Thoughts, Epiphanies, Insights, & Quotables

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  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,634 Member
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    Hey, I think you guys are downgrading my labor to recycle the cardboard and peel the film of the microwave dinners! That's a lot of work you know! 🙀🙀🙀
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,632 Member
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    You know - I don't even think my own frozen dinners qualify. Too easy on the days of eating. Maybe there are some rules about how long you have to be in contact with the food you consume each day that we don't know about yet? Something extra to CICO?

    When I spend hours (and hours) cooking big family meals on the big days - I'm frequently not interested in eating. Not from tasting or sampling - but just from being in such close proximity to food. Just handling it is filling. (but I don't think any calories are absorbed????? )
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,632 Member
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    Lead the way, Yooly :)
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,634 Member
    edited April 2022
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    If you can pull it off 🤞, the strategy can definitely work!

    🤯🐹🙀🐹🤯 <-- yes dumb*kitten* 🐹s, it's a tough road that she is flirting with and one you didn't quite choose to take, but when the going gets tough, the tough get to experiment and adjust.

    Plus you should know that over the course of the day you are not only eating lower caloric density foods; but, overall, including skipping all you can eat meals several times a week, you are eating less quantity overall on average.
  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 2,841 Member
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    Don’t plan on skipping meals or quality!

    My eyes need to accept that less food -if it’s a regular serving- is okay. Rather than looking for volume all the time to make me think I’m still eating a lot.
  • Yoolypr
    Yoolypr Posts: 2,841 Member
    edited April 2022
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    Here’s an example of adjusting to LESS.

    My plate on the right.
    sklctnhwidgs.jpeg
    Around 400 calories which is more than an adequate meal for someone my age and size. Hubby’s is on the left. Fine for his needs. Well maybe a bit much even for him!

    I need to learn that this size meal is normal and to stop searching for MORE. I don’t need more and it’s a habit I need to give up. I want to be satisfied with normal portions.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,634 Member
    edited April 2022
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    Sorry Yooly re the skipping meals confusion. Want thinking you would.

    I was still talking about my favourite person and saying that even though I continue to eat visually larger but lower calorie meals these do remain, on balance, smaller as compared to the all you can eat meals that used to be a regular, more than once a week, go-to.

    Garfield and Alexandra seem to have developed the habit!
  • Bella_Figura
    Bella_Figura Posts: 3,819 Member
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    I wouldn't say I'd totally cracked the smaller portion challenge, yet, but it IS a habit I'm working on and I'm definitely making progress. There are times when I still have a huge portion (e.g. if my meal is predominantly salad or veggies) that dwarfs my husband's much more calorie-dense fattier/carbier/proteiny meal...and that's absolutely fine. But on the days when my own meal is calorie dense, I'm encouraging myself to embrace the 'small is beautiful' mindset and accept that a modest portion is perfectly sufficient for someone of my gender, age, build and activity level.

    I've found that drinking a large glass (or even two) of water immediately before the meal helps me to feel satiated until my brain kicks into gear and convinces my stomach that the small portion of calorie dense food has met its needs...I also try always to drink water with my meal (from a crystal wine glass in a doomed attempt to fool the 🐹🐹🐹) and I eat sitting at the dining table, with the appropriate cutlery and from a smaller plate.

    There are many, many occasions when I get up from the table still feeling dissatisfied after a small calorie dense meal, but I've discovered that if I keep myself busy immediately after rising from the table for about thirty minutes or so (i.e. the danger zone when the 🐹🐹🐹 are being most minxy and anarchic) that after those 30 minutes or so the 🐹🐹🐹 give up tormenting me and slouch away in disgust.
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,632 Member
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    There are many, many occasions when I get up from the table still feeling dissatisfied after a small calorie dense meal, but I've discovered that if I keep myself busy immediately after rising from the table for about thirty minutes or so (i.e. the danger zone when the 🐹🐹🐹 are being most minxy and anarchic) that after those 30 minutes or so the 🐹🐹🐹 give up tormenting me and slouch away in disgust.

    Yes...distraction...I do well if I time a walk for immediately after one of those small calorie dense meals. Freakin' short-eared virtually-no-tailed bunnies.
  • luxia2020
    luxia2020 Posts: 55 Member
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    Interestingly enough, how I learned to eat LESS and enjoy MORE of what I eat was to simply trick my brain into thinking it was getting more each time. Of course, the change was done gradually to avoid dissing my own thinking. 12"/30.48cm plate to 10"/25.40cm plate to 9"/22.86cm plate to 8"/20.32cm plate. Just keep "piling" on the food on a smaller scale to make it seem MORE than the last! 😁
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,632 Member
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    I might just give that a try, Luxia. I've dropped down to a 9" plate - but hey? I can go smaller still!
  • Janatki
    Janatki Posts: 730 Member
    edited April 2022
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    Posted this elsewhere, but thought I’d post it here too… as perhaps the start of an ephiphany that’ll banish them pesky 🐹🐹🐹’s and get me further into a health & weight loss journey that will last longer than in the past!

    It was fish & chips for tea yesterday, with the obligatory portion of mushy peas - was part of a planned & well needed afternoon trip out and relax…..

    So The Supper was part of the plan, but I had a bit of a meltdown, as we were packing the stuff to go to the river … the mutt, the old people’s chairs (how did this happen?!… used to be a picnic blanket?!) to the calorie counted sarnie’s & few snacks etc… etc…

    The meltdown was the panic of course… the fear of the Eating Out & The Loss Of Control of the Cals! ….we all know this one!

    “How many in the chip supper, was it worth it? what would the inevitable scale damage be?
    Would it lead to a oh-no-this-isn’t -going-to-work…Is-too-hard…. can’t- do-this… then the fall off the preverbial wagon I go….poor me…”

    🐹’s on the loose!!!

    Well, took a big pause! MFP friends & acquaintances have done this..I have seen it!

    So…. in the name of the institution that is British Fish & Chips and Bank Holidays…and the my need to be able to live with CICO, I got out my 2021 Calorie Carb Fat Bible & scanned the takeaway section, averaged out all the variables given in there …I minused the greatest value & the least value to reduce the bias…. came to a mean average figure and thought ok that is now a well thought out, considered, sensible figure…..

    (My O level maths teacher, Mrs Scott, would have been proud…& probably shocked at my research data skills that she used to despair I certainly didn’t demonstrate in her classes!)

    … and I then breathed out and factored it in to my available calories as best as it would fit….

    In the end I chickened out a bit and didn’t have the chips!
    Not too far out calorie wise, but savoured every mouthful and you know, I didn’t miss the chips in the end!

    Plus there was a lovely, long meander down the river too - twice my normal walk with the mad mutt - also helped calm my brain 🐹’s

    I can do this & 1lb down on the scales to boot! Come on!

    And now I am batch cooking for a planned & organised week! Begone you 🐹🐹🐹🐹’s
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,634 Member
    edited April 2022
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    The British fish fryer federation lists fish and chip values and some are even in MFP as, for dinner strange reason, I have reason to know.

    I've taken the scale to my favorite (all you can eat is an option) fish and chip place! Not just once or twice. So I do have average values. The chip portion they put out with the fish piece(a) by the way is remarkably consistent around the 120 to 130g mark.

    I've logged two piece and three piece and double chips and refills and mushy peas while losing and after losing. But I do order my coleslaw dry and very seldom do I use tartar sauce--we have standards here you know! 😹

    My meals there, off the top, are logged in the 1500 Cal range. With no real cut down other than not getting extras!😹

    Given what I see in menus in general, that's probably a "bit":of an underestimate unless I specifically go for a flour only or very light (not just light) batter option. Even if not fully correct weight management has still taken place!

    Your 🐹 wrangling aptly demonstrated above was both masterful and inspiring😻👍

    The mutt union is considering recognizing your current effort by giving you a provisional indulgence for your transgression last week!
  • Janatki
    Janatki Posts: 730 Member
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    Could that be a reprieve from the Mutt Union? I’d hang on as she is still waiting …. admittedly & willing getting under my feet .. enjoying the odd tit bit of meat, veg & fruit… for her walk today!
  • Janatki
    Janatki Posts: 730 Member
    edited April 2022
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    I do know what you mean about caliorie variations fo stuff! I agree that I think those MFP inputters are widely off I mean a bit off 🤣
  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
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    I like the smaller plate idea but I am afraid putting my food on a smaller plate would make the food all run together and touch!
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,632 Member
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    Great job, Janatki! I'm ashamed to admit that sometimes I just can't do it. Not so much that I'm freaked out by the calories - but the figuring feels so uncertain I just throw a dart and miss the track completely.
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,632 Member
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    wcbanab4bg28.jpg

    Not mentioning any names or anything... :D<3