I used to eat brownies for breakfast.  I know, we all eat unhealthy things for breakfast every now and and then, but I used to have Brownies appeared as a regular feature on my breakfast menu.  I didn’t really plan on cooking them when I decided what to serve for our weekly meals, but whenever I was feeling any emotion at all, brownies appeared.  A big pan of brownies should have lasted for several days.  However, because there was one big overweight me, all the remaining brownies disappeared by the next morning.

During the course of my weight loss journey, I realized that my sweet tooth could be suppressed and lessened, but not killed.  Not that I didn’t try.  I valiantly resisted chocolate cake, pies of all types and plates full of cookies.  I avoided buying any desserts that I knew I shouldn’t eat, and stayed away from the dessert table at social functions.  Considering how much I loved sweets, I did remarkably well.  Making the decision to go cold turkey worked well for me, especially during the first couple of weeks.  After I felt had some control over my choices, I recognized that I wanted to be able to enjoy the occasional sweet treat.

Here came the problem.  I didn’t like low-fat, healthy desserts.  To me, there was no such thing.  If it wasn’t oozing chocolate, and full of sugar it wasn’t any good.  For a long time I decided I’d rather do without then have a “fake” dessert.  Fortunately though, I got brave enough to try some lower fat choices.

I tried making fat free brownies, which were moderately good. I substituted prunes in place of the oil with less than stellar results. I tried the old “substitute with applesauce” for a lower fat alternative, again with limited success. Finally I realized that if I wanted brownies, then I’d rather have a small amount of really fabulous homemade brownies than have ones that were “pretend brownies!”

But that’s just brownies. I found that there are lots and lots of healthier sweet treats that I can serve my children without feeling too much guilt. Here are some that we have:

• Fruit parfaits, made with yogurt or low fat ice cream
• broiled or grilled fruit – I was surprised how much my children liked this
• Baked apples – these are so yummy!
• Frozen yogurt or sorbets
• Angel food cake with fresh strawberries
• Whole grain waffles topped with fruit
• Homemade popscicles

When I was writing yesterday’s post I was focusing on things I avoid eating, but on the other side of the coin, there are things I don’t eat every day, but still enjoy every so often. I used to not serve desserts at all, but then worried that my kids might “go wild” with sweet things when they were on their own because I had never allowed them to experience desserts. So now we have dessert occasionally and I talk to them about eating things in moderation. My children range in age greatly, but I feel that my older ones “get it.” Which I love.

So are there healthier desserts that you feel comfortable serving guests or your family? Or have you just cut out sweets all together?

This afternoon we hosted 20 people at our house. Half were women and half were teenagers. Part of the festivities was a cookie swap. This is what ONE table looked like. There were so many cookies we had to set up a second table.  Every person brought three dozen cookies to share with the other ladies. Cookies were everywhere.

As I was taking pictures of the table I thought this would make a terrific topic for a December weekend blog. This time of year these types of events are rampant. How do you handle events like this?

Do you:

♥ Not go

♥ Go but don’t bring cookies

♥ Bring cookies but don’t take any home

♥ Another option ____________________________

There are many ways to handle sweet events like this. I don’t think there is just one right answer for every person. And sometimes the right answer for you at this point in your life may look different a year from now. Or twelve years from now.

When I was in the midst of my journey I took the easier way out and skipped the cookie exchange my church was hosting.  I didn’t feel ready for the assault on my willpower and senses. So I skipped it. Over the next several years I chose several of the other options. Sometimes I went but didn’t bring cookies or take any home. Other times I brought cookies and didn’t bring any home. And still other years, I brought cookies, and brought a few home – but not the dozens that were available.

It’s so important to know in advance what you will do and what makes you comfortable. Even more important than your comfort may be learning to make choices that move your forward in your life’s journey.

What’s your plan for these inevitable sweet offerings?  Diane

                      For Breakfast:

I admit I’m not the best breakfast eater in the world. Some weeks I’ll have oatmeal, dry cereal, or make pancakes for the kids, and other weeks I don’t eat breakfast until 10:00 or so.  I think for me, listening to my body became really important while I was losing the weight, and I still try and do that. I know research shows otherwise, but it works for me. That being said, here’s what I ate for breakfast this past week (even if it wasn’t exactly at 8:00 a.m.)

• 2 pieces of whole wheat bread with less than 1 T natural peanut butter – I ate this three times, orange juice 
• Frosted Mini Wheats (measured out the proper amount), juice
• Yogurt and a banana
• Pancakes (I ate two. No syrup because I don’t like it. So, I had a tablespoon of jam.)

For Lunch:

Okay, lunch is usually at 12:00 in our house. With this many kids, we do live with some structure or else we’d all go crazy! I love lunch, and it’s usually my biggest meal calorie wise. I find that if I eat a bigger lunch, then I’m not as hungry during the witching hours of 3:00 – 5:00.

•  1 whole wheat quesadilla with vegetarian refried beans & salsa, fruit, yogurt, baked chips and 1/2 of a homemade chocolate chip cookie
•  Egg salad sandwich on whole wheat bread, made with just enough light mayo to hold it together. (Literally less than 1 teaspoon). I think I had chips, fruit, yogurt and a half a string cheese
• Leftover homemade pizza slice. Pizza was made using the crust recipe on the site, topped with sauce, a little bit of cheese, lots of peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms – YUM!
• Leftover chicken parisienne. This is another low fat recipe that I love a lot. I added some fruit and a salad to it, and it was delicious!
• Bean dip with homemade tortilla chips. (Don’t be impressed, I just cut flour tortillas into wedges, spritz them with spray, sprinkle them with garlic powder and put them in the oven for a few minutes. I had fruit and cheese with this.
• I had other things, but that’s all I can remember right now!

For Dinner:

I do enjoy cooking full meals for the family. When I eat dinner, this is probably my smallest meal of the day calorie wise. I load my plate up with salad, and veggies, and just have a little bit of the main course.

• •Chicken Parisienne, rolls, salad, fresh green beans, watermelon
• •3 bean & corn dip (same as lunch), watermelon, salsa, and brown rice
• •Homemade Pizza (like lunch)
• •Penne Marinara, whole wheat french bread, great salad, zucchini
• Grits, Omelets and Toast – we have this a lot when John is working late. Since I don’t usually cook breakfast, it’s nice to have it in the evening sometimes
• Chicken Paprika – another easy, low fat dish that my whole family loves. I served this with mixed veggies, sliced cucumbers & carrots and noodles.

I’m drawing a blank on the last thing we had this week. – I’m sure it was really good though!

For Snacks:

Here’s what I love about weight maintenance. I’ve learned how much of things I can eat without gaining weight, so I still enjoy food, and love to snack. When I was in process of losing weight, I would literally eat 5 or 6 times a day, and that worked for me! Here are some typical snacks for me throughout the week. Remember – I don’t eat all of these every day. In the past – yes. Now – no.

• popcorn
• baked chips
• cheese sticks
• graham crackers (chocolate of course)
• carrot sticks dipped in salsa
• yogurt
• fruit (apples, watermelon, banana or grapes)
• apple cinnamon rice cakes
• granola bars
• pretzel sticks

I hope that gives you an idea of what maintenance food looks like for me. Like most of you who share with me their weight loss programs, I lost weight eating real food. And because I did it that way, it certainly made the transition to maintenance much easier. Are there any favorite meals, tricks or tips that you’d like to share? I’d love to hear them! Have a great Sunday. Diane  P.S. – Thanks Angie for letting me know I hadn’t linked in the pizza crust recipe - I just did!

I just wrapped up teaching my weight loss class Fit to the Finish on Thursday, and the wonderful ladies gave me these plates as a little thank you.

If you look at the words on the plates you will probably laugh out loud as I did. There is a lot of truth in the sayings on these cute dessert plates. Besides appealing to the eye, they fit right in with my weight loss and weight maintenance philosophy. You can have the occasional dessert, you just can’t have the whole thing, or have it everyday. As I lost my weight and got healthy, a lot of old habits fell by the wayside. I replaced the old habits with new ones that were good for me and life affirming. One habit that was near and dear to me was eating large amounts of sweets and treats. Rarely a day went by where I didn’t load myself up with chocolate, cookies, brownies, cakes or pie. I just couldn’t get enough to satisfy my relentless sweet tooth. Time after time I’d swear to myself I wouldn’t buy the big value bag of M&M’s, yet I’d see myself handing them to the cashier, eagerly anticipating eating half the bag in the car on the way home from the store. I had been known to get in my car, drive 3 miles to Wendy’s, buy two large Frosty’s and eat them on the way back home, never telling anyone what I had done. And yes, it is possible to eat a Frosty while driving, but it can be a little messy!

Sweet obsession is a common problem among those of us who struggle with our weight. I hear it all the time, “What about chocolate? What do you suggest I do about my love of candy?” My advice is simple. You can have the occasional sweet treat – a sliver of cake or a small chocolate, but you can’t have it every day, and you can’t have a large quantity of it. If you eat too many sweets, or too much of anything for that matter, you will have a hard time losing weight, and will probably gain weight. Moderation in all things is a common saying, but even moderation needs to be monitored carefully. If you know you are going to have a bit of dessert at dinner, plan ahead during the day what you will eat to compensate for the extra calories. If you “mess up” and eat a King Sized Mr. Goodbar for a snack, just have a salad for dinner. It’s okay to adjust your eating schedule and plan for unforseen situations and mistakes.

The ladies in my class this time lost an average of 15 pounds. They communicated to me that they felt they were better equipped to continue on their journey to lose weight and get healthy. Their feelings about dieting had changed from “temporary fix” to “changing for a lifetime.” As you journey towards your goals, I hope that you too will look at the changes you are making as lifetime changes, and not just temporary fixes. Diane