Sunday, October 7, 2012

Diary of a Mad Fat Woman

Dieting just pisses me off.  The next person who says "Oh I can just eat anything and never gain weight" is going to get gum in their hair.      

I failed at this weight loss thing before, and it was in part because I got mad and felt deprived.  I would get to a certain point and then totally fall off the wagon and eat whatever I wanted. It was almost childish-a "why can't I eat what everyone else is eating" attitude (cue whiny, irritating voice, foot stomping, and me holding my breath til I turned blue).  Then the guilt would set in, followed shortly thereafter by total abandonment of my efforts. 

So I'm doing things differently this time, thanks to my nutritionist David's advice.  He says if you want a piece of cake, eat a piece of cake. Just don't eat the entire cake, and be sure to count it in your daily calorie count.  And be realistic about the results you get when you maybe eat a cookie instead of an apple. Then buck up and live with those results. I am not perfect, and I don't eat perfectly all the time. I do eat much better than I used too, and I'm hyper-aware of everything that goes into my mouth, but I do not eat organic spinach sprinkled with lemon juice, grilled chicken, and whole wheat bread, plain with no butter, at every meal. 

I've also learned that if I'm going to eat something that is not exactly nutritious and healthy, then it better taste pretty freaking good.  I'm not wasting calories on mediocre food. That cake is going to be the best piece of cake I can lay my hands on. And I have found that if I eat these types of foods with a crowd, then I can control myself better. Especially if I can get my skinny friends to share the treat with me (thanks LeeAnna and Laura).

That being said, there are certain foods I can not eat. They are, in my mind, the devil's snacks,...donuts and real potato chips. These foods set up a craving in me that is persistent and unrelenting. The baked chips I can eat a few of and be fine, but hand me a bag of Lay's Salt and Vinegar chips and all hell breaks loose.  Donuts are the same way.  If fact, if I could find a potato chip-filled donut, or conversely, a donut-covered potato chip, I might burst into flames on the spot (either from joy or from all the grease from the chip/donut combination,or maybe both).

So what's my lesson from all this? Don't get mad. Get realistic.  And also get yourself some baked chips and Special K 100-calorie pastry strips. 

3 comments:

  1. I agree that this is the absolute best method. It's not a diet, it's a life choice focused around moderation. That's part of the reason I like to cook the way I do, with finding ways to make the things I love lower calorie (hello oven "fried" foods), so that I never feel deprived.

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  2. PS...this sorta makes me want to attempt to make potato-chip crusted donuts. But I won't. :)

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  3. I'm right there with you, Suzan. I just have to keep plugging away and realize I will get angry about things but not to sabotage MYSELF because of somebody else's stupidity (oops I didn't say that did I?).

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