Conference rocks::weight_control

    
    
    Mine is chocolate....I can only go so long and it's all I can do
    to stay away from 'Poodles - 2 cups of sugar, 1 stick of butter,
    1/2 cup of cooking cocoa...and after boiling for 5 minutes add 3
    cups of oatmeal.  It makes about 25 and I can eat the whole thing
    in one day.  I then get so depressed after all that sugar.
    
    I lost 55 lbs about 3 years ago, and guess what, I found them again.
    It's so hard to control my sweet tooth...especially on Sundays.
                                                                 
    Anyone interested in going on a diet together in CXO?

    My toughest time is the evening when I'm tired after working hard
    all day and resisting temptation all day and everyone else in my
    house is snacking.

    My worst foods are potatoes and gravy.  My fiance (from Dublin)
    insists that I'm more Irish than he is because I eat potatoes for
    breakfast (in the microwave with a little butter--oh crap, a lot
    of butter, and salt), fries for lunch, and a couple of baked or
    mashed, or roasted, or whatever, for dinner, with whatever else
    I'm having.  I'm not a snacker at all, and funny enough, I hate
    potato chips.  These are definitely meat and potato hips.
    
    Robin
    

    It is not the potatoes, it's what you put on them.  They're a good
    source of fiber.

    Complex carbs == one fat -sunny-
                  
    All complex carbohydrates are my loves and my enemies. I love all
    starchy foods and all gooey rich deserts. I have managed to avoid
    these enemies in public, around my family and co-workers, but I
    find myself turning into a closet eater. i.e. go to a restaurant
    and pig out on lasagne...sneak chocolate mousse with lots of whipped
    cream out on the porch at 3am when the rest of the household is
    sleeping. I always hate mayself while eating it and even more after
    it's consumed.                                             
    
    If there's a gram of fat anywhere in it...I'm bound to love that
    also. 
    
    That's the negative...now for the positive...
    
    I have cut my salt intake drastically and I'm darn proud of that.
    I rarely pick up the salt cellar any more and I never cook with
    salt so I have made some positive strides in the battle of the bulge.
    
                                -sunny-

My redhot foods are sweets of all kinds.  I can usually control my cravings
(or I'd never have gotten down to goal) but when I'm out of control, I'm way
out.

My worst times are when I get home from work, and when I'm home from work
due to illness.  Solutions:  I shouldn't get home from work before Bill
does (or too soon before he does) but that means staying at work later when
I want to go home and relax.  I should make sure there aren't redhot foods in
the house.  This usually isn't a problem.  I still have those 4 boxes of
unopened Girl Scout cookies in the cabinet.  I'm afraid to think what might
happen if I opened one!

Jill

    
    Re: .5
    
    Complex Carbohydrates are the ones that are good to eat like rice,
    potato, pasta, and cereals.
    
    The ones that do you in are the Simple Carbs. like sugar.
    
    They get me too.  As I write I am trying to make a box of Smarties
    last as long as I can, although I know I shouldn't have them at
    all.  When I get the willpower together I'll join in the dieting,
    I have 20 pounds to lose.
    
    Debra

    My own downfalls are chiefly cookies and cake.  Especially _pound_
    cake!  Many dieting friends think I'm heroic because I never have
    ice cream cravings--little do they know what I have done to an entire
    Sara Lee in a single sitting . . . ;-)
    
    My "cheating" times I have discovered are the times when my body
    actually _needs_ to eat!  When I can follow those times on a weekend
    I actually lose 2-3 pounds!  When I am trying to shoehorn my body's
    needs into a corporate work schedule, my natural hunger times become
    "cheating" times.  I naturally wake at 7 AM, get hungry around 10
    AM and around 3 PM.  If I get up at that time, and eat at those
    times, control is not only possible, it feels great!  However, on
    Mon-Fri, I force myself up at 5:30, and have to eat something just
    to get going (I tried AM exercise to accomplish the same thing and
    ended up with mucho sprains for my efforts--my bod just doesn't
    do its thing at dawn); then, of course, I'm also hungry at around
    10, when my bod would have _truly_ needed breakfast anyhow; I eat
    at the cafeteria lunch time for two reasons--sometimes I just haven't
    been able to brown-bag it (so I'm forced to abide by its schedule)
    and also people tend to conduct business at the time when my body
    would truly like dinner.  So another "cheating" time is born which,
    if I last through it, leaves me so drained at day's end that I find
    it very difficult to exercise in the evening.  (My body has not
    been able to make the switch from being energized by a meal to be
    energized by exercise--if I exercise when I'm hungry I don't get
    extra energy, just injuries and more fatigue.)
    
    Moral of the above story is:  maybe your "cheating" times are your
    own body's times of TRUE hunger, and if so, you should feed it then,
    not when a standard meal schedule says you should.  I am starting 
    to work on doing this more for myself--trying to brown-bag more 
    lunches, not schedule meetings during "dinnertime", brown-bag
    breakfast, too (there's _nothing_ left in the cafeteria by 10 AM!).

    Take heart and trust your body's signals; it'll help you lose.
    
    Marcia

re .8

If you eat at regular brakfast time try a breakfast bar at 10:00 and a cup
of herb tea (no sugar) and if you eat at regular lunch time try a large
apple or large piece of fruit (orange, peach, plum,etc..) at 3:00 it helps
me when I do this....:-)

    
    
    The hardest times for me are weekends I can do good all
    week and weekends come and I blow the whole thing.
    Sometimes I can make it through the weekend fine and others
    I say no one minute and I find myself eatting .
    
    Does anyone have any good ideas for the weekend pig outs?
    
    
    
    Miss Piggy
    
    

    Keep yourself VERY busy during the weekend (I've got a garden
    you can weed if you run out of things to do....)
    
    Drink GALLONS of your favorite low calorie things.  Make
    Nutrasweet lemonade with fresh lemons (per half gallon:
    enough lemons for 1/2 c lemon juice (3-4) plus one to
    slice, 10-12 packs nutrasweet, water and ice to fill.
    Adjust to taste - this is from my faulty recipe memory)
    It's much better than the packaged mix.
    
    Have a large bowl of cut up carrot and celery sticks, or a
    big salad, made up in the fridge.
    
    Buy a hot-air popcorn popper.  Sometimes I NEED something
    crunchy and salty, especially if I've been sweating in the
    sun - my body craves salt then.

    Make time for something you really enjoy on the weekend.  I find
    that when I'm doing something I enjoy, the munchies are much less
    of a problem.   
    
    Physical activity decreases some people's appetites too.  Have you
    tried exploring your area on a bike or by walking?  It's a lot more
    fun than calisthenics and helps you toward your goal.
    
    Hang in there.  Lots of people care and are pulling for you.    
    
   

    I agree with the "keep busy" theory.  That's the trick, to keep
    pushing yourself just enough to get interested in something for
    a while.  The longer you sit around feeling depressed, the less
    calories you burn, and the more you want to eat, and the more depressed
    you get.  Vicious cycle city.
    

I just had to jump in here with a comment.

I've been simply a spectator to this conference for a while,
trying to garner some inspiration.  LOTS of weight to lose
but basically terrified of "dieting" -- been doing that all
my life and I'm real tired of the yo-yo syndrome.

Anyway, the question at hand (back around .11 or .12) was
how to keep from overdueing on the weekends -- signed by
"Miss Piggy".  Can I (gently) suggest that one of the
first things you might do is to STOP referring to yourself
in that fashion!  Without question, the number one enemy
that all we "fluffy" people have to face is our own self-
image.  We are what we think and our own self-talk will
get us into more trouble than any external factor.

I, for one, am very aware that the reasons I turned to
food as a child are no longer valid.  Life just ain't
like it was way back then.  But old habits die hard --
and one old habit that has GOT to go is the habit of
negative self-talk.  

So please, MP, find another pseudonym -- one that reflects
what a good person you are and all the things you do 
right!!!

Prill

That may be so, but your subconscious doesn't have a sense
of humor!!

    
    I am the one that put down M.Piggy but I was saying in
    a joking way I over ate.. I know why I over eat also.
    
    When a person over eats I always hear then say I pigged out.
    I was having a hard time on weekends so instead of calling 
    them  Cook outs I called it Pig outs..  Meaning I ate more 
    then what I should have..
    
    People are too serious and it's nice to laugh sometimes..
    I am known as Giggles to my friends.. 
    
    Smile Prill (-:  
    
    Ann  Miss cook out
    
    
    

Ann --

Hey!!  Don't get me wrong -- I guess I gave the impression of being
somewhat morose -- not true.  You are absolutely right -- laughing,
especially at yourself, not only doesn't hurt, it does a lot to
help.

The point I was trying to make is that we have to watch not just
what goes in our mouth, but also what comes out.

Have you ever read anything like "Psycho-Cybernetics" by Maxwell
Maltz, "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill, or "The Power of
Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale?  If not, you should.
They should be required reading in EVERY high school freshman
English course.

The idea is that your subconscious mind CONSTANTLY tries to adjust
things to your picture of reality.  If you constantly say "I'm 
always pigging out" (EVEN JOKINGLY), your subconscious mind 
obliges by ensuring that you ARE always pigging out.  After all,
you've been continually reaffirming that picture.

The good news is that YOU have the ability to re-program that picture.
So how do you re-program?  The basic principle is as follows:

    Whenever you overeat, you CONSCIOUSLY and OUT LOUD say 
    "That's not like me -- I never overeat."

What you are doing is consciously using positive self-talk to 
re-program your subconscious mind, which in turn, obliges by
readjusting things to your new picture.  Do this long enough and
the positive self-talk becomes habit.

This is not lying.  You merely decide to change the way you view
things -- then give your subconscious a chance to catch up.

The above is just a brief overview.  There's the whole area of
positive affirmations and visualization that I won't even attempt
to get into.  

I know this may sound like a lot of hocus-pocus and black magic
to you, but IT IS NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It has everything in the
world to do with self-confidence, self-esteem, and being well-
adjusted to your universe.

I challenge you to try an experiment.  For the next week, make
a conscious effort to really listen "between the lines" with
yourself and people around you.  Really listen to what people
say about themselves and their environment.  I'll wager
that those people who have a really good self-image are the ones
who always talk up-beat -- using words that have a positive 
connotation -- even when they are laughing and joking around.

And self-image is the name of the game.  How many times have
you read in this notes file, "I've lost x pounds, but when I
look in the mirror I still see a fat person."  That's cuz that
person hasn't worked on changing their personal picture.  They've
gotten the weight off but haven't told their subconscious.  It's
still sitting there desperately trying to re-establish what it
thinks is reality!

The point I'm trying to make is that you HAVE to change the way 
you view yourself and part of that is changing what you say ABOUT 
yourself and TO yourself.

So keeping smiling and laughing -- but concentrate on what your're
doing right.  Build yourself up with the right words.  

Prill

    
    
    MY BIGGEST cheating thing right now seems to be Frappes.
    I also seem to be eatting chips and I never was a chip 
    eatter.. I like some now and then but find myself eatting
    them .. I think it could be at Weight Watchers they said 
    you can have 1 oz of chips.. 
    
    I want to learn to say NO and mean it.. 
    
    
    
    Ann
    
    
    

Hi Ann,

Frappes are easy to find a substitute for to make yourself.  By blending
together skim milk and fruit, or some kind of low calorie chocolate stuff
(Nutrasweet Quik, Swiss Miss, Alba,...), with maybe some ice cubes, even
pulverizing Weight Watchers frozen treats, you can come up with some very
satisfying frappe substitutes.  Also, see some of the ice milks I've made,
those can even be made into frappes.  It doesn't have to be bad to be good!!
(Said by the all-time sweet tooth, so I'm an expert here :-))

Yes, you can have an ounce of chips, but it costs you 160 calories, and
who can eat only an ounce of chips unless they're not worth eating at all?
If you can, then go for it.  If you can't, stick to hot, fresh, cheap :-)
popcorn.

best of luck!  I've managed to stay away from my redhot ice cream by making
my legal ice milk most of the time.  And I bought a nonstick frying pan so
I can make a very limited amount of popcorn so there's no temptation to over-
do it.

Jill

    re .19:
    
    "Sunny" entered several low-cal milkshake/frappe recipes in 17.10
    that might be worth trying if you haven't already.  (The fruit and
    skim milk used in these recipes could go towards your WW fruit and
    milk exchanges).                                         
    
    On the one ounce of chips, one way to have the chips and still restrict
    yourself to a reasonable amount is to only buy the 25 cent (or whatever
    the small bags of chips go for these days) bag.  That way, you'll
    have your ounce of chips, and won't have six ounces left out of
    a seven ounce bag just waiting to be eaten "because they're there".

    My worst cheating times are getting home from work and sitting down
    in front of the t.v. with a beer and some chips.  And after supper,
    my sweet tooth usually kicks in.
    
    I like to snack on chips and I LOVE ice cream!  I haven't bought
    any ice cream lately - just ice milk.  (maybe it helps a little)
    
    Theresa.

    
    Theresa...
    
    	Since we are in the same area have you tried the TCBY Frozen
    Yogurt?  It's delicious, and less fattening than ice cream.  Only
    problem is that you can't buy it in grocery stores, have to go to
    their store...my kids even like it and will ask to go there instead
    of Baskin-Robbins.  :^) 
    
    		Myra

    Hi Myra!
    
    	I love the stuff!  Word of caution, don't eat too much as it
    may cause stomach aches and diarehhea.  I know a couple of folks
    that were affected this way.
            (easier for us dieters to eat less)
    
    Theresa.
    

    Potato chips and salted nuts are my red light foods!  I'm OK as
    long as I don't even have "just one".  One thing that helps me stay
    away from them is the knowledge that all that salt makes me retain
    water.  And we all know that water = weight.  So if I want to show
    a loss for the week, I'd better stay away from the salty stuff!
    
    This doesn't mean that I don't indulge occasionally.  I just try
    not to, because these foods are to me what "just one drink" is to
    an alcoholic - uncontrollable.
    
    I don't keep these foods around the house, but I do run into them
    at parties (and I tend to buy them for parties at our house).  I
    may be winning some battles, but I haven't won the war yet.
    
    Lynn
    (The Soon-To-Be-Thynn)