So I mentioned the P@xil was causing some weight gain, right? Well add on the general "holiday" feeling of the past few weeks (L's birthday, Halloween, call week/election clusterf&ck, travel, Thanksgiving) and that "some" has become the difference between fitting in my clothes...and not. When I weighed myself this morning I was 8 pounds up from my pre-P@xil weight---and that was in the past 12 weeks.
It just crept up, you know. A piece of candy here and there. A pumpkin beer with dinner. An extra afternoon snack. Cheese, crackers, cheese curls, wine, cocktails, tacos, french fries, and ETC.... I couldn't wear my non-stretchy jeans this Sunday. Then last night some black work pants I ordered in my "loose" size came in...and would NOT fit. I'm taking them back, I'm not about to waste $$ on pants that may or may not even look good when and if they ever fit, but I'm not really in the mood to buy a whole new sized up wardrobe either. I'm itchy and uncomfortable wearing tights and a stretchy dress today because I couldn't face the idea of pants this morning. But tights are also...tight.
I started thinking about doing low carb, or counting calories, or some other intensive change, but SHU's post (and especially the comments) has made me re-think this method. Sure, it WORKS to do a "re-set" and get the confidence boost of losing weight in a short time frame but unless I think of a long-term solution this is going to be a recurring problem. It already has been. I've written about this before...more than once!
And no "intuitive eating" doesn't really work for me (what does that even mean?) If I "listen to my body", I would be stuffing my face with cheez-its and spicy peanuts all the live-long day. I have to IGNORE my wants and focus on my body's NEEDS. Which is also going to mean feeling a little hungry some times, especially at bed time. I've gotten in the habit (AGAIN) of snacking after dinner. We eat at 6ish, and if I'm still awake at 9:30 or 10, I'm genuinely hungry again. And I'm decidedly NOT in the mood for carrots or apples, which I am all too happy to munch on at 11am or 3pm.
One thing that always works is just...going to bed. If I'm asleep by 9:30, I'm not snacking. And I'm never ever hungry in the morning, so its definitely not like I'm just shifting the snacks to a different time. Not buying things I want to snack on also works well. If here is no cheese, it won't end up in my belly. We need to throw away the candy (we bought WAY too much for Halloween and still have a ton left). Cutting out the drinking. Bringing snacks for work (like raw veggies, fruit, or a small portion of soup) so I'm not tempted to run down to the cafeteria or vending machine for french fries or chips.
We have 4 weeks before we go to MIL for 10 days, and eating & drinking are definitely NOT going to be "clean" for that time, so I want to get on track. Any other tips that work for you?
I agree with your assessment -- to lose weight you need to cut out a lot of your snacking and at least reduce your EtOH consumption. But reading your blog over the last few weeks I saw how happy you are and how strong you feel, and how well things have been going at work. Please don't let frustrations with your body negate those other very positive things in your life.
ReplyDelete(Also I would urge you not to freak out about one errant reading on the scale -- sure your weight is probably up a little, but probably not as much as you think.)
Oh yes, definitely not letting this derail my other happiness. I only weighed myself because my clothes weren't fitting day after day and I couldn't attribute each episode to "shrinking in the wash". Also my psychiatrist told me to do it every month or so and keep an eye on it because most people DO gain weight on Paxil and if its getting really high she would switch to something else.
DeleteBrush your teeth with super minty toothpaste after dinner!! For me food doesn't taste great afterwards and it's a deterrent!!
ReplyDeletegreat tip! my mom does this and it works. it would also get me to bed on time because the prospect of brushing can be a deterrent.
DeleteI'm not sure there is a better way. I know people who have really made healthy habits permanent, to the point where they are genuinely grossed out by sugary or processed foods. For me, every time I stop paying attention, i revert to stuffing myself and having far too much sugar. My weight is always going up down up down. Right now it is way up, but I'm trying to make small changes. I wish it wasn't such a struggle.
ReplyDeleteyeah, that mythical point where you'd RATHER eat celery than cheese and chocolate. I wonder how much of the "gross out" is more psychological and they are grossed out by the possibility of weight gain.
DeleteSpicy peanuts and Cheez-its! Our intuitive eaters think alike!
ReplyDeleteUgh. I also get major weight gain with SSRIs. Both Pro.zac and Zo.loft do a number on me. It's so hard when something that helps in one way, hurts in another.
I am shit at dieting. I've only really done it as someone with terrible eating disorders, so I have no tips on how to do it reasonably. I hope you find a mindset that works for you.
Hmmm... for the last few months I did a "diet" to lose a few pounds (for an athletic competition - external motivation helps). I'm okay to do low carb and don't find that particularly "intensive," but barring being super strict, here are some things that worked for me:
ReplyDelete-tea to help dissipate cravings (even with a little sugar and milk or cream is okay)... I also did more decaf coffee in the afternoons.
-when possible, just try to eat smaller meals (80% of the regular portion size - just guess at what is "regular" for you)
-at night, when cravings were worst, sometimes I forced myself to eat cottage cheese as my snack... one of the healthiest pre-bed snacks. It's no ice cream or peanut butter, but once I actually got past that and ate it, I at least felt sort of satiated and not so hung up on being "hungry".
-I am a chocolate addict, and the thing that really worked for me to stave off the cravings for sweets and treats was sub the Reese's for yummy protein bars (the fancy expensive ones that I like). One of these in the late afternoon would take care of my post-lunch craving, and even one in the evening if I felt like I really needed dessert or a snack. Seriously, these are not that far off from a chocolate bar:
http://images.netrition.com/images/id_watermark_jpg/743-0002.jpg
Yeah - they have calories... and carbs... but they also contain protein and fiber, so I feel like consuming 200 reasonable calories as a real snack and then knocking out cravings pretty much completely worked really well.
-skip breakfast on the weekends - since breakfast is the easiest meal to skip (I'm often hungry, but not *craving*), this is a good way to cut calories here. Just make sure to not go crazy on late afternoon or evening snacks (see above tip).
-more walking, if possible
thanks so much for your detailed & practical advice. I LOVE the idea of cottage cheese for abedtime snack. I really like it, but I don't CRAVE it. perfect. I'm not a fan of protein bars TBH, I just don't crave sweet stuff and I've yet to find a truly savory one! I think I walk as much as I possibly can. I skip breakfast most weekdays but do a late breakfast/early lunch after my longer workouts on the weekends. Its the only day I have time to cook myself eggs with veggies, and that's what I generally have.
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