I stuck my toe into the moderation waters and almost got pulled under by a rip tide!
I thought maybe the time had come. I was wrong. The moderation part itself, the little planned cheat, went okay. (At the ballgame Sunday, instead of a soft pretzel I decided to have a few bites of a few different desserts. Yum.) But later in the day when I was home again, I started eating. And didn’t stop until hours later. As with my overeating bout last week, it was all considered acceptable food for a South Beach dieter. Whole grains, fruit, sugar free pudding. But the quantity! And the way I just ate one thing after the other. And the fact that I was not physically hungry. Had I left my willpower at the ballpark! Yikes.
So now I know. I know that I am not ready to eat sweets in moderation because they may cause a huge backlash later. I know that I cannot eat even healthy, thin, low-calorie, pre-packaged, whole grain bagels. Well, I CAN eat them… that is the problem. I can eat four in one sitting. Four. Ouch. And since practically every bite I have overeaten on this diet has been while watching TV or reading a book, I know that I need to either give those up (eek) or figure out a way to stop the snacking.
So time to recommit. I feel a little slippage. I am going to regain my balance and move forward with what I know works for me:
- No sweets or off-plan treats.
- No bagels of any shape, size, grain, fiber count. Period.
- No grains at all for a few days. No bread. No crackers. No, no, no.
- More vegetables.
- More water and tea.
- Less time in front of the TV and with a book.
Some of these goals I plan to stick with for a long time. How long? That is still to be determined. Long enough. As long as it takes. No, make that… longer than it takes! Some of the goals I will relax sooner. Like adding back in the grains. Because I don’t think the grains themselves tripped me up, I think it was the ones I was choosing and the timing and the quantity. (And my husband better eat the rest of those bagels soon or they are going in the trash can!)
I got a bit too complacent. A bit too relaxed in my new improved habits. Time to tighten the belt again. And as for moderation, I am just going to close the door on that for now. Someday I will open it just a crack and see what happens. But I am ready to slam it shut and lock it if that is what it takes this time.
Waisting Time 
Gaah, I have the same issue! I can’t stop with the carbs once I’ve started, even if it is ‘good’ stuff. Grr.
You can do it, girl! you have to, because if not, who do I have to look up to? 😉
Ephemere, I’ve missed you:) I hope you are hanging in there!
Good for you for recognizing you were slipping. It’s always important to catch a slip before it becomes a landslide. 🙂
.-= Bella (Stilettos on the Streetcar)´s last blog ..Tick, tick, tick =-.
That is exactly what I am thinking. I have suffered from those landslides many times in the past and do not plan to do that again!
If it is any consolation, I dealt with slips periodically throughout my weight loss journey and did exactly as you did – I recommitted (whatever that took) until I could get back in the groove. The thing is, we will always have temptations around us (special occasions, holidays, treats, etc) and it takes trial and error to figure out what works for the long run. You’re doing the right thing!
.-= Anna´s last blog ..Hump day =-.
Thanks Anna. You are one of the success stories that gives me inspiration.
Great for making this a (re)learning experience and not beating yourself up over it. I am a carboholic (Hi, Jan), and it doesn’t take much to set off my cravings. Now that I allow myself planned “off plan” eating, my biggest task has been to develop methods for dealing with my brain and body response to those allowed bites/meal of whatever. I find a straight jacket works nicely. (Just kidding, of course.)
.-= Sskar´s last blog ..Taxes and Fat Taxes =-.
Me too… carboholic! What methods are working for you? My latest thinking is that when I try eating off plan again, I will do it late in the day so hopefully it will not be followed by hours of out-of-control eating.
Knowing your weaknesses is important isn’t it? I think you have a lot of company out there when it comes to a weakness for sweets and other carbs. Recognizing what sets you off is a step in the right direction.
.-= karen@fitnessjourney´s last blog ..Finding Life’s Secret Sauce and a Giveaway =-.
My list of things to avoid is growing longer! Someday I will have to decide what is a food I just cannot eat again, period, and what I can reintroduce carefully. Someday.
great job recommitting.
Thanks Tricia. I’m trying hard:)
Can I just tell you that I could have written this post?!?!!? I finished Phase 1 and DOVE into Phase 2. Not having carbs for 2 weeks didn’t even bother me. It was not until I reintroduced some things that it started going downhill quickly. I, too, am cutting some things out for a bit. Thanks for making me feel normal. I thought it was just me.
.-= Corletta Brown´s last blog ..No Sir Mr. Scale…I don’t like you….ANYMORE….you are the suckiest friend "alive" =-.
YES! I do better too when I just avoid them! But I know that is not realistic long-term. Sigh. I feel better already with just a few days of no grains again.
change over time = results!!!! Way to stick to it!
Simply put and hopefully true:)
I see myself in this! Plus, when I eat off plan and “get away with it” by not gaining, then I feel bolder about doing it again and again. Pretty soon – no plan. So good for you for seeing the slippage and making the committment!
.-= Brightside Susan´s last blog ..MORE ROAD TRIP HIGHLIGHTS =-.
Exactly! But now I also know that if I overeat, even if the scale does not punish me for it, I don’t like myself very much. And don’t feel as good physically.
Good on you!
I do this periodically. I think it is good for us to evaluate. But, it’s also good to know when that riptide is dangerous!
.-= JourneyBeyondSurvival´s last blog ..Scale Smackdown =-.
I knew it was a problem in the past. I hoped I could handle it now. Not yet. But I keep thinking I will someday dip my toe in again.
I’m sorry it didn’t work so well for you! Good for you for not letting it all spin out of control.
It’s so neat/odd/puzzling how we all have different responses. For me, knowing I can have a brownie (or cookie or whatever) on Saturday helps me resist it the rest of the time. We humans are strange creatures. 🙂
.-= Cammy@TippyToeDiet´s last blog ..Duped, But Wiser For It =-.
I am also amazed at how different we are when it comes to food and dieting and weight loss. I guess that is part of why there are so many plans out there. I know a lot of people can handle carbs just fine, for instance. Not me. But I am learning things that will help me ensure that I do not go my old yo-yo route.
So wise of you to recognize that you are not ready for that yet. I myself know that with chocolate, right now there is no such thing as moderation. I don’t know if there ever will be.
.-= Carla´s last blog ..Re-evaluating my goal weight =-.
I found I don’t crave chocolate anymore, now that I don’t eat the junky kind. But I do eat a sugar-free chocolate pudding cup several times a week. When I am eating healthy, that is pretty tasty.
I’ve failed at the moderation game a few times before in the past too, but you are doing way better than me by realizing that you’re slipping and then getting back on track. I would fail for one day, and continue for months, and whoaaaa, that hurt.
I’m finally at a good point where I can moderate everything, but I also think it’s from my relationship with food and that I’m no longer scared of “bad” foods.
Find your happy ground. Find what works for you 🙂 You’ll get there.
.-= Jess´s last blog ..Day 72: Project Barefoot =-.
Jess I have been there and done that many, many times. Last summer I was at my goal weight. Started adding food in. And the fall was a long slippery slope of regain. I hope that someday I won’t be scared of certain foods as well.
Moderation is so hard for me…I either go one way and totally restrict myself or gorge like a guppy…
.-= Blond Duck´s last blog ..SL’s Creole Baked Fish =-.
I am glad it is not just me:)
it’s great that you gave it a try, karen, you really don’t know if things will work unless you try them. so take pride in not being afraid to have given it a shot.
so ok, now is not your time and that is ok. you are totally getting back to what works for you. stay there for as long as you need to. there is no rush, it’s not a contest.
You make so much sense. I’m learning. And I know I am waayyy better at this eating thing than in the past, even with my mis-steps.
Ahhh!! Sorry… Moderation is so incredibly difficult. I hope one day to master it… I am a dang good dieter and an even better overeater….moderate…not so much…yet.
“I am a dang good dieter and an even better overeater….moderate…not so much…yet.” – Me too!
Karen, I know what this is like too. I eat some food at Passover that are a little “too delicious” to me, like walnuts. These are a no no for me otherwise, but they’re in some of the traditional food at the holiday. This year they made me nuts. You’d think I could pick something more fun, like cake, right? But no. Walnuts! Really, we had to throw everything out or I would have sat down inside the bowl and ate my way through it. What’s funny is that it was worse this year than in the past 10 years I’ve been on my program which leads me to believe that you’ve got to stay on your toes and reevaluate from time to time. Reintroduce things that aren’t a problem anymore and get rid of stuff that suddenly is. Next year: no walnuts!
.-= Linda at Bar Mitzvahzilla´s last blog ..Past Tense, Present Tense =-.
Walnuts! You could wave those in front of me and I would have no interest. Put them in my fudge and I won’t eat the fudge. When I ate four of the stupid bagel thins the other night my immediate reaction was to throw the rest away. But my husband would not like that! I told him he could eat them soon or they were going in the trash. He ate them:) Poor guy. Stuck with a wife who can’t handle moderation.
Hi Karen!
Your new site FINALLY let me use the RSS feed button to subscribe! Yeah!
I am not able to “do” sugar in moderation (yet, anyway!). After 14 weeks of being 99.9% faithful to my eating plan I thought I could handle a small sweet treat on my birthday. I bought a Russell Stover dark chocolate covered marshmallow egg… I ate on-plan all day and then had a “special” yet very responsible dinner. Then I opened the egg. After 3 bites I was satiated and should have stopped – but how could I throw away 2 more bites? I couldn’t. I ate the rest of the egg. Then, unbeknownst to my family, I countinued to eat sugary junk for another 2 hours. Thud.
I’m trying to deal with it, work through it, understand it, and move on but I’m so bummed. I’m reading Geneen Roth’s “Women Food and God” book about the “real” reasons for compulsive/binge eating and find it amazingly enlightening – BUT, I’m still really sad. I’m sad at the thought that I may never be able to handle sugary treats in moderation… sigh… Back to the book! Moving on! I’m letting the fear of never being able to have another Boston Cream Donut go… for now anyway.
.-= Angie´s last blog ..Then and N*O*W Photos Revealed!! =-.