I want...

[Veronica]

Welch's fruit snacks! I have a whole drawer full. It's been a long morning and I have my meeting with crying mom today...

and I want sugary little balls of fruity goodness. :eek:

Veronica

[Biciclista]

EAT 'em!

[Veronica]

"Discipline is remembering what you want"

And a line from Susan about don't confuse what you want right now with what you really want.

Besides, I know it's just eating out of stress :cool: I refuse to give in.

Veronica

[Biciclista]

that's why you can do fancy pushups and I can't.

[Wahine]

You know what V. This post is actually exactly what I needed to read.

Thanks for that.
C.

[limewave]

that's why you can do fancy pushups and I can't.

lol. I was thinking the same thing!

[GLC1968]

You know what V. This post is actually exactly what I needed to read.

Thanks for that.
C.

Heh, me too.

(keep the drawer closed, Catherine...you too, V!)

[indysteel]

Veronica,

If it helps, I spent today's session with my trainer trying to channel you. My shoulders and obliques, in particular, thank you.

[Biciclista]

Veronica,

If it helps, I spent today's session with my training trying to channel you. My shoulders and obliques, in particular, thank you.

LOL no kidding. I want to channel her doing pull-ups

[indysteel]

I told Veronica in another thread that she's my Muse. If I could just find a quarter of her inner athlete, I'd be thrilled.

Weight work is proving really fun though. I'd never worked with a trainer before now. It's far more motivating, he helps with form and keeping me honest in terms of reps, and always has something new to try. I'm really enjoying it.

[tealtreak]

Welch's fruit snacks! I have a whole drawer full. It's been a long morning and I have my meeting with crying mom today...

and I want sugary little balls of fruity goodness. :eek:

Veronica
aaahh teaching...........it is always the parents......hang in there (:

[emily_in_nc]

It's funny to see the differences in our cravings. Any fruit-flavored candy would not tempt me in the least, even though I love fruit. Just don't care for fruity candy. Put anything chocolate or peanut buttery in a drawer, though, and it will make me crazy!

[indysteel]

It's funny to see the differences in our cravings. Any fruit-flavored candy would not tempt me in the least, even though I love fruit. Just don't care for fruity candy. Put anything chocolate or peanut buttery in a drawer, though, and it will make me crazy!

I do like the snacks V is craving, but my weakness is ice cream and cookies. I have zero resistance. My husband tried to do an intervention once with ice cream and I reacted like a true addict would. I should be really ashamed of that, but I just haven't hit bottom yet. I may need a twelve step program when I do (and I'm only sort of kidding here).

[OakLeaf]

There are certain things I just can't have in the house. I buy them only on rare occasions, because they will not last the night.

If it were me, I'd just eat them, and then they wouldn't be tempting me any more. :D

[GLC1968]

I do like the snacks V is craving, but my weakness is ice cream and cookies. I have zero resistance. My husband tried to do an intervention once with ice cream and I reacted like a true addict would. I should be really ashamed of that, but I just haven't hit bottom yet. I may need a twelve step program when I do (and I'm only sort of kidding here).

I'm the same way with certain foods (like Breyers Mint Chip). I would find myself hiding the item so that he wouldn't finish it off while I was at work. And I would compare, in my head, who got more of it. Signs of addiction? I think so! :o

[Crankin]

I want a bagel, right now. Smothered with cream cheese and lox. Or maybe waffles with blueberry jam and powdered sugar. Or a sandwich. Haven't had any of those in 3 weeks.
I don't crave sweets at all. I like ice cream, but I can control myself with that.
I don't binge on stuff, but after dinner, I always want more. Even if I've had a good dinner, but particularly since I've cut my portion sizes.
Basically, I crave carbs, not even bad carbs, but carbs, which seem to be my downfall, as far as maintaining the weight I want to maintain. My life is full of things I can't eat anymore, that I used to eat on a regular basis: any type of Asian food, pasta, even delicious whole wheat artisan bread. All those things are now special treats.

[emily_in_nc]

My life is full of things I can't eat anymore, that I used to eat on a regular basis.

I just don't believe in "dieting" that way. I believe in "everything in moderation". I know it's hard to have a small portion of something you really love, but better a small portion than none at all.

I put no food off-limits. I just limit how much of it I eat.

I am really a terrible dieter, but that's because I no longer believe in diets. I believe in eating nutritious food, in reasonable portions, and minimizing junk. No eating after dinner, either. And the occasional splurge is allowed; otherwise, it's too easy to become miserable, feel deprived, and binge.

I also don't believe in going to bed hungry. I read an article once saying that people who do have poor-quality sleep. I have a hard enough time staying asleep when I have a perfectly happy belly, so I don't need anything to make it worse.

[Susan Otcenas]

I want a bagel, right now. Smothered with cream cheese and lox.

With a nice thin slice of sweet onion. Pure heaven.

I never buy that at home. Ever. BUT when I visit my dad, or if he comes to visit me, THEN I get all the bagels lox & cream cheese I can handle. Good thing that's only once or twice a year! :) It's a wonderful treat. I visited my Dad over Christmas and he'd already done the shopping. We polished off a POUND of lox between us over 3 or 4 days. Yup, good thing that's just once or twice a year!

[Susan Otcenas]

"Discipline is remembering what you want"

And a line from Susan about don't confuse what you want right now with what you really want.


I've been relying a lot on both of these the past few weeks!

[Veronica]

I hope everyone made it through day without eating your "demons".

I enjoyed my chicken breast, veggies and brown rice at lunch along with my dessert of 1/2 a chocolate yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup Greek yogurt - and no fruit things!

BTW my students are struggling with desert vs dessert. Although one of my boys came up with a great sentence - Don't desert your dessert in the desert.

Especially if it's ice cream! :D

Veronica

[OakLeaf]

No eating after dinner, either. ...

I also don't believe in going to bed hungry.

How do your reconcile those two?

I can't sleep at all when I'm hungry. And unless I really overate at dinner (which doesn't feel good either) that always means a late snack.

[Crankin]

Emily, I didn't mean to say I never have these foods, but for the Asian food, well, it used to be at least 1X, sometimes 2X a week and the sodium just gets to me. So I really have cut that almost entirely out. I eat pasta once in awhile, only in restaurants, though. If I could, I would eat a ton of bread. But right now, I can't.
I pretty much ascribe to your theory, but it doesn't work so much for me anymore. I only eat healthy stuff, never any junk, have dessert only once in awhile. My portion control is not so good and I think I've relied a bit too much on exercise to keep my weight where I want it. My problem is, my life revolves around 2 things: food and exercise!

[Veronica]

My problem is, my life revolves around 2 things: food and exercise!


Nothing wrong with that. Mine does too, except I'd add in sleep. :D

Veronica

[Owlie]

I get beef cravings around my period. I don't eat a lot of red meat because I'm broke, so I give in to that. (I have tried high-iron veggies. Doesn't cut it.) I don't have a ton of other food cravings, but there are plenty of things I don't buy (often) because they're expensive and they'll be gone in three days. I'm surprisingly good at making ice cream and chocolate last for a while, but toasted almonds? No way. The last time I made a batch of chili-coated almonds, I ate about a third of it in one sitting. :eek:

I'm an everything in moderation (including moderation)-type person. I don't eat dessert often (we never had it growing up, except for holidays and ice cream in summer), but when I do, it'll be a smaller amount of the full-fat stuff.

ETA: I sound like a Dos Equis commercial...

[Crankin]

I made it through last night with no bagels, sandwiches, or waffles.
However, we both woke up this morning and said, "We're having waffles!" Just had a little disaster with the whole wheat batter, so it got thrown out and we're having regular buttermilk waffles.
I feel like a crack head waiting for my fix as they cook.

[SAMbike]

One of the worst things for me is going to a meeting, or multi-day conference, and being surrounded with sugary snacks - at every single meal, from chocolate covered scones for breakfast to rich desserts at lunch, to afternoon sweet tooth breaks, and even more desserts at diner! How to stop it from controlling me (my lame way of saying I have no control over it) when it's literally all over the place?! How do you amazing women say no?

[Veronica]

When I'm thinking about having something I hadn't planned to eat I ask myself why? Am I bored? Am I stressed? Has someone brought in an unexpected real treat?

I get bored easily at teacher meetings - so much discussion that really doesn't need to happen. So I plan to have a snack that will keep me entertained and so I don't eat the crap that's placed at our tables - unless it's peanut butter cups!

If it's stress, I'm craving sugar and I work to not give in to it.

If it's a what I think of as a real treat - we have a teacher who makes amazing cakes - I'll eat some. Most of the time I look at the stuff that is around for us to eat and decide it's just not worth the calories.

Calories are kind of like money, I have an allowance of so much per day and I want to spend them wisely. But I don't actually count my calories. :cool: I just sort of evaluate my choices.

Veronica

[Biciclista]

All this food and eating talk is getting to me. I've never had big issues with food, but right now I live with someone who is 15 pounds underweight and has a shrunken stomach and suffers with nausea and queasiness. (They tell us, this too shall pass) but I get so freaked out about what he isn't eating that I suddenly have food issues. I don't want to gain a bunch of weight but I've been using a lot more butter in my cooking for example. If I have a choice (like buttering bread) I can slather his but not mine, but it's hard to just make hot chocolate for him.. I get so bothered about his lack of appetite that I eat more... gahhhh

[Crankin]

Maybe think like you're giving him medicine?
I might be influenced by that, too.

[Biciclista]

It's even worse than just seeing the food. Since I want him to eat, I eat. Have you ever put food in a baby's mouth and notice your own mouth opens? It's like that. It's so important that he feel hungry that I feel hungry. crazy stuff. Since I lost about 6 or 8 pounds during his hospitalization, I can afford to gain a few back.. (I already have gained back 2)
and how did I lose that weight? It's very hard to snack when sitting in the hospital with someone who can only chew on ice cubes and then spit them out...

[shootingstar]

I want a smoked salmon sandwich --with nice rusty bread or on a sourdough baguette.

Mimi, it's great that Don's appetite is slowly recovering.

[Gypsy]

I do the calorie like a money in the bank, but I "feel" the pinch of money harder than when I go over my calories!

When I travel for work and I'm surrounded by a lot of crazy food, I also have a hard time saying no. I find that the more that I say no, the easier it is to continue to say no. The problem is when I'm saying no to some things but yes to other things. I'm more successful when it's no all the time! :p

[Biciclista]

That's how I gave up donuts. The first few were hard. but after a few years, it was no big deal.

[Catrin]

....
Weight work is proving really fun though. I'd never worked with a trainer before now. It's far more motivating, he helps with form and keeping me honest in terms of reps, and always has something new to try. I'm really enjoying it.

Yes, it really is helpful to work with a good trainer. I am really going to miss mine...but I've been well trained. For me the biggest advantage was his knowledge and ability to keep me focused without over-doing things. It may come as a surprise that I tend to push myself too hard :rolleyes: Anyway, I am glad to hear that it is working out for you!

As far as food is concerned, I find I must say no all of the time or I am doomed... I do, occasionally, give in to ice cream, but as much as I love it I am satisfied with small amounts - probably because I get quality ice cream. No "reduced calorie/fat" ice cream for me - ick.

I am another woman for whom bread can be like crack...and I gave in today...sigh.

[Crankin]

I had my "bread" day, yesterday and now back to reality. I didn't do too much damage.
I also find that if I am in a social situation, like a meeting with lots of food that is really bad, I don't eat any of it. The longer I can go without eating it, as I watch others stuff their faces, it makes it easier to not eat it. Let's just say the visual reinforcement of this works for me.

[SAMbike]

You all are inspirational! Thank you for the tips and suggestions. Saying "no" seems to be the key to foods that I'm barraged with, but saying "yes" to an occasional treat that I plan sounds like the ticket. It's just a matter of picking which. It's funny -- I have said no to french fries and other greasy fried foods for years now and now they don't even attract me in the least, in fact they gross me out, so thank you all for reminding me about that!

[Catrin]

I had my "bread" day, yesterday and now back to reality. I didn't do too much damage.
I also find that if I am in a social situation, like a meeting with lots of food that is really bad, I don't eat any of it. The longer I can go without eating it, as I watch others stuff their faces, it makes it easier to not eat it. Let's just say the visual reinforcement of this works for me.

For some reason yesterday was just like that. Good idea about social situations. Typically I try to eat something prior to going, then just try and find the healthiest thing on which to nibble...but it never works that way. This is a good approach. Visual reinforcement sounds a good approach.

On a different note, I've been invited to a vegan's "share-in" that some friends of mine are starting. Of course I am not but always willing to expand my horizons. It is pretty interesting, they have 40 people on the list. So once a month 5 of those people/families are invited to their house and they bring a vegan dish + recipe. The recipes become part of a cookbook that is shared with everyone there. The next month another group of 5 come, and their recipes are added to those from the previous month, and so forth. Pretty cool.

I am hoping this will help me learn better/more ways of incorporating veggies in my diet - that is where it is lacking.

[Catrin]

You all are inspirational! Thank you for the tips and suggestions. Saying "no" seems to be the key to foods that I'm barraged with, but saying "yes" to an occasional treat that I plan sounds like the ticket. It's just a matter of picking which. It's funny -- I have said no to french fries and other greasy fried foods for years now and now they don't even attract me in the least, in fact they gross me out, so thank you all for reminding me about that!

It is interesting how that works. Years ago I loved soda, but then I didn't drink it for about 1.5 years and then tried it - I was shocked at how bad it tasted. That was in 1990 and I've not had one since then.

Cravings are interesting, and I like Veronica's approach about trying to figure out their source. I've not eaten deep fried food at all in about 3 years, and haven't eaten it on a regular basis since the early 1990's. There are times however when I really want fried chicken - even though I know my digestive system would punish me and the aftertaste would be awful. Obviously this isn't a body-hunger craving but something else - most likely from severe stress...