r diet. I'm not going to go in depth about what she wrote, but she did say something that I thought was very smart and caught my attention. I'll paraphrase: you can't remove things from your diet; you need to replace them. We dieters know this very well. The minute we take away or deny ourselves something without finding a substitute, that's the beginning of the end.
Here's a perfect example, A friend of mine has been a member of Food Addicts Anonymous for years. I'll let you know you this up front, this program does not replace what it takes away. Members of FAA follow the AA [Alcoholics Anonymous] rules, except, in place of alcohol, they cut out all white flour products and sugar. From years of experience as a "us
er", I can say with great authority that sugar is a drug. I crave it, I love it, and when I "do too much" of it, I get bitchy and tired, and of course worst of all, crave more. However, just to see if I could, I decided to cut out both sugar and white flour. I allowed myself the freedom of no time limit, or as AA, OA, FAA recite, just one day at a time. Day one, no prob. Day two, no problema. Day three, oy chew-wawa!!! I went through major withdrawal or detox or whatever you want to call it. I was craving 
something sweet all day; I was nauseated, shaky and so tired all I wanted to do was lie down. On day 4, I was a normal person again. All in all, I was able to stay off white flour and sugar for 10 days. I lost a couple of pounds and felt great. However, like Elizabeth wrote, when you deny and don't replace, you're going to have trouble in the long run. On day eleven I went to one of my favorite restaurants, Blue Sage, and had my favorite sandwich -- the Farmhouse Cubano [roasted eggplant, melted brie, tomato preserve and garlic aioli on grilled focaccia]. I truly believed that I would be able to enjoy this meal, be "clean" for the rest of the day, as well as start the following day flour and sugar free. I am sure members of FAA, AA, OA and, any other addiction group acronyms, are laughing at me right about now. After that lunch, the rest of the day was pure torture; I was exhausted and craving sweets. I came to the conclusion that I just didn't have the fortitude, discipline, self control nor the desire to do without flour or sugar any longer. But truly, most of all, I just didn't want to stop eating those things with sugar and white flour. Alas, at 47, I want what I want.
On anoth
er note, I was having a really interesting discussion with a friend's husband over the 4th of July about targeting different body parts for weight loss as well as building lean muscle. He was telling me about an exercise program [The PX90] that he swears made a big difference in his physique. He went on to say that when he's biking, eating healthy, toning his body and feeling good, he wants to continue to feel, be and look that way. I came right out and asked him if he ever sabotaged himself. He sort of tilted his head [you know, the way dogs d
o when they are trying to understand what you are saying] and gave me a blank look. I told him that I too love to work out and eat healthy. I love the way I look and feel when all is working as it should, but sometimes I feel so good and like the way I look so much, that I get a big head and think, one double scoop, hot fudge sundae with whipped cream won't hurt. He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "No, I don't ever feel the desire to do that". Can you believe him? What a weirdo!!
There's no major lesson to end this babble. There is some personal insight though. I am truly glad that my addiction [if this is one] is to food and not alcohol or drugs. What I have le
arned in my years of dieting, gaining, losing and maintaining is that what's most important, for me, is self control -- a kind of leniency with a firm hand. And although I think I am a strong person, 10 days does not make a recovered addict. Over the years, it's become more apparent that although I want to be thin, what I want more is to be healthy. I'm fine when I know that I can have some ice cream [the real kind] every once in a while, and if I want bread, I try to eat stoned ground or gluten free brands because at least I know I'm eating healthy. And that's the crux - you need to find what works... for YOU.
er note, I was having a really interesting discussion with a friend's husband over the 4th of July about targeting different body parts for weight loss as well as building lean muscle. He was telling me about an exercise program [The PX90] that he swears made a big difference in his physique. He went on to say that when he's biking, eating healthy, toning his body and feeling good, he wants to continue to feel, be and look that way. I came right out and asked him if he ever sabotaged himself. He sort of tilted his head [you know, the way dogs d
o when they are trying to understand what you are saying] and gave me a blank look. I told him that I too love to work out and eat healthy. I love the way I look and feel when all is working as it should, but sometimes I feel so good and like the way I look so much, that I get a big head and think, one double scoop, hot fudge sundae with whipped cream won't hurt. He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "No, I don't ever feel the desire to do that". Can you believe him? What a weirdo!!
There's no major lesson to end this babble. There is some personal insight though. I am truly glad that my addiction [if this is one] is to food and not alcohol or drugs. What I have le
arned in my years of dieting, gaining, losing and maintaining is that what's most important, for me, is self control -- a kind of leniency with a firm hand. And although I think I am a strong person, 10 days does not make a recovered addict. Over the years, it's become more apparent that although I want to be thin, what I want more is to be healthy. I'm fine when I know that I can have some ice cream [the real kind] every once in a while, and if I want bread, I try to eat stoned ground or gluten free brands because at least I know I'm eating healthy. And that's the crux - you need to find what works... for YOU.
1 comment:
This makes me wonder what would happen to me if I gave up white flour products and sugar. Other than the hassles of eating out, it would mostly probably be okay, I can always use Splenda for my coffee. The little bread I eat is whole grain. OTOH, I don't have Celiac Disease or sensitivities or intolerances, so maybe it would just be a lesson in making life unnecessarily difficult. Minimizing things seems a lot easier, more flexible, than eliminating them. I have noticed occasionally that eating refined carbs/sugar on an empty stomach will cause some weirdness, but really I think sugar tastes too good to want to give it up. Most refined carbs I could live without and hardly notice, but sugar, no. Moderation works best for me.
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