Because Doug is at scout camp for the next few nights, I get to be both mom and dad for a few days. After doing the things I typically do after putting the kids down (tidying up, throwing laundry in the laundry room, putting away my wet swimming clothes, doing the dishes...), I got to do things I would have asked Doug to do--collapse the tent he'd set up in the living room, empty all the trashcans ( I actually usually do that), take the trash and recycling out to the sidewalk, put outdoor toys in the garage, roll up the gardening hose...). As I did the outside chores, I felt so much peace and love. I offered to let a neighbor use our trashcan for his branches he was cutting down, and I liked being useful. I loved the dark green grass and the gorgeous sunset.
I love my home. I love that I am surrounded by people I love and people I want to know and love better. I loved making chocolate chip cookies with my kids today (Isaac cracks eggs by squishing them in his fist and letting the yellow and clear goo ooze into the bowl!).
And on to self-control: I don't have too much of this and need to pray for it. I am constantly asking Isaac to calm down and make good choices. But I should practice what I preach. I am specifically concerned with my lack of self control with eating.
Here's the long sad story: I gained a lot of weight with my second pregnancy and it took so long to come back down. I think I went about it really well. I just didn't eat after dinner. It took five months to lose five pounds, and I have been at about the same weight since last July. But I began fluctuating with my weight when Lucy's asthma was so terrible, and then I was back to my "normal weight" before my girls' trip to Austin. Then I just began gaining weight. I've gained five pounds in a month and a half, and it makes me so sad. What should I do?
First of all, I know I should be thankful for my body, and not be sad about what the scale says. But. I know I have a problem with self-control. I really struggle with the idea of eating smaller portions and controlling my sugar intake. Today, I had two swiss cake rolls, maybe ten chocolate chip cookies, two peanut-butter chocolate bars, three chocolate and peanut granola bars--and three square meals as well. I had gone two days without chocolate before that--because I knew I'd be making chocolate chip cookies for our Relief Society dinner tonight. I feel like eating like a horse (with a terrible sweet tooth), and, even though I'd like to have better self-control, I don't yet. What do you do to eat healthily? I know the Word of Wisdom is a great guide, and I've been praying to approach this in a way that pleased Heavenly Father. I want to learn self control and temperance with my food intake. So help me, please:).
9 comments:
Oh Tara. I understand.
Here is the "Bekah's List to Make Sure She Doesn't Get Fat Due to Her Lack of Self-Control"
1. I don't buy pre-packaged sweets EXCEPT for ice cream. And then, I buy it in the smallest container for the one or two desserts for which I want to have it. No gallon jugs of ice cream, no little debbie, no pepperidge farm. These are special occassion foods. For like road trips... or date night sweet runs (we have like a bi-annual junk food craving and we run out and buy all this crap).
2. If I want sweets, I have to make sweets. It really puts a damper on how often I want this stuff if I have to make it. And that doesn't mean I get to buy a cake mix and frosting and whip it up- no I have to MAKE IT. From scratch. Then I can control the additives that go into the cake and frosting and cookies.
3. We keep york peppermint patties in the freezer for emergency sweet tooth moments. It prevents us from running out for cupcakes. We also eat fruit as a dessert for nearly every meal- and if I am feeling desperate for sugar I add turbinado to the strawberries. Crunchy sugar? heck yeah!
4. We don't buy white bread anymore and I've read the label on every wheat variety sold on the entire bread isle. There are two kinds I will buy- both have ingredient lists that include items I have in my own pantry and none include high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated soybean oil or whatever. If I want to make garlic bread I have to throw some bread in the bread maker earlier in the day so we aren't eating the frozen Texas Toast stuff. Its my rule- if I didn't make the bread, we don't eat it.
5. I switched to whole wheat pasta about a year ago. It takes a few minutes longer to cook but it is WAY more filling and other than that you can't tell the difference. I eat about half of what I used to eat with whole wheat versus white pasta- just because of how filling it is.
And then I exercise- but you knew that :)
So I also want to mention one other thing that is INCREDIBLY important. I was heaviest and skinniest when I ran my marathon. I was pushing 165 pounds (which if you look up my ideal weight- that is like 25 pounds OVER the high end for my ideal weight) and was wearing a size 4/6. I've hovered around 160 pounds since and a size 6/8 over the past 18 months while running the halfs.
YOU WILL BE HEAVIER WHILE YOU TRAIN. That is fact. I've seen you body- I am very familiar with the way you carry muscle and fat and you have a body that will get VERY muscular while training for an event. That is just the way it is. If you want to be a certain weight- do pilates and yoga and diet. Don't do rigorous long runs. You are thinning out- but you are packing on pounds. You need these pounds in order to not die when you run.
okay soapbox over- I love you :)
I love you, too, Bekah. You're marvelous. I love your advice, but I've got to blame Doug for some of my troubles.
He's the one who bought the swiss cake rolls I ate (and then went on a trip and left them with me!), and he likes to occasionally buy white bread, and begs for ice cream all the time. He won't eat the sugar free kind, and only tolerates one 1/2 fat ice cream (because Mint Chocolate Crunch is delicious!). So the sweets are in my house. And I tried to do whole wheat pasta and Doug gagged.
Doug looks like a Greek god, despite his sweet tooth, so he's not on board with me. He likes fruits and vegetables more than I do, and he doesn't gorge himself like I sometimes do.
I really appreciate your thoughts, and the love you showed by giving me that awesome help. I'll let Doug know that he pales in comparison to Adam as a supportive husband, and maybe that will make him support my idea of throwing out or donating our high carb/high sugar montage of yumminess?
Sorry I don't have any advice for you, Tara...
...I could always give you some of those crazy vegetarian/vegan recipes I tried a couple months back. But that diet change backfired on me big time. I just ended up craving my sweets (which my German friend INSISTED was the cause of my RA). I lasted a total of 36 hours on it. If it makes you feel better, I have a friend from Greece (who is a vegetarian) who eats the same recipes as she always has, but has had weight problems ever since she moved to the states. She thinks there's something wrong with the food here. Maybe there's something to that.
On the plus side, way to go on having a dark green lawn. It makes me very jealous to hear about it. Ours turned brown a couple weeks ago with all of this heat.
I know, I'm no help at all. :)
This is definitely not a post that I have any helpful advice for at all, but I can relate to wanting more self control in many aspects of my life. I think your approach to it as a spiritual one is excellent. I have found that when I need help with self control (or patience or anything) that as soon as I make it a matter of personal study/spiritual focus that it becomes a struggle that is easier to deal with. But my number one recommendation for not wanting to eat too much?? Live in a really hot place. I can't hardly stand the thought of eating or baking right now. :)
You and I are so alike. I have a major over-eating/sweet tooth problem. And I'm trying to lose my baby weight. I decided I can't fix all my problems at the same time. So, I set 3 manageable goals and force myself to ignore the other issues for now. My three goals for now are 1. do abs every day, 2. workout 3 times a week and 3. only have one treat each day.
So, that means if I'm feeling guilty about having a big portion, I tell myself to be quiet because I'll get to that later.
Doing the one treat a day is actually working for me. I normally having loads of sweets everyday (as you mentioned). I tell myself can still have one every day but just one (that could still be a whole bowl of ice cream!). I'm finding it very helpful because I still get the treat but I'm doing it in a controlled manner. And i haven't gone crazy! It's tough but it's working!
Try thinking of 1-3 small goals to work on first. Success is contagious and motivating!
I love you Tara!!! I love your descriptions of life while Doug is gone. Keep up the good work.
Hey just wanted to let you know I'm committing to blogging again :)
As I was mixing the batter for some much desired cupcakes today, I looked at it and thought "There is no way my little family can eat all of this!" So, my thoughts turned to you and realized you also have a small family that is doomed to over-sweeting because of large recipes. So, I say, cut your recipes in half, or even in quarters, and just make what you want to eat in the next day or so. So, if you only make enough dough for 12 cookies, put 4 away for Doug, give your kids 2 or 3 each, then enjoy the rest. Yes, it's a lot of effort to make minimal amount of cookies, but it's less effort than all the exercise it takes to burn off 12 cookies eaten by yourself. (I think, if you were serious about this, you could buy the egg product that you pour out of a box if you need 1/2 an egg or something) Also, Ben & Jerry's and Hagan Daas make tiny ice creams. Get those for Doug, then get the fat free for yourself. You won't eat the little ones if you know Doug will be sad if it's gone. As for the swiss cake rolls, send them to work with Doug. He can snack on them at work, and they'll be out of your hair.
I know this was posted a while back, but, like you, I love granola/cereal-type bars covered in chocolate and peanut better and anything else yummy. So, I have started stocking up on the Fiber One bars when they are on sale. These are much more filling, so there's no way I could eat more than one as a snack. And, I love the way they taste!
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