Perhaps one of the trickiest things about this weight loss and maintenance gig is trying to figure out which foods you can allow into your diet, and which ones you can’t. It’s tricky because you have to stay on top of things. A nibble of something may not cause you any harm, but a handful might. And you have to be prepared to retreat and go running in the other direction when you find those things that really shouldn’t be a part of your daily life.
I’ve had a couple of these experiences lately. For a while now I’ve suspected that nuts in limited quantities (such as on a salad in a restaurant) are just fine for me, but that in more robust quantities (Costco-sized package of walnuts, anyone?!) they could be really dangerous.
You see, I don’t have an “off-switch” when it comes to nuts. Though they’re not bad for you in limited quantities, handfuls of them add up quickly—especially in terms of calories and fat. And, before anyone suggests it, pre-portioning them or buy pre-packaged portions doesn’t work for me. It’s still just too darned easy to pad back into the kitchen and rip open another bag, take another handful, etc.
A few nights ago, I found my hand in the raw pecans one too many times. Before I knew it, I’d easily devoured the equivalent of over a half a cup. I keep my nuts and seeds in the freezer to ensure their freshness, and to make it that much harder for me to snack on them, and yet I still found myself wearing a path to the refrigerator.
Since this isn’t the first time this has happened, I made a decision. The nuts had to go. I took stock of how many I had in the freezer, and when I realized there weren’t enough to bother passing them off to someone else, I took action. I opened each bag and dumped them into the trash. Done.
Then, last night, I had a similar experience. I haven’t experimented much with dried fruit since adopting this new way of eating last year. But lately, with the holidays approaching, there’s been a lot of it around. Of particular interest to me were some dried apricots and organic black mission figs (which if you’ve never had one, are much like the inside of a Fig Newton...minus the cookie, of course).
A few days ago, I opened the figs and enjoyed four of them—one serving’s worth—as an after dinner treat. Afterward, I found myself craving more of them. “Unusual,” I thought, “as I’m normally plenty satisfied after eating a piece of fresh fruit.” I don’t, for example, find myself pining for another apple after I’ve already polished one off. But I let it go.
The next day, I found myself battling a bit of an urge for something sweet. Again, this is something I normally don’t struggle with at all. “Could it have been the dried fruit?” I wondered. There was no way of knowing for sure, but I was pretty certain I’d identified my culprit. Last night I confirmed my worst fears.
Following dinner, I attempted the same experiment. I placed four figs in a little dish and began eating them. “Mmmm.…” I thought. “These are fantastic. Sweet, soft, delicious…gone!” What? How could that be?! “But there were just four in the dish!” Then I rationalized with myself. “Well, a few more couldn’t hurt, right?” Uh-oh. Warning bells went off in my head. “Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!”
Now, remember, dried fruits are a very concentrated source of both sugar and calories. Still, I went back to the package for a few more. As I was devouring the second batch I realized something: You see, one of the things I’ve learned about myself is that I have this little switch in my brain. As long as this switch stays in the off position, I remain in control of my cravings and my eating behavior. But if that switch gets flipped on? Look out world! I lose all control, including the ability to think rationally about anything, which usually leaves me sitting with an empty package of something and a huge stomachache, wondering, “what in the heck just happened?!”
I’ve also learned that consumption of what Dr. Berkeley refers to as “’S’ foods,” or sugars and starches, are largely responsible for the flipping of this switch. And guess where those dried figs fall? Yep….squarely in the S food category. Sure, the sugars are natural in a dried fig. But they’re still sugars.
I snapped to, and realized I needed to do something. I could feel that imaginary finger on my switch, just waiting to flip it on. While I wished I’d realized this before devouring another three or four servings of figs last night, at least I realized it! This, folks, is a HUGE win for me, and, I’d venture to say, for most of us in this weight loss and maintenance game. After all, you can’t do something about a problem if you don’t know you have it.
Needless to say, this morning the remaining figs are resting in the bottom of my trash can. And me? I’m only a little worse for the wear. After suffering from a little stomach distress last night—yes, our bodies are sometimes smarter than our brains!—I’m still not feeling quite myself. But if the worst thing that comes out of this is a little gas and a slight increase on the scale, I’d argue that I’ve still come out ahead.
How about the rest of you? What are your “switch-flipping” foods, and how do you handle the process of learning what you can and can’t allow into your home or your diet?
I’ve had a couple of these experiences lately. For a while now I’ve suspected that nuts in limited quantities (such as on a salad in a restaurant) are just fine for me, but that in more robust quantities (Costco-sized package of walnuts, anyone?!) they could be really dangerous.
You see, I don’t have an “off-switch” when it comes to nuts. Though they’re not bad for you in limited quantities, handfuls of them add up quickly—especially in terms of calories and fat. And, before anyone suggests it, pre-portioning them or buy pre-packaged portions doesn’t work for me. It’s still just too darned easy to pad back into the kitchen and rip open another bag, take another handful, etc.
A few nights ago, I found my hand in the raw pecans one too many times. Before I knew it, I’d easily devoured the equivalent of over a half a cup. I keep my nuts and seeds in the freezer to ensure their freshness, and to make it that much harder for me to snack on them, and yet I still found myself wearing a path to the refrigerator.
Since this isn’t the first time this has happened, I made a decision. The nuts had to go. I took stock of how many I had in the freezer, and when I realized there weren’t enough to bother passing them off to someone else, I took action. I opened each bag and dumped them into the trash. Done.
Then, last night, I had a similar experience. I haven’t experimented much with dried fruit since adopting this new way of eating last year. But lately, with the holidays approaching, there’s been a lot of it around. Of particular interest to me were some dried apricots and organic black mission figs (which if you’ve never had one, are much like the inside of a Fig Newton...minus the cookie, of course).
A few days ago, I opened the figs and enjoyed four of them—one serving’s worth—as an after dinner treat. Afterward, I found myself craving more of them. “Unusual,” I thought, “as I’m normally plenty satisfied after eating a piece of fresh fruit.” I don’t, for example, find myself pining for another apple after I’ve already polished one off. But I let it go.
The next day, I found myself battling a bit of an urge for something sweet. Again, this is something I normally don’t struggle with at all. “Could it have been the dried fruit?” I wondered. There was no way of knowing for sure, but I was pretty certain I’d identified my culprit. Last night I confirmed my worst fears.
Following dinner, I attempted the same experiment. I placed four figs in a little dish and began eating them. “Mmmm.…” I thought. “These are fantastic. Sweet, soft, delicious…gone!” What? How could that be?! “But there were just four in the dish!” Then I rationalized with myself. “Well, a few more couldn’t hurt, right?” Uh-oh. Warning bells went off in my head. “Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!”
Now, remember, dried fruits are a very concentrated source of both sugar and calories. Still, I went back to the package for a few more. As I was devouring the second batch I realized something: You see, one of the things I’ve learned about myself is that I have this little switch in my brain. As long as this switch stays in the off position, I remain in control of my cravings and my eating behavior. But if that switch gets flipped on? Look out world! I lose all control, including the ability to think rationally about anything, which usually leaves me sitting with an empty package of something and a huge stomachache, wondering, “what in the heck just happened?!”
I’ve also learned that consumption of what Dr. Berkeley refers to as “’S’ foods,” or sugars and starches, are largely responsible for the flipping of this switch. And guess where those dried figs fall? Yep….squarely in the S food category. Sure, the sugars are natural in a dried fig. But they’re still sugars.
I snapped to, and realized I needed to do something. I could feel that imaginary finger on my switch, just waiting to flip it on. While I wished I’d realized this before devouring another three or four servings of figs last night, at least I realized it! This, folks, is a HUGE win for me, and, I’d venture to say, for most of us in this weight loss and maintenance game. After all, you can’t do something about a problem if you don’t know you have it.
Needless to say, this morning the remaining figs are resting in the bottom of my trash can. And me? I’m only a little worse for the wear. After suffering from a little stomach distress last night—yes, our bodies are sometimes smarter than our brains!—I’m still not feeling quite myself. But if the worst thing that comes out of this is a little gas and a slight increase on the scale, I’d argue that I’ve still come out ahead.
How about the rest of you? What are your “switch-flipping” foods, and how do you handle the process of learning what you can and can’t allow into your home or your diet?
I have the same problem, exactly! I have had to banish nuts - I have them when I go out to eat, under controlled circumstances, or sunflower seeds are OK at home, because I don't tend to eat those by the handful. I love dried fruit, but if I want some I buy just a little bit (like dates).
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post - at least I know I'm not crazy!
I, too, have problems with nuts. Freezing them doesn't help much: I've just found that frozen nuts taste almost as good. :/
ReplyDeleteI find I do better to only purchase whole nuts in the shell. It slows me down, and having the evidence in front of me gives me some feedback.