MOUGHI's CalorieKing blog
Monday, Mar 31 2008 - Emotional Plateaus
View MOUGHI's food & exercise for this day
There will be no weight loss for me this week. It won't be from one of those physical plateaus that you read about so often, but from an emotional one. It could be because this week has been an emotional week for me to begin with. I have been nursing a very sick dog back to health as well as recovery from the minor hand surgery I talked about. Emotions here have gone from elations to doom to great hope to great despair. I have not found the will power to complete my diet at the end of each night, succumbing to a sweet tooth which is a no no for this diabetic to begin with. I know all the tricks all the words all the ways to avoid eating beyond my last snack and still I willing ate beyond my time and calorie limit several nights last week. I even binged last night after having the " are we going to put the dog down talk" with my husband last night. Thus proving to myself once a food addict always a food addict. ( at least for now) Days like today I put my puppy tail between my legs and whimper back to the drawing room to reassess were I have been and were I am going. I have to get it back together. I can't let my emotions get the best of me. I have to lose those last 50 pounds. I have to complete this journey.I have to do this. I can't give up, but today and last week it felt like I was. Like my dog, I felt like I had no strength left in me for the battle, yet I still feel there's fight in me. Like my dog, I still see that fight. The vet did too. She saw him lick the VD food up, that special diet they give very sick animals. He took it! His wounds were actually healing, but he may have cancer on his lip. A re-occurring spot where he once had it before.There's still hope for now. She said not to give up hope for now, there is still hope. I needed to hear that.
Now for me, where do I go. Set goals to get back in shape? Get back to the gym? I could use some help here from fellow CKers. I'm probably tired right now. It's been an emotional week for me.
Yesterday at the races I did good and did not snack at any junk food at the races or give in to wanting to nibble all day while watching the races. Like I said, it wasn't until latter that night that I broke down and went on a binge after we talked about what to do about the dog. I won't have such an emotional/food response again I hope. ( I keep saying that, but I'm 2 out of three now ). Anyway, I had a victory and took a step forward yesterday. It seems I come apart when I Have death issues. Daughter and FSIL did great. I even got in a lot of walking before my back gave out from standing 8 hours. Yes, 8 hours is a long time in the sun to be standing and walking. I had my scooter with me and in the end had to use it because I could no longer use my legs due to the pain in my lower back. Today I still have a lot of pain in my back and down my legs just to remind me I'm not a normal person nor will I ever be, but it was fun.
Oh, yes, I got to watch some top athletes from around the country compete yesterday! Blogs to long to talk about that. Hey, I will come back and put the recipes on. I need to go take care of dog for a while. Be back later.
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I finished the treatment with the dog. He is resting comfortably. He also ate the new food! The only thing that worries me is the growth on his lip. Is it one of the infectious spots or is it the cancer reoccurring again on the jaw we had removed eight years ago. Tonight I have to put heat on it in case it is one of those infectious sights, He is just going to love that.
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Before I leave I wanted to share my general recipe for my fruit freezes. They are very much like fruit smoothies only I don't put them in a blender because I want the pulp. You can if you want make them in the blender and thus actually make a yogurt pop like you buy in the store. What you would do if you did that is go get popsicle sticks from a craft store, paper cups from the grocery store, and pour your mixture into the cups. After the mixture has had time to freeze for about 30 min. then place the sticks in the middle of the cups. When they are fully frozen all you have to do is peel and eat.
My recipe just requires those Glad small plastic containers ( for large freezies I use the one cup containers). So here are my blends:
2 oz. plain soy yogurt
2 tbs granular Splenda
1/2 tsp Real Vanilla Extract
3 oz. chopped Mango
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1 Clementine
2 oz. plain soy yogurt
2 tbs. granular Splenda
1/2 tsp R. Vanilla Extract
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5oz Strawberries ( cup container)
2 tbs plain soy yogurt
1 tbs Vanilla Extract
2 tbs Granular Splenda
( for a small one cut the Strawberries to 3oz and vanilla to 1/2 )
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.5oz Banana
4 oz plain soy yogurt
2 tbs Granular Splenda
1/2 tsp Maple Extract or Vanilla
( Banana/Blueberry is also a good combination but higher in
calories.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We chop up the fruit and mix it into the yogurt then freeze. When we are ready to eat we microwave them for 10 seconds and then take a knife and crunch then out some. My husband puts cool whip on his. I like to smash mine up till they become like those ballpark freezes. That's why I don't like to put them in the blender. It's a texture thing. They average around 60-80 calories and 16-18 grams depending on the kind of yogurt you are going to use and whether you count the Splenda into your calorie count. I basically use the formula: 1 fruit serving plus 2 oz of yogurt, 2 tbs Splenda, 1/2-1 tsp vanilla. You can use frozen fruit as well as some have you have already told me you do.
These pack well in lunch kits. We took some with us to the races Sunday. They were still frozen mid morning and quite slushy still. Just the thing for a hot Texas day. They would make perfect treats for anyone's lunch kit.
Good Eats as Alton would say.
Now for me, where do I go. Set goals to get back in shape? Get back to the gym? I could use some help here from fellow CKers. I'm probably tired right now. It's been an emotional week for me.
Yesterday at the races I did good and did not snack at any junk food at the races or give in to wanting to nibble all day while watching the races. Like I said, it wasn't until latter that night that I broke down and went on a binge after we talked about what to do about the dog. I won't have such an emotional/food response again I hope. ( I keep saying that, but I'm 2 out of three now ). Anyway, I had a victory and took a step forward yesterday. It seems I come apart when I Have death issues. Daughter and FSIL did great. I even got in a lot of walking before my back gave out from standing 8 hours. Yes, 8 hours is a long time in the sun to be standing and walking. I had my scooter with me and in the end had to use it because I could no longer use my legs due to the pain in my lower back. Today I still have a lot of pain in my back and down my legs just to remind me I'm not a normal person nor will I ever be, but it was fun.
Oh, yes, I got to watch some top athletes from around the country compete yesterday! Blogs to long to talk about that. Hey, I will come back and put the recipes on. I need to go take care of dog for a while. Be back later.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I finished the treatment with the dog. He is resting comfortably. He also ate the new food! The only thing that worries me is the growth on his lip. Is it one of the infectious spots or is it the cancer reoccurring again on the jaw we had removed eight years ago. Tonight I have to put heat on it in case it is one of those infectious sights, He is just going to love that.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before I leave I wanted to share my general recipe for my fruit freezes. They are very much like fruit smoothies only I don't put them in a blender because I want the pulp. You can if you want make them in the blender and thus actually make a yogurt pop like you buy in the store. What you would do if you did that is go get popsicle sticks from a craft store, paper cups from the grocery store, and pour your mixture into the cups. After the mixture has had time to freeze for about 30 min. then place the sticks in the middle of the cups. When they are fully frozen all you have to do is peel and eat.
My recipe just requires those Glad small plastic containers ( for large freezies I use the one cup containers). So here are my blends:
2 oz. plain soy yogurt
2 tbs granular Splenda
1/2 tsp Real Vanilla Extract
3 oz. chopped Mango
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Clementine
2 oz. plain soy yogurt
2 tbs. granular Splenda
1/2 tsp R. Vanilla Extract
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5oz Strawberries ( cup container)
2 tbs plain soy yogurt
1 tbs Vanilla Extract
2 tbs Granular Splenda
( for a small one cut the Strawberries to 3oz and vanilla to 1/2 )
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.5oz Banana
4 oz plain soy yogurt
2 tbs Granular Splenda
1/2 tsp Maple Extract or Vanilla
( Banana/Blueberry is also a good combination but higher in
calories.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We chop up the fruit and mix it into the yogurt then freeze. When we are ready to eat we microwave them for 10 seconds and then take a knife and crunch then out some. My husband puts cool whip on his. I like to smash mine up till they become like those ballpark freezes. That's why I don't like to put them in the blender. It's a texture thing. They average around 60-80 calories and 16-18 grams depending on the kind of yogurt you are going to use and whether you count the Splenda into your calorie count. I basically use the formula: 1 fruit serving plus 2 oz of yogurt, 2 tbs Splenda, 1/2-1 tsp vanilla. You can use frozen fruit as well as some have you have already told me you do.
These pack well in lunch kits. We took some with us to the races Sunday. They were still frozen mid morning and quite slushy still. Just the thing for a hot Texas day. They would make perfect treats for anyone's lunch kit.
Good Eats as Alton would say.
8 comments so far.
8.
a decade ago
by BESS
7.
a decade ago
Progress, not perfection. You are doing great. Not a setback, a mis-step but now you are walking a straight line again!
:kiss:
by MOM22SONZ
6.
a decade ago
Thank you for your support on my blog about the drinking and driving thing. I am glad you would have done the same...I really let them have it and I felt like a jerk afterwards, but looking back, they did the wrong thing and not me, so I don't need to feel like a jerk about it. THANK YOU for echoing those sentiments for me!
:cool: Your fruit freezes sound delish, I think I will try them!
by AMY13
5.
a decade ago
I was just writing in Metaldog's blog that "It is what it is" is my new favorite phrase. According to the Urban Dictionary, it means "It's happened. I'm going to forget about it. I'm going to move on. There is nothing that can be done about it." You can't undo the binge so forget about it and look forward. You have come so far! I know without a shadow of doubt that you have the strength of spirit to put this behind you and move forward. You came back to CK and that's HUGE! You could have said "forget it" to this whole thing, but you didn't so you've already made the most important step. I think you're probably right that once a food addict, always a food addict. I've always said I think it's the hardest addiction. If you're an alcoholic you never drink alcohol again, but a food addict can't give up eating ever again. So we have to manage our addiction rather than completely obstain. This was a temporary setback--you're already back on track. Love & Hugs
:heart2:
by MARJORIEO
4.
a decade ago
Lory, I know you know that you can finish this weight-loss/health journey and continue to maintain a lighter, healthier self. Maybe it will help to know that I have absolute and unwavering faith that you will get back on track. You are resolved to do this. You have proven yourself capable. You WILL get re-excited and energetic about eating on plan. I know that you know the tricks, the words to say to yourself. You know you know them too. It is so, so hard to maintain healthy habits when life is sad and stressful. I would suggest acknowledging those feelings, letting yourself sit and feel them fully. Try to think of food as this program your on that has nothing to do with life. It's just steps you take (food you eat). You plan what to eat. You eat what you planned without thinking twice. Maybe even let following your plan be your excitement and relief from the other currently harder parts of life... Then you go back to feeling your feelings - sadness, worry, happiness, hope, whatever. I know this sounds way easier said than done. I know this sounds impossible. But, actually, when you said to me "anyone who has the ability to not eat also has the ability to stay on a program," I started to think of eating as just that - a program. We don't necessarily have to think or make a decision - we just follow the program that we know well. We don't have to overthink it. We can just... separate it and.. do it Kind of... mindless almost. I hope this comment isn't sounding like "just separate life and emotions from food." I hope it isn't sounding as blunt and harsh as that. I'm just trying to give you some ways of thinking that might help to separate life and feelings from eating habits and schedules. Another idea... acknowledge that this time is REALLY a hard time in your life. Plan your meals/snacks just like you did before. But maybe plan them to maintenance level. Plan to let yourself eat more than you had been. Maybe plan to maintain weight for a couple of weeks - it's easier - it allows for more wiggle room. Maybe that means you get to plan in some comfort food. Maybe, that way, you wouldn't end up reversing any weight-loss and, also, you'd end up feeling more in control. Perhaps? Either way, Lory, I will pray that you find the upcoming days easier to get through and that you find healthy food choices easier and more natural to make - just like they were just a couple of weeks ago.
:kiss: I'll be thinking of you.
by LAURAGLAURA
3.
a decade ago
Lory, you are a success so don't let a few days or weeks make you feel otherwise. Sometimes your priority is your diet sometimes it is taking care of yourself and others in different ways. You will feel able to tackle the fifty pounds soon, give yourself time to deal with your emotional and physical issues.
by MEYDEE
2.
a decade ago
YOU CAN DO THIS. You are just having a rough week...everybody has those. You've said you want to keep going and you know what you have to do, and I know that you can do that. Just go back to the drawing board...what has worked for you in the past? Is it setting small goals, or is it planning all your meals, or is it scheduling exercise in? You just have to decide what's going to be the best way to get back on track. I know you can do it. Hang in there...I am so sorry you are having such a rough week. We've all been there and I know you will make it through!
:kiss:
by AMY13
1.
a decade ago
One of my favorite sayings is "sometimes life gets in the way of weight loss" -- and this is what is happening to you right now. When emotions run high, we need comfort, and if comfort comes in the form of food -- even better, right? For now, until you get through this with the dog, I would say focus on baby steps. Acknowleging it is step one. I would set goals to eat only food you plan for the next day. Maybe you plan an indulgence, but you eat only what you plan...then you feel more in control.
:kiss:
by NMA5632