Monday, July 25, 2011

Never Cured

Like I said in last week's pep talk post, we all do things differently when we are dieting - what works for one person may not work for another.  And that's ok - while we all may have a common goal, how we get there can be as different at night and day.  I have to constantly remember what works for me, and why.

For example, I've never tried a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich - not that I haven't wanted to.  I hear they're delicious.  But they are sold in a box of six, which is a dangerous thing for me.  Same goes for those cute mini-sized ice cream treats.  By themselves, they're usually around 100 or 150 calories, which is not bad at all for a nice little treat.

However.

I know me.  The me who thinks "well sure, I had one, but one more would taste so good...and it's only 150 calories" - and before you know it, the entire box is empty.  I used to do this with Drumsticks - and let me tell you, those dang things had a lot more than 150 calories in them!  And forget the mini-sized - to me, one is never enough to satisfy.  What's that saying?  One is too many, and a thousand is never enough?  Holds true in so many instances for me.

This is how I know I'm not, nor is it likely, that I will ever be, "cured" from certain things.  Like sugar cravings.  I am so much better off not having treat items in my house.  Yes, I do go out for frozen yogurt a couple of times a week.  Yes, it would be cheaper to have treat items in my freezer at home.  But, in order to save me from myself, it's totally worth the extra few dollars to go out for the treat, and have my house be a safe zone. It took me a long time to figure this out, but it works for me.

There is a reason why I've been reluctant to put "out there" exactly what I ate to lose weight.  What worked for me may not work for you.  Some people are perfectly fine with having a box of ice cream treats in their freezers and can apply portion control admirably.  I have an issue with self control.  I know, shocking - NOT.  It took a while for me to accept that this is a better way to live, and it was only when I stopped trying to copy what other dieters were doing successfully, and started looking at what was unsuccessful for me, that I began to have success.  Does that make any sense?

25 comments:

  1. It absolutely makes sense and in my opinion this is the best way to deal with overweight: see what works for you and do it.

    Sure you can get tips and tricks from other people and if it works for you or me it's great but in the end we have to it ourselves in our own way.

    I'm like you I realize now: if I have it in my house I keep eating it till it's gone. But I'm not that far that I don't buy some things anymore. But I'm sure I will be one day.

    Great post Shelley, thanks!

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  2. YES!! It makes total sense and is why I blogged at Miz for years and never mentioned Id been gluten free for over 15.

    We all need to find what works for our physiology and emotional selves too.

    On a selfish note I need your FASHION HEAD TODAY over at my blog :)
    whenever you get a chance...

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  3. Totally true for me. I cannot have certain treats in the house (either large pack or singles), because I will eat them as one serving. I've known this for a long time now, but in the beginning it was a real revelation: I'll never eat until the entire package of carrots or apples is gone, but most processed products are a different story.

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  4. Amen! It makes perfect sense to me because I feel the exact same way. There are just some things I can't keep in my house without going overboard. Frozen yogurt is definitely one of those things I go out and pay too much for because I pay a much higher price having it in my freezer. Even though we may never be cured, we can learn how to work around our shortcomings. Stay cool and rock on!

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  5. Boy does it make sense to me! It's an individual thing for sure. It works when I work it "my way".

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  6. OMGosh Shelley, you were like 2 steps ahead of me. Yes, I do know what works for me. I just let myself get distracted sometimes. For me its cookies that I can't trust myself around. Once in a very great while I will buy a really good one to enjoy.

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  7. I hear you on the whole self control thing. I want to be mentally tougher. I guess I need to want that more than ice cream...

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  8. Makes absolute sense to me.

    It is interesting because I often fight the battle of the wallet versus the waistline. The wallet just has to lose on this one, as I have proven to myself time and time again that I am not "cured".

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  9. "Yes, it would be cheaper to have treat items in my freezer at home."

    Ahhh, but it is more costly to have these at home for you from a non-monetary standpoint. To me it is a bargain to buy individual desserts (like cupcakes!) out rather than have a dozen sitting at home calling to me.

    You make total sense.

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  10. Makes sense to me! And you have the pictures to prove that you know what to do to lose weight. So keep on doing what you're doing. :)

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  11. That's exactly why I can't have pretzels in my house - I can NEVER stop at one serving, although I could have icecream in my freezer for months and never take notice of it.

    Happy Monday Shelley - I thought of you this morning when I was swimming - I thought someone was going to want to share a lane with me, but I kinda gave them the evil eye and they moved on :D

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  12. Yup - you said a mouthful, Shelley. Thanks for the reminder. Just because someone can have a blob of real peanut butter, and jelly, and granola on top of her oatmeal does NOT mean I can. Learned that one the hard way!

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  13. Yes, it makes perfect sense. Just this morning I was looking longingly at the Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches and wishing. AND they were on sale! Nope, did not buy. I will have fruit for my treat at home and I also go out for frozen yogurt. :)

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  14. That's the truth! What works for one person won't necessarily work for others. I love drumsticks to. It's the chocolate and the waffle cone! If we feel scrutinized for what we eat or don't eat I remember an article I read about Richard Simmons. He never eats out at restaurants and brings his own food to hotels because he doesn't want people to go to the "gossip rags" and say we saw him eat this and that blah blah blah. That's pretty sad huh?

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  15. Does it make sense? Shelley, it makes COMPLETE sense!!!! And hey, we all have to do what works best for ourselves. There is no right and wrong for everyone! You are wise Shelley!!! Have a great day.

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  16. Yes, it does make sense. Not only does one diet not work for everyone, the same diet does not always work for the same person over time. I also do not keep frozen treats in the house. For the same calories, I'd rather eat "food."

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  17. My two weaknesses are oatmeal cookies and ice cream. If I keep them in the house I will eat in the middle of the night. To fight this and the resulting guilt I only let myself indulge when I am out of town on vacation. Of course then I go crazy but the timeframe is limited. Glad to know I am not the only one who fights this ongoing battle.

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  18. You are a smart cookie (pardon the pun)! I agree there are certain foods that I can't have in the house. I recently tried chips again after almost 7 months without them being around. Well, guess what? It didn't work for me. At first I thought, oh I can do this I will measure out my serving and put the rest away. Nope, didn't work I kept going back to the bag. Ice cream is another one. I usually have some in the house for the adult children (I like calling the boys that!), but I try to pretend it's not there. Some days I swear I can hear that ice cream calling my name to come and devour it!! Some foods are dangerous for us to have around and good for you for recognizing what yours are.

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  19. Makes total sense, I buy the treats but more often than not they end up in the trash!!!

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  20. I love ice cream and Breyer's is one of my favorites, but keeping it in my freezer is so not an option or I'm digging my spoon in every time I walk by (okay, that's an exaggeration, but still)

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  21. Yep...makes total sense. I remember when I realized that I'd never be "cured" and it was such a relief in a lot of ways!

    It is so true that our journeys are as individual as we are...

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  22. Spot on; you are describing me completely. And I agree, what works for one does not work for another; part of the journey is finding your own "thing" with health. Great post!

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  23. I think it makes sense. I read lots of blogs written by women who eat "intuitively" and who have thrown away their scales and never weigh themselves. It sounds wonderful, but I know it wouldn't work for me. I count calories and weigh myself every day, and sometimes I feel guilty writing about that on my blog. But that is what works.

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  24. That makes total sense to me. We used to talk about red or yellow light foods in WW. Some foods are red-lights: if you have them in the house even at all, they can/will trigger a binge. Others are yellow: when you have them, you may get an urge to have more, but you can control it. Everyone has different foods that do that for them, but we all have them.

    So good for you for figuring out how to manage yours!

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  25. Sometimes, I read that people say they only eat fish, or chicken, or whatever. Sometimes, it really does work for them. But sometimes, it is just a ploy.
    Some people don't want to give up their beloved sweets - for example. So they say "it works for them...." but it really doesn't "work" in the diet.... it works cus they want to eat the thing.
    And of course, I am speaking only for myself here!
    ;D

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