Challenge: Fridge Raiders Unite!

kaytbognar

Hello, everybody, my name is Kayt and I'm a Fridge Raider.

How many nights have I stood in front of the fridge, as intrepid as Indiana Jones, spoon in hand searching for the meaning of life in bites and tastes of every container I can find? Too many! It needs to stop. Now.

Late night binging is always my downfall, and I'm well in the swing of a binge-streak. I'm not rabid yet, I don't eat an entire chocolate cake in one sitting, but all told between the croutons and cheese cubes and yogurt and whatever else I'll rack up about 500-750 calories. Without a little accountability, though, it could get really out of hand. I inevitably find myself picking through everything in the fridge, not even really thinking about what I'm eating, how it tastes, or if I even enjoy it. Usually, part of me inside is screaming "PUT DOWN THAT SPOON AND WALK AWAY FROM THE KITCHEN" but the rest of my brain is pondering, literally, stuff like why the sky is blue, what the meaning of life is, and why I get so bored sometimes.

I know, I KNOW I'm not alone here, so inspired by the sugar is not your friend challenge thread ( http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/74303-sugar-is-not-your-friend-january-challenge ) I'd like to propose a 2 week challenge to help cut back on aimless, pointless, diet-damaging binges.

Obviously, everyone is going to binge differently, so I'd encourage you to set parameters for this challenge that will best serve you. I'll post mine here as an example, and to hold myself accountable (feel free to do the same! Also, I'm not sassing any of you here, unless you want me to, but sassing myself. I find it helps motivate me to poke a little fun.)

1. No looking in the fridge after 9:30pm. Think of it as a Cinderella story with a stricter curfew: crack the fridge door past that time and you don't just turn into a pumpkin, you'll morph into the Goodyear Blimp.

2. No eating directly from the container. Put it in a measuring cup and then put it in a bowl, on a plate, whatever. Sit down, use a knife and fork, give a little thanks before chowing down. If you're going to eat it, think about it, actually enjoy it instead of mindlessly hoovering half a container of yogurt just cause it helps you think.

3. No self-abuse. Your battered psyche doesn't need it. If you slip up and find yourself possessed by the spoon, just stop. Think. Put whatever container you're holding down, close the fridge. Put down the spoon, walk away from the kitchen and come here. Confess every slip up and then let it go. Being able to STOP in the middle of a binge is just as important as heading them off at the pass completely. You're not so great at it right now, work on being better.

4. Repeat after me: The meaning of life is NOT in the fridge. The meaning of life is NOT in the fridge. The meaning of life is NOT in the fridge. Go look for it in the pool...



So, those are my rules for me. I propose, at least at first, a 2 week challenge: stick to the rules until the end of January, then look back, take stock, reflect. Likely, I'll go for a monthlong challenge after, but I gotta start with baby steps.

Please, please, PLEASE, if you're a Fridge Raider, too, JOIN ME. I need all the help I can get.

HealthyChanges2010

bump

cmriverside

Kayt! A big challenge!


I'll join you with one ( okay, two) simple goals.

No more trail mix. Because in the last few months I've taken to buying the really healthy trail mix from Trader Joes, then somehow convincing myself it's okay to eat the entire 16 ounce bag in two or three days. Oh, and adding a few prunes to the top of each 200 calorie bowl of it. It goes so nicely in salad too.

The "Don't eat in front of the Fridge" isn't an issue - for me. I'll change mine to "Don't eat in front of the TV / movies." Gulp. That's gonna kill me.

So:

For two weeks (I can do this I can do this I can do this)

1. No trail mix. (I have to go cold turkey, then I'll try your "stop in the middle" approach)
2. No eating in front of the TV / movies.


Thanks! Good challenge. And since there's no refined sugar in my problem, I feel better about doing it with you here instead of the sugar thread.

cmr.


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cmriverside

*tap tap, is this thing on?*


I made thru yesterday without trail mix AND the only thing I had in front of the TV was my regularly scheduled meal. Nothing extra. I did have to have some hot tea when it started getting late.....better than trail mix.

I call it a victory.

kaytbognar

Way to be, Cheryl!

I've been really good about not eating right from the container, though I've been having dinner way late so my 9:30 cutoff is really a lot closer to 10. Everything is in meal-form, though, put on a plate and eaten sitting down.

I don't know where I got it into my head, but I always feel like anything eaten standing up "doesn't count."

Resist the trail mix.

Here's something to ponder: have you ever thought about making your own version of trail mix? You could probably tailor it to be a bit better for you if it's a MUST HAVE for you--cut nuts up super small, lots of seeds and maybe some grains (popped amaranth is kind of popcorn-like, and if it's in trail mix, it's probably a decent filler) then you can control, too, how much oil (if any) it's baked/roasted with, the amount of sodium, and you can play with the seasoning (maybe make it spicy--with cayenne, paprika and some worchestire--so you eat it a bit slower.)

Gosh, i'm making myself friggin hungry now.

FRESH COCONUT IN THE FRIDGE FOR ME!!! Totally making some kind of crazy fruit salad.

cmriverside

Yay Kayt! Nice work on actually sitting down with your food on a plate. (Make it a small plate - you eat less and it feels like more.) Your body doesn't care what time you eat, and it doesn't know when you eat. It's all about calories in vs calories out. I can't sleep without a late snack. Something like yogurt or cottage cheese is best. Dairy helps you sleep and the protein digests slowly.

And I have also heard all the "jokes" like 1. Anything eaten standing up doesn't count. 2. Broken cookies "leak" out all the calories.
And yet we both know those are desparate measures by people who keep doing the stuff.....

Me thinks you over-estimate my ability to stay away from nuts and dried fruit. The "Trail Mix" I (used to) buy is raw nuts. No added oil or salt or sugar. Dried cranberry and raisins.. From Trader Joes. It is the healthiest possible snack. But if I eat the entire 16 oz bag and it is - 150 calories per serving and 11g fat X 13 servings that's =
1950 calories and
143g fat - (even though it is mostly unsaturated fat)....
....and there are 8g sugar (natural sugar - but still) per serving. 12g carbs.

Thats:
104g sugar and
156g Carbs.
You can spin that any way you want, and it is a bad snack when eaten in two or three days.

Believe me, I've tried to resist. I even tried putting it in 30g baggies. Then I eat 7 of THOSE. Nope. It must go the way of the whipped cream.

Oh, BTW. I finished the last of the prunes today. NOT buying them for a while either. Not only are 10 of them 240 kcals, but too much dried fruit wreaks havoc sugar-wise, and um.. . . . toilet-trip wise. Sorry, TMI. . . ..I know.

I've had a bad month. Boy trouble, spending lots of money.....alcohol. I need to get a grip. Sugar should be the least of my worries. I beat sugar. Onward and upward!

There is my problemo. The two or three days part. I cannot trust myself to have 30g as a snack. I have a half bag. Like 210g.

aHappierMe

I'm joining you guys!! Fridge/cupboard raiding is something I've been working on! I also have zero control with trailmix.. so thats out of my kitchen.

1. The big one for me is cereal by the handfulls--There's always cereal in the house, so can't completely avoid it.. BUT I'm going to try to only open a box if I decide that thats what I'm having for my meal.
2. Treats in the breakroom at work--OFF LIMITS because I know I won't stop after one.
3. Sticking my finger in the peanut butter jar--Not allowed. If I'm really hungry, I can have a thin layer on a piece of toast or with veggies but I WILL NOT stick my finger in the jar.

I'll start with that for now...

kaytbognar

Ahhh, Cheryl--I suspected quantity to be your downfall with the trail mix, not quality (I remember you saying it's from TJ's) but I figured I might suggest a homemade version just in case. Let us both imagine the trail mix, whipped cream and alcohol hanging out together being miserable becuase we have abandoned them for healthier things.

I have some trouble with resisting alcohol, too, so hit me up if you need a support boost on that one! All my years as a member of a champion drinking team, training hard to be able to pound back OBSCENE amount of booze, now it's just not in me to say no. I even balk and a horrified when I see people walk away from half-finished (or full!) drinks on TV--it feels like such a waste. Gotta break that mentality. The answer to the question "What time is it?" is NOT always "Shot-o-Clock!"

aHappierMe-- welcome welcome to our little group! I know how the finger-in-the-PB jar goes! I'm so glad we just DON'T have any around here. Good luck! Be strong!


Maybe we should start a list of places where the meaning of life ISN'T, so we can stop looking there:

The Meaning of Life is NOT in...:
- The Fridge
- The Bag of Trail Mix
- The Peanut Butter Jar
- The Bottle of Canadian Club/Johnny Walker Black/Coquito/Palo Vejo/etc.
- The Can of Whipped Cream

Anything else?

cmriverside

Kayt!

In Feb, you could name your thread "The meaning of life is not in the fridge" or _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _( insert whatever word you prefer, here.)
______________

The Meaning of Life is NOT in...:
- The Fridge
- The Bag of Trail Mix
- The Peanut Butter Jar
- The Bottle of Canadian Club/Johnny Walker Black/Coquito/Palo Vejo/etc. Puerto Vallarta Tequila :frown:
- The Can of Whipped Cream

_____________

The tequila is gone. I'll wait a week before I buy anymore. Mostly because I drank the whole bottle by myself since last Thursday.
All the dried fruit is gone.

Did I mention I am diagnosed with A.D.D.? Therefore OCD is part of my battle. Start something, obsess, can't stop. Yes, I take my meds. Sometimes I think maybe I should up the dose.....

Last night I had some cereal and fruit right before bed. And I had popcorn for dinner. Oh, well. They fit into my maintenance cals. (I'm not trying to lose anymore - benn in maintenance for a while. Which, by the way, is just as tough.)

Today is POOL day. Yay! So I'll be all happy and cheerful all day. TTYL. :glasses:

kaytbognar

Good thinking Cheryl! I'm so glad to have such a clever friend ^^;

Augh, Tequila. I LOVE prarie fire shots (I could actually just...sip those!) Tequila and tabasco...yumyumyum. Good on ya for not replacing the bottle. When I lived in Toronto, our liquor store was not only a 10 minute walk away, but it was exactly halfway between my apartment and work (same for my best friend/roomie at the time--we worked a block away from each other!) so if I wasn't coming home with a bottle, Sarah was!

OCD is TOUGH. It runs in my family, moms and my little sister have it quite bad. My sister, only 18, really really struggles with it. Good for you for keeping a handle on it, I know it isn't easy.

I keep staring at my food diary for today, trying to figure out how I can fill my protein quota for the day. I still have like 400 cals for dinner, but I already had tofu today and I don't really feel like eating meat. I'm pesco-lacto-ovo vegetarian, and becuase I don't get to go out and buy all those protein rich foods, I've been eating a lot more fish here which...it's okay, but I prefer to only eat it once a week, not EVERY DAY. Grumbles. I'll figure it out.

Mmmmm...what kind of cereal did you have? We don't have anything good here so I ahven't had cereal in a really long time. Don't really miss it, just like to dream.

Also:
The meaning of life is not in the bag of croutons.
Or the bag of cheese cubes.
Or the jar of maraschino cherries.
No, it's still not in the can of whipped cream, either.

aHappierMe

Are you guys sure the meaning of life is not in the can of Whipped Cream? ..Part of me wants to think it is :-P

Also, any ideas on how to include nuts in my diet without getting carried away on the snacking? I'm good about the unsalted, dry roasted... I just tend to go overboard (much like trailmix).

kaytbognar

No, no, it is TOTALLY not in the can of whipped cream. Trust me, I've checked. ...though sucking on the nozzle once the can is empty will make you feel a little loopy ;P

As for nuts, I wish I knew. The big bag of walnuts in our fridge is always tempting me, I'm currently just abstaining until I can get myself under control with them. I have a few little packets of 1/8th cup portions crushed up real small and saved in my emergency treat/indulgence stash, but aside from that I just gotta say no. I think my biggest problem is aIl think, "oh! Nuts! Protein!" and forget that it's like 2:1 fat: protein ratio.

Uhmmmm, I remember raw almonds are really good, and I LOVE raw cashews, but if you figure out the secret to nuts, I wanna know!

I'm feeling like the meaning of life might be in our sweet orange tree...going to check it out this afternoon!

cmriverside

The meaning of life is Definitely in the orange tree.

I just bought some Minneolas to replace the prunes. The dried fruit and nuts. Argh. aHappierMe, please let us know how to control that whole nut thing. At least it's good fat and you're getting protein.

Protein: Kayt, do you eat edamame? I used to eat a lot of it and it is packed with protein. Also I make homemade bean soup that is yummy - just buy dried Hambeens 15-bean mix and follow the recipe (except leave out the meat since you're a veggie eater only). Lots of protein and low cal. Plus the high fiber in beans keeps you full for a long time. I always have a batch of it made and frozen. (Crock pot works great for it.)

But oranges are awesome! And fresh squeezed orange juice (just a splash) on top of that tequila......I digress.

Cereal: I buy Kashi Go Lean Crunch from Amazon.com by the six-box pak. Cheaper and lasts me for months.

My 240 cal breakfast every day is:

1/3 Cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal
7g chopped raw almonds
2Tbsp ground flax seed
1/4 Cup almond milk
140g Frozen Strawberries (it's like a whole cup !)
40g Frozen Blueberries
70g Full fat Trader Joes European Style plain yogurt

Coffee or hot tea

YUMMMUS. It's a HUGE bowl of food and I get all the right combo of carbs/fat/protein/fiber. It takes me forever to eat and keeps me full for three-four hours.

But I also like oat bran cooked hot like cereal. Or Oatmeal. Steel cut oats are my favorite when I have the time, but oat bran is a quick five minute cereal.

The meaning of life is NOT in the bag of croutons. I know. I keep checking. :laugh:

And it really IS in the pool. Only now I really have to work to get my heart rate up. The more I go, the more I love it. Yesterday after my workout I floated around in the "Lazy River" which is a moving current that goes in a circle and it is near the window, so I got a couple floaty "noodles" and floated around for 40 minutes in the sun. Where else in Seattle could I have been in the water in the sun? Almost like Puerto Rico. Not really......

Have a great Friday!

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kaytbognar

I do eat edamame. Or should I say, eda-yum-me! My biggest challenge is that I don't get to go grocery shopping for myself. I have free access to everything in the fridge/pantry here, but the restaurant is stocked by someone else. I'm sure I could special request stuff, but nobody ever asks me and I never know when they're going shopping. Grumbles.

Right now, I'm eating lots of habicuelas--a bean stew kinda thing, pretty yummy, but like...only 8g of protein per cup. Even though it's pretty much ENTIRELY red kidney beans. Go figs. I have tofu in a salad usually every day, a protein/nutritional drink after I do yoga (has b12 supplement and a bunch of other stuff I need) but aside from that my protein staples are fish a yogurt. Not that I mind them, but yeah. Kind gets boring sometimes.

I started doing the microwave omlette thing, though, couple eggs, some veg and a slice of cheese and I'm good to go. Not too shabs, if I do say so.

I miss real oats. We only get the instant oatmeal stuff. It's sad, you know, realizing that almost EVERYTHING in the kitchen of our restaurant here comes from Sam's club. I hear guests asking "is the yogurt local or homemade?" ...nope, it's Dannon. "Is the orange juice fresh squeezed?" ...nope it's the six=pack frozen concentrate stuff from sam's club. The oatmeal is quaker instant, the pancakes are aunt jemima instant mix. UGH, the syrup is aunt jemima table syrup (GAG! This is me being a canadian elitist SNOB right here, but my nana's cousins used to own a sugar shack and I refuse to use aunt jemima CRAP. No nonononono, BLASHPEMY!) And that's just breakfast! You can catch salmon, tilapia, shrimp and red snapped, plus all kinds of other stuff here locally, if you go to cabo rojo you can get all kinds of crazy seafood. Ours? It comes from sams club. It's probably farmed **** from the states. Blark blark blark.

The eggs are local, the coffee is local. The fruit is local, but that's about it. It really bothers me, actually, because we kind of advertise as being local-fare, ecofriendly and in reality, we're not that much of either.

Sorry, rant rant! I will definitely appreciate being able to shop entirely for myself when I go home to Canada, to go to farmer's markets, and go berry picking and apple picking in the summer/fall. I know it doesn't make THAT big of a difference in terms of the nutrition, but I feel better having a bit more confidence in the integrity of the food I eat. then again, maybe I'm jsut reading too much Michael Pollan right now, LOL.


MMMMMMMMMM your breakfast sounds so good. So does your lazy river! My swim yesterday was cut short by a wonky foot cramp. Boo.

I go forth, now, to the orange tree. To seek the meaning of life, and vitamin C to dispel this crappy pre-cold ickness.

kaytbognar

Oh. My. GOSH.

I found the meaning of life. Or, at least, a very convincing facsimile of it. It comes out of a coconut and is delicious when served on the rocks with 2oz Johnny Walker Black. I guess it could be inside a coconut, too, if you could safely pour the JWB into it without wasting.

OH MY GOSH I LOOOOOVE COCONUT. I could eat it all day long. Coconut and oranges. And Pineapple. OMNOMNOMNOMNOM.

kaytbognar

Grumbles. Oh bother.

Winnie the Pooh here, total caving to the craving tonight. I would have bene fine, but I consumed a huge chunk of coconut which is NOT a diet food, my dears. Well, unless that's all you're eating...

Delicious? Yes. A key factor in the equation to finding the meaning of life? Most definitely. Good for moderating cravings? hardly. I ate a big chunk which sent me right to the edge of my day's calories, and then I had dinner. And a couple of drinks.

I found myself with the spoon in front of the fridge and gently had to coax it our of my own hand, close the door and walk away. It was tough, and I'm WELL over my calories for the day and was incredibly lazy all day, too, but it's okay. I enjoyed my cocktails with my best friend on the phone, and tomorrow is a new day.

cmriverside

The meaning of life is not in the bottom of the cocktail glass.

Even if it is shaped like a coconut.

The drinks make me want to eat more. And OH yeah, they are jam-packed with cals, too.

Does everything in life have to be fattening OR good for you? What's with the either/or, huh God? :grumble:

Had an emotional day. No reason for it, just did. Can't eat. Nothing sounds good. It's 9:22pm here, think I'll go lie in bed and watch "Las Vegas" on DVD. Hey! Something not good for me and not fattening.

Silver lining, right there.

aHappierMe

..also a rough day. All was well food-wise until I got home from a stressfull day and went right to the cereal.. and then went back and forth a few times from the cupboard to the fridge and stuffed my face. I went and played a soccer game, which wasn't nearly enough to undo the damage, and then out for a few beers with the team.. I totally failed today.

kaytbognar

aHappierMe, you didn't fail! You may have fallen off the wagon, but at least you're chasing the one you were on and not waiting for the next one to come along. Today is a new day, and hey, we're all in this together!

Cheeeeeeryyyyyyyyl, why you gotta spoil that for me. The devil must've made JWB+coco taste so good. You're right about it making me want to eat more. There's definitely a correlation there. Grumbles. i did LOG everything though, which is a goal for me when it comes to the drinks, and I measured each drink and didn't go over my weekly allownace.

God is a mysterious creature, indeed, because stuff like coconut, nuts in general and avocados, they're all fattening AND good for you. What the heck?

I'm excited: my best friend is sending me the second season of boston legal which should arrive soon, another friend has a box full of Robert Downey Jr movies and the thiard season to date of the BigBang Theory, AND there was a new episode of Supernatural on Thursday which I'm veeeeery slowly downloading. HO-RAY for calorie-free treats.

cmriverside

:glasses: .....and it's STILL morning here....just barely.

I missed the pool this morning. There is only one hour of lap swim on Saturday and it's so crowded, so I'm going out for a walk as soon as I post this.

I've been watching everything I can find on Netflix streaming movies online. I cancelled my cable last June, and I am determined to stay away from it. So now I can't get any TV channels at all due to my location between two big hills. I'm in a condo, so we aren't allowed to install a roof antenna, and so I'm stuck with DVDs and online stuff. It's just inconvenient to watch TV on the computer. Which is fine, I get unhappy watching TV anyway, too much time to think - - and then I want to eat - -yadda yadda.

So I'm gonna go walk before I have to start thinking about lunch.

aHappierMe, nice work reporting in and "chasing that wagon" LOL. You made me giggle.

TTYL.

aHappierMe

lol thanks for all the support!! Today is a new day, but it's also Saturday... sooo I'm going out tonight! I worked out this morning and have been eating well so far, which are my only requirements for enjoying a guilt-free saturday night :-p