Saturday Swapit #15

Welcome to Saturday Swapit, a place to share success stories and perhaps those not quite successful as well as thoughts and ideas on the subject of food and diets.
The idea is to hopefully provide support to others whose original enthusiasm has begun to fade or things are starting to stall. You can also have a good moan about why things aren’t going as well as they should be.
To join in, write a post about your experiences and pingback to this one, then leave a link in the comments, or if you prefer, just leave a comment below.
Thanks again to everyone who responded last week. I appreciate your support and participation.

DISCLAIMER:
I am not, nor do I claim to be, a professional dietician, nutritionist or diet programme consultant.
I rejoined SW in May 2019 and have managed to stay within my target parameters since August 2019.
Anyone who wants or needs to lose serious weight should consult a medical professional or their GP.
Saturday Swapit is not intended as a diet programme.

Last week I mentioned feeling guilty about indulging in treats that were not on the diet sheet.
IMO it is one of the major stumbling blocks when trying to get your head round various diet plans which you have stuck religiously to for weeks (and probably with mixed results) and then something crops up and throws a spanner or doughnut in the works.

For those familiar with watching the pounds fluctuating on the scales, most of us can plan ahead for special occasions like weddings or birthdays, but what we can’t plan against is other peoples attitudes.

I bet all of us know of someone who has teased and tormented us with the waving of chocolates, crisps, cakes, and even alcohol in front of us and I would lay odds on that many would be failed dieters who are not supportive, or those who have never had a weight issue in their lives.
The problem is they are breaking down our resolve and good intentions, and in so doing make us feel guilty for enjoying something that is off the menu but likely to be a one off.

Many restaurants now cater for vegetarians (I’m not one) and some have choices for those with a gluten intolerance or food allergies. My SW consultant liaised with a local pub and together designed a menu for dieters using her SW expertise. It has varied choices, everything is syn counted and listed, prices are reasonable and it is a very popular venue.

If dining out is for a wedding or special event, food choices can be provided prior to the event. I remember going to a department Christmas meal and we had to order our selections in advance. I was dieting with WW at the time and ordered a fruit platter for my starter, had turkey with all the trimmings as my main course having saved up my quotas for the day, and a fruit salad for dessert. Apart from a slice of sharon fruit and half a strawberry, my starter and dessert were identical.

My MIL was the classic guilt provider though.
Shaped like a teapot and forever trying diets and failing, she was quick to point the finger and nag me about my weight then ridicule me if I so much as had a biscuit. This made me feel guilty for basically putting anything in my mouth. I cannot say she meant well or had my best interests at heart as on more than one occasion she reduced me to tears, though I never gave her the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

Guilt is destructive and can affect not only the way we eat, but the way we think. Some people then become closet eaters, eating in secret, not eating in front of other people, or even not eating at all.
Sitting down to eat with family can be a struggle, especially if you’re aware that your partner is watching your every mouthful, then tutting into their pie and chips slathered in sauce because you reached for a slice of bread and butter to make a chip butty. The fact that you’d calculated your calorific values is incidental. They don’t care about that or how you feel. To them you simply eat too much and they want you as arm candy, slim and trendy. I’ve been there, and the result was I’d have my meal whilst I was preparing or serving up theirs and by the time they’d finished, the washing up was done. Pickings, nibbles and toast do not a good diet make.

I enjoy food. I love to cook, I love to bake, and I experiment sometimes.
With all the foods available whatever the season, I can mix and match, so it doesn’t have to be all green and salady. I’ve never eaten so much fruit in my life as I have over the past six years, and recently cheese and a apple for my final meal is not unusual. I also like an apple with prawns in a salad, and discovered some time ago that cucumber cut into batons went very well with carrots, onions, peppers and mushrooms for a stir fry with pasta or a jacket potato. You can even throw in a chopped cooked sausage!

Sure I have lapses………. big ones at that, but as we mentioned in a previous Swapit, the munchies, cravings, or over indulgence can be triggered by circumstances, frustrations, anxiety, and stress.
Add a few sleepless or restless nights, and I’m reaching for a sugar fix to boost my energy levels. Being Type 2 diabetic, that is not necessarily a good thing, but currently my diabetes is controlled by diet so I try to be sensible.
Just because we fall off the diet wagon doesn’t mean we’ve failed.
Sometimes the system has become a little staid, so when we go back on plan, the weight starts to shift again. Not always, so don’t assume it will, but a little of what you fancy sometimes can do you good and I don’t think we have to resort to these .