Imagine you were an alcoholic, went to rehab, got out and became a bartender. You're surrounded by shelves of booze - measuring and mixing drinks, putting up signs that feature the new trendy drink, doling it out to your faithful customers on the other side of the bar. It'd be difficult to be surrounded by these old friends Jack Daniels and Jose Cuervo without giving in, without thinking one sip won't hurt - abstinence from your drug of choice would be damn near impossible - right? So, if you're the recovering alcoholic you don't take a job at a bar - plain and simple.
Not so simple when you're dealing with a food addiction, abstinence is not an option, avoiding the temptation isn't so easy. You'll end up at a birthday party where there is cake & ice cream, a barbecue where there are bratwursts and potato salad, a bridal shower where there is a huge spread for brunch, a funeral where there are trays of desserts for the taking. It's just everywhere because it's part of our culture. I think it's much more work than other addiction recovery. I'm always thinking about food, but in a way that will fit into my new 'healthy lifestyle' - today I picked the sales flyers up to plan a grocery trip, I see these great prices on total garbage - frozen pizzas, hashbrowns, cinnamon rolls.... and I know all of those things will derail me. I flip to the back page and make a list of the fresh produce that is on sale instead. Now when I get it, I have to plan it out, cut, chop, prepare, put in containers, plan, plan, plan. Track, measure, weigh, wash, rinse, repeat.
Example: The other day I had 2 servings of lasagne for lunch. No salad, no breadstick, no nothing. My mindset was to 'hurry up and get my calories over with'; so that night I knew I was darn near max on the 1200 calories so I had an orange for supper. I ended the day at 1247 calories, but only because I used so many on lunch so I didn't have to waste my brain on it later and I knew I could only eat the orange for supper. FREAKIN STUPID! I had a menu planned for a couple days that did include the lasagne for lunch, but 1/4 the serving I ate and lots of veggies - but I'm just sick of all this planning and preparing and thinking about it all the time.
Does this make any sense or am I totally out of it? I can see the arguments, I mean mindless eating is what got me into this mess - but I have to focus on food way too much. I'm thinking about just doing slimfast shakes for a couple weeks to re-adjust and know that my 'meals' are already done and ready to go. I'd add in some fresh fruit and maybe half sandwiches or something. Any ideas?
I'm curious of how you came to a 1200cal limit, sounds way too low. Then again, limits are top of my mind considering that I recently bumped my calories up 600.
ReplyDeleteI hear you! I get tired of it too. I make a large breakfast counting, measuring, weighing out everything. Then I make my snacks for the day, plan my lunch and pack that. Then to come home and cook for my daughter and honey (if he hasn't already) and THEN make mine. It does get tiring and sometimes boring. I just did a body cleanse & fast to break up my boredom. I hope you find that "thing" that helps you too!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if Slmfast is a good idea. It's better to have real, fresh food as much as possible. IMO.
ReplyDeleteI hear ya! I get sick of planning, planning, planning!! Grrr!! It doesn't work for me that way, to put all this on paper. I always end up either to busy or wanting something entirely altogether different. And then there's them - the family. They eat different things than I do. So I'm surrounded by all sorts of food options. And quite frankly sometimes it feels overwhelming. Which is why I liked you this is 'total garbage' bit because I try to get into that mindset and it helps. Sort of - I mean who wants to think that those closest to you are eating garbage. Sorry it's me. I mean currently I'm on a low carb count and ack!@ any clue as that there is carbs lots of them in just about everything. They're eating healthy things with a mix of the other. But the balance is in favor of healthy. BUT I'm still surrounded by it. What I have been trying to do is to make suer I'm stocked on food items I can have and stock items I can make stuff with to eat. And then choosing from those items. I try to eat often, little meals. But hey then I'm not the biggest loser. ;-) I do understand the frustration.
ReplyDeleteIt's like learning to do anything else in your life! Most of us don't remember learning how to walk, or how to utter words, but I'm sure we spent the same amount of energy trying to figure those things out as we do now trying to shed the excess baggage.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard, and yes, you have to commit to a long period of doing nothing but focusing on food - buying it, counting it, weighing it, eating [little of]it.
ad nauseum
Eventually it becomes a habit, and you'll discover that you go through the motions of healthy eating without all the thinking...just like you can walk and talk today.
Keep going, April! You're going to be successful, and all will be well.
I think you should do whatever works for you. I've personally never been able to stomach the Slimfast shakes, but that's just me. Do what you know works for YOU! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteYou guys are so awesome, thanks for the comments. Each and every one of them helped me think about this!
ReplyDeletechuckle. groan. :]
ReplyDeleteYou KNOW that I get this, don't you? :D
The hysterical thing is that just last night I was thinking that maybe those cans of Glucerna that I have for an emergency when we travel might be good for ALL of my meals for a couple of days.
Just those little cans. Open, drink, dispose. Bliss.
Well, maybe not. But I do get weary of the need to think about what was once thoughtless.
Deb
I didn't even think about Slimfast... that maybe a great start to compliment my E-Mealz since they only help you with planning dinner. I'm going to have to pick a few up when I go shopping this week.
ReplyDeleteThis model, madе popular bу Alcoholics
ReplyDeleteAnonymous (AA) and Narcotics Аnonуmous
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