When someone is watching what they're eating, it's always tough at Christmas. As long as you give your body a taste then it won't feel like it's deprived. 

Sammie, I think it's important to do the best that you can to extend your life but why not give yourself a pat on the back every once in a while instead of focusing on always working hard at watching what you eat. You deserve some indulgence every so often. It is very important to know your limits and stop there. Therefore, at Christmas, Birthdays etc, you can enjoy some stuff in moderation---MODERATION is the key word here.

I am lucky, I don't have a weight problem, but my sister does so I'm very aware of the do's and don'ts especially around Christmas. It is very easy to get caught up in all the hype and forget about what you're going to have to be dealing with when all the celebrations are over and done with.  But a little treat now and again, is okay in my books, just as long as you ENJOY what you're putting in your mouth and not doing it absent mindedly.

All this being said, the important thing is to make healthy food choices and retain them during the holiday season, BUT you should enjoy some treats, but don't over do it or you'll kick yourself when you're trying to shed those calories. We all know that it's a lot easier to gain than to lose 

I agree completely, JAM.& I did say that I was not talking about total deprivation in my last post, but as far as a pat on the back goes, I don't think it has to be with food...why not a reward of new, smaller clothes!

I also don't think it's necessary to think of sticking to healthy foods as being deprived. I don't consider myself to be working hard at watching what I eat, but simply retraining my body to stop craving fat & sugar, The rising incidence of diabetes in our kids is very concerning. And as we age, we also need to watch cholesterol levels, etc. It's not just about looking good anymore!

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Darlin', I'm beside myself
And I don't think that you
Know which one of me
That you are talking to...~ Serena Ryder

Oh I hear ya. I was just generalizing when I said "not to deprive oneself" I know that you wrote that you don't, which is the smart way to be, as then your body is not "craving" as much if at all. 

Looking good should not be the first thing on anyone's list especially when dealing with changing a way of eating. Firstly should be health. We should always make sure that we're healthy otherwise, it doesn't matter how "good" you look, if you don't have your health, you have NOTHING.

Sugar levels, cholestrol levels, blood pressure etc, those things should be monitored and when your lifestyle is changing, hopefully these levels change alongside  Thats the most important. I have diabetes in my family, my mom and my sister, so I can speak personally on that level. It's not fun. Looking better (maybe) is just a bonus from losing the weight the most important thing, is HEALTH. Beauty if just skin deep.

I don't know about Sammie, but some people stay away from desserts and treats for awhile when they first begin a weight loss program because they choose to cut out refined sugar completely from their diets for a variety of reasons. For one, refined sugar is just plain bad for you. I say listen to your body. If you know that chances are you won't stop at one bite, then pass on that dessert. Don't look at it as depriving yourself. Look at it as rewarding yourself. Hell, you ARE rewarding yourself. You're not putting all sorts of sh*t in your body anymore. Give yourself a BIG pat on the back for that!

So, JAM, do you bake with some kind of sugar substitute then, so your family members can enjoy your baking, or to avoid falling prey to diabetes yourself? I don't have any family or friends with the disease, so I don't know much about dealing with it other than insulin.

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Darlin', I'm beside myself
And I don't think that you
Know which one of me
That you are talking to...~ Serena Ryder

I do bake with a sugar substitute if I'm baking with them in mind, but when I have family functions, I bake with regular sugar, and they just either have a little bit. But when I bake for ME well, hmmmmmm anything goes I guess. There are wonderful things out there for diabetes these days. They have jams, sugar, bread etc so you still get to have the things you enjoyed before you became a diabetic.

Lori, I totally hear ya when you say that people on a diet stay away from the "bad" stuff and that's GOOD as long as you dooooooo stay away. Normally, that little devil on the shoulder is tempting you for a taste, so that's what I mean by not depriving you and if it's a battle, then just take a little taste and HOPEFULLY you can stop at that. I know it's hard for me to stop eating something that I just totally LOVE. So more power to you if you can do that.

But it's not only proper eating that's going to shed those pounds. I have heard that you need at least 8 hours of sleep. Just heard that the other day again so it must be true. 

Eating properly, sleeping and exercise is the key to a fit, healthy life.  

Sammie!!!!! You are doing soooooo awesome!!! I am soooo very please for you and proud of you. Sticking to an exercise program is tough. It's easy to let yourself off the hook and say well, for today I'll take a pass.........and soon you are skipping more and more. So, you just pat yourself on the back, or as my daughter did (after at long last she told off her soon to be x) she high fived herself!!!! She threw a little jump into the air and said "high five sister!!!"What a funny girl. She has been working out for about three or four months now, her boss also owns a personal training bussiness, so he has worked with her. I must say that she looks the best she has ever looked. She was not ever overweight, just not toned. She is now. And, she is eating very healthy food choices.

I am overweight. I have tried a million different ways to lose the pounds that I have added on over the last 15 or so years. I was never over 135, except when I was expecting one of the girls, but I lost all my extra weight fast and never worried about what I ate. Then it caught up to me. I won't go into details, but I have had a great deal of health issues over those 15 years and slowly, slowly, I have gained a lot of weight. I struggle with it daily. Sometimes hourly. It's hard to be bigger than you want to be or should be for health reasons. I hate what I see in the mirror. I am very hard on myself. I don't eat cause I'm hungry. I eat cause I'm sad, bored, lonely, happy, cause it's there, cause I've had a hard day and I talk myself into believing that I owe it to myself......or I'm cranky, or I'm mad and on and on it goes. Self control. Why oh why do I buy the silly things that I should not bring into the house? I am in control of what I buy, so why on earth do I make such bad choices. On paper it all sounds like it should be easy. Eat less, move more. It's not hard. I would benefit greatly and some of my health issues would be eased if I did the right thing. I have decided to stop worrying about "diet" and just eat more healthfully.

Christmas or not, over indulging is not really the way to go if you are working on your problems related to food. I know many people who belong to the "Oh come on! Just have a couple!" club, people who are, even if they don't realize it, they are saboteurs. They lack respect for the people who are working very hard at staying away from "treats" and to hear someone say to you that it's Christmas or your birthday, well, it's very hard to hear. I think that if I have said no thank you, then move on, I can always get something later if I want to have it. For some reason though, some people chide those of us who dare to say no thank you. I am not someone who goes out of my way to upset anyone. I have yet to be rude to anyone, but it's there, I push it down. It's hard. It's okay for people to pass on something.....so why then do others feel the need to presure another person to eat something they already have said no too?

I am finding great motivation from Sammie. And, I wonder if we should be sharing healthy eating ideas instead of talking about all that food that we are trying to avoid and not think about. I used to really think it was a bad idea when I was at Weight Watchers, for people to talk about different things they liked to eat and what they are missing..........it just made us all think about the food that got us there in the first place. Kind of counter productive, IMHO.  So, Sammie!! You go girl!!!!

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You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

Thanx, Cathy. It has taken me a long time to finally get to this place in my head where I've rediscovered some willpower & felt motivated to make some changes. I understand what you're saying about talking about the foods you love, but are giving up. Every other time I've tried to lose weight in recent years, I would become so obsessed with food that I'd just give up & eat whatever I could find after a day or two!

This time it's different. I'm not giving everything delicious up. I'm making substitutions, like ground turkey instead of ground beef, in my chili & thinking about portion sizes, like one bowl of chili, instead of two! When I knew I would want to eat lots of goodies at the party, I drank water instead of wine. It was really no biggie. It's the little changes that add up, & make this easier to become a permanent lifestyle change.

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Darlin', I'm beside myself
And I don't think that you
Know which one of me
That you are talking to...~ Serena Ryder

I have stopped thinking "DIET" and just ask myself before I eat something why I'm wanting it. And, like I said earlier, it's rarely because I'm hungry.  Then I get a bottle of water and change what I was doing, wait for 15 min. and if I still feel the need to have something, I will grab an apple or a cup of puffed wheat. That works for me. I also am in a different place in my head too. There are several foods that I no longer eat and I sure never thought that I would be able to go with out them, but I am. I don't miss them and in fact the thought of eating some of my former fav's makes me cringe. I eat much smaller portion sizes and I spend a lot of my time talking so I feel full by the time I have finished my meal. I am always the last one at the table..........that is nothing new though! LOL! I know it's hard to believe, but it's true!! Ha ha........I have dropped 7lbs in the last four months. Not a big amount but at least the scale is going in the right direction, my pants are getting baggy. That is a nice feeling. I can't wait till the Dr. gives me the okay to start walking on my tredmill. Soon, I hope!!

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You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

While we're at it, if we really want to start getting down to the nitty gritty, there's even MORE to being successful in our attempts at losing weight AND keeping it off than just eating properly, exercising, drinking lots of water and getting plenty of sleep.

Some people use food as comfort... almost like a security blanket. Some people literally use food to stuff their feelings. Whether they're angry, sad or happy, they're shoveling food into their mouths because they don't know how to handle their feelings. I know this from personal experience. Some people overeat due to other issues that haven't been dealt with and until they deal with those issues, they will continue to use food as a coping mechanism. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it isn't always cut and dry. Sometimes there are underlying issues that prevent a person from losing weight and keeping it off - which is why I think we see so much yo-yo dieting. Maybe if people dealt with the REAL issues, the weight would take care of itself in the long run. I'm not saying that this is the case for everyone who has a weight problem, but it applies to many people I know, including myself.

Geneen Roth has written a few excellent books on emotional eating. This lady is amazing!

I love this quote of hers: 

"Our relationship to food is a perfect reflection of our relationship to life itself." 

 http://www.geneenroth.com/

 

 

Cathy, you're making some really good changes that will show results, as you've already seen. Seven pounds is great, considering that you have not been very mobile with those casts! And asking yourself why you want it before you grab something will make you more & more aware overtime of the emotional reasons that you eat.

And you are so right, Lori. If we used food simply as fuel for our bodies, most of us would not be struggling with the extra pounds.

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Darlin', I'm beside myself
And I don't think that you
Know which one of me
That you are talking to...~ Serena Ryder

 Congrats on the your new wieght Carrington!! Baggy pants~way to go!!!

Carrington:

I wonder if we should be sharing healthy eating ideas instead of talking about all that food that we are trying to avoid and not think about. I used to really think it was a bad idea when I was at Weight Watchers, for people to talk about different things they liked to eat and what they are missing..........it just made us all think about the food that got us there in the first place. Kind of counter productive, IMHO.  So, Sammie!! You go girl!!!!

So true Carrington! When we think like that it becomes negative, "I can't". Staying postitive & focus on all the good it is doing us is definitely a step in the right direction.   

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"How the best things are won with sacrifice"

I thought this was an interesting fact about drinking water, it's Prevention.com's Weight Loss Tip of the Day: Drink lots of water. Dehydration can slow your metabolism by 3 percent. At a weight of 150 pounds, that would be about 45 fewer calories burned a day, which could add up to about 5 extra pounds a year.

Still doing the daily Pilates, alternating between the easy & the harder workout & the number on the scale is still going down slowly. I've had a couple of days of thinking I am hungry & having to fight the urge to snack. I know that we're told that several small snacks throughout the day is the way to go, but when I'm in this mood, one snack will just lead to another & another. I'm sure I'm just thirsty, but it's harder to drink water when I'm cold...so I turned the thermostat up a degree!!

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Darlin', I'm beside myself
And I don't think that you
Know which one of me
That you are talking to...~ Serena Ryder

I rarely drank water before I got sick, but now I can't go without it! I always have cases in the house and I even have favorite brands! LOL! We're on well-water here so it tastes crappy. That's why I buy bottled. Anyway, when I get sick of the plain water, I drink low sodium club soda with a bit of cranberry or pomegranate juice and a slice of lime. It's so yummy!! Laurel turned me onto to that drink when I was out West last summer. I think it was Laurel... Either Laurel or Karen. One of the two, anyway!

Must have been Laurel, Lori..I'm sure Karen puts a splash od Pepto in hers!

I really enjoy my water with a squeeze of lemon. I find I can down a huge glass much more quickly with lemon, than plain. I keep bottled water mostly for in the car, & have a Brita in the fridge. The tap water doesn't taste that great.

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Darlin', I'm beside myself
And I don't think that you
Know which one of me
That you are talking to...~ Serena Ryder