Tidbits

bharriscar

Here's some random tidbits of my own. I've lost 45 pounds so far.

1) If you're going to use My Fitness Pal you must be able to measure your foods. If a food is hard to measure or hard to enter into MFP you'll have problems. I avoid foods which are hard to measure. I do enter my wife's favorite recipes and ask her to fix them often.

2) I watch my intake of Salt or Sodium for heart reasons. But I really like Hot sauce. Hot sauce is very high in Sodium so I use chili pepper flakes. They're called different things like Crushed Chili flakes, etc. but they are the small red flakes that are made from dried red peppers, I think like "Hatch" peppers you find hanging on a string with a bunch of others. This is as good as hot Sauce to me, hot but without the Sodium.

3) Everyone has or needs to find their own foods which seem to deter their cravings. One of mine is hot tea. I like Black tea better than Green tea. For some reason you hear a lot about Green tea, but Black teas taste are better to me. I sweeten them with Splenda (I'm not recommending Splenda to you however.).

4) Sugar is addictive !!! Repeat Sugar is addictive !!! Once I start eating sugar, like cookies or chocolate, I need more and more and more. Once you start it is hard to stop!

5) My biggest problem time is after dinner and usually after 9 PM. It's a mental thing. I don't want to go to bed hungry.

No big answers here but I hope it helps some one.

nxd10

When I was losing, I'd almost always have a snack at 9. Now I just usually do. Fills in the cracks after dinner.

justakiwi

I agree with you about the sugar. If I keep sweet treats out of my cupboards and stay away from them at work morning teas etc, I can happily do without them. But the moment I tell myself "oh, just one will be fine" - I am screwed. I can't stop at one, ever.

I actually find the same thing with savoury/salty foods. Potato chips (crisps) are an example. If I open a bag of those, there is no way I can limit myself to a small handful or whatever. They just seem to set off some kind of physical craving that will power just stands no chance against.

At the moment I'm finding this really hard, because I have my elderly parents at my house every Sunday, for the afternoon and evening meal. My mother has a real sweet tooth and doesn't like healthy type baking (home made bran muffins or things like that). I feel that I need to have something in the house to offer her during the day, so I usually buy something like packaged biscuits, loaves, muffins, cakes etc. But, then I end up eating them along with her every Sunday. Nobody's fault but mine but damn it's hard to fight that addiction, or whatever it is, to sugar.

nxd10

I send home extra cookies/baked goods with my in-laws every Sunday when they come over for tea. Keeps me from eating them and they like the treat.

bharriscar

My real weakness is sweets, not salty snacks or bread or pastas. If I get the sweets out of the house I do OK. But I guess craving one poor choice is the same as the next. Another good idea is before you eat that snack try drinking a glass of water or even brushing your teeth. I camp a lot, when I do my survival instincts kick in and I think I need to eat to survive. I haven't worked this one out yet : )

essjay76

Paying more for a single size portion is well worth the higher price! I am no good with a bag of chips.

einzweidrei

1) If you're going to use My Fitness Pal you must be able to measure your foods. If a food is hard to measure or hard to enter into MFP you'll have problems. I avoid foods which are hard to measure. I do enter my wife's favorite recipes and ask her to fix them often.

3) Everyone has or needs to find their own foods which seem to deter their cravings. One of mine is hot tea. I like Black tea better than Green tea. For some reason you hear a lot about Green tea, but Black teas taste are better to me. I sweeten them with Splenda (I'm not recommending Splenda to you however.).

4) Sugar is addictive !!! Repeat Sugar is addictive !!! Once I start eating sugar, like cookies or chocolate, I need more and more and more. Once you start it is hard to stop!

#1 is true but I have lost thirty five pounds and now I've been working on keeping that weight off over the last few months. I still go out to eat once a week usually. I like to overestimate my calories on those days. I think once you're aware of portions and what you're eating, you can start to get a feel for how much you're eating and I always add extra calories in when I think there is butter, oil, etc. in my food.

#3 I also could NEVER get into green tea. Never liked the taste of it but unfortunately it does not keep the hunger away.

#4 Please know that this is not true with everyone. Salty foods are FAR more addictive to me. If you give me a cake, I would MAYBE eat a slice (or none at all!) but if you give me a big bag of salt n vinegar chips, that bag will be gone in five minutes. I love salty/starchy things I could eat five pounds of mashed potatoes right now. LOL.