Thanksgiving Desserts Reworked

November 23, 2009 By

Well, it’s here! Thanksgiving week has arrived and believe me I know it. I made the mistake of going to Sam’s Club on Saturday afternoon with five of the kids. I knew it would be busy but I had no idea how busy. Yikes! At one point I got stuck in the bread area for five minutes. I often get “line anxiety” if I have to stand in line more than two minutes, so you can imagine how frustrated I was standing in line trying to get to the bagels!

Guess what’s by the bagels? The cupcakes, muffins, cakes, pies, and cookies. That aisle was completely packed. It was as if everyone in town was trying to buy a sweet confection all at one time! I noticed that at least 80% of the people buying those huge confections were overweight. Perhaps I shouldn’t have paid attention, but I couldn’t help it! I realized that for a lot of people, the thought of making food that is more low-fat and healthier for Thanksgiving is a foreign concept. It’s a day to eat whatever you want in a quantity they normally wouldn’t. I know I used to be a charter member of that club.

Sure, I still make the occasional cookies and cakes for birthdays, but when we have something sweet at home, nine times out of ten it’s something that is healthier and lower in fat. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I’d share two of my lower fat alternative desserts.  Apple pie is replaced by Apple Crisp, and Pumpkin Pie is replaced by Pumpkin Bread. I know some of you are already complaining in your minds about the substitutions! You don’t have to make them, but if you want to eat more stuffing then saving some calories elsewhere can be a good strategy!

Here are the recipes:

Pumpkin Bread (I don’t remember which well-meaning friend gave this one to me!) To see detailed pictures and hear the family reactions click on the picture!

Low Fat Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 can pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 egg)
  • 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
  • 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or allspice
  • 1 cup chopped nuts or raisins, optional (I don’t use these)

Directions

  • In a bowl, combine the sugar, pumpkin, applesauce and egg substitute; mix well.
  • Combine the flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg; gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
  • Stir in nuts or raisins if desired.
  • Put into 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pan coated with cooking spray.
  • Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
  • Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire racks. 

Makes 1 loaf , according to my calculations calories come in at about 125 – 130 per slice. Not bad!

And now for the Apple Crisp:

Low Fat Apple Crisp (I don’t know where I got this one either, but my family likes it a lot!) To see detailed pictures and family reactions click on the picture!

Low Fat Apple Crisp

Ingredients: 

  • 3 – 4 granny smith apples
  • 3/4 c all purpose flour
  • 1/2 c white sugar
  • 1/4 c oatmeal (not cooked)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 T baking powder
  • 1 egg
  • 2 t cinnamon
  • 1 T butter

Directions

  • Mix together: 3/4 c. flour, 1/2 c. white sugar, 1 egg, 1 T baking powder. If it’s a little dry, add some water.
  • Slice apples thinly. You can peel if you like. (I do.)
  • Mix sliced apples with 1 t. cinnamon and a bit of water. Place apples in 8 x 8 pan, spread evenly. Top with wet mixture from above.
  • Finally, mix together 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/4 c. oatmeal, 1 t. cinnamon. Sprinkle on top of apples & first wet mixture. Drizzle the melted butter over crisp. Pat down with fork.
  • Bake at 300 degrees for one hour.
  • Serves 8 – About 180 calories a good sized serving.

___________________________________________________

As I was writing down these recipes I was thinking about what other people do during this time of year, and Thanksgiving Day in particular. Do you have any family favorite recipes you have modified? Or do you just eat whatever you want in moderation? Or is this a day to just eat, eat, eat?  Diane

Filed Under: cooking, Holidays, Meal Time, Weight Loss Tagged With: , ,

50 Days Left!

November 11, 2009 By

Time Is Ticking

I know it seems impossible but there are only 50 days until January 1st. Fifty days people!! I was talking to my kids the other day about the fact that there were so few days until 2010 and I thought it would be fun to share with you one tip a day starting today. After today you will find the Tip of the Day in the sidebar over there somewhere!  <—–

The stores have been decorated for weeks now and like it or not holiday season is officially here.  Regardless of how you celebrate, I’d wager a guess that most of our celebrations have something to do with food. I know ours does.

So what’s my first tip of the season?

Tip Number One:  Have one basic health and wellness goal.

I know it seems simple and redundant, but it bears repeating. If you have a goal in mind throughout these next six weeks you can be successful. And to be successful you will need a plan. We all need to plan how we will handle the holiday season on all fronts, from shopping to eating. From handling the relatives to finances. For many of you, and myself included, staying healthy and fit over the holiday season is important to me. If you are on a weight loss journey then perhaps losing a pound or two or simply maintaining your current weight is your goal. Or maybe your goal is just to get through the holiday season without losing your mind! But whatever the goal, it’s necessary to plan how to reach it.

The thing about this time of year is that it’s not just one day. Valentine’s Day tends to be just one special day – a special meal and maybe some chocolate. But Valentine’s Day isn’t typically celebrated for six weeks straight like we tend to do around November and December. So if you splurge on Valentine’s Day there’s really no harm done. If you splurge every day between now and December 25th you could possibly do some harm to the progress you’ve already made.

When I was on my way to morbid obesity I used the calendar as an excuse to bake, eat, and eat some more. I not only volunteered to bring sweets to every event we attended, but I made double sweets. One batch for the family (mostly for me) and one batch for the event. Even while I was cooking the cake(s) I’d eat junk. Chocolate cake in the oven, M&M’s in my hand. Cookies in the oven, chips/cheese in my mouth. It was crazy. Was I sometimes embarrassed by how much I ate? Oh yes. But I NEVER ate much in front of my friends because I didn’t want them to think I was a pig. (Convoluted logic if I’ve ever heard it!)

During my weight loss year I did plan on losing weight during the holidays. I didn’t lose a lot, but I did lose a few pounds and kept up my exercise program. I was happy with that.

So if I asked you, “What’s your basic goal from now to the end of the year?” What would it be?

And the second even more important question is: “Is there anything you need to change to make that goal a reality?”  Diane

Filed Under: Holidays, Weight Loss Tagged With: ,

Inspiration Picture

October 12, 2009 By

If you’ve read my blog for a while you may remember the story of how my best friend wasn’t supportive of my weight loss efforts. One of the ways that she showed me her lack of support was a comment she made when she saw my inspiration picture taped to my refrigerator. She said, “You don’t think you can be that size again do you?” As you can see, the picture on the refrigerator wasn’t a picture of a glamorous movie star, but rather a picture of me before I got married. It was this picture:

Diane's Inspiration Picture

You can see where the picture used to be in a frame. When my weight ballooned after the birth of my first child, I took the picture out of a frame and stuck it in my drawer. I no longer looked like that young woman so I didn’t want to be reminded of how fat and ugly I had become. Every so often throughout the years, when I was cleaning out drawers I’d come across that picture. I remember holding the picture in my hand and crying. “Why had I let myself get so big and fat? Why? Why?” Surprisingly, instead of crumpling the picture up and throwing it in the trash, I’d stick it back in a drawer, sighing in resignation over the fact that I’d never look like that again. Or would I?

When I finally got serious about losing weight I searched through all my bedroom drawers until I found that picture buried under some t-shirts that no longer fit me. I took the picture to the kitchen and taped it on the front of the refrigerator.

It was my inspiration picture.

I knew I couldn’t look exactly like that picture again, but it served as a reminder of the old Diane who had gotten lost under the layers of fat and whose self esteem was in the toilet. Every time I saw that picture I was reminded of how healthy and fit I used to be. I was reminded that the old Diane wasn’t gone forever. I was filled with hope.

The picture also helped me when I felt weak. The refrigerator sometimes held forbidden treats like ice cream, left over sweets, and butter. The refrigerator was very near the pantry, which also contained foods I was trying to limit or avoid. Seeing my happy smile wink at me every time I walked to the pantry did help. As I lost more and more weight, I began to realize that although I’d never look 21 again, neither did I have to look old and tired until I actually was! And I wasn’t ready to give up on my life and declare myself done.

No, I was still inspired to look the best I could, feel the good about myself again, and get healthy. That picture was one of many tools I used to be successful on my journey to lose 150 pounds and keep it off.

I’d like to put a challenge out there for you. Do you have an inspiration picture or object that you can put where everyone can see? If you don’t, I’d encourage you to think about finding something that is special to you and using it as your inspiration. It doesn’t have to be a picture. It can be a sports trophy, an article of clothing, or a letter.  If you haven’t already, I challenge you to find a visual inspiration and put it in a place where you can’t ignore it. Perhaps you might even want to put it on your blog! When the days get tough you can look at your inspiration and be reminded of where you want to be, or what you want to accomplish.  Will you do it today?    Diane

Filed Under: Appearance, emotions, self esteem Tagged With: , , ,

Do You Have Fears About Weight Maintenance?

September 30, 2009 By

Reaching a certain weight. Smaller clothing sizes. Improved fitness levels. Better health. Those are some of the various goals that people have in mind as they work hard to see the scale move in a downward direction. As the scale moves closer to the “magic number” or the fitness levels increases to a new high, a strange phenomena sometimes happens.

Fear and worry set in.

I’ve seen it more times than I can count in the contact I have with individuals who are working hard to lose weight and get healthy. They lose some weight, and as they get closer and closer to their goal weight, they began to experience fear. Often times it seems as as if this fear leads them into complacency, and then the complacency sometimes causes them to regress back to old habits. Every time I see it happen it just breaks my heart, because I know how hard they’ve worked to reach their goals, and how much they wanted to maintain their success.

Personally, even though I tried to lose weight more times than I can count during my decade long struggle with obesity, I never got anywhere close to my goal weight. But, I did lose the same 20 pounds over and over again. It seemed like 20 pounds was the magic number for me. I’d lose 20 pounds and think, “I’ve got this problem licked, so I don’t really have to watch what I’m eating anymore.” And then as soon as I began to have those thoughts in my head, the pounds came back on, and usually a few of their friends came with them.

So for me, fear wasn’t an issue until the last time I lost weight. The more I lost and the closer I came to my goal weight the more concerned I got. What would life in maintenance look like for me?  Could I really keep off the 150 pounds? Would I keep up with the exercise? Could I stay fit? Could I prove to all the naysayers that I really wasn’t going to regain all my weight? Honestly? I wasn’t sure.

The first few months were a little bit frightening. I was thrilled to be a smaller size, a healthier weight, and much more fit. However, I was still learning to live in my new body, and feel out what I could and couldn’t eat without gaining weight. But after the first couple of months, maintenance was FUN!

I realized that fear and worry had no place in maintenance for me. Rather than fear I started to experience the fullness of life in a way I had forgotten. Fear was banished, complacency wasn’t part of my vocabulary, and I embraced my new body and attitude.

I’ve realized in speaking with people who have stopped short of reaching their goals, and regained their lost weight, that fear often times plays a role for them. Somewhere in their minds they are a little bit afraid of what the “thinner, more fit” person may be like. There is a comfort in the status quo, and to move past what they’ve always known into new territory can be scary. How do you feel when you think about maintenance and beyond? Is there any part of you that worries what it will be like?

If you do harbor some secret fear, I’d encourage you to take your hesitation and fear out of the closet and look at it in the light. I’d encourage you to trust me when I say that maintenance is the fun part – the reward for all the hard work you’ve been doing. There is nothing REAL to be afraid of. If you’ve lost weight by changing your relationship to food, getting fit and healthy, and worked on a true lifestyle change, then you can maintain that weight loss – rather it’s 20 pounds or 200. You can.

Don’t let fear of the future stand in your way or hinder your progress. Can you keep fear at bay? Do you have any fears? Diane, Fit to the Finish

Filed Under: Choices, emotions, goal setting, Weight Loss Tagged With: , ,

Lessons From A 6 Year Old

September 22, 2009 By

This is my third son. He’s fun, energetic and learning to read.

swimming

The other day, we were working through his very exciting reader. You remember the ones: “Come, Rachel, come. See me ride Peter, see me ride. I can ride down. See me ride down.” I won’t torture you with anymore of that because I’m sure that you get the idea.

We were sitting at the kitchen table, and there were three words he kept getting stuck on. Here, down, and Rachel. I told him that he needed to really LOOK at the words and start to remember them. That way he wouldn’t get stuck on them every single time. He said to me, “But Mommy, sometimes I just can’t learn every single little word in just one day.” I sat back in my chair and looked at him. I nodded, and told him that we’d just take a break from reading for a bit and move onto math.

That little conversation stuck with me the rest of the day. What he expressed in his little six year old way is true of weight loss, weight maintenance, and a lot of life situations. “We can’t learn every single thing in one day.”

I wasn’t perfect during the 14 months that it took me to lose my 150 pounds. There were many days where I ate things I instantly regretted, didn’t exercise to my fullest potential, and took the easy way out instead of working my plan. I didn’t learn everything the very first day of my journey.

Why? Because just like learning to read, you don’t just “get it” all at once. There is a process involved, and sometimes part of the process is allowing things to percolate up to the surface as needed. I found this to be true for me as I was losing the weight. The main points of my plan were simple: Portions, Fat %, Exercise. But there were a lot more factors involved in the overall scheme of things. For example, how to handle certain social situations, what to tell people who asked what I was doing, when to buy new clothes, how much to lose, how to come back from mistakes, when to change up the exercise.

I didn’t just “get it” on the first day, or the second day, or even the third day. It was a process of learning, growing, and adapting to my new way of life. Much the same as my son was trying to express to me with his reading ability.

I wonder if you have gotten frustrated at yourself because you didn’t “get it right” all on the first day? If you have, I’d implore you to relax a bit, and understand that weight loss is a process, and part of that process is learning new things, one experience at a time.

An interesting thing happened two days after my son and I were working through that reader. He was once reading along and came to those hated words, “here, down and Rachel.” This time, he read them easily, without struggling at all. We had given the new lessons time to percolate, take hold, and come out. I’d encourage you to do the same thing. Give yourself time to learn the new lessons that you need to embrace. 

If I asked you what was the hardest lesson you FIRST had to learn while on your journey what would it be?  Diane

Filed Under: Choices, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , ,

Are You a Fat Fighter?

September 18, 2009 By

There is a story I heard once about a woman who needed to lose a lot of weight. She determined in her mind that she wasn’t going to be fat anymore. She stood in the mirror and shook her fist at herself. “I am a fighter,” she told herself. “Fighters don’t give up.” And she didn’t. She fought the fat, she fought the desire to stay inactive, and she fought against her own emotional demons.

boxing glovesAre you a fat fighter? Not just in terms of food choices, but in your mind. When you think of a fighter what image comes to mind? For me I visualize a strong, toned, muscular man with determination of steel. He doesn’t give up, and keeps working towards his goal no matter what his adversary throws at him.

For me, in my journey to lose 150 pounds, the adversary wasn’t always Oreos, M&M’s, and high fat chips, but rather life’s unexpected twists and turns that threatened to derailed me right in the midst of my success.

As an example of such a time, allow me to share something that happened during the year that I was working on reducing my weight. I had a family relationship that completely fell apart. Not in my immediate family, but in the extended family. It was an incredibly stressful time for me and my husband. What was my first reaction when the stress came? It was to eat. But I distinctly remember telling myself that I wasn’t going to allow outside stresses to push me off my plan. I was a fighter that day.

What other things happen that can threaten your success?

  • Work problems
  • Job layoffs
  • Financial problems
  • Health issues
  • Family struggles
  • __________________ (you fill in the blank) 

These types of situations can come along and affect your life at any moment, and can threaten to affect your success.

Instead of falling off the wagon under pressure, I’d encourage you to think of yourself as a fighter. Remind yourself of the objectives you have set for yourself, and never lose sight of your goals. Visualize yourself as a fighter-strong and poised to win the battle.

I do understand that this isn’t easy, because life rarely is. But if you go into your weight loss journey already thinking about fighting your way through difficulties that will arise, you are ahead of the game.

That family relationship that brought so much stress into our lives didn’t just disappear the minute I decided to fight my way through the emotional mess and continue losing weight. But instead of the relationship causing me to quit my plan, a wonderful thing happened. Working through the problem without falling back into my old habits strengthened my resolve and belief in myself.

Instead of just imagining myself as a fighter, and a survivor I saw that I actually was one. I had actually walked through a difficult situation and won.

What strategies can you practice that will help you develop your fighter mentality?

♦ Imagine yourself as a physically and mentally strong person

♦ Plan what steps you will take when difficult times come

♦ If you fall down, get right back up and keep fighting

♦ Don’t give up on your dream of winning your own personal battle

You can change your mentality from one of worry and self-defeat to one of a warrior and a fighter. I leave you with this quote by Aristotle:

I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.

What helps you prepare to fight for yourself? Have you ever had a victory that you can look back on as a reminder to help you stay strong? Diane

Filed Under: Choices, emotions, goal setting Tagged With: , ,

Frustration: Friend or Foe?

September 14, 2009 By

I was thinking this morning about weight loss, weight maintenance, and frustration with weight. As I was reflecting on those three aspects of weight management I thought it would be interesting to look at the role frustration plays with weight loss success and failure. When I thought of frustration with weight, here’s the definition I came up with.

♦ Frustration with  Weight – Can occur before, during, or after weight loss attempts. In other words, at any time!

Frustration with my weight was a daily, if not hourly feeling. When I first married, and started putting on weight, I was constantly frustrated with how I looked. I hopped on and off the scale every few days not understanding how I was gaining so much weight. I couldn’t admit to myself that I was the reason I was gaining so much weight. And because I couldn’t admit to myself that I was the problem, my frustration with myself and the scale grew.

I remember getting fitted for an outfit when John and I belonged to a singing ensemble at church. Believe it or not, we had to wear Victorian costumes. I selected a beautiful green satin fabric, and a intricate ballgown pattern. I took the fabric and the pattern to the seamstress, where she measured me and said to come back in two weeks for a fitting. When I went back two weeks later, she had the dress mostly completed, and it seemed to fit nicely. However, when I went back a month later to pick up the completed dress, hat, slip, and bows for my shoes, I had gained a bit of weight.

This caused a problem.  I could barely zip the zipper.  I vividly recall standing in her bathroom trying my best to get the zipper to close. I sucked in my breath, reached my hands behind my back and tugged and tugged. Miraculously it went together. It went together, but I could barely breathe. I looked at myself in the mirror, and wondered if she would notice that the waist was tighter than it had been a month before. And of course, when I walked out of the bathroom for her to see the dress, she said, “Have you put on some weight?” Shaking my head I said, “I don’t think so,” knowing full well that I had just told that nice old lady a lie. Standing in her living room with her fussing over the dress, I vowed to lose the pounds I had gained, and get back to where I was less frustrated with my weight and appearance.

I left her house with my beautiful ball gown in hand, determined to make a change in my eating habits. But the minute I got in my car, instead of heading to the health food store to stock up on some food that might help me end my frustration, I drove straight to McDonald’s and ordered a couple of cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke. After inhaling that food while driving down the road, I visited Wendy’s to top off my frustration with a Frosty.

green ballgown2

So for me, merely feeling frustrated with my weight wasn’t enough to move me into action at that point. In fact, once I went from merely overweight to morbidly obese, I wasn’t asked to be in any ensembles anymore. Instead of wearing ball gowns, I wore tent shaped jumpers, white tennis shoes, and stopped wearing my contacts.

My feelings of frustration grew, my waistline expanded, and I often felt paralyzed. I couldn’t seem to move forward in my attempts to get healthy, and instead kept eating, and eating, and eating.  I wanted to stop grazing on chocolate, inhaling chips, and baking cakes, but I felt out of control.

No matter how frustrated I felt, it wasn’t enough to get me moving in the right direction. Morbid obesity was very frustrating. I hated getting on the scale, buying clothes, and looking at myself in the mirror. But the frustration alone wasn’t enough to get me moving in the right direction permanently. Why not? I think for me, because frustration is such a negative emotion. Every time I lost tried another diet based solely on the frustration I felt, I failed. It wasn’t until I combined the frustration and fear with something positive that I was finally able to move forward.

What are your thoughts about frustration and weight? Does frustration hold you back from reaching your goals, or is it an emotion that you can use to move forward? Diane

Filed Under: emotions, excuses, Weight Loss Tagged With: , , , ,

Can You Just Eat to Live?

September 7, 2009 By

Unlike addictive substances like alcohol and nicotine, you can’t just turn your back on food. Food is an integral part of our lives and our health. That is all well and good, but what happens when we start using food as more than just fuel, and begin relying on food to fill other needs?

socrates is credited with the the quote: “Eat to live, not live to eat.” Even though he wasn’t writing on weight control, what he said thousands of years ago is still important today. Food is timeless, unchanging in its importance to our bodies throughout the centuries. The lesson he shows us is one I worked hard to learn and understand.

When I struggled with my own obesity, I wasn’t just eating to live. I had gone beyond using food as fuel and an enjoyable part of life, and moved into using food in an inappropriate way.

I was using food to fill emotional voids, keep me company when I was bored, and soothe emotional turmoil. I wasn’t just eating to live, I was living to eat.

Every waking moment was spent thinking about food. Rather I was in the midst of blow drying my hair, or preparing lunch for the children, I was thinking about food. “What would I make for my special snack later,” I’d think as I was opening kiddie yogurt containers. Even while eating an enormous dinner, somewhere in the back of my mind, I’d be planning for my after dinner treat. Food was my ever present companion, both physically and mentally.

So what does eating to live look like in real life?  For me, as a real life maintainer, (thanks Vickie for the term) eating, preparing, and enjoying food is still a big part of my day. Especially when you stop and remember that I have seven children, all of whom still live at home!

But my thoughts surrounding food have changed from near obsession, to pleasant planning. An example of this way of thinking might be how some of the food bloggers approach food. They obviously enjoy selecting, preparing and eating fine food. And although my food choices aren’t as exotic or as exciting as theirs, I nonetheless enjoy food. (Believe me, if I posted pictures of the food I ate, everyone would be booooored to tears!)

In the morning when I wake up I don’t think about the chocolate brownie left over from dinner anymore. I don’t worry that John took all of the leftover lasagna, nor do I fret when the children start to eat the last of the snacks. Rather I just go on with my morning, trying to get at least some of my daily chores done before the baby wakes up. When it’s time to make a meal, I just make what I planned, and leave it at that.

Food is no longer always on my mind. I still love to eat good food, but I don’t love thinking about food all the time. It’s been very freeing emotionally to let go of focusing on food all day long. I remember noticing the transition about midway through my weight loss. One day, at about 11:00 in the morning, I distinctly recall thinking, “I haven’t thought about extra food all morning.” I had begun the change.

How often do you think about food? I’m not saying it’s bad to think about food, because it certainly is not – but it may not be emotionally healthy to think about food all day long, every day, without fail. 

The transition for me came slowly, but it did come. It can come for you too. Diane

Filed Under: emotions, self esteem, Weight Loss Tagged With: , ,

Some Saturday Thoughts

August 22, 2009 By

With the beginning of the school year, I always get motivated to organize and clean. So, in the spirit of a clean house I wanted to pass on this link to FlyLady. She is this fabulous woman who takes organizing and cleaning out of the perfection Martha Stewart demands, and into the realm of the ordinary. Her tips are sound, her schedules make sense, and best of all, it’s fun to read her website. So, if you haven’t begun “flying” you might want to check it out!

I love to save money, and for years I struggled to keep up with coupons. I’d often give up, and just buy whatever was on sale. One day, I was once again trying to figure out how to organize my coupons and came across several sites that offered tips and ideas. Here is my current favorite: The Coupon Mom. You can get store specific information on sale items, what coupons to use, and other tips on saving money. But, the absolute best thing I ever did was buy this binder, make some sleeves for the coupons, and organize them by category. It has saved me time, effort and best of all cash!!

coupon binder

This great binder has a plastic pocket in the front, which is where I put the coupons I will use for that shopping trip. When I get up to the cashier, no fumbling around for last minute coupons. They are all ready to go. One more little coupon tip – don’t throw those old expired coupons away. Most stores scan the bar codes, and they really aren’t expired at all! (I’ve never had a grocery store turn an expired coupon down.)

And finally, I wanted to thank Hadley and Tammy and Alissa for the Lovely Blog Awards. There are so many people that I follow and admire, that I found it absolutely impossible to pass them on without hurting feelings. So, just know that I truly am honored, and appreciative of all the nice comments.

My lovely blog award

I hope everyone has a fabulous Saturday. My oldest is going through college orientation. But I’m so thankful she is staying home!!  Diane

Filed Under: Weight Loss Tagged With: , , ,

Breaking Up With Food

August 7, 2009 By

I got this great comment on Thursday from Foodie McBody:

You know what is the most impressive to me? Is how you clearly had such an intense and emotional relationship to food, which has its claws in so many of us and how you managed to turn that around. I think that is the key, the pivotal turning point. Because really it’s not just about “eat less, move more” – it’s about changing the emotional and psychological mindset that drives the secretive, shameful behavior. I would love it if you could write more about your emotional journey and what it was like to change those aspects of your relationship to food.

And this one from Fitzi:

I’m with Foodie McBody in that I’m intensely curious as to how you flipped the switch and willed yourself to change your emotional orientation toward food. I find this so painful to cope with, and have never succeeded in the long term at doing this.

After reading those comments I realized, not for the first time of course, that I wasn’t the only one who struggled with an unhealthy emotional relationship to food. And for me, that’s what it was – an unhealthy relationship. I can sugar coat it, dress it up, or dance around the wording, but that’s what it comes down to for me. I had a problem with food.

I want to thank Foodie McBody and Fitzi for asking this question, but I also want to assure them, and anyone else that is reading this, that although it’s a hard battle to win, it is a winnable battle. I’m no different than anyone else who has struggled with obesity. I’ll do my best to share what worked for me, and maybe it will put you on further on the path to victory.

Food was near and dear to me. I thought about it all the time. I worried if I didn’t have enough. I desired more than I needed.

When I started on my journey for the last time, I focused on three things. Eating, Emotions, Exercise. Another day, I’ll talk about my eating plan and exercise, but for today I’ll start with the emotional struggles. You know if you’ve read my blog for any length of time that I had issues with food. So, when I was standing on the doctor’s scale feeling really scared for my health, and my life, I knew I had a decision to make. I could either continue down the obesity road, or I could do an “about-face” and work my way back to health.

The eating plan fell into place, as did the exercise, but the emotional part was the piece of the puzzle that most often threatened to derail my plans and desires. To combat the tendency to fall off the wagon because of emotional issues, the first thing I did was keep an “emotions journal.” (I’m not into journaling per se, but in this case it definitely served its purpose.) What I did was write down how I felt every time I ate something, and more importantly, I wrote down how I was feeling when I felt the urge to eat something that wasn’t on my plan. Over a period of about two weeks I had many different notations, but among the notations I saw a pattern emerge.

Worried. . . . Frustrated. . . . Sad. . . . Bored. . . . Scared. . . . Out of Control. . . . Jealous. . . . Lonely. . . . Upset. . . . Anxious. . . . Stressed Out

I realized that for me, it wasn’t just one emotion that sent me running for my secret stash, but rather it was a range of emotions. That was actually eye opening to me, because if you had asked me when I was first beginning the journey, I would have said I only ate when I was stressed, but that wasn’t actually accurate.

Recognition and realization were the first step in conquering my emotional attachments to food. Over the next weeks and months I was amazed at how often I desired to overeat. Even after I had lost a substantial amount of weight (maybe 75 or 80 pounds) the strong, strong desire for chocolate, candy, and cookies was still there. But instead of giving into it, I had started to get a foothold on conquering my dependency on food.

Because this post is going on longer than I had planned, I’m going to stop here, and finish on Monday. If you are on a weight loss journey yourself, I’d encourage you to take some time today, and over the weekend, and start to examine what emotions you are feeling when you feel the desire to eat food you know you shouldn’t be eating.  I’d be very interested in hearing what you expect to find, and if what you expected, turned out to be different than your reality.

Filed Under: Choices, excuses, goal setting, obesity, Weight Loss Tagged With: , ,
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