Obesity and addiction

[Dogmama]

The best ways for me not to go crazy is:
*Never stock sugar, white rice, candies, cookies, chips at home in the pantry.
*Eat before 7:00 pm ( I used to eat past 8:00 pm just bad. I ate less but I GAINED weight.)
*Stock fridge with a wide variety of fresh fruits (at least 2-3 different types) and veggies. Always. This is a challenge during very cold winter weeks.
*Don't buy any processed, tv dinners. (Not hard for me, since I grew up in a family where we couldn't afford to buy them.)

I think those are great suggestions. If it isn't in the house, it won't end up in your mouth!

Processed foods, even Luna bars, etc., are weight gainers for me. Even if the calorie count for the day is the same (I'm guessing because I don't count) - those seem to add weight. I do NOT believe that a calorie is a calorie.

[indigoiis]

I think - and this is just a theory - that esp. those who get into cycling as adults (or running, or some other sport that shows such extreme & immediate improvement in health within a couple of years) that we are the TYPES who tend to be all-or-nothings, in-or-outs (as in, "I'm IN"), and like to set big goals and accomplish big things. I notice on this board that we are all pretty much achievement oriented.

Which is why I think it is easy to focus only on big gains or losses and forget about the little victories, the little good things that happen, that happen only in balance when we are doing something we love.

The body is not an exact science. I am one of those women who, as I age, pack on the saddlebags, eat like a horse, and then obsess about it. But I really think we need to think about food differently. We need to be mindful, but we also need to remember the joy in a great meal or a loaf of baked bread or that beer after a ride (I'm not a drinker, but I know what that is - that relief of cool goodness...) I think if we think creatively rather than critically about our bodies we might find we're pretty okay. It gets us where we want to go. We can move these bikes and stand up occasionally and attack a hill. I mean, come on. That's pretty awesome. It sucks that culturally we are so brainwashed about food and weight (I admit I am very bad about snap judgements when it comes to obesity) and if only we could brainwash ourselves into thinking about our bodies as really amazing, maybe some of our food issues would disappear. Maybe.

Our body is always sending messages because it's smart. I know I misinterpret those messages all the time (hunger vs. thirst, vs. loneliness/frustration/boredom/OCD... whatever.)

[lph]

(...) I notice on this board that we are all pretty much achievement oriented.
(...)

We need to be mindful, but we also need to remember the joy in a great meal or a loaf of baked bread or that beer after a ride

I like your theory, and I loved this!

[Crankin]

Which is why I cannot totally eliminate any one food group. I may come close, and others may think my eating is very strict, but let's put it this way. I just came back from vacation, where I ate pretty much what I wanted, with a little bit of trying to avoid some very bad for you stuff. I did eat onion rings, white bread, had appetizers almost every night, and desserts a couple of times. But, I had lots of fish and veggies. I rode almost 100 miles and went on a challenging hike.
Sometimes life is just too short to obsess about food. Of course, this comes from someone who is at her desired weight, but i gain pretty easily. Some days, I just want a glass of wine and some cheese.