Sugar, Salt and Fat Addict

Options
Steph_in_FL
Steph_in_FL Posts: 52
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone, I'm new here and need some serious food and nutritiion help. I was raised in the south, where if food doesn't have sugar, salt or fat in it, we don't want it (think Paula Deen type eating). I love raw veggies, but honestly, unless I can dip them into something rich and creamy like ranch dressing, I don't want them. Even if I boil them, I want to smother them with butter. Plain food just tastes like cardboard to me.

I try hard to suffer through bland food with only seasonings (I love Nature's Seasons, but it's LOADED with salt), no sugar, no butter, no rich creamy goodness, but it's very hard.

Please give me some tips on how to avoid these foods without feeling deprived. I have started eating popcorn at night with coconut oil instead of butter, but I just must have salt on it. I've also started making congealed salads with sugar-free gelatin, but I kinda hate using artificial sweeteners. Someone suggested using plain gelatin with pear juice instead of water, because it is very sweet, so I'm going to try that. For snacks, I've been making homemade gummies with the gelatin. They seem to satisfy my candy cravings a lot.

So how often do I get to "treat" myself with something like a piece of cake or a bacon sandwich? Honestly, I tried the Atkins diet once just because it let me eat fatty meats. It didn't work, because I couldn't give up fruit. You see my problem? HELP!

Replies

  • emilymonnig
    emilymonnig Posts: 23
    Options
    I so feel your pain!!! I'm from the deep South originally and still live here. I can do without the really sugary stuff as long as I avoid it - if I have any, it turns into an avalanche! However, I really hate bland food and have to have at least one semi-enjoyable meal a day if I'm going to stick with a diet.

    Honestly, I haven't found a good sugar substitute, but if you want something that adds flavor to food without adding sugar, try cinnamon! I thought I "hated" cinnamon, but it actually tastes pretty good on the things I'd ordinarily want to sugar. The less sugar you eat, the less you'll crave -after about a week, I noticed that fruit tasted quite sweet, and most days that was pretty satisfying. Dark chocolate in moderation is pretty healthy too.

    As far as giving bland food flavor, I like adding cayenne pepper, chili pepper, or this delightfully horrid stuff called "Hell Hath No Fury" that we got in Albuquerque. Adding spice gives food flavor without adding a ton of salt, etc. Eating less salt is like eating less sugar - the less you eat, the less you eventually want.

    I do a modified version of the Atkins Diet - I'm off it this week since I increased my calories, but I'll be back on it again. The Atkins Endulge line of "treats" has a couple of legitimately DELICIOUS dessert/snack treats. I love the knockoff Reese's peanut butter cups. I don't do well with "treats" in moderation - i could never do like a piece of cake once a week or something. I have one little "treat" every day (on good days, obviously) - a package of Endulge stuff or ONE cookie or something like that. I don't go too crazy if I can have something sweet pretty often.

    As far as how often you can have "treats," that really depends on you. Are you exercising at all? How much weight do you have to lose? I am trying to lose 10-12 vanity pounds, so I have decent eating and exercise habits in place, and for my own sanity I try not to use food as a reward. I factor in my little 150-200 calorie "treat" daily rather than having a "cheat day" where I eat 3500 calories and throw off my whole week. If using food as a bribe gets you to START exercising, I don't think that's such a terrible thing - the problem comes in when people only exercise to burn off what they just ate. No progress there. The good thing about exercising daily is that you can eat more than if you don't exercise frequently or at all - my sole incentive to exercise is to be able to eat more than 1200 calories a day. Sad, yes, but I had to start somewhere! :)
  • Steph_in_FL
    Steph_in_FL Posts: 52
    Options
    I could never have a "cheat day." I'd never stop! I do love cayenne pepper, in fact, just had some on some rice and beans. Figured it would kick up my metabolism and burn off some of the starch.

    I do exercise. Right now, I'm just walking 6 days a week, but plan to start using my fitness bands next week. I have to take it slow, because I've been so inactive for so long. I do love to garden, so I'm going to get back into that too to burn some calories.

    I guess what I'll do is set a number of calories to burn every day and just cut out something or exercise more when I eat something that isn't on the plan. Not that I have a food plan, other than to cut out or cut back on the white stuff -- sugar, salt, flour, milk, white rice. I have a lot of great low-carb recipes still from when I was on Atkins, which I'm going to have to use today, since I don't have a lot of carbs left for the day. I do have a deficit in salt, though, so I'm happy with that.

Categories