MINDLESS EATING

[SearchingForRainbows]

Have any of you read the book Mindless Eating yet? I'm embarrassed to admit this, but the title reminds me of myself last year. Even though I worked out daily, I still managed to put on 8lbs.!!! HELP!!!

My moment of truth hit me like a bolt of lightening a few weeks ago. I caught myself biting my way through a leftover Christmas bag of hard candy. I normally NEVER even eat hard candies!!!

I decided right then and there that I needed to get myself back on track. I absolutely REFUSE to buy bigger clothing. So for now, I'll continue to squeeze into my clothes!!!
If I need any more incentive, all I have to do is put on a swimsuit. (I'm not ready for this much reality yet)!!!

After much soul searching, I came to the realization that the end of 2005 through the end of 2006 had been a particularly difficult year for me. When I was going through it, I thought I was handling things well. Obviously this wasn't the case!

If any of you are interested, you can check out this website - Mindlesseating.org. I can't remember how to do a hyper-link? (Not even sure if this is what its called). My daughter showed me the other day but I'm clueless today. Anyway, I ordered a copy of the book on-line and am eager to get it.

The good news is that I've been doing really well on my diet. It feels good to be back on track!!!

WFEN

 

[Wiped Out]

WFEN,
I'm glad you are getting back on track! Mindless eating is something I know I have done-I also tend to eat more when stressed or very busy. I also know I feel better when I can fit in my workouts. :smile:I used to never miss but lately I'm making excuses and letting things get in my way. It used to be if I had a lot going on I would get up and go to the club at 3:30 in the morning but these days I just can't seem to do that!

You go girl! You can do it! :smile:

 

[SearchingForRainbows]

Sharon and Nomad thanks so much for the encouragement!!!

Sharon, I continued to workout even while mindlessly eating because, just like you, I feel so much better after a good workout. I used to workout every morning beginning at 4:45 a.m. Now, because of the type of work I do, I get to make my own hours. So, you probably already guessed it - I no longer get up so early. I've got to give you alot of credit - I don't think I could possibly start my day at 3:30 a.m.!!!

Nomad, The nutrition class you're taking sounds really good. Its great that you've been able to keep the weight off for so long!!! You're definitely right - loosing weight improves health and self-esteem. A co-worker (I can't remember her name) long ago told me "that nothing tastes as good as being thin feels." I think she said she got this advice at a Weight Watchers meeting. I'm glad you think Mindless Eating sounds like a good book so far... Thanks for thinking of me, it helps!!! WFEN :smile:

 

[ScentofCedar]

When we were going through the worst of it? Not only did I mindlessly eat, but I ate massive quantities of comfort foods ~ pasta, ice cream, cheese. (I don't keep anything sweet in the house to this day, because I will eat it ~ all of it ~ if I do). Anyway, I would not eat at all, and then, I would eat until I was uncomfortable.

Then, I would have popcorn.

And it was all about pain.

I still do it ~ I just make sure I don't buy anything I like. No pasta, for instance. Nothing sugary. Pigging out on apples and cottage cheese (or bananas and peanut butter) at least cuts down on the guilt I feel afterword!

Pain is pain, though.

I am glad to have the relief, actually.

Try that apple and cottage cheese or banana and peanut butter idea. It works for me. Popcorn (usually without butter) works for me, too.

I just HAVE to munch.

Jello or yogurt would be good, too ~ I like to grab and go though!

I think it helps if you avoid anything fat free, too. Fat helps us to feel satiated. Without it, we can take in more sugar without feeling full. Next thing you know, blood sugar levels are all messed up and you are on a wicked cycle.

That is why I chose apples and (full fat) cottage cheese. If I don't use butter on the popcorn, I use parmesan cheese ~ same fat content, really.

I am fifty-five, about 5'2", and weigh something like 115 or 120.

So it's working, for me.

Barbara

 

[SearchingForRainbows]

Barbara,

Thanks for the tips! I bought a big bag of apples to snack on when I just need to munch. I agree with you. Fat free versions of food don't really help and can make things worse.

I've always been for the most part, a healthy eater. When life with difficult children was out of control, I needed to feel in control of something, so I watched what I ate. Until the end of 2005... too many negative things seemed to happen all at once that I couldn't control. And, without even realizing it, I used food to comfort myself!

I think its great you were able to get back on track and stay that way!!! I hope I'll be able to do the same. Thanks again. WFEN

 

[SearchingForRainbows]

Nomad and Barbara,

I also make sure that I don't keep my favorite foods in the house. My kids aren't picky when it comes to sweet stuff (my downfall!!!), so I buy them foods that I won't eat.

Trying to have willpower 24/7 is ridiculous!!! For me its much easier to not keep "red light" foods in the house to begin with. Thanks again for the support and advice. WFEN :smile: :smile: :smile:

 

[Hound dog]

Yep. I also had to get my comfort foods out of my house. I think some of my munching is related to my old habit of nail biting, believe it or not. Oh, I stopped biting my nails, but then substituted food. :hammer:

Worst of it is that I'm not much into sweets and never was. I want filling food, and yeah, I'd eat til I hurt too. And then eat some more. And if I get cold I get hungry. So winter is a bad munching time for me. Sometimes I think it's a miracle that I weigh only 155 lbs instead of much more. Not that that is good, I'm only 4' 11.

Apples and carrots are good munching food. Popcorn doesn't agree with me after awhile. Anyone like celery? You burn more calaries eating it than it has. (so I hear) I get tired of it too fast.

I've just turned my eating habits more healthy. Not too worried about the weight for now. Just got to make myself eat those 3 meals a day. Which is hard for me cuz I never have. But it seriously helps reduce the munching need.

 

[Marguerite]

I mentioned spreading a thin film of Vegemite on celery in the Good Morning thread yesterday. Vegemite has negligible calories, probably because a tiny amount goes such a long way. Alternatively, try celery with a dip of soy sauce (similar flavour to Vegemite) or a drop of sesame oil. Or, best of all - set yourself up with a dipping dish with soy sauce AND a couple of drops of sesame oil. The celery will taste fabulous! Carrot sticks, too, but less so because of their basic sweetness.

I drink a lot of iced water. I've found putting a fresh slice of lime or lemon in it makes it easier for me to drink more water and feel like I'm eating more. I also think it's speeding up my metabolism somehow - I drank a lot of iced water over Christmas & New Year and actually lost weight, despite eating all the time (and eating naughty stuff). But it IS summer here, I always manage better in summer.

Some really healthy but naughty-tasting dips -
1) tzaziki: a Greek dip made from plain yogurt, finely shredded lebanese cucumber, garlic and a bit of salt

2) hommous (I have a fabulous and easy recipe)

3) for the decadent, home-made smoked salmon dip (finely shred some slices of smoked salmon, add a little fresh chopped dill if you like, mix it with low-fat cream cheese or continental thick yogurt)

4) cottage cheese and corn relish, mixed together.

These can all be eaten with vegetable sticks.

Tzaziki also tastes fabulous with Greek meatballs - made with lots of chopped parsley and a little mint plus egg to bind. They can be baked instead of fried. Each meatball is walnut-sized. You eat them hot or cold.

The trick is to have healthy food stocked up. I cook lots of meatballs all at once and have a plateful in the fridge with a bowl of tzaziki at the ready. Eaten cold from the fridge, they're great. If you crave comfort food, eat any of the above dips with bread instead of veggies. Spread the smoked salmon dip on bread, with lettuce, as sandwiches.

My biggest problem is keeping the supply up.

And stay away from the Tim Tams - you guys have Oreos, we have something far worse for diets. Someone mentioned Tim Tams (but not by name) in the Good Morning thread yesterday (Saturday). The trick is, you bite off two diagonal corners and suck hot chocolate through the Tim Tam like a straw. It takes a knack to get it right and you can gain a lot of weight trying. But Tim Tams are like rectangular Oreos with chocolate filling instead of pale cream, then the whole sandwich double-dipped in chocolate. So where you guys have cookies and milk, we have Tim Tams and hot chocolate.

Right now, I'm refusing to keep Tim Tams in the house! But in winter, the kids smuggle them in and hot chocolate consumption goes up.

Drink the water, folks...

Marg

 

[ScentofCedar]

Marguerite, did you post recipes on the General thread?

I am going there now to check ~ but if you didn't, would you post the hummus recipe here for sure, and any of the others you are willing to share?

I think that soy sauce/sesame oil on celery idea is a good one.

Maybe we will try to make something fairly healthy for munching every Sunday around my house for awhile. That should hold us through most of the week, and keep us on course through the months ahead, I would think.

Every Sunday, prepare something healthy for munching during the week ahead.

That is why the apples and cottage cheese have been so great. I never have to think about what I want to munch on.

Every once in a while, we will prepare veggies (carrot sticks and so on) and keep them in plastic bags in the fridge so they are handy for munching. We become bored with that pretty easily, though.

So I am curious to try some of this, Marguerite ~ especially the meatballs.

And those chocolate cookies you can suck the filling out of sound like a horrible, impossible thing to resist!

Barbara

 

[1905]

Here
is a good one I made: 5-ingredient easy faux-pasta with shrimp:
2 large zuccini sliced into long,thin matchticks (simulating the pasta)
Asparagus cut the same way (lengthwise long and thin)
1 yellow squash cut into cubes

Steam these for 3 minutes or put them in boiling water for 2 minutes, at the same time boil a pound of peeled and cleaned shrimp for three to 5 minutes until opaque

Put some type of tomato sauce from a can or jar ( I like Classico or Paul Newmans) in the microvave to heat.

Mix everything together-its so good-also I added crushed red pepper on top.
( I don't count the veggies as having calories, so you can eat lots of this and you will be full)-Alyssa

I saw this recipe on a cooking show yesterday,I made it last night and I plan on eating the leftovers all day.

 

[hearthope]

I can now catch myself when I am feeding emotions. I find that if I tell myself I am feeding emotions I can walk away from the food.

I try to keep veggies in the fridge to grab. I have never bought sweets or candy unless it is the holidays.

I can get the satisfied feeling from peanut butter. I will eat it with just about anything.

I think you can win most of the battle by not having the guilt food in your house.

I like the recipes to have on hand, but I am not the kind to spend the time to make up things for the week.
We are on the go with easy child in the evenings and I have learned to order salads when we eat out.
I think we fair a little better that way. I am an old fashioned southern cook. I season with meat and fry, fry, fry. And what true southern cook doesn't fry a huge plate of cornbread with all the meals?

 

[Marguerite]

OK, recipes.

Hommous
1 300g can (approx 1 cup) of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
2 –3 teaspoons tahini (be generous)
2–3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (go easy - add a little more to taste afterwards)
2 small cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons tamari or other soy sauce
sprig parsley
cumin (three quarters to 1 tsp)
paprika or sumac
half cup of water
1. Place the chick peas and garlic in a food processor and process until fairly finely ground
2. Add the tahini, lemon juice, cumin and soy sauce.
3. Start the food processor again and slowly add the water while the machine is running
4. Keep processing until the hommous is smooth and creamy, adding more water if necessary to get a smooth, easily spreadable consistency.

Sprinkle on paprika or sumac (preferred).

* * * * * * *
Things to do with yogurt - make Labda (or yogurt cheese). Add whatever flavouring you choose - paprika, chili, chopped fresh herbs, garlic.

1. Place yogurt in a fine strainer set over a bowl, and refrigerate for 8 hours to allow moisture to drain out.

2. Discard the liquid, and place the yogurt in a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients. Mix well.

3. Transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap about 10 inches long, and roll it into a log about 5 inches long and 1and a half inches thick. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

4. Serve the cheese with toast, crackers or bread. It is good served as part of a salad accompaniment; arrange chunks on each plate, or spread on small toasts or untoasted baguette slices.

* * * * *
TZAZIKI - cucumber and yogurt dip
INGREDIENTS:
500 ml plain yogurt
2 medium lebanese cucumbers (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon salt
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1-2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill (optional, but nice) - I add some finely shredded mint as well.
dash of vinegar, optional

Mix it all together, then leave in fridge for a few hours before serving. If kept in fridge, will last for weeks. Serve on chunks of crusty white bread.


And yes, with both labda and tzaziki you can use a low-fat yogurt. But frankly, the fat content of yogurt is low enough anyway. You need something there to keep the glycaemic index low. And tzaziki is MUCH nicer made fresh - the bought stiff is never as good because the cucumber goes watery, or it's been done in a blender which REALLY makes it awful and watery. (Or they've not used continental cucmbers).

Somewhere I have a tomato and red pepper salsa I invented. I'm still getting it right but it's got lots of fresh basil and some finely shredded red onion in there as well - a pinch of sugar and a splash of balsamic vinegar. When you use really ripe, home-grown tomatoes it's fabulous.
Enjoy! Basically, if you've got to munch on something, munch on this.

Marg

 

[SearchingForRainbows]

Marg and Upallnight, You are making me HUNGRY!!! Thanks for the healthy recipes. Marg, when you find the one for salsa, please post it. It sounds fabulous!!!

And what is vegemite? Thanks again. WFEN

 

[Marguerite]

Vegemite is peculiarly Australian, although the company that makes it is now owned by the US.

It's black, salty, consistency like axle grease. But if you're brought up on it, you love it. NEVER spread it thick like jam or any other spread - it's meant to be spread as thin as you can because a little of it goes a long way. It's loaded with B vitamins and although it looks greasy, you use so little that it's rated "negligible" on almost any diet I've ever seen.

Kids take Vegemite sandwiches to school - bread & butter with a thin smear of Vegemite.

The Brits have Marmite - like Vegemite but with a pinch of sugar added. It just tastes wrong. But that's what they say about Vegemite.

You can also use it as a substitute for beef stock in a jar, although I wouldn't want to use too much. But that should give you an idea of its saltiness.

If you have a stick of celery you DON'T dip it in the Vegemite jar because it's too strong. Instead, you smear the Vegemite on with a finger. It tastes wonderful! If you spread it really thin (like on celery), it looks deep reddish brown instead of black.

A fast hot home-made soup - a quarter tsp Vegemite, some carrot, celery and a slice of onion. Maybe a tsp tomato paste. Then a cup of boiling water and whiz it all in the blender.

So if anyone ever offers you some, and smiles while you spread it on your bread as thick as peanut butter, don't trust them. It's a favourite Aussie trick, so you won't develop a taste for it and take their supply. Instead, be stingy with it and spread it really thin. You can always add more if you want, after you've had a taste.

Marg

 

[SearchingForRainbows]

Marg,

Thanks for the info on vegemite. No offense, but from your description, it doesn't sound too appetizing!!! (Spelling???) However, I will try it if it is ever offered to me. I'll remember to only take a tiny bit and I'll seem like a seasoned vegemite eater!

The soup sounds good though. I could use some right about now. It's freezing here!!!
Do you think you could share some of the warm weather and sunshine with those of us less fortunate in the USA? WFEN

 

[SearchingForRainbows]

I finished the book Mindless Eating a couple of weeks ago. In case anyone is interested, in my humble opinion it was light and enjoyable to read. The author believes the best diet is the diet you don't even know you're on.

He gives lots of ways to mindlessly cut calories. For instance, if you use smaller plates, glasses, and cups, you'll think you're eating more than you really are. Believe it or not, this one works for me!

Some of the advice in the book wasn't new to me. Obviously, it isn't too smart to eat directly from a package of cookies, crackers, chips, etc., if the package contains more than one serving. And, yes, although I'm not proud of this, I could easily eat a whole bag of cookies, etc., if I ate directly from the bag!

Even though I already knew some of the advice given, it was still fun to read. However, I don't think that I'll ever be able to diet and not realize it! in my humble opinion, as I've said before, I think dieting only works if you change your relationship with food permanently. It has to be a lifestyle change... WFEN