardening, playing with the grandkids running around kind of activities, I am freer to enjoy a little something I want, if I want it. 

I'm glad you got your mojo back and I feel excited that I am doing things on a consistent basis now and am beginning to see small rewards for all my sweat equity and that equals a desire to keep at it for me.

Have a great day! 

P.S.  I enjoyed your mindful eating post today too!!!

Laureen