DON'T BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF

You Were Not Given Good Information.
So it is not all your fault.

 "With more fat-free products than ever, Americans got fatter....this focus only on fat calories to the neglect of carbohydrate calories has contributed to this epidemic of obesity."

The quote you just read is from Dr. Walter Willet.

Here are his credentials:

"Walter Willett is professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, a professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School, and the author of Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating. He is also one of the principal investigators on the Nurses Health Study, one of the largest, long-term studies to look at the effect of diet on health. Willett explains how his research on the Nurses Health Study led him to become one of the USDA food pyramid's greatest critics. "The food guide pyramid that was developed in 1991 really is based on the idea that all fat is bad," he says. "This pyramid is really not compatible with good scientific evidence." In this interview, he explains the reasoning behind his revision of the food pyramid to include exercise at the base and to separate out "good" and "bad" fats and carbohydrates. This interview was conducted on Jan. 9, 2004."  (From the sidebar at the pbs link below.)

If you'd like to read the whole interview--and I suggest you do because not only is it informative, it is  important information. 

FAT IS NOT THE ENEMY.  

And it is easy to read, in lay terms. 

Go to this link:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/diet/interviews/willett.html

or 

CLICK HERE .

Just A Thought

MAYBE

.....it's not what we eat that matters.....

But what we don't eat .

How Did I Do It?

It's got to be a first for me--vacation and weight maintenance.

I ate whatever I wanted.  But I made a point to eat small portions and to quit before I felt full.

That strategy allowed me to indulge without bulging.  Indulging usually leads to bulging.

But I guess a person can eat whatever she wants as long as she keeps the portions small.

Wanna be small?  Eat small.

Wanna be healthy/healthier?  Eat healthy/healthier.

It seems simple doesn't it.  Well--I think it is simple.  Good ole common sense.

Whats Your Limit?

Over the years I've gained weight, lost it and regained it.

My limit--the number at which I drew the line in the sand?  Fifty pounds overweight.

It's hard for me to fathom allowing oneself to become 100 pounds overweight.

But then I think--why 50?  Why not 25?  Or even 10?

Just think.  If ten pounds had been my line in the sand limit, how much easier would it  have been on me to lose it?

I think I've only realized the connection between my weight and my decisions these past few months.  There are consequences to the food choices I make.  How could I not 'get' that?  How can any of us not 'get' that?

I think all to often--myself included--we deceive ourselves.  We justify our overeating on the grounds that others get to eat whatever they want and so should we.  But we are foolish.

The reality is that 'others', those without weight issues are not eating whatever they want.  I know a woman who says she eats whatever she wants.  But she doesn't.  She is a very careful eater.  To those observing her she is indulging all the time.  But that is an illusion.  Like most people, she manages her weight.

I wish someone had been 'mean' enough to give me the cold hard truth.  But I understand why they didn't.  It's not popular to be the bearer of bad news.  So nice reigns, sits in the high seat, while many go to heck in a hand basket.

Don't make the mistake I did.  Don't deceive yourself.  Don't believe the lies you tell yourself.  Only you can decide what to eat and how much of it to eat.  And ultimately, you as well decide how much weight you will carry on your body.

And remember--there's no fool like an old fool.  I'm just getting in under the wire of wasted years, almost too late for it to matter.  Don't go there.  Please.  For your own sake.  Don't go there.

So here’s the deal. I've been frustrated with my stalled weight loss and recent gain. I’ve been gaining weight even though I’m eating the same amount of food.

Before I actually weighed myself, I noted that I felt bloated--that my clothes felt tighter. That was what tipped me off that I needed to check in at the scale. I wasn’t surprised to see it ‘up’. With the way my clothes were fitting and my past history it was to be expected--par for the course.

In my frustration I didn’t really know what to do--I’ve been at this bend in the road many times. What I do know is that I can’t give up. I don’t want to regain the whole 50 pounds I lost back in 2002. But where to go from here--what is the answer?

Help came from an unexpected source: Eater’s Digest Monday--this issue: December 8, 2008

The issue contained several articles that caught my eye and shed some light on what might be my problem. It wasn't new to me information--but I have failed to incorporate it into my eating habits with any regularity. I slip back into old habits.

I got some insight as to what may explain my weight gain and inability to lose even though eating in a range that should cause weight loss.

One of the articles made this summation and in a nutshell it explains what I think is going on with my stalled weight loss:

“someone could be eating a relatively small amount of calories daily but at the same time be promoting a great deal of fat storage by: 1) making poor food choices; 2) combining macro-nutrients in a nonproductive fashion and 3) consuming food infrequently at inopportune times”.

Bingo.

You can read the articles in their entirety. Here they are with their links:

***Overlooked Fat Loss Factor

***High Protein Meals May Help Overweight Burn Fat

***Secrets of Health Conscious Foodies

Who’s to say if the research is right or not? Most of the statements “suggest” a reason for the outcome, so it‘s not necessarily hard core fact. At any rate--I’m taking them to heart. Why?

Number one, I’ve got nothing to lose if they don’t work and number two, because it dawned on me that while my food volume/caloric intake had not really changed, the make up of it had… I resemble the examples given in the articles--so maybe there is an application for me.

I’ve been eating lots of crackers, cookies, bread--simple carby stuff--and very little protein. I've never been a big meat eater and it's hard for me to eat enough protein to promote weight loss. And I've been pretty much skipping the dairy too.

Also I’ve taken to ‘needing’ a night time snack every night without fail (too many carbs and not enough protein during the day?).

Those nighttime snacks have been the carby stuff. I'll feel hungry--get out something low cal but high carb and before you know it I've scarfed down a lot of carbs.

As I mentioned, my protein intake has fallen way off . By days end my protein intake was really low. And that, I think, may explain the weight gain. More carbs mean our bodies store more fluid by volume to metabolize those carbs. Hence the bloated puffed up me. And according to the research a big carb loaded meal causes a rise in insulin which promotes fat storage.

To give you an idea, here are some initial changes I’m putting into place.

--Swap out my one egg and two pieces of toast for 2 eggs and one piece of toast . This changes the protein/carb calorie ratio.

--Eat better during the day (as in more protein) so I don’t ‘need’ the night time snack--but should I indulge in a night time snack, I’ll change it up--no crackers, cookies, dark chocolate chips. Instead --a cup of milk..or some plain yogurt. The milk/carb ratio in dairy is almost perfect. If I ‘give in’ and eat crackers I’ll be sure to accompany them with a low fat string cheese and limit the crackers to a few.

Here are some of the points that jumped jumped out at me:

“the actual number of calories you consume is not the only factor that affects your fat-loss efforts.”

“protein carries the highest thermic effect. Eat more protein; burn more calories.”

"people with higher body fat burn fat better after a high protein meal"

“fiber, as an indigestible nutrient, will not be absorbed…will pass through your intestinal tact undigested” (Key: eat fiber, it fills you up but not out)

“when high levels of insulin are present within the blood, fat burning is brought to a screeching halt” (Key: eat low glycemic foods for fat loss)

“carbohydrate ingestion stimulates a large insulin response and fat ingestion give rise to blood lipid levels--when the two are consumed together, they promote the greatest fat storage.” (Key: eat fat or carbs, add protein)

“large infrequent meals tend to promote storage of the ingested nutrients” (key: eat small meals frequently)

“ingesting a large amount of carbohydrates before bed spikes insulin, deters nocturnal thermogenesis and increases fat storage during sleep....whereas consuming a great deal of calories early in the day does not bring about this problem--these calories are likely to be used as energy to support daily activities”

Fat loss isn't just a matter of calories in, calories out--it's more complex than that.

Picture Me Shouting

What and at whom am I shouting? I'm shouting at myself and this is what I'm screaming: "CUT THE CRAP!!!"
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Before you read any further I want to insert here: I'd decided not to post this--because it is so negative, and Lord knows, we all have enough negativity--we certainly don't need more. But...since I've written this I've gotten some new insight--which I'll share later, along with that veggie rice recipe I mentioned a while back--so I'm feeling better about it all. Read on.
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I'm really stalled with the weight loss...in fact according to the scale I've gained an additional 2-3 pounds...making me a total of approximately 7 pounds above my pre-vacation/Labor day weight.

To give you some insight to what I'm feeling I'm posting the comment I was going to leave in answer to a question Lyn posed on her blog recently. Click here to read Lyn's whole post.

Lyn asked this: Which camp do you fall into?

a) I will stick to healthy eating, work hard, and try to lose weight in December

b)I will make a half hearted attempt to control myself and hope to maintain or not gain too much

c) The heck with it, I give up, I am eating everything in sight and then I will begin fresh with renewed vigor on January first.

This is the comment I was going to leave but it was so lengthy I decided to publish it here instead. Here goes:

I'm a 'B'. I have dieted and lost through too many holidays to only gain it back at some point. I know I could stick it out (as in stay on a diet/plan through the holidays) and lose some weight, but right now my mindset is "why bother" when my history for the past 20 years is the regain always happens.. five years out, two years out.

It just feels like I'm fighting a battle that can't ever really be won. And everywhere I look-- for the most part-- I see the same result with everyone else...they regain too. The only exception might be those who exercise to the point of almost being what seems obsessive to me. I'm betting if they ever stop exercising they will balloon up too. Mind you, I'm not criticizing you if you exercise a lot--in fact I envy your determination and dedication. And I'm becoming a firm believer that regular exercise is key to weight loss and maintenance. So, I'm saying, you're likely not obsessive--but wise.

For me to exercise an hour every day I would have to be obsessive about it. I'd have to take the stance that nothing and nobody is going to hinder me. But that's not me. Could it ever become me? That--I don't know. Every time I get 'set' into a regular exercise routine something out of my control comes along and sabotages it.

So I guess it boils down to being me or being a person who is totally not someone I've ever been. And I'm thinking it is too late and I'm too old to change.

Sorry to be so negative but it's what I'm thinking and feeling. I know weight loss is not hopeless, but short of (it seems to me) being vigilant 24/7 for life there's no real fix. And I don't know anyone who can be 'on' for 24/7/life.

I've invested more hours than I care to add up tracking every morsel I put into my mouth. And for what? I'm no healthier for it. I feel doomed to be 'fat'. I mainly feel frustration over it all.

Fat seems to be my story, my life, my destiny. And lest you think I'm huge, I'm not. But I might as well be.

If I lost 10 pounds it would be great. Another 10 would be perfect...I'd be right where I need to be.

You'd think a person could lose 10 pounds or even 20--but it's just not that easy. I've lost 50 pounds twice, so what gives?

My greater dilemma is that I can't quit for fear of getting bigger--I've been bigger. But I just get tired of losing the same pounds over and over.

Is there anyone else out there that feels as dismal as I do? What have you done, what are you doing to deal with it?

This lose, maintain, regain repeat process is getting real old. I feel like my whole life revolves around what I will eat, what I won't eat, what I can eat. But there is so much more to life than eating. It seems I can't get past that as the focus of my life.

Sad isn't it? A whole life spent examining the how/what/when/where/why of eating as it pertains to weight loss.

I guess I'm just the spirit of "bah humbug".

Hopefully I'll get a new attitude and soon.

Post 'post' comment: I have a better attitude since I wrote this--will share more later.

Why?

The past 3 days have been a bust. I've been eating past my calorie allotment--even though I'm not hungry. Arrrrrgh....Why do I do that? Honestly, I haven't got a clue. Which only serves to frustrate me and compel me to eat even more.

It seems when I "feel" out of control--which has been my feeling of late--I have no resolve. I feel helpless--a victim of whatever "it" is spinning me about, causing me to be discombobulated, rendering me unable to get any traction to stop "it" and get back on the path toward my goal. I feel like I'm in free fall, spinning about, totally without control. "It" carries me like a tidal wave toward looming disaster--to my way of thinking--where I will crash and burn. I need a parachute.

I awaken today, saying mentally, this is the day I attach, get some traction, put it in gear and head away from disaster making quick tracks. Can I prevail today over "it"? I don't know.

And until I can figure out what is really going on I am bound to repeat this behavior. Trying to stop "it" has been futile. How do you stop "it" when you don't even know what "it" is. For sure "it" is the enemy--one of many--that plagues me in my weight loss efforts. "It" has always been operative--that is why I've regained all the weight I've ever lost. Success comes to me, but it never stays. I couldn't maintain my success then, and I'm finding I'm having the same difficulty now.

And I'm well aware of what causes my downfall--eating more calories than my body needs to maintain its weight. But why now? Why back when?

I firmly believe it is something in my subconscious thinking driving me. My behavior is led by that thinking, my intention is set by that thinking. But what the heck am I thinking?!!!! Help! I need that parachute now--a tactic, a strategy, a clue..anything..something..*sigh*.

I refuse to throw in the towel, give up, at this point. I'm running out of years. The quitting tactic did not serve me well. So I've got to continue. But if I continue as I've always done I'm going to end up in the same place. I want to arrive in the land of "slimmed down", normal BMI...finally...and I want to stay in that country...live there--not just visit it.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

You might be wondering--where's this post going..what do shampooing my hair and losing weight have in common?

Well, I was thinking of a scene from "Reba". I never watched that show when it was on in prime time. But when the reruns appeared in the late afternoon my husband and I became huge fans. The show is hysterical.

The scene I'm thinking of relative to this post is the one where the lovable doofus Van comments to Kiera that the directions on the shampoo bottle- "later, rinse, repeat"--are confusing. His conumdrum is the repeat part--how many times is he to lather and rinse? Kiera gives him the look that only she can give and says "once, Van--you repeat once". Duh. He goes off happy, problem solved.

I remember thinking--I'm a bit of a doofus too at times--I had questioned the "repeat" instruction back in the day. The answer I came up with was "as many times as needed to get your hair clean". Because I shampooed daily, lathering and rinsing once was sufficient, no repeat necessary.

But that's not the case with weight loss...one time is never enough for the majority of us. I got to thinking-- if the typical diet came in a bottle the directions would be this: diet, lose, regain, repeat. And in my frustration I ask, as Van did, how many times must I repeat the process?

Now I can't give you a number, but I do know this: repetition is part of the process. Each of us will have to repeat as many times as is necessary for us to learn and conquer, until the equation is changed to diet, lose, maintain. And even then, "gain" will be a part of the equation--except the gain will be minimal--the normal body weight fluctuations and the occasional overindulgence that will always be part and parcel of our life.

One thing that I think is helping me to change and eliminate the repeat part is the realization that there are not 2, but 3 parts to the process. I like to think of the three parts as this: what I'm eating, what's eating me and the physiological response of my body.

For so long I did what I call functional dieting--- eat a certain amount and certain kind of food (what I'm eating) with the expectation that my body would respond by losing fat (the physiological response). But I didn't realize the power of my intention--the part my mind played in the process. It is huge and can make or break me.

These non-food choices (what's eating me) not only impact the physiological processes in my system but because they originate in my thinking-- my being--they lead me and they determine, even dictate, how I will respond in any given food situation.

Historically I've evolved in my approach to weight loss. And at times I get frustrated. In the past I'd throw in the towel and give up. But this time I'm seeing that my backward steps are integral to the learning cycle, so I keep pressing forward-- aiming high--believing that I will at some point in the future hit the bulls-eye of my target. No longer will it be "diet, lose, regain, repeat" but "diet, lose, maintain".

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Jesus said "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he". Paul said in Romans chapter 12 "be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." These are powerful words, full of wisdom, and applicable to every area of life.

It is the mind--the thinking-- that leads to our way of behaving. And if we want to transform our behavior, we must "renew" the mind. Let me repeat--transformation is the result of renewal of one's mind.

Renewing the mind requires examining the mind-- the thinking, the beliefs-- and correcting any faulty thinking. Unless we correct our thinking, nothing will change. The same thinking will produce the same actions and result in the same behavior.

Perhaps we keep needing to "diet, lose, regain, repeat" because we were just going through the motions having never fully examined and corrected our faulty thinking--and as a result, there was no "renewal of mind" and therefore no transformation.

Are You a Normal Eater?

Take this quiz , copied from Normal Eating, to determine if you are a "normal" eater. Choose one answer in each section.
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HUNGER
1. I often eat when I'm not hungry, but just want to stuff something into my mouth.

2. I try to deny my hunger and hope it goes away.

3. I usually eat whenever I'm moderately hungry.

CHOOSING FOODS

1. I go for high-calorie, high-fat, high-carb, "bad" foods.

2. I eat only low-calorie, low-fat, low-carb, "good" foods.

3. I eat a combination of foods based on my hunger level and what I enjoy.


ENJOYING EATING

1. I eat so fast, feel so guilty, or am so tuned out when I eat that I rarely enjoy food.

2. I don't think about food as enjoyable or nourishing, only how it will affect my weight.

3. I generally find eating a pleasurable experience.

FULLNESS AND SATISFACTION

1. I often eat way past full and/or satisfied and end up eating too much.

2. I eat as little as possible and rarely feel satisfied after eating.

3. I usually stop eating when I am pleasantly full or satisfied.
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Evaluate Your Answers:

If you most often checked off the first box in each section, it's likely that you're an emotional, compulsive overeater.

If you most often checked off the second box in each section, it's likely that you're a chronic dieter or restrictive under-eater.

If you most often checked off the third box in each section, it's likely that you're a "normal" eater.

If you checked off a mixture of first and second boxes, it's likely that you yo-yo between dieting and binge-eating.
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For more information check out the Normal Eating website.

Maria's Last Diet Blog

Pasted here for you is a blog post from Maria's Last Diet:
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Your Weight Loss Challenge is Mostly Mental

by Maria's Last Diet

Are you at a weight you hate?

Want to build your dieting muscle?

Exercise the power of thinking.

In order to lose weight, don't lose your mind.

Think! Use your head!

Think about:

--when you overeat
--why you overeat
--how you're feeling before you overeat
--how you're feeling after you overeat
--what you might do instead of overeating
--how you would feel if you lose the weight
--how you would feel if you don't

It's mind/body, always. The connection is undeniable.

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There is a lot of helpful information at the Maria's Last Diet website. I'll be posting some more of it here in the future. Check out the website if you have time.

After Vacation Weigh In and "Why Weigh?"

I weighed in this morning and my vacation weight increase is 1.25 pounds. I'll take that! It's very good considering that I had so much fried seafood and so few fruits and veggies. My diet mainly consisted of protein, fat and bread---I'm not kidding! I thought it might be worse. But I did practice Intuitive Eating--allowing myself to eat what I desired but within the parameters of not surpassing "full" on the food scale---all the while giving myself permission to eat more should I really want to--which I didn't, mostly because I knew I could, i.e.--I had permission. Which works like reverse psychology! Tell me I can't have it--I want it! Tell me I can have all I want--meh..not so much...lol. Such is human nature...

Below is a post I wrote in explanation as to why I choose not to weigh sooner following vacation.
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We got in late Saturday from vacation. I am in no hurry to weigh myself. Why?

Vacation is not over-- my husband won't return to work until later in the week---which means we'll be eating out more than usual and my routine won't be back to normal.

Because I'm not on a diet in the conventional sense, I am not off program or on. My food perspective is the same on vacation or off. But, being on vacation, I've allowed myself to eat foods that I don't normally eat and in larger quantities. Why?

Because they are foods not normally available or are foods I reserve for special occasions and I choose/chose to indulge myself. And doing so, I surely can't and don't expect that I will lose any weight. Quite possibly I may not have gained any either.

You see---because I'm willing to have periods of time in my eating life where I'm satisfied to maintain my weight or even see it increase slightly--even though my ultimate goal is to reduce my weight-- I am able to eat normally anywhere, anytime. It's all good, it's all my choice, and there is no guilt nor deprivation and no rebound effect...no urgency to get back on the wagon. The wagon is out of my life, for good! Thank God. (Sigh of relief)

Usually there are two reactions for those on conventional diets following vacation. Some want to face the music and get on the scale immediately. Others are afraid to see the number on the scale and put it off. Panic --all too often--sets in, and their response is a binge that lasts until they are sick of food. They purge--literally or figuratively---and then start over. It's a vicious cycle and of little or no benefit in the long run.

I'm in neither group of scale reactors. Prior to Intuitive Eating I would have been in the second group---putting it off, afraid of what it would show, eating and eating, feeling out of control and when I reached the end of my frenzy, worn out, I'd figuratively purge and start on my diet again, resolving to be successful this time.

But since I rejected typical dieting last January 2007, I operate on a different diet wave length. The scale has a small insignificant role in my life. It provides some input and helps me to assess some aspects of my journey. But changing my relationship with food is about more than decreasing my calorie intake to lose weight.

The scale may not move for a month, but that does not indicate that I'm failing in my endeavor.

So, getting on the scale today, or in a few days, is moot.

Because I suffer from IBS and travelling always gets me "out of sorts" the scale may not be a reliable informant as to whether or not I gained weight while I was gone.

I could get on, see an increase, and then when I got straightened out see the number go down. But it would not be due to fat gain nor loss. It would be an artificial gain and loss.

My thinking--why bother?

I find the scale of little value when it comes to weight loss. And in fact, I think it all too often does more harm than good. It is easy to become scale addicted. I've been there. The number on the scale determined if I'd have a good day or bad. What a waste of life! Infrequent weighing will yield the same information.

But that's me....you may not agree. No matter, though. I've been running up and down this road for a long time, and followed the conventional wisdom. I've found it sadly lacking.

The years I have wasted on diets---only to regain the weight, ignorant of the fact that I had to go much deeper and examine the "why" in order to make lasting changes--are years I will not get back. I'm kicking myself now for believing the hype and falling for the slick salesmanship, ruing that I actually spent money--lots of money---making the diet hucksters richer.

And it annoys me too that the medical establishment thinks it's as simple as handing you a sheet of paper with a list of do's and don'ts. Dear blog friends---our way of thinking determines our behavior. Until you go deeper and examine the "why"---why do you overeat?--- and address it appropriately, you are doomed to repeat your history.

You may ask "if I can lose weight following a diet, why does it matter if I know the reason I overeat?". Because---you will not follow that diet for the rest of your life. You may make some lifestyle changes that stick---but you will not "do" the diet forever. You will go "off" it. And...if it is a low calorie diet, your body metabolism will adjust to the low caloric intake and you will find you must continue that low intake or else gain weight when you increase it---unless you become a slave to exercise. Are you willing--are you able--to exercise an hour or an hour and a half every day? Most of us aren't. And those who are able can't always continue that for life. At some point, their life will change--they get married; have a baby; change jobs; move; get sick--whatever-- and they won't have the time or ability to maintain that level of exercise.

Bottom line? You can lose weight through diet and exercise, but only indefinitely. If you're after long term success, quit wasting your time with functional dieting. Examine the root of your problem with food, and change your relationship with food. I believe that is the best way to have lasting results and defy the odds.
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Laugh a lot--burn more calories: According to Vanderbilt University laughing causes you to burn 20% more calories! (Click on laughing causes....to go to link.)

Vacation and Intuitive Eating

After eight days away from home with lots of eating out I’m one pound heavier than I was when I left. Not too shabby considering….

I mainly focused on the Intuitive Eating hunger scale, honoring my hunger and respecting my fullness ….though I did find it all too easy to be distracted.. It is difficult too, to maintain focus, when faced with lots of out of the ordinary treats and circumstances. It’s easy to slip into that old auto pilot routine of mindless eating. I managed to make some trade offs--going for the foods that I really wanted, craved or were not what I could get at home. Had I been able to keep up with my walking and weight lifting routine I may not have gained at all.

During the trip up and back, which is 10 hours by car I found it most difficult to make good choices because those choices are so limited. Not being one who wants to waste time stopping and eating, I mainly grab fast food--and order stuff I can eat while driving without making a mess of my clothes and the car. Hence no grilled chicken sandwiches---those are two fisted eats. I find that the chicken breast has a tendency to “squeeze” out like a slippery bathed baby or a greased pig. The regular cheeseburger or hamburger or even the chicken nuggets seem to be easiest and if I’m really hungry---and who isn’t when you’re riding in the car basically bored--I add some fries minus the catsup…all downed by a large caffeine laden drink so I won’t fall asleep at the wheel.

Breakfast is always a sausage biscuit plus coffee for the caffeine. I never eat those at home for several obvious reasons---so I look forward to them when I travel. To get some fruit in I usually grab an orange juice--easy to drink and drive--- despite the high calories and lack of fiber. Hey---we don’t live in a perfect world. In a perfect world all the fast food would be healthy, at least in my world it would be. Fruit and yogurt is out because eating anything that requires utensils is less than safe. Missing my mouth and having food end up in my lap could be so distracting that I might run off the road and end up in a ditch or worse….dead or maimed for life….none of which is what I consider “healthy”. So for “health’s” sake I go with the juice.

So I was riding along and thinking--you have lots of time to think when traveling alone by car for 10 hours--how could I minimize the damage with my fast food choices. That’s when Art Linkletter came to mind.

Mainly I remember him for his show “Kids Say the Darn'dest Things” back in the day. And, only God knows why, but also for his answer when asked how he lost some weight. His answer---I ate as I always do, I just cut everything in half.

Now that works if you basically eat the same thing everyday. But if you’re like me, it’s kind of hard to know how much half is…half of what you would eat? or should eat? Without any absolute eating patterns eating half won’t work for me.

Continuing to ponder I came up with my own take. Mind you also--for me to leave half of anything is a no go. Guess it’s all those years of being taught “waste not, want not” and “there are starving children in China”--- there’s no way I’m throwing out half of the food I order.

Here’s what I came up with. Lets use a burger as an example. Say it has 400 calories. One fourth of that burger is 100 calories. Now if I leave ¼ I’ve just saved 100 calories. Or I could leave 1/8 and save 50 calories. I could do the same with my fries. Those multiples of 50 or 100 add up to some pretty hefty calorie savings.

Leaving a fourth or eighth is doable for me. Leaving an 1/8 of my “small in size but high in calories” burger is like leaving a bite. That I can handle…but no way can I leave a half…unless that sucker is gigantic. And if I’m really hungry I’m not likely to be able to quit after eating 3/4s of a small burger….so leaving an 1/8 is ideal.

If I can “save” 100 calories at each of 3 meals and 2 snacks in a day, that adds up to 500 calories saved. And that computes to 3500 over a week which translates into one pound....either not gained, or possibly lost. At any rate, even saving 100 calories a day will result in preventing a gain of 10 pounds over a year or possibly an effortless loss of 10 pounds.

Bottom line: When I find myself in a calorie dense or food wise dangerous situation, if I only go for the foods I want, crave, can’t get routinely in the parameter of tasting good enough to continue eating and couple that with leaving 1/8 or ¼ of any or all of the choices, I should pretty much be able to eat what I want without feeling deprived and without having to count calories, which is often hard to do away from home. Those actions plus the element of eating just until full should allow me to eat, enjoy and minimize the damage.
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Summary: Strategy for eating in dangerous food situations when it is tempting to eat mindlessly

+++Choose what you want

+++Choose what you crave

+++Choose what you can’t routinely get

+++Eat your choices only if the taste justifies it…if you take a couple of bites and it doesn’t taste good, stop eating that particular food…replace it with something else if desired

+++Leave 1/8 of one or more of your choices on your plate

+++Stop eating when you feel full in the stomach so you won’t be overfull and miserable
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Here’s a salad I threw together today: Raw broccoli: about a cup; Red onion: diced, amount to taste; Red bell pepper: maybe a ¼ cup: 4-5 black olives

Toss this with one tablespoon of Annie’s Goddess Dressing mixed with a heaping teaspoon of honey.

This offers lots of chew, good nutrition and eye appeal. I ate this with a single serve pizza. The pizza had 420 calories. When I was halfway through the pizza I was feeling like I was reaching the full mark, so I decided to leave ¼…but it tasted good and I didn’t want to stop---there goes that eating because it tastes good “devil“--- so I left just an 1/8.

That behavior allowed me to save 52.5 calories and I never missed that last big bite. Since I was home I broke off the crust and ate the best parts. I weighed what was to be left behind so I’d be sure to leave 1/8. And best of all----- I didn’t feel deprived.

Take Care of Hunger from Nourishing Connections

Below is an excerpt from Nourishing Connections for October 2004 . Hunger refers to true physiological hunger. Those of us who are chronic dieters have learned to ignore our hunger, for fear of eating too much...so much so that many have lost the ability to recognize true hunger and fullness and with that the ability to eat like a normal person.

Even if you are on a diet, count calories, .....whatever method you use to monitor your weight, you can benefit from practicing eating when hungry, stopping when full. Paying attention to those sensations can go a long way toward helping us get a handle on eating well and give us an edge that will benefit our efforts to maintain our desired weight. Succeeding at that is the true test of whether a method works.
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Nourishing Reflections October 2004

"When you restrict food intake, you must ignore physical hunger. This works—for a while. The longer you restrict and/or the more often your try to restrict, the more difficult it becomes. Sooner or later, hunger will break through, and when it does, it can be quite loud and scary.


However, when you take care of your hunger, your hunger takes care of you. In fact, the simple act of eating when hungry is a profound act of self-care. Eating when hungry signals the ability to listen to and take care of your needs.

Not eating when hungry, on the other hand, creates a constant state of confusion and chaos within the body. Initially, this confusion and chaos can be quite subtle and easy to ignore. Eventually the effort required to ignore hunger becomes all-consuming. Not eating when hungry signals that needs will not be met, that you will not be taken care of. Not eating perpetuates a lack of safety that actually permeates other areas of your life.

Consider an infant who is not fed when she/he is hungry. The child does not feel safe. This core lack of safety occurs in adults when they experience unresolved hunger on a frequent basis. If a child or infant—or prisoner—is not fed when hungry, it is called abuse. If a woman or fat person does the same thing, it is called dieting. " Copied.

Intuitive Eating

I'm currently reading the book Intuitive Eating. I decided to do so because much of what it teaches concurs with many of the changes I made beginning in January 2007 in order to transform my relationship with food. Here I'm sharing an excerpt that I think covers an issue we all, who "diet", deal with.

"We have become a nation riddled with guilt about how we eat. Even non dieters experience eating angst."

"The thought of stealing or lying would instill a sense of guilt in most people. Yet, most dieters are able to create an equivalent level of guilt when they've eaten french fries or a hot fudge sundae. The quantity of any of these "bad" foods has almost nothing to do with the level of despair that is felt when they are eaten. The first bite often evokes a sense of having failed or being bad. Wanting a "bad" or "illegal" food then becomes a morality issue. The subsequent guilt that builds is enough to initiate a period of overeating that can destroy any previous successful weight loss." Copied : page 93-94 of Intuitive Eating

The authors explain that the act of rebelling against a personal belief, as in "cookies are bad" or "I shouldn't eat that" can make us feel like we are out of control. (That's when the panic, at least for me, sets in!) Once the (food) rebellion is unleashed its intensity reinforces feelings of lack of control and the belief: you don't possess willpower! You drown in a sea of self-doubt and shame. In other words, rebellious eating equals "forget you eating" (implying "I'll do as I darn well please and the consequences be @##X*@".

I've found this to be true in my own life and self defeating. That is why I finally understood that I must change the way I "thought" about food. (A person's way of thinking/believing leads to his way of acting/behavior. The ancient writings contained in the Bible teach us that "as a man/woman thinketh, in his heart so is he." )

What to do? How can I...how can we end this destructive cycle? Is is possible to end it? I believe it is because I've been doing it for over a year now and it has made a huge difference in me being able to slowly accomplish my goal of losing 20 pounds.

My suggestion is that you run, don't walk, to the nearest book store or library and obtain a copy of this book. In the meantime you can do what I did on January 1, 2007 for my New Year's resolution: give yourself permission to eat any food you like. Rid yourself of the "banished" food list. You may find as I, that initially you'll be eating those foods that have been forbidden---possibly quite often .... and you'll have to tell the "voices" (not literal) in your head to "shut up" when they declare you "bad, bad, bad!"..... but in time it will get easier and the dynamic will change: those foods will not be nearly as desirable as they were when forbidden.

Getting free from the bondage of food do's and dont's is the first step to putting yourself on the path of eating normally, possibly for the first time since you were a baby: eating when you were hungry, stopping when you had eaten the amount of food your body needed for sustenance.

The book: Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole, M.S., R.D and Elyse Resch, M.S., R.d, F.A.D.A.
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I "speak" as one who has lost 50 pounds twice, and regained it twice. For years I considered myself fat (even when I was not fat) and suffered food angst every time I ate...every morsel of food I put into my mouth became "bad" in some way: too much fat, saturated fat, too many calories, not enough nutrients, cancer causing preservatives, too many carbs, the wrong omega balance, not enough protein, not enough fiber, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Eventually I got to the point where I could not budge the weight off. And I was fed up, disgusted and assumed I'd be "fat" the rest of my life (for now I truly was "fat"). But I tried one more time, and discovered a better way. Believe me---losing 20 pounds slowly is no easy feat. But I am convinced I will keep this weight off forever. And that's the goal... isn't it?

DO THE MATH

I've recounted on my blog how I gained 20 pounds in 10 weeks. My husband had a job transfer and we were living in a motel during the work week, then driving home on the weekend. My routine totally changed and I was getting no exercise. My calorie needs at that weight and acitivity level were, I'd say, 1500 calories a day.

Because we were in a motel and had no way to cook we were eating all of our food out. To save money I was eating fast food during the day while my husband worked. Lets do the math.

Right next to the motel was a gas station with great cappucino---the gas station kind, not the real deal. I'd get a medium---it was only 10 cents more than a large! No nutritional info was available but I'd guess it was about 200 calories.

Next, breakfast at Mickey D's which was right across the street. It inculded a Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscut (430), a small orange juice (140--I need my vitamin C!), a small milk (100---calcium!!) for a grand total of 670 for breakfast--870 for the day...and it's only 9:00 a.m.!!

Lunch would again find me at McD's...you can't beat the $.99 cent menu when you are watching your spending (and we were dealing with double living expenses, plus fuel both ways---500 miles round trip).

Lunch was a Quarter Pounder (410--I needed my protein! and didn't want to spend $4.00+ on a salad), a small order of fries (230), a yogurt parfait snack (160---again, calcium and some fruit!) and a diet Coke. Calorie tally: 800/1670 for the day!

Since I was spending my day exploring the area, and hubby didn't get off work until 7pm, I'd have a late afternoon snack...maybe ice cream from the Marble Slab Creamery---hey...I know I was counting my pennies and a $4.00+ treat didn't fit---but I needed it to give me a mental boost...we hadn't wanted to move this time, so anything that would "cheer" me was embraced. That "little" indulgence was approximately 400-600 calories. Now the calorie tally is 2070/2270 for the day.

And finally--supper time. We'd both be wiped out, so didn't give a lot of thought to our meal..just got what sounded good, was quick and convenient. I don't recall what our evening meals were, but you can bet they cost me at least 500 calories. Tally for the day calorie wise: at least 2570 or higher.

Time to do more math. I stated my calorie need was 1500, but I was eating 2500+...that's 1000 calories a day above my need. Times that by 7 days and you come up with an excess 7000 calories a week. Since it takes an excess of 3500 calories to increase fat by one pound, and I was twice that, I was eating to the tune of a 2 pound increase every week!

This was my situation for 10 weeks.....hence ( more math here) 10 weeks x 2 pounds weight gained per week= 20 pounds gained in 10 weeks!!!

At the time I just couldn't figure out why I was gaining weight. I was sure I had a thyroid problem. But since I've started monitoring my food intake by counting calories it's been pretty easy to see I was overeating. Mystery solved. Case closed.

If you have gained weight, or are gaining...do some math. It may shed some light on the situation.
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Silly me: all that money I "saved" at McD's and the like....I ended up spending, plus more, to buy new clothes because the 20 pounds made me so fat I couldn't fit into anything. The "penny wise, pound foolish" principle applies here, eh?