A Bad Food Day . . . on Purpose!

Yesterday I had two important events take place.  In the morning I had a rather stressful meeting for work which actually created a great bonding experience with several of my co-workers.  That evening my husband and I celebrated 23 years since our first date during our freshmen year at Ashland University. 

As is common in today's world, both events involved food.  At first, I was a little stressed out by this.  I don't eat out too often, let alone twice in one day.  For me there is so much temptation when eating out.  The more I thought about it I realized that everything was going to be ok because I was THINKING about it! 

I didn't go into these two meals a mindless madwoman shoving every morsel of food in my mouth.  Did I make the 100% healthiest choices available to me?  No.  But because I purposefully gave my choices some thought, I didn't make the worst choice. 

We had lunch at Primanti Brothers - a Pittsburgh Classic!  You can't say no to a Primanti's sandwich piled high with coleslaw and french fries.  I ate the whole thing which was delicious, but I got water instead of pop.  Two PURPOSEFUL choices.  A big choice for me at Primanti's was that I tried a new sandwich.  I have always gotten the same sandwich at Primanti's.  My WHOLE life I've gotten the same sandwich.  As I attempt to be more open to new adventures, going with fish instead of the Pittsburger was a big move (May sound like no big deal to some, but I think it is important to grab onto even the smallest opportunities for excitement!). 

 

Following lunch, we hit up another Pittsburgh Classic - prantl's bakery.  YUMMY!  I treated myself to one cookie.  ONE.  My plan was to eat half and then give the other half to my son, but I have to confess that when I handed him the bag later in the day there was only about 1/8 of the cookie left.  Oooops!  Not much thought into that one, but at least I savored small bites throughout the day and didn't scarf it down in three huge bites.  Every bite was SO good!

Finally dinner.  My husband and I had both been craving Chinese food so a trip to Azan Wok in Plum was our choice.  We saw and discussed several "healthy" options on the menu, but we went with our favorites - Sweet-n-Sour Chicken with Pork Fried Rice and an egg roll on the side.  Mmmmm!  I may not have chosen the healthiest menu item, but I did choose to stop eating when I was full rather than stuffing myself because it tasted so good. 



  

 

The best parts about this Bad Food Day were that I had a great time with my friends and husband AND I did not feel sick at the end of the day.  I had a great time because I chose to not focus on the food - I focused on those I was with.  I didn't feel sick because even though I didn't make the healthiest food choices, I gave each choice thought and didn't stuff myself.  My Bad Food Day turned out to be a GREAT day!



Turning an M&Ms OOPS! into an M&Ms YUM!

I caved.  I had been strong for SO long, but yesterday I caved.  Walking into the drug store to pick-up a gallon of milk after work yesterday, I was attacked by the pinks and reds of the Valentine's Day candy display.  Then there was the big yellow SALE sign hanging right below my favorites - M&Ms.  As I was reaching for the bag and placing it in my basket my mind was racing - "Put those back Lisa."  "What are you doing Lisa?"  "Lisa, you know how you are when stuff like this is in the house."  What can I say other than I was tired and hungry and stressed?

I didn't even make it out of the parking lot before I ripped open the bag and filled my mouth with a handful of the crunchy candies that slowly melt into smooth goodness. 

Arriving at home, I tucked the store bag containing my secret stash behind the paper towels on my kitchen counter.  As I cooked dinner while endlessly nagging my kids to practice their instruments, finish their homework and put the clothes away that had sat in laundry baskets in the middle of the family room for the past two days, I could escape the chaos by popping a few seconds of amazing in my mouth.

STOP!!!  WHAT WAS I DOING?!?!  I tied the store bag in a triple knot and stuffed it on the top shelf with my canned goods.

This morning as I was preparing our lunches, that hidden bag of M&Ms was burning a hole in my conscious.  I wanted some really bad.  But I had eaten too many already.  But I couldn't just leave them there.  One of the kids would find them and they would definitely eat the rest of the bag.  Wait, my kids wouldn't be rummaging through the canned goods shelf looking for an after school snack.  Or would they? 

Then I remembered a former elderly client - Miss B (not her real name or initial) who's weight had ballooned to over 400 pounds.  Miss B was confined to a wheelchair at that point due to her weight.  Her daughter was needing to do more and more of her care because she simply couldn't do it.  Humiliated by that, Miss B was determined to lose weight.  One of her greatest joys in life was jelly beans.  She would consume them by the pound!  Miss B's son continued to buy her the big bags of jelly beans; however, what Miss B changed was how she ate her treat.  When he brought her a new bag of beans, Miss B would divide them into baggies of ten beans. Everyday she allowed herself one bag.  Some days she would throw all ten in her mouth at one time.  Other days she would savor each jellybean individually making the treat last all day long.  Overtime, Miss B lost nearly 100 pounds.  She did a lot more than stop eating jellybeans by the pound, but what a great example of self-control and not depriving yourself of something you love.

For me, the problem wasn't that I had bought the bag of M&Ms.  After all, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with enjoying a chocolate treat!  The problem was that I lacked the self-control to not eat the entire pound bag in under 12 hours. 

So I got out my box of snack baggies and my 1/8 cup measuring cup.  I divided the remaining M&Ms into the snack bags.  I added pretzel snaps, raisins and mini-marshmallows to several of the bags making a fun snack mix.  Two of the bags I left plain. 

When I got to work, I sat the baggie next to my computer.  Throughout the day I popped one or two M&Ms in my mouth.  Sometimes biting into the crunch.  Other times letting them melt on my tongue.  With every enjoyable moment, I thought of Miss B, her jelly beans and how her example helped me turn my OOPS moment into a victorious YUM moment!

 

 

One Serving = One Cookie = One Hundred Calories . . . Really?

Today was a stress-filled day.  By 10:30PM I was tired and I was hungry.  I hadn't sat down for any decent length of time other than my car ride home from work and I hadn't eaten dinner.  My emotions ranged from frustration to anger to sadness to just plain blah!  I still had to make a stop at the grocery store before ending my day and I knew it was a recipe for disaster.  But we needed milk and bread.  Plus, if I showed up at home without Jamison's ice cream he would lose it!  (I say that in a joking manner; however, those of you who know my husband know how serious he is about his ice cream!)

As I walked through the grocery store, I passed a fun display of Oreo cookies.  They were on sale!  And I saw that they had Triple Double Stuff Oreos!  My co-worker had been telling me about these amazing creations.

The Triple Double Stuff Oreo

One box wouldn't hurt.  Plus, I've been separating the snacks into portion size baggies for my kids to help them control their after-school eating frenzy.  These Triple Double Stuffs would make a nice treat.

Into my cart they went!

As I came down the final aisle I grabbed a gallon of milk.  I saw the individual-sized small jugs of milk.  Maybe I'll sneak an Oreo or two in the car before I get home.  This milk will make them taste even better.

Into my cart went the small jug of milk.

After paying for my groceries and getting into my car, I remembered my Oreos.  So I pulled over and reached into the back seat digging through the grocery bags.  Found them!

I popped a Triple Double Stuff Oreo in my mouth and followed it with a big swig of milk.  MMmmmmm!  It tasted SO good!  I enjoyed another and another . . . one after the other until I had finished five Oreos.  FIVE!  I didn't feel guilty or bad or sick to my stomach.  I enjoyed every single bite!

When I got home, I unpacked the groceries.  Taking the opened bag of Oreos, I got out a couple Ziploc baggies to divide the remaining Oreos into serving size portions.  I peaked at the nutrition information on the package.  How many cookies equaled one serving?  Three?  Four? 

I blinked my eyes several times to make sure that I was seeing things correctly.  Was that the number one?  One serving equaled one cookie?  Home many calories are listed for that suggested serving size of ONE cookie?  . . . . . . .

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach.  Was I reading that right?  One serving size equals 100 calories.  WHAT?!?!?  You mean to tell me that I just ate 500 calories worth of cookies?  How can there be that many calories in the one little cookie?!?!  Even if it is a Triple Double Stuff one?!?!  I'm in complete shock.  I can't believe I did that.  I ate 500 calories in a matter of minutes . . . and I enjoyed it!

Lesson learned:  I still think that it is perfectly acceptable to have a P.I.T.Y. (Purposefully Indulge the Yuck!) Party every once in awhile (And if my party involves Oreos - that's ok.).  Next time I throw myself a P.I.T.Y. Party though, I need to at least peek at the food label of whatever food I'm indulging in.  500 Calories?!?!  In 5 cookies?!?!?!  Oh boy - that part of this feeding frenzy was a bit crazy!  Definitely should have chose to Walk Away from those Triple Double Stuffs!

So now I have 500 extra calories to burn.  Looks like this Mom is off to go running!  But it's late and I'm tired.  I'll throw in a couple extra laps tomorrow.  Good Night!  

Finding My Self-Control

Yesterday was the first day of Spring Break for my husband and kids.  I came home from work to find an empty bag of Snickers Minis on my kitchen table.  Seriously?!?  The entire bag?  In one day?

My first reaction was to be angry.  Guess who is eating straight lettuce with no dressing for dinner tonight?  Guess who is heading to the gym immediately after eating that pile of lettuce and doing burpees till their legs explode?  Guess who isn't getting a single piece of chocolate in their Easter Baskets?  Don't try to hide in your rooms . . . you know who you are!

Then my mind went back to a time several years ago when I would have eaten the entire bag of Snickers Minis . . . all by myself . . . in one day.  The one big difference is that I would have hidden the bag.  I was a pro at gorging myself with sweets or salty snacks or fast food stops and then getting rid of the evidence before anyone saw it.  I had zero self-control.  There was no guilt or shame. I felt a sick kind of pride that I got away with it and nobody knew my little secret.

If I wanted an Oreo, I couldn't eat just one.  I'd literally eat an entire row and then the entire package.  If I was at a party and there was a tray of scrumptious appetizers, I would pop one in my mouth and then have another and another and another.  After awhile I became completely numb to the harm I was doing to my body. 

When I reached the point in my life when I wanted to start making healthy choices, I knew that my lack of self-control was one of the biggest hurdles I would have to overcome.  After much trial and error, I discovered three tools that work for me:

1) EXAMINE why I'm eating.  Am I eating because I am stressed out?  I've learned that there are much better ways to handle stress than shoving chips down my throat!  Am I eating because I didn't have time for lunch at work and while I'm cooking dinner there is a brand-new box of crackers sitting on the counter?  I should put a handful of crackers in a small bowl so I know how many I'm eating.  And while I'm waiting for dinner to cook I'll pack my lunch for tomorrow and include small healthy portions I can eat on the run.  Am I eating because the food tastes so good and I simply want more?  I need to slow down and enjoy it.

2) ENJOY the treat.  Sometimes I don't pay attention and I'm truly inhaling the food.  How easy is it to pop a mini Snickers in your mouth and swallow after a single chew or two?  Your taste buds have barely had time to register the fact that there is food in your mouth!  Stop for a moment and focus on what is in your mouth.  How does it taste?  Sweet?  Sour?  Salty?  How does it feel?  Smooth?  Nutty?  Hot?  Cold?  I find that when I pause and enjoy the food I'm eating, I'm likely to eat less yet feel more satisfied - both physically and mentally!

3) ESCAPE - When all else fails, run away.  Just the other day I bought a bag of jelly beans.  What was I thinking?  I can mindlessly eat an entire bag of jelly beans in one car ride home from work.  It only took me a second to recognize that I was going to have no self-control in this situation.  So I enjoyed a few handfuls and then threw the bag away.  When I am at a party, I stay as far away from the food table as possible.  If we're having dessert and I'm too tempted to have more, I leave the room. 

I didn't master these tools overnight.  It took time and practice for me to learn what worked for me and how to use them.  Just like me, my family will need time and practice to learn how to master self-control.  They also will need a teacher.  I guess that is me!  And since I'm off from work today, class starts now!

Dessert with Breakfast???

My drive into work today started out as a torturous one!  The residents of the apartment building where I am a social worker had asked me to pick up donuts to go with our morning coffee.  So as I sat in Pittsburgh's nasty Parkway East traffic, I was stuck in a car filled with the amazing aroma of fresh baked donuts.  The one cup of bran flakes with skim milk I had had for breakfast was not helping me fight the desire to pull over, throw the lid off the top box and just devour those donuts.

Then the DJ shared a health tip that he had recently heard - Individuals trying to lose weight who had dessert with their breakfast lost more weight than those who did not.  WHAT?!?  The rationale actually did make sense to me.  1) Eating the dessert in the morning gave you the entire day to burn off the extra calories vs. eating dessert after dinner.  2) Eating dessert in the morning helped to satisfy one's sweet tooth rather than fighting the sweet tooth all day before eventually giving in to the craving and eating way more sweets than you should. 

I decided to put this tip to the test (after all - as my fellow Pittsburghers would all agree - Bubba from the 100.7FM morning show is a very reliable source!).  Earlier today I sat down with my residents and slowly ate a fluffy vanilla cake donut covered with chocolate frosting and pink sprinkles.  MMmmmmm . . . It was SO good!  I purposely savored every single bite.

Here we are several hours later after a day that included the Food Bank bringing several full-size sheet cakes from Sam Club in their monthly delivery, multiple trips past the vending machine and an extremely late lunch.  I truly have not been tempted once.  When I see the cakes or the vending machines I automatically think back to the donut I enjoyed earlier rather than fighting with myself about sneaking a bite or getting a snack.  On a day that would normally be filled with cravings, I haven't had a single one! 

I'll report back to let you know how the rest of my day goes, but so far so good!  I give this health tip a thumbs up!