I don't know if it's the time of year or what, but lately I have really been down on myself. I think I have been too careless in my food choices. I don't want to face up to the fact that I just can't eat whatever I want. Even with counting points or whatever, there are certain foods I just cannot have. Sugar is poison to me, but for some reason I keep telling myself that if I just contain it within a certain amount of points, I'll be fine. I probably don't need to tell you that I am not able to contain sugar within a certain amount of points. Sugar makes me want more sugar. An example: The other day I was looking for a snack. I picked up a bag of Quaker Mini Chocolate Rice cakes. For anyone else, this would be a great alternative to a candy bar or whatever. But not for me. I ended up eating the whole bag. I might as well have eaten a Snicker's bar. I didn't stop at one serving which would have been okay. I COULDN'T stop at one serving. That ought to tell me something.
That being said, let's look at day 47 from 100 Days of Weight Loss.
It is "Kick the Can't." Okay now this can't is something different than "I can't eat sugar." Of course I CAN. What I should have said was, I feel really crummy when I eat sugar. I have a difficult stopping when I eat sugar. I feel tired when I eat sugar. No, the CAN'T that Ms Spangle is talking about is telling ourselves that we can't exercise, or we can't stick to an eating plan. We are advised to change that thinking to, "it may be hard, but I'll find a way." And then plan a way to succeed.
Earlier today I was hearing that sabotaging voice that said, "You can't give up sugar. You'll cave." Well, that may be true, but I KNOW that I can refrain from eating sugar for today. I've done it before. I don't know what next week will bring, or the next holiday, but for today I CAN do this!!
I have found that if I eat sugar in it's natural form ( fruit) it satisfies deeply and does not make me want to eat more. Medjool dates are the MOST satisfying ! Yet, if I eat a piece of refined sugar or an artificial sweetener, it makes me very hungry and unsatisfied. I think it has something to do with the chemical composition of the sugar in its natural state as opposed to processed or altered in any form. It also seems to decrease my desire for coffee and water- I am suddenly having to remind myself to drink water, which is very unusual for me.
ReplyDeleteSometimes i think we are just too hard on ourselves. I think we have to realize we know ourselves alot better than we think we do.......For example i KNOW when we go to the movies if i restrict my self from having popcorn and candy i will feel incredibly deprived so i have it. I KNOW that i want to be able to splurge food wise when on vacation. So i do , but i also keep exercising even if that means climbing the stairs at the hotel over and over because they lied about having a fitness room. I KNOW sometime i need to give myself a FREE day and order the appetizer with hubby or split a dessert because he enjoys this and 99% of the time he's so good about not tempting me with these things. You have to create a life, not a perfect life but one you can enjoy and look forward to. You can so do this! I know your feeling discouraged, just hang in there. You'll find your way!
ReplyDeleteDiane and Deb - my faithful companions on the journey. :) You too, Dianntha!
ReplyDeleteDeb, I hear you on the free day. I kind of relax a bit on Sundays. The problem I have is that I have to be careful what I relax with because of my blood sugar issues. My blood sugar also has a strong impact on my mood.
Diane, I can handle most natural sugars if I have protein or fat with them. Grapes can be a problem for me because they are higher in sugar. Apples and oranges are ideal and they taste much sweeter when I refrain from processed stuff.