Our group conference after our Friday's weigh ins

valerieblaydes

FitMeBetter wrote: »

I guess the extra energy you are sending out is for people like me. I am struggling with food (bingeing) at the end of the day. So frustrating because I do so well, stay on track and eat healthy all day and afternoon. I'm not over-restricting, but I find myself grabbing cereal, nuts, chocolate, and the like, and stuffing my face! It's like I go into a trance, and it is so confusing and disappointing. Just can't figure out what's driving this.

I know the feeling. I am serious that those avocado brownies kept me on track all week. I didn't eat more than one a day, but they were so damn good! Every night I looked forward to having enough calories left to eat one. I bought more chocolate, cocoa, and dates today, and I still have 7 avocados left. I'm gonna make a double batch and cut and freeze them.

We weren't MFP friends yet when I cooked those, but this was the recipe I saw:

Avocado Brownies with Avo Frosting
Yield: 12-16 brownies
Brownies
3 oz. dark chocolate (70% cacao), chopped
1 Tbsp. coconut or extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa (40g)
½ cup almond meal (60g)
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. sea salt
2 ripe medium avocados (about 17 oz. total), halved, pitted, flesh scooped out
½ cup medjool dates (about 4.5 oz.), pitted
¼ cup coconut sugar (1.4 oz.)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Frosting
1 ripe medium avocado (about 9 oz.), halved, pitted, flesh scooped out
½ cup raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa (40g)
½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Generous pinch of sea salt
1. Make brownies: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil; grease foil (with coconut oil, olive oil cooking spray or melted unsalted butter). Bring an inch of water to a simmer over low heat in a medium saucepan. Place chocolate and oil in a medium heatproof bowl. Set bowl over saucepan. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from heat and let cool until just warm to the touch.
2. In a small bowl, combine cacao, almond meal, baking powder and salt; stir until well mixed.
3. Place avocados, dates, coconut sugar and vanilla in a food processor; blend until smooth. Blend in eggs. Blend in cooled chocolate mixture. Scrape down sides of processor and mix again. Add almond meal mixture; pulse until blended. Spread mixture in baking pan and bake until just set, 30 to 35 minutes (do not overbake). Let cool on a rack. When cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
4. Just before serving, make frosting: Combine all ingredients in food processor and process until smooth and thick (you should have about 1¼ cups). Spread over chilled brownies (you may have some left over; cover and refrigerate for another use). Cut and serve. Store leftover brownies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

I swear I saw this in the MFP blog--the little pictures that show up in our newsfeed--but the source was http://www.health.com/food/how-to-make-avocado-brownies. I suppose I might have seen the ad on Facebook. It was worth hunting down every single ingredient. So good!!!

valerieblaydes

Those ought to satisfy all those cravings, though--they have nuts, chocolate, complex carbs and good fat, and a ton of fiber.

FitMeBetter

Wow! Thank you for that, Valerie. I will definitely do some shopping and make these. Today I am trying to refocus and not binge. I have been doing so well. This is just discouraging. But I have said that if I'm gonna call "this time different" then it needs to be so. I need to remember that consistency is key rather than let my emotions get the best of me. Thanks again!

valerieblaydes

I feel you. It seems to me the advice I pushed away for 40 years is true--it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. It's all about making changes we can live with every day, not some temporary behavior changes. Otherwise, the weight comes back, right? It's just a matter of us learning to be active enough to burn the foods we want to eat, and exposing ourselves to more healthy foods. There's nothing wrong with nuts, chocolate, or popcorn, candy, or chips. We just have to manage when to eat them and how much, and get active. Don't punish yourself too hard...