Blackmail photos-

Alan and I went to our friends house yesterday and where asked to bring dessert.  I stopped by my old favorite bakery and picked up a rum ball, chocolate eclair and a Napoleon.  After dinner, we split all three pastries into eight pieces and each of us got one eighth of each pastry.  I eat dessert sometimes, and these were some of my favorites.  I picked up my fork and dug in, only to notice that my husband started snapping photos of me.  Every bite I would take, he would snap another photo.  Then my friend took some of the whipped cream from my Napoleon piece and put it on my nose.  Alan kept snapping the photos.  I was laughing and telling them to stop.  Alan threatened me that he would send these to Dr. Cirangle with a text message that I needed immediate intervention and he should call Frisco and others to save me from myself.  He started typing something into the phone and I really thought he was sending the photos to Dr. C. 
 
I am at goal and comfortable, I am really not that worried that I will regain my weight.  I guess ultimately, I now trust myself to go back to basics when I need to do it and do it until I am comfortable again.  I thought it would be fun to post the pictures here, so they can't be used in  future blackmail attempts.  :)   






Just to make sure, if you are a newbie reading this, there is no way I would have eaten this during the losing phase or even the early maintenance phase.  I am just in a place where I can do this once in a while without guilt or weight gain.  If I ever thought that I can't handle this for whatever reason, it would be very easy for me to give it up as it holds no power over me.  I am posting the photos because I think it is funny that my husband and friends think it is noteworthy behavior to document.  They believe that I still have concerns about what other people think about my eating, and the truth is, I really don't.  I do what works for me and change it if it is change worthy. 

Good for you, hopefully someday I can trust myself to have a small dessert without destroying the whole thing and end up on the ground rolling around asking why haha.

Thank you.  It took a very long time before I trusted my response to sweets.  I think people are in very different places when it comes to carbs and especially refined carbs.  All these places are valid.  If carbs cause binges or uncontrolled hunger, they should be eliminated from one's diet as they are a force for destabilization.  Over time, I learned that they hold less power over me than they did before.  I really believe that the lack of ghrelin and long term abstinence from them along with great strategies has helped me learn to comfortably moderate.  In no way would I ever imply that anybody can or should do the same.  It is something that I grew into after years of mindful eating.  I think it's pretty cool that I can do it without the usual consequences. 

 I hope you enjoyed every bite!

Patty

I did, I really did and I ate about half of what was on that salad plate.  Thank you Patty. 

Looks like you are having a lot of fun. I have found that sweets don't hold the same power over me, like they did in the past. Two or three bites seem to be enough and I can leave the rest. They just do not taste as good as they used to. But, I don't bring them into the house.

It isn't the occassional treats that led us to be morbidly obese, but the everyday consumption that led to major problems. Being highly restrictive doesn't always work long term, but it is necessary in the weight loss phase. Maintenance is different.


Gail

I find that there are certain foods I just can't keep in the house, while others, even sweets are OK and don't call my name.  You are right, I can now eat almost anything in moderation as long as most of my diet is good.  It really feels wonderful to be in this mind space.

These are so cute Elina. And I don't think Dr. C would care as he knows you are committed to making this work.  Now if it was a huge pile of french fries that would be something else.

Learning to deal with the real world and being able to have a few bites of a fancy dessert without going "whole hog" is one of the important lessons of maintenance. Congrats!  You have mastered this skill and look great doing it.    Diane

Thank you Diane.  I remember Dr. C telling me that I might never have another piece of cake for as long as I live.  I sometimes wonder if he really means it.  My friend was told that she can never have another piece of a potato.  She went home and cried.  I am not kidding, she actually cried.  I told her that the odds of he going the rest of her life potatoless are pretty slim.  :)  

It works for me for now, I would make changes if they ever become warranted, but for now, mindful eating and moderation are the norm for me.  If anything, I sometimes lose a bit too much and need a few more almonds.  Life is good.

Ya know, I think Dr. C has changed his view on this stuff. I remember being at support group not long ago and telling a newbie that I had decided I had had plenty of great food experiences at fancy restaurants in the past and was ready to move on from that into a new healthy phase. Dr. Cirangle said something to the effect that I could still have those experiences but had to choose small and healthy portions and not very often or something.  And I think thats right.

I had a bite of homemade choc decadence cake and a bite of rhubarb pie at today's holiday party. That will my 3 oz grilled chicken, half an egg and a bit of cucumber. It was all fine.

So you have it right. I think Dr. C learned something from you.

Diane