Losing 100 lbs With Phit-N-Phat Podcast Discussion

@theleadmare the main problem was that I'd already planned for the week where that food would go and my lunches are already prepared. My normal reaction would be to use it as a reason why I couldn't eat reasonably that day and go completely crazy for days after as well. He's normally supportive he just didn't think because he was being an idiot. He's always been in tune with his hunger cues, and wanted more so he just made ALL the food and was a bit surprised when I said no, actually this is enough for me.

I'm listening to the most recent episode on arguing to be fat and making notes.
So far my thoughts are- I argue to be fat when there's extra food around because I hate it going to waste. Or when I haven't been able to fit my day into this all or nothing mentality, and done a *kitten* load of exercise or met my macros. It's a lot more comfortable to tell myself that it's pointless to try today, than to say to myself that doing OK is the aim - rather than perfect - because there's not a clear picture of sucess or failure in terms of OK. In the long term, it means that if you take my meal prep away, or if I'm in a situation where every meal is a social event with drinking on holiday, or I can't run, then I've lost my coping mechanism and mentally telling myself I've already failed so go for it, eat and drink everything.

mmdeveau wrote: »

@mmccloy12 - I'm sorry you had such a hard time with your co-workers. In addition to the pushiness, the unsolicited diet advice would have put me over the top - I would have told her that today wasn't my cheat day. You dealt with it very well!

I'm lucky that I work with supportive people who respect boundaries and don't push too hard. If anyone's been a food pusher lately, it's been me! I've brought all my leftover Christmas cookies in - enough to put a huge plastic container out two days in a row. Then I brought a large container of leftover cookies and brownies in from my cousin's funeral in and left it in the kitchen. Luckily, a lot of other people also work on my floor, too.

I don't consider bringing in food and leaving it being a food pusher!

I also had to get over the "if it's free it's the universe telling me I should eat it" thing. In my first real serious job we had a running joke (all thin 20-somethings) that if the workplace paid it had no calories, and I think there definitely was a tendency to eat like that that I adopted for far too long even though it was never a serious comment, of course.

Thinking about this broader topic of workplace eating, I think having co-workers who noticed what I ate (or commented on it) would be bothersome, whether intended to be supportive or not. (Not saying that's what you were saying, but just where my thoughts went.) I've never been in a situation where co-workers or non family members thought it was okay to comment on my food choices or presume why, and that would make me very uncomfortable (although probably more likely to avoid eating around them, and definitely not likely to eat more.)

I do get "lemurcat, there are donuts (or cake or bagels or whatever) in the breakroom. Better hurry before it's gone!" and I'll say "oh, thanks, I will!" and then ignore it.

My office is mostly people who are reasonably health conscious--or who just do their own thing--and don't get food together unless it's an official workplace lunch (which isn't uncommon, every other Friday). On those workplace lunches there are sometimes easy good choices and sometimes not. I like them for social reasons (although skipping because you are busy is not going to be thought of as weird), but have occasionally brought my own food and if someone asks I'll just say I forgot about the lunch and so brought my food, but wanted to be social (or maybe that the place ordered from is not my favorite, which is certainly sometimes true, no one cares about that either).

One thing that helped me, although I'm sure it would not help everyone, was that I did not talk to anyone at work about trying to lose and most didn't notice until I'd lost a bunch--or at least didn't say anything until then.

I have had it come up where I am eating with someone who likes to justify ordering things by asking if I want to share (or would have some), and I feel bad saying no (and even if I do and she gets it, she keeps offering it). Because it is sometimes something I find tempting I don't like this, but it's my deal, and I've learned it's okay to say no (or that if I say yes -- like at an Indian place getting naan for the table when I had decided not to have it -- that it was a choice I had agency over, I could have chosen not to have it and no one would really have cared).

I stopped drinking years ago, and at first I was convinced people would notice or would be wanting me to drink and mostly that hasn't been the case, so I think that past experience was helpful. I also just do consider it weird and rude for others to comment on what someone (including me) is eating that if it did happen I'd be likely to laugh and not feel like I had to get into it. (Again, it's probably helpful that that is more my social surroundings.)

My family is a little different, but luckily for me not an issue in terms of being food pushers (well, my stepmom is a food pusher and an amazing cook, but cooks super healthfully and is health conscious herself and hasn't been difficult if I eat less of something than she assumes one would, as has happened -- that she's Korean and a little judgy about weight issues is probably one reason she's cool with selecting smaller portions, heh, as she does assume I'm watching my weight but doesn't think ill of it).

@mmdeveau I have not tried it but I looked at that the other day. I listened to one of the podcasts that she talked about it and how important it is to get the good fats. I am sure you have seen the recipe and her products that she likes...the cocoa butter wafers and the MCT. Not in my budget for the MCT oil right now, but I may order the cocoa butter.

Where did you get the oil and did you use the cocoa butter wafers?

I use coconut oil on my hair, but my own use of fats is just to use them sensibly in cooking; a tablespoon of grapeseed oil in the cast iron skillet to saute meat, or a half-teaspoon of bacon drippings melted over sprouts, or the ounce of heavy cream added to a reduction sauce to finish it.

I know that for myself, my ability to reduce sugar in my diet is underpinned by the use of fat in an intelligent manner. If I cook low fat, I can eat until I hurt and not be sated. With that little bit of cream in the sauce, let us say, I eat my portion, and I am done. Nothing more wanted. And that's what is helping me lose.

mmdeveau wrote: »

Has anyone tried her coffee recipe?

I've heard about putting butter or oil in coffee for a while. Looking at my diet, I realize I don't get a lot of good fat in it. My nails have been really brittle, and my hair and my skin as been really dry. So I've added a teaspoon to my morning coffee for the past few days. I don't ever envision myself going whole hog with her recipe, though the frother would be nice if it helps emulsify the oil. Stirring works well enough for me!

Call me crazy, but my skin has felt less dry the last few days. I don't expect that nails and hair would show an immediate effect, but if it's helping my skin this much I'm optimistic.

Oh, is she a bulletproof coffee person?

I won't do that because it doesn't sound good to me and I like my coffee black (and almost calorie free).

I do think healthy fats are important, but I'm never low on them since I like them so much -- I eat half an avocado and a couple of servings of nuts and/or seeds daily, love olives, use olive oil in salad dressings (and a little in cooking, although I'm trying not to rely on it as much), and occasional fatty fish.

Re time-restricted eating, I'm not a fan of Fung at all, but heard Dr. Satchin Panda on a podcast -- he wrote The Circadian Code which gives an argument for why TRE could be beneficial. I don't totally know if I buy it -- I do know that working with one's own schedule is important and I lost 90 lbs easily while eating at 6, noon, and 9 or 9:30, so it's certainly not necessary. However, I've been unsatisfied with that schedule for a while (late afternoon is tougher than it used to be), and mostly eating that late ends up causing me to go to bed too late and I made a resolution this year to really work on improving my sleep.

Anyway, related to this I read Panda's book and decided to give TRE a try. He focuses on only a 10-12 hour window for most people, not the shorter ones that are typically used for IF. He also gives reasons why earlier may be better (although again I think natural rhythms and schedules are important). For me, breakfast is important since I really prefer to eat after a workout and I run most mornings, so I decided to try eating between 7 and 5. The exception is when I go out to dinner, but even then I typically finish by 7, since we often go out before seeing a play or the symphony. So on those days I skip breakfast or eat between 9 and 7, depending. I thought not having dinner after I got home on weekdays would be hard, but it's not, and I feel like I have more time and also am finding it easier to get to bed at a reasonable hour and sleep better, so for now I'm going to keep this up.

Although I am doing it and liking it, I really wish that IF wasn't being pushed as something everyone needs to do (as it sometimes seems it is these days). I enjoy the usually common sense advice of the NoMeatAthlete guys, for example (I am not a vegan, but I am actively trying to eat meat less often), but they were also pushing it as something super easy that everyone could do and as if it were the only alternative to eating constantly throughout the day (no matter when my meals are I only eat 3). I think it is possible that for most it's a really easy and doable change, but for a while for me it seemed not possible in that I like breakfast after working out in the morning and could not possibly eat earlier than 9 (maybe 8:30 if everything went well) if I cooked dinner at home, even though I am a fast cook. While I decided to make changes that would work for me, for many thinking they had to give up something like a home cooked dinner would be a huge sacrifice, and my own experience shows it's not actually something that it important to do if the goal is simply health and weight loss.

Glad you were able to decide to have what you wanted, alicia. I think stuff like that gets easier over time. (I definitely understand how easy it can be to decide "it's just life" and going with the flow, and I also very much understand not wanting to waste cals on a "treat" that's not even a treat.)

I'm just really amazed and proud of myself that in this really stressful time of my life that I'm managing to budget my eating in a way that's good for me. I know that it's only easy because of all the other work that I've done over the years, and all the support I have. Which, today, includes, no one gave me a big bag of candy...because I'm now in a family where we recognize that love is best shown by helping me keep to my diet.