<p>greenie~sounds like you are doing what I’ve done. I’m on week 4 or so of low sugar (under 15 grams) and have found it very easy to ignore my sweet favorites at this point, even though I still have them in the house for others. The weight is still going down by 2-3.5 pounds a week, and for someone who thought she had NO metabolism at all, it’s pretty amazing! The first week was hard, and somehow I even gained weight although it must have been water because the next week I lost 3. I satisfy my sweet tooth with sugarfree jello with berries, it can be made with selzer for a sparkle & I put a little heavy cream in for the whip cream effect. Last night I sprinkled slivered almonds on for a nice crunch. Good luck!</p>
<p>PS…this really makes me a little sick, but I have not been to the gym at all since I started, and still am losing more than I ever have in a week, even when I used to run 3 miles every other day! I do hope to start fitting it in again soon though.</p>
<p>In the last couple of months, we’ve had both sets of parents visit. They range in age from 76 to 81. I’m amazed at what they DON’T eat. </p>
<p>“Oh, we don’t eat ice cream any more.”</p>
<p>“I try not to have any salt.” </p>
<p>Etc.</p>
<p>I guess it’s admirable that they’ve finally “got religion”, but it’s awfully late in life. Seems like when you’re 80 is when you can let yourself have a small dish of ice cream.</p>
<p>It’s all so interesting from a psychological and parenting standpoing. My husband’s family always had “bed treats” which were usually a cereal bowl piled full of vanilla ice cream…I’m talking about maybe 5 scoops of ice cream before bed. Now all the kids have those kinds of eating habits and they all are overweight…and then their parents announce righteously, “We don’t eat ice cream anymore.”</p>
<p>I guess that many of us need to be more conscious of food issues when we are raising our kids.</p>
<p>Y’know, when I was a girl, almost half of adult Americans smoked. But over the years, many many people in my parents age group quit. I understand that it’s difficult, but many people do it. When I meet an ex-smoker, they don’t seem to be obsessing over not smoking or devoting an enormous amount of mental energy to not having a cigarette. I know many people who quit smoking many years ago and still don’t smoke.</p>
<p>Contrast that to losing weight. I know a number of people who have lost significant amounts of weight by adopting a diet of deprivation. When I talk to such people, it becomes clear that they are obsessing about what they eat; they certainly do not seem to be able to avoid their former diets without a lot of mental energy. And they all eventually gain the weight back, after six months, or a year, or three years, when something else in life happens and they no longer can devote full attention to not eating.</p>
<p>I don’t see any evidence that those people stop wanting their former diets. They may say they don’t have any desire to eat the way they used to, but their actions belie them; they obviously have to work hard to avoid the old food. It’s kind of like someone who assures you that she has completely forgotten about her old boyfriend, doesn’t care that he dumped her, is completely indifferent-- but then you see her spend an hour a day thinking about how to show him she’s better off without him.</p>
<p>So, people stopping wanting to eat delicious rich food after they don’t eat it for six months, hmm, I’d have to see it to believe it.</p>
<p>I get PMS eating urges.
I find that one huge downfall for me is not eating soon enough. If I reach the place of being starved I overeat or eat something unhealthy.</p>
<p>I know that I am eating differently now than I was even one month ago, and I think I am doing better. But, I still eat butter. I do not eat butter every day and when I do eat it, it’s usually a scraping on bread (another food I will not eliminate from my diet). Sometimes that bread is even white bread. I am eating a great deal more whole grain bread than before, but I love bread. </p>
<p>Physically I now have no interest in eating at McDonald’s or any other fast food place. That was a downfall before as I would be on my way home from work and would just go through the drive through. Bad. But yes, once in a while I do think I would love a french fry (or 10 or 20 or 1000). I know that if I ever stopped to get those french fries I would be right on the path back to bad eating habits. </p>
<p>Interesting about the bed treats. When I was in high school, I usually had a bowl of cereal before bed. Now after dinner I brush and floss my teeth so I won’t eat any more that night. My kids never had bed treats, but I guess we ate dinner later so it wasn’t long until they were headed to bed anyway. </p>
<p>I don’t want to live the rest of my life depriving myself. But I think by allowing myself certain foods occasionally (butter) it will be easier to resist foods like french fries. We’ll see how it goes.</p>
<p>I doubt that there is “scientific proof” of anything of the sort. There are scientific studies that provide “evidence” of some assertions, but “evidence” is not proof. It is extremely difficult to construct a good study when human behavior is involved – too many variables, too much possible influence from placebo or Hawthorne effect, etc. </p>
<p>That being said, humans tend to be creatures of habit – so we can certainly influence our own food cravings by changing habits over time. I mean, I now eat yogurt with fresh fruit for breakfast every day, and I hardly ever eat eggs. I love eggs and I still do, but most mornings when I get up I go straight for the yogurt, because that’s become my food habit. </p>
<p>But I still like eggs, and I am far more likely to order eggs for breakfast at a restaurant than yogurt. Yogurt has become an at-home, breakfast comfort food – not a something-to-pay-extra-for, restaurant food in my mind. Restaurant meals have become special occasions in which I expect to be eating foods with higher calorie & fat content – and an omelet on a breakfast menu seems like a healthier alternative than belgian waffles. </p>
<p>But I think that rather than look to “science” you have to look to individual patterns. That’s why my own diet plan involved figuring out which things I was most comfortable giving up and starting with those, rather than trying to create an endless internal battle over foods that I love.</p>
<p>I’m not sure it’s fair to compare eating and smoking. As people with any eating issue (bulimia/anorexia, etc.) will tell you, you are forced to face your issue many times a day; you can’t live without food. It’s not something you can put out of your mind for even a few hours. With smoking, unless you live with someone who continues, you are not continually having to make a choice every few hours of the day as to what you will smoke, how much of it you will allow yourself to smoke and what is the healthiest way to smoke and sustain life. We can’t escape food; when you quit smoking, you can choose not to have cigarettes in your house.</p>
<p>Agree with Calmom…it’s all about habits. I have cut out all artificial sugars - soda and the like…and I don’t miss this stuff one bit. I have also removed most processed food from my diet and have no desire to return to that junk. I find whole foods to be delicious…my only challenge is how to eat when I’m traveling or on vacation. Lately, we’ve been renting condos so we can avoid junky restaurants! </p>
<p>That said, I do see some folks going to extreme levels to lose weight. I don’t and that may be why I only have lost 10 lbs in the last year (since changing my habits). For example, I still have a sweet tooth, and indulge in small amounts of dark choc plus sweeten my tea and oatmeal very lightly (with agave). And I’m not willing to give that up! Plus I like one or two glasses of wine on the weekend. A friend told me I should give it up cause it’s a toxin and is contributing to inflammatory disease. Wow. I don’t think I’m going there.</p>
<p>In any case, I find this thread helpful. Some great tips! And everyone is different…some are OK with black bean brownies, others might get sick at the thought of them …but it’s all cool. You do what works for you. And I would rather be a few pounds overweight (or exercise more) than give up my dark choc or glass of wine on Saturday night!</p>
<p>I agree, but I was responding to hmom5’s claim that if we stop eating some forbidden food for a while, we’ll stop wanting it. If I stop eating chocolate and ice cream, I will still be surrounded by chocolate and ice cream on TV, on restaurant menus, in grocery stores, at parties. In that world, the world we all actually live in, hmom5 claims that I’d stop wanting hot fudge sundaes and come to prefer an apple. Well, I wouldn’t. Sorry. I love apples, but I also love ice cream. I can stop buying ice cream and having it in my house, but I can’t stop liking it.</p>
<p>When I was nursing D1, she had a severe lactose intolerance, so I had to discontinue all dairy foods in my diet for a number of months. Once her digestive tract matured and I could slowly reintroduce it, I found I had really lost my taste for milk. Prior to this, I used to drink it out of a glass, daily. I don’t think I’ve had a glass of milk since then, although I will have milk in my cereal. My taste for cheese never came back to what it was (if you asked my family, they’d say I lived off cheese when I was growing up), but I do still eat it.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it’s one of those food items that would be good for me to have gotten back my taste for as I struggle with getting enough calcium in my diet.</p>
<p>Melsmom,
When was the turning point for you? Even though I haven’t done it, there have many several times today when I had to keep myself from grabbing a piece of chocolate. I’m wondering how much longer I have to go through this detox period until the cravings lessen.</p>
<p>P.S. I am trying to use the quote function, but I have no idea if I did it right.</p>
<p>Edit: Obviously I didn’t do it right. Where did the quote go?</p>
<p>So you guys who are limiting sugar…you think this is a lifetime thing? If I force myself to stop eating dark choc, you think I’ll lose the craving? Really? Perhaps I should give it a try but I always fall back on “life is short” - don’t deny yourself things you enjoy (isn’t there another thread going on that very topic?)</p>
<p>Actually dark chocolate is good for you. Last night I was reading a story online about the Flat Belly diet, and it listed several food items that you should make sure you include in your diet.</p>
<p>If you scroll through the list, you’ll find dark chocolate included. There was also a link with 35 recipes I think that included these foods, and I printed a couple of them off. One of my treats now that completely satisfies my sweet tooth is dark chocolate covered raisins. The ones I found at Fresh Market are so good that I can eat a handful, one at a time, and feel as good as if I’d just eaten a bowl of chocolate ice cream. Does make for some interesing flossing at night, though. :eek:</p>
<p>An ounce of dark chocolate only has 12.5 grams of sugar. I would eat that if I cared to, but limit any other sugars for the day. No problem. I enjoy potato chips, crackers, sweet potato fries some sugarfree cereal and all the butter, cheese & eggs I want. I’ve eliminated white food pretty much (such as rice, bananas, potatoes & very little pasta) only because I’d rather get my fill on meat & vegies. I don’t know if this is lifetime, but I know that with my endless cycle of sugar bingeing I’m better off not jumping back on that crazy rollercoaster. I really do feel satisfied and eat all day long!</p>
<p>tewitt…^^^hey I got that flat belly book about this time last year. Love it. Adapted my habits and it wasn’t hard cause I love things like almonds, avocado and dark choc. Well, it’s been a year and I can’t say I have a flat belly. I did drop some pounds but not enough and I’ve hit a plateau that will not budge. So now, it’s a decision…do I cut out some more calories somehow? Give up the wine? I look OK now, especially in black…but I could still stand to lose some! I changed my habits so much and I don’t think I have any more left in me!</p>
<p>Mr. Fang has severe food allergies, so for the first six months I nursed Fang Jr I was advised to avoid milk & milk products, eggs, shellfish and peanuts. There might have been something else I avoided as well, maybe soy, the whole period has mercifully slipped from my mind. </p>
<p>What has not slipped from my mind, and what didn’t slip from my mind then either, was my liking for those foods. I never for one second found I had lost my desire for them. For that reason, I am exceedingly dubious that another six months without ice cream and pizza would convince me I didn’t want them.</p>
<p>Red wine doesn’t have much sugar at all, maybe 2 grams? I just pick the cheese & meat off my pizza (I know it prob looks weird) and would definitely buy the low carb ice cream for a treat, if I wanted some. PS, I was borderline high blood pressure and was happy to see it going down my last visit, 2 weeks into low sugar lifestyle change. Will check it again on my mother’s digital cuff when I get a chance. I’m sure it was due to my being 30 or so lbs overweight.</p>
<p>I agree with the idea that you can stop smoking and never smoke again, but you can’t stop eating. </p>
<p>There’s a movie (Arthur?) where they talk about eating “cheap disgusting food.” I’m really trying to think about what I put into my mouth. Except for the fries when they’re hot, nothing at McDonald’s appeals to me. It all just seems so gross. Easy to drive by McDonald’s without stopping.</p>
<p>I love sweets…but not all are worth the calories. If someone brings an ultra sweet grocery store cake to work, it’s easy to decline a sample. But if someone brings a home made triple chocolate cake to work, I’ll have a piece. </p>
<p>I think I save quite a few calories by being intentionally picky (Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream - yes; Albertson’s brand - no). My husband, on the other hand, will eat ANYTHING and it shows.</p>