Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Getting Plastered

Last Thursday my friend Annie brought me some key lime pie from Applebees.  The first bite or two was really yummy, but then it started feeling a bit too rich and sweet and my stomach was sick.  I'm strong, though, and I was able to keep right on eating until it was all gone.

A day or two after that I was at Janie's and she had just made a big batch of white chocolate chip orange cookies.  Again, the first one I had was amazing, but I probably had another 5 or 6 (sorry Janie).  By the second or third cookie I was feeling sick but I kept eating them anyway because they were yummy.  But not as yummy as the first one.

On Sunday I was at Julie's and she had made M & M cookie bars for dessert. Again, I kept eating and eating them well past the point of feeling sick.

Last night I was remembering those cookie bars, so I went to the store at 9 p.m. to buy the ingredients to make them.  They came out of the oven around 10:30, and by 11 Dan and I (mostly I) had eaten half of the 9 x 13 pan.  They were nowhere near as yummy as Julie's, but I just kept eating them.  We finished them off this morning for breakfast.  I've felt sick all day from eating them.  But if there were more in the pan right now, I'd go put them in my mouth.

So what is the deal?  One thing that I've been trying to learn is that I need to keep desserts out of my house.  Even something as innocent as a bag of chocolate chips in the freezer or a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch on top of the refrigerator is not safe.  I cannot stop eating sweets until they're gone, even though they make me sick.  And until the sweet food is gone, I won't eat anything else.  If I can keep from buying the yummy stuff at the store, I do pretty well.  The problem I have with that is when I tell myself that I am depriving my children (or husband), and that I need to make (or buy) them a special treat to show them I love them.  I end up eating almost all of the treat and they hardly get any. 

 Then there are always the kind friends that bring over a plate of cookies, or the lunches and dinners at other people's houses, complete with dessert! Not to mention refreshments at church events, Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. etc. etc.  

It feels sort of like I'm an alcoholic who can't control her drinking.  Some people can have just one, but I have to get plastered.  Is there a way I could learn to eat just one serving, and then stop, really stop, or will I have to learn to refrain completely?  Bingeing on desserts does not fall under the heading of healthy lifestyle practices.  Has anyone else out there had this problem?  Have you found anything that helps you?

9 comments:

Nan said...

Girl I am with you there.
Oreo's are deadly at my house.
The one thing I have really tried to change is not buying premade treats, but instead buy the ingredients, that way we have to work to make the treat. And sometimes I am just too lazy to bake. Also I found the skinny cow ice cream treats are good and I really can't eat more than one.

Potato Girl said...

Those are both great suggestions, Nan. Thanks for writing in!

LL said...

I do the same thing! If I make it out of the store without buying I'm fine, but once it is in the house, I MUST finish whatever it is. I have no good suggestions for how to resist at the store, besides make a list and then really stick to it - no impulse buys. If you see something you actually need that isn't on the list, write it down and buy it next time.

As for treats people bring, I now take one for me and one of each of the boys and then throw the rest of the plate/bag/whatever in the trash with all the poopy diapers. That way, even if I'm really bad, I only eat three whatevers instead of two dozen.

I'm going to try sticking my chocolates in the freezer, then every night after I put the kids in bed I'll get out 3 and let them thaw and eat them. Hopefully the thawing requirement will keep me from pigging out. :-)

Nan is right, skinny cow is pretty good when you need a treat, but not so amazingly delicious that I feel compelled to eat them all. And I LOVE her making the treats suggestion - great idea! The only thing worse than my pigging out is my laziness. :-) Maybe I can put it to good use.

cdr said...

Hi Andrea,

I don't think I've posted a comment on your blog before now. Well, here's my 2 cents:

I love food. Especially sweets - if they are there, I'll eat them. So I try to simply not have them around or specifically make only enough for a tiny batch. More importantly, as you mention, it's a mental battle. I think that as children we are taught (by society and inevitably our parents) to "finish every last bit" and to "clean your plate" and that eating treats (such as sugary sweets) is a reward. When people get married or have babies or get promotions or you did something else wonderful - you've got to celebrate this event with.....treats! Likewise we are also taught to find comfort in food. If you are frustrated or lonely or confused - we grow up self-medicating our moods with forms of food. I've seen my mother do this, I've seen my dad do this and also my grandmother, etc. I do it. So I am trying desperately to change my behavior on this front - how I am going about doing this is too long for a comment so I'll stop. Let's just say that sometimes I acheive success and a lot of times I don't but I'm aware and striving to do better.

angelic pursuits said...

Hey, Andrea. I've gotta say that you have such a great voice with your writing! I love reading it and think you should write a book someday.

And, for what it's worth, I've found that staying away from sweets period is a great way to kind of get that needing sweets all the time/not being able to stop syndrome out of your system. I once went for a year without candy (although I still had other sweet things) and once without any sweets (meaning no processed sugar) for a month. (I did it just to prove to myself that I could do it.) I was amazed that my body soon grew to almost detest sugared things and I didn't crave them anymore. After doing things like that, I could even have candy and sweets around that I wouldn't want to eat for months. Now that I've been married, Brian's also a great influence on me. For some reason he only eats one or two cookies or treats at most (and thinks he eats a lot when he does) and that's rubbed off on me. Lately we've also adopted a one treat a week kind of a thing, where I make a treat that lasts for the week. It usually works pretty well (although I've occasionally been doing two a week . . . it's easy to justify now that I'm nursing . . .)

nicole said...

Andrea,

I just found this blog of yours and I think it is a fantastic idea. One rule that has helped me avoid sweets is the "time limit rule". I usually want sweets at night when the kids have gone to bed and I am in relax mode. Then I feel like it is time to unwind and indulge a little (this means eat an entire bag of Red Vines). I have set a rule for myself to avoid this: No food after 8:00PM! I do not allow myself to eat anything after 8:00 and it might sound silly, but it really helps me in my weakest time of the day.

Janie said...

You are funny Andrea!
As you know I love baking. I often chew sugar free gum, or have some carrots to munch on so I won't put the dough in my mouth (the dough is the best part). I also immediatley call the kids to have some--since I did bake for them, right? Or make some plates for the neighbors and have the kids run them over right away so I don't have the option of eating them. I will also freeze some of the cookies or whatever it was I baked. Dan loves frozen baked items and once it's frozen it doesn't tempt me.

I don't know if you do this, but I will become a treat snob and figure I won't waste calories on something unless it is REALLY going to be worth it. That way a processed cookie from the store, or an old frozen cookie from the freezer I would never waste my time/calories with.

nitawinxx said...

yo potato girl! As a member of that Tuesday Morning group you’re in – there is one thing that really stuck me in this post. Why is it that you feel you are depriving your family when you do not give or make them special FOOD treats???? Have you thought of the example you are setting by NOT making unhealthy food a focus or reward in their lives? Perhaps a better focus would be on healthy food treats (frozen grapes on a hot summer day – oh my!) – OR even WAY better yet ---- treats of a completely non-food nature! Perhaps a back rub (with oil) for hubby, or special time devoted only to something the kids really enjoy. I’m just thinking that if you really want to show them that you love them… show them a different way, a way that makes the whole family happy and healthy. Show them a mom, a wife, that cares so much about herself and her family that she treats them to a healthy lifestyle – something that in the long run can help them their entire lives. Perhaps they will grow up (the kids that is) and not have the same struggles with food that so many of us have!!

It’s just another thing to think about.

Potato Girl said...

Thank you so much for writing in, everyone. So many great suggestions. I love reading your comments and they inspire me. It is good to feel like I'm part of a group of friends.