Week 4
by guestblogger Elise
This week was an absolute, miserable failure. I mean, really. A total BOMB.
I have always been a comfort food eater. I eat when I'm sad or when I'm stressed out or when I'm "hormonally compromised," or when it's cold outside... and it just so happens that the perfect storm of emotional-eating-worthy circumstances hit last week. I spent a lot of time last week getting a craving, driving to the nearest "dealer" and feeling really sick afterward. I'm talking doughnuts, cake, kraft macaroni and cheese, and there may or may not have been a hot dog in there somewhere. I am not at license to say.
I am hanging my head in shame.
But. I did learn something.
I still need comfort food!
Maybe someday I'll magically sever my emotional attachment to food, but until that glorious day comes, I need to take some precautions. And I have.
The first thing I did was to get out Dreena Burton's "Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan," cookbook and mark some recipes that looked really yummy. And decadent. I modified those recipes as necessary (we live in a small town, and finding gluten free flour is, well, impossible). And then I went to the grocery store and purchased tons of food. I bought vital-wheat gluten, lots and lots of fruit, a little brown sugar, unsweetened applesauce, whole wheat flour, and dairy-free chocolate chips.
And to satisfy my craving, I started to bake. The first thing I made was zucchini bread. I modified a recipe I found here. The only thing I changed was substituting a mashed banana for the 1/2 cup of oil. That modification makes the recipe 133 calories per slice (at 24 slices), with 20 calories from fat. (I shoot for less than 25% of calories from fat, so we're good here at 15%.) It's also an okay source of fiber (6% daily value). These slices are VERY filling.
I'm not going to say that it's good for you. But it's a lot better than the Krispy Kreme indulgence I had earlier in the week which loaded me up with 600 calories (3 originals) and 50% calories from fat! (Yes. I had three doughnuts. I have no self control. Those things are just not that filling.)
So the lesson I learned from this experience is if I need sugar/comfort foods, it feels better to eat them whole foods vegan style. And I eat less that way too because the fiber makes it more filling.
If you are feeling comfort food pangs this week, try a vegan treat. Let me know how it goes.
This week's stats could have been a lot worse. I attribute the fact that I didn't gain more to all the exercise I've been doing. Brad, on the other hand, has been eating quite well. It's his exercise that's been slacking. So that's his focus for next week.
Elise:
Starting weight: 146
Goal weight: 125
Last week's weight: 135
Today's weight: 136
Goal w/h ratio: .84
Starting w/h ratio: .94
Last week's waist measurement: 31 in. (at thinnest point)
This week's waist measurement: 31 in. (at thinnest point)
Brad:
Starting weight: 291
Goal weight: 200
Last week's weight: 245
Today's weight: 245
Thanks for keeping up with us. Please let me know what's working for you in your healthy efforts. Maybe it will help us!
Finally, I'll leave you with a photo of what we're having for dinner tonight. I'm stoked because this is a comfort food for me too! It's just spaghetti squash topped with homemade tomato sauce and roasted broccoli. Yum!
Good for you Elise for learning from what happened!! I'm learning that small consistent steps really help. It makes the transition easier. I'm starting to actually crave the healthier things! But if I had just taken one huge leap I think it would have backfired on me. When I first took out dairy and oil(around Oct/Nov) I allowed myself as many nuts as I wanted (around 3 servings a day!). That didn't help my weight, but I did feel much better and it was a step in the right direction. I'm now down to about 2 servings per week and don't miss them near as much as I would have at first! I think it takes our stomach time to get used to feeling satisfied with different foods.
ReplyDeleteI lost 1 lb this week and I'm out of the 160's!! Felt I did a lot better this week so was hoping for more, but maybe it'll show up later. My exercise is going to go up from about 1 hour (a mix of intervals/cardio or strength training and easy cardio/stretching/yoga). As my husband and I are starting to train to hike the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim hike in a day in the fall! So I'll be adding 15 miles walking/hiking each week this month.
This week I plan to do more recording and calorie counting so I have a better idea of where I am really at. Never wanted to do it before, but it seems manageable to do for just a few days now:)
Thank-you for sharing your journey Elise!
I did pretty well this week but was all ready to report no weight loss and low and behold I lost about 1.4 pounds. The goal of trying to drink more water must have helped. I have found the more water I drink the thirstier I am, an interesting phenomenon. I am also going to try to get rid of the decaf coffee this week and replace it with Pergo or herbal tea if I need something warm to drink.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of comfort food I still eat a little square (ok sometimes 2) of vegan dark chocolate when I am feeling the urge. I learned from my attempts at doing McDougall in the 90's that if I am too rigid then I can just go "oh forget it."
I too have been writing down what I eat everyday which for some reason has been easy to do for this challenge when before I have had such a hard time with in the past. It is great to see the good healthy meals we have been eating (and all the money we are saving too).
I had a rough week, too! The weekends are my biggest problem, so I'm going to try this week to carry on the good stuff from the rest of the week. No weightloss, though. I'm also trying to write everything down, so that will be a goal this weekend.
ReplyDeleteGood things did happen:
-I had oatmeal for breakfast and whole grain & veg bowls for lunches (mostly based on Fresh restaurant's books - it's a great chain in Toronto, ON). I felt awesome all week powered by this great food.
-I'm improving in my fitness classes
-One of my good friends was inspired to go veg and eliminate dairy in her household. Both her husband and son are having a MUCH easier time digestively, even after only a few days.
I think Elise, you are on the right track with having the good treats around. I find just having the (relatively) healthy stuff ready to go in the fridge makes it so much easier to make the right choice at that critical moment. I also like knowing there is a nice dinner to look forward to - sometimes that can stop the binging.
Elise, I totally understand the emotional eating thing. Isn't it frustrating to be so attached to food? I think it's a process to detatch completely. It sounds like you're starting a good strategy though.
ReplyDeleteI had a so-so week. I did lose 2 lbs and saw an increase in energy despite the fact that my 5 month old has been waking me up about 2 times a night (grrr!) so I am really encouraged by that. However, Sunday, we had some people over for cake and ice cream for my daughter's birthday. With the busy day, I ended up not having time for dinner before everyone showed up. I did make a vegan cake. However, we had some cream cheese we needed to get rid of so I made the frosting with that. I am happy to say I didn't eat any of the cake. However, by the time all the guests left I was exhausted and starving. I didn't have anything I could find that was fast and would fill my hunger void, so I chose some casserole I'd made for my husband a couple of days before that had a little bit of cheese and ground beef. I admit, I enjoyed it. I needed something substantial and it fit the bill. I learned I need to have more things on hand to address those times when I don't have time to make a full meal but am so hungry. I like to pack my days so I run into that problem often, especially because I am nursing and get extra hungry. I am really happy about my progress though and, most of the time, that keeps me motivated enough to not give into temptation.
I did a little better this week and had weight loss, but wasnt vegan. Sounds like it was a tough week! But I think this week will be good!
ReplyDelete