Starting Over

[BB]

Hi all,

Just a note to say I fell off the wagon. I've actually gained weight but I think it's from wrong thinking regarding Sday eating. With me it seems like it's all or nothing as far as binging on S days. I have great intentions but once I start eating something sweet it seems like that old sugar addiction is immediatly in control.

I also lift weights 3 times a week. Does anyone have any idea how much weight gain that can cause?

I think I'm going to set some sort of limit on my Sday indulgences at least until I get some control over the addiction.

Thanks for the support

[gratefuldeb67]

Hey BB! You will get on track!!!
Good luck again!
Muscle weighs three times as much as fat...
Therefore, if you are really lifting often, it is quite conceiveable that some of the gain could be resulting from muscle mass gain...
Are you gaining mass?
Take measurements of your arms and stomach and you can chart your various body changes, not just your weight...
If your weight changes and your size stays around the same, then you are surely converting fat to muscle....
So, don't worry, everyone makes mistakes here!
You will regain your control... Give yourself a hug and pat on the back for caring enough to post about this!
You will do it!!!
Peace and Love,
Deb

[Sandy]

I am capable of doing that same exact thing - tasting sweets and going overboard. On S days I still try to eat three meals and one great dessert at night. If I happen to have waffles or a muffin for one of those meals thats okay. Also, when you finish a meal or your dessert at night - brush, floss, gargle - it stops the eating pattern quite nicely. The nice part is you wake up in the morning proud of yourself for not going overboard because no matter how much you ate - its still only a memory!

[peetie]

Hi BB,
I had the exact same problem in the beginning. Reinhard suggested that I look at the treats as rewards for being good all week, and somehow, that made it feel less compulsive. A reward is usually more contained. A binge is more of an out of controlled thing....maybe it's just semantics, but it helped me.

Also, I made sure to tack that sweet treat at the end of a meal that contained lots of protein and fat and fiber. That way, I wasn't truly hungry....so I could savor the sweet taste without eating massive amounts to fill the hunger. And the fiber and protein help stabilize the blood sugar so you don't have a huge drop ten minutes later and want more.

Hang in there. I have a sweet tooth that could eat your sweet tooth for breakfast! Things that most people scruntch up their nose after a bite and go, "Ewww, too sweet!" are things I can ingest without batting an eye. So, if I could come to this place of moderation, all things are possible in the world!

Peetie

[BB]

Hi all,

Thanks ladies for the kind comments. I definitely am going to keep trying as I can't stand the constant obsession about food other diets seem to promote. I think in my mind I justify binging because of being good all week. I have a hard time considering a single serving a reward. I think it stems from childhood eating habits. When there were sweets around we always ate them until they were gone, so the reward being only a single serving goes against 40 years of bad habits.

Peetie,
As far as sweet tooths are concerned I've been known to sit down to left over frosting with crackers and eat it like dip

Anyway,
Thanks for the support
Bob

[peetie]

Bob,
Yes, but have you eaten a whole can of frosting in one sitting? I think you may have met your sweet tooth match.

Peetie

[gratefuldeb67]

Was it prune flavored frosting????????????????

LOL!
Love,
Deb

[reinhard]

Bob,

Question: is it the actually intake that is a problem, or the fact that it demoralizes you into botching the rest of the week?

Suggestion: I guess that was kind of a pointless question, because either way (or both ways!), something has to be done. Here's an idea: for you, take "sometimes" to mean no more than once an S day. S days will be like N days except you get one sweet snack-out. That snack-out should be close ended, not all you can eat frosting, but a something limited and planned. Plan generously, especially at first, and something you really want: a single big piece of cake or 4 cookies on a plate or an ice cream sunday, etc.

Hope this or something else does it for you,

Reinhard

[BB]

Reinhard,

I do think both aspects are a problem. Most of my failures with diets always started with a small cheat and then the guilt took over and hence the downward spiral.

I do think the limited S is what I need to feel in control but still rewarded.
Thanks for the insight and support!

Bob

[peetie]

Deb...I think you're onto something. The perfect senior birthday cake! Prune frosting with a high fiber cake.

And, Bob, you will be amazed, if you don't panic and run (been there done that many times in the food arena) you will find eventually you will actually want less of the sweet stuff. As long as you don't take away too much too soon and create feelings of deprivation so that you rebell, you can talk yourself down from that NoS window ledge you are tempted to jump off of.

I think Reinhard's suggestion is a good one. One large piece of cake so you get to indulge, and not in a half assed way.....one sliver of cake for a foodie is like telling an alcoholic to just smell the cork.

And eventually, YOU just may decide a little smaller piece is okay too. Give yourself time to settle down and settle in.

Peetie

[BB]

Hey Peetie,

I think I may have to make some prune cake for my S treat. Not quite sure on the prune frosting though!

I agree that the treat should be sizable as skimping with me does seem to build resentment. Balance is a hard thing for me to master. Looking forward to the day when less is more!

Have a good evening,
Bob

[Kevin]

There are other ways to reward yourself if sweets are the problem: eat seconds, eat (non-sweet) snacks.

My S day "treats" tend to be popcorn, a beer, maybe a couple of pretzels, and an extra serving of the entree at dinner. That's plenty.

Oh, and gaining muscle puts on weight quickly. But it's good weight. Worry about how fit you are, not how much you weigh. I started in 38 pants and my 36s are a bit big now, but I'm not really losing much weight anymore, because I'm doing resistance exercise. My shirt sleeves and shoulders are tighter, so I know where the weight is. It doesn't bother me one bit. :0)