Willpower
 

Having trouble saying no to "bad" foods. I am eating everything in sight there is soo much around with the holidays upon us I have no will power. Then I go in a vicious circle I feel crummy(physicallly & emotionally) for eating poorly but I do it all over again. Anyone have any helpful hints?

Mar

I am trying to go for moderation. But I intend to eat and enjoy seasonal favorites. I feel we have deprived ourselves in alot of areas and I want to indulge and savor things during the holidays!
I attended Weight Watchers in the past and am using some tips I got there. For instance, I dont waste my "points" on common food. Or things that are store-bought and just not wonderful. I try to survey the offerings and just have small amount of the special treats. I also try to make up for it by eating sensibly at other meals. And if I really dont want to eat something, I better not have it in the house. But I believe life is too short to pass up dessert!
Don't be too hard on yourself.

Hey Mary! Why not reward yourself? Think of a reward that you really enjoy and then give yourself rewards for short times of eating right. I'd think 1/2 day at a time would be long enough to deal with this time of year. It's the only thing that really works for me when I really have to do it!!! Good luck and remember that you're just perfect just as you are!!!! Luv, ma

Thanks Mar...I can tell already we are all going to learn lots from this thread....maybe even be empowered to do better with our eating while we hear what others have to say.

Great thread. I hear ya for sure. I'm the QUEEN of backsliding in the "sweet treat" department and feel the same way you do - crummy and MAD AS HECK at myself for treating my body poorly. Then in the next breath I console myself by saying...hey life is short....don't sweat the small stuff!

Oh well.......great thread and thanks for starting it. I look real forward to hearing what others have to offer us.

Much love....

Mary Jo

moderation is the key word. that's what i try to remember when i want a treat. but i try not to deprive myself or i'll go crazy and eat a lot more than i should.

Ya'll are gonna laugh at my technique:

I drink two beers back to back.

With me, it works as an appetite suppressant (maybe because i don't care as much after!). I don't binge after that. I might have a taste, but I don't overeat.

Believe me, I'm an eater. Loooovee sweets. I've NEVER met a cookie i didn't like.

Ut Oh
 

Thanks all, for making me feel I am not alone AGAIN. You're the greatest. I am taking 1 day at a time so yesterday I did a little better (meaning only 1/2 dozen treats not a dozen-- LOL)

Enjoy the holidays & we'll get on track again next Jan 1st.

Love,

Mar

great thread for the holidays
 

I cooked Christmas Dinner from a weight watchers cook book, including two desserts. Ate and ate. Didn't gain. Great idea about the beer -- Samuel Adams light is wonderful. I lost 54 pounds on Weight Watchers Core program. Took me exactly one year. I've maintained for three months. My oncologist thinks I'm a hero. So does my primary care doctor. Boy has this holiday been difficult!! Had lunch with Joan M and Becky at Lambertville Station Inn in New Jersey and I ate like there was no tomorrow. I have to get weighed at my Weight Watchers meeting before the end of December. Wish me luck that I've maintained for month four.

Wow Mjo...that's awesome. Just had to "weigh" in (lol) and give you a high 5! Losing 54 pounds is super duper fantastic. Good for you. I could surely stand to lose a good 10 - 15 and you are my inspiration.

Sending you another high 5 and a hug,

Mary Jo

We have way too much candy in our house. Boxes and boxes of it, sent from distant relatives. For the past few years I've decided on a cut-off date - and today's the day.

I take all the unopened candy - and there's literally a shopping bag full - to a women's shelter. They always appreciate it, both staff and the families staying there over the Christmas holidays and I feel that we've done something positive.

When my daughter was still living with us, it was our secret routine - to sneak that extra candy out of the house before my husband was aware of it. Because if it stayed - it would get eaten. She's visiting now and doesn't want any back with her so she just gave me her share.

We've had our pig out and it's been lovely. Now we're on to a week of light meals - soup, fish and in particular a fish stew recipe we both love that is very healthy and tasty.

Willpower
 

I know it is difficult to control our eating at this time of the year. We all fall off the wagon occassionally, especially over the holidays. Forgive yourself for an occassional fall and move forward to healthy food.
I allow myself one holiday treat a day. Meanwhile I visulize all the things the healthy food can do for me. Life is about choices. Do I want to be healthier or do I want to enjoy a few moments of fun eating things that may not contribute to good health? If I want better health and if I want to live longer I have to choose the healthy things to eat. I am happier and less stressed when I choose healthy things to eat. I love the healthy foods for what they can do to help me. Most of the time I am so busy trying to eat all the healthy things I forget the other things. I still have cookies in the freezer from last year !!

Wish I had words of wisdom on this. I have the same struggles. I want to eat healthy & try to; I love healthy fruits & veggies. I also can't shake the taste for sugary, salty, fried, creamy, chocolatey, crunchy tasty treats. Sometimes moderation works for me... other times that only triggers the desire for more. If I don't see it in the house it's better. Right now all the Christmas sugar cookies are teasing me... I could take someone's idea on this thread & throw them out -- maybe I'll just tuck them in the back of the freezer in small baggies & see if I can stretch them out until summer.... although I'm not above eating a frozen cookie along with a bowl of ice cream as long as I'm in the freezer...

I love reading this thread and love the fact that we are all alike. Hehe! You do meet an occasional "nut" who will say things like "no thank you, I don't like chocolate" or "no thank you, I don't like sweets" but I find those people, few and far between. I don't believe those are human people anyway..............only aliens or non humans don't like chocolate or sweets....in my opinion.http://her2support.org/vbulletin/images/icons/icon7.gif

One day at a time.....and a commitment each day to healthy living......that's what I try to do. Some days it works and some days it doesn't. I'm learning that I can't nor shouldn't beat myself up over it. Afterall, who am I but a mere human (yes, I am human - I like chocolate and sweets) I guess I don't think I can control when my life will end anyway. Maybe if I did I could control these things better....but I'm more of the philosphy....LIVE AND ENJOY.......LIFE IS SHORT! Of course I know we shouldn't be little piggy's BUT moderation and enjoying life is definitely what I will do.

What a fun thread.................and everytime I read it I want a cookie or something! LOL!

Love you guys....

Mary Jo

Willpower
 

Oh. I love the idea of donating unopened boxes of sweets to the less fortunate by a certain date at the end of December !! Great idea !!
Occassionally a friend who is a total chocoholic and I also exchange after Christmas. I give her unopened boxes of milk chocolate I received and she gives me something "practical" she doesn't want and I may need.
That works too.

I eat whatever treat I feel like eating during the holidays and then after Jan 1st, I get rid of or give away whatever treats are left and go back to my nomal dietary habits. Dark choc is my number 1 weakness.

I treat myself about once a week. I get the Sunday paper and usually a treat. A little bag of M & Ms or a bag of those Peachy treats like the worms. Otherwise, I usually eat pretty healthy. Alas, I got some pretty good treats for Xmas and had a few...but the holiday is over. I'm not perfect but pretty darn good.

Nah, it's not officially the first yet.

Gimme that kiss! I'll eat it! :D

I've been eating like a horse lately. I went back to VA for 10 days to visit family and old friends ( I mean they're not "old", just that I've known them for almost half a century,.....hmmmm, never mind..) Anyhow, Rita and I had our Christmas this past Sunday. I baked a spiral ham, roasted potatoes, carrots, radishes, and sliced a fresh pineapple. I ate until my stomach was tighter than a Choctaw war drum, then I ate some more. Rita decided she wanted a ham sandwich for lunch the next day, so as I was putting the food away, I told her I'd slice some up for her and put it into a tupperware container, only something went wrong. As I began to slice, my willpower snapped like a dry twig under a fat cowboy's boot. I put one piece into the container and then one into my mouth. "Aw man, that's good ham". One piece into the container, then another into my mouth, etc. Same with the pineapple and roasted vegetables. So, my advice is to have someone else put the leftovers away, and just sit on Terri's couch and drink beer. With food, my willpower is in the grocery store. I only buy healthy things, but if it is in front of me, or in the house, I eat it.

Way to go Believe51!!! You are inspiring me to persevere with my rabbit food. Well, you and the fact that none of my nice work clothes fit anymore!

I hate to ask, but does anyone know if Splenda is bad for you? Because that's what's helping me maintain my weight. I have a sweet tooth and it didn't go away just because I lost 54 pounds. I have the same "celebration" appetite, it's just that I'm thinner.

This has a lot of processed food in it, but it sure helps me maintain: Melt lemon or lime sugar free jello in 1/2 cup boiling water. Stir in two containers yogurt - lemon, lime, peach -- you name it. Dump in a partially thawed container of fat free cool whip. Mix it up. I beat it with a whisk. Chill. You can put ,mixture into a reduced calorie graham cracker crust, or forget the crust and eat it like a mousse/pudding.

Mjo, what could be worse? Splenda or obesity? either one "might" cause cancer ;)

My situation is becoming desperate. I'm having probs tying my shoes. And I don't even have those big boobs in the way anymore!!

Gotta finish these rads so i can get in the water aerobics pool! Right now, i'm just wiped out after work every day!

ugh. Fatness sucks.

MJO,

I don't know if Splenda is bad for you, but I have switched to Stevia. I found it at Trader Joe's (if you have one) but have recently seen commercials about this sweetner under another name (can't remember it of course) being sold at the grocery store. Apparently it is derived from a plant but that is all I know about it.

I have finally dropped the extra weight I gained during treatment and will be moving on to taking off the the excess pounds I had pre-treatment. I have now lost 31 pounds through Weight Watchers (just like you MJO) and am feeling great! I joined the last Saturday in August and have been steadily losing - even through the Holidays. For me, it is not a matter of "willpower" but I am making better choices now. I know this sounds trite and it is the mantra of Weight Watchers, but it finally clicked with me. I rarely miss the junk food and actually enjoy nibbling on red bell peppers, celery and tons of fruit. I switched from coffee (with creamer) to green tea and I love it! I know what a struggle it is to lose weight - I've been battling this my entire adult life. I really can say that I am finally at a place where this all makes sense and I know I will be successful.

I wish you all the best of luck with your weight loss efforts. Find what works for you and stick with it. Don't beat yourself up when you give in to temptation. Move past it and just get back to healthy eating. It is not easy, but it is worth the effort!

All my best,

Stevia is a good alternative. It is a fiber and is a plant derivative (I believe from South America) and there is a brand I use called Sweet Leaf liquid stevia. It comes in flavors so you can add it to your water (carbonated if you like soda) You only use about 2 drops to 16oz. of water so the bottle lasts a long time.

By the way, I am back on track with my diet. Thanks for all the laughs.

Mar

I too have discovered Stevia. You can buy packets of it (like Splenda and the other more harmful aspartame sweetners) and carry it in your purse.

I make a pitcherful of green tea every day or two - I use decaf. green tea, let it cool, and then add Stevia to taste. I use a brand called Pure-le Natural One to One Spoonable Stevia for this. I also use it for cooking - in my sweet and sour meatballs recipe I totally replaced regular sugar with this. I have not tried to use it in baking goods.

Pure-le Natural Products has its headquarters in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. I don't know if it available in the US. Website is www.purelinatural.com

all the best
caya