What A Girl Eats

You are what you eat

“Live your daily life in a way that you never lose yourself. When you are carried away with your worries, fears, cravings, anger, and desire, you run away from yourself and you lose yourself. The practice is always to go back to oneself.” - Thich Nha

What do you do when the craves come?  Eat?  Gorge? Binge? Over-Indulge?
This is what I do when I feel the urge to eat something I shouldn't:

Also in this section - Summer BBQing!!!

 

Craving something sweet?

Try chewing fruity flavored gum.  There are a lot of good kinds out there.  Don't go for the sugary stuff though...that defeats the purpose.  There are plenty sugar-free gums now-a-days.

Try fruit flavored water.  Again, not SUGAR water...but say, Propel (my personal fav is Kiwi-Strawberry), Gatorade, Powerade - anything with low sugar and low calories.

How about plain 'ol Fruit!!! haha

Make a smoothie - simple really.  Mix your favorite fruits with ice and low-sugar fruit juice (orange, pineapple, apple, grape, cranberry..whatever you happen to have in your house usually works just fine).   You can add a little vanilla extract just to spice it up if you want.  Its hard to screw it up  

Invest in a food dehydrator and go to town with every kind of fruit you like.  I personally LOOOVEEE dried strawberries! mmmmmm!!  Make a "trail mix" of your favorite dried fruits, and take it on the road.  When you have an overwhelming sweets craving, the dried fruit will help a ton.

Need something salty?

We all have those days when we want salt-salt-salt!...try these alternatives:

Pickles
Pretzels (the no-fat kind)
V8 juice
Chicken Broth or any really watery low cal soup
Veggies with a little salt sprinkled on top! (brocolli or a slice of avocado are my favorite)

Don't want to eat at all?

I understand, sometimes you are craving, but you are afraid you will binge on something.  Even if  you eat something low-cal...too much can be disasterous!!
Try these tips to keep your mind off your belly (or tongue for that matter).

One good place to start is by making a list of self-nurturing "indulgences" that you enjoy. Not only will they distract you from food-focused activities, they'll also help you unwind and get back in control.

Here are some ideas to help you get started:

  • Take a brisk walk or pop in a video
  • Take a 15-minute catnap
  • Play with your children/nieces/nephews
  • Play with your pet
  • Call a friend
  • Listen to a soothing CD
  • Read a magazine article
  • Practice yoga or meditation
  • Paint your nails

Whatever activities you place on your list, make sure that they're fun, relaxing and easy to fit into your day. Then the next time a stressful situation arises, you can automatically reach for your list. Not the nearest bag of cookies.

This was listed on a website, and written by a doctor.  I thought it was an awesome list and decided to share :)

30 Things You Can Do Instead of Eating

Do you eat for comfort because you're frustrated or bored, or because of some other feeling you want to escape? Here are 30 things that you can do instead:

[  ] Call or e-mail a supportive friend.
[  ] Go to the gym or for a jog.
[  ] Read Diet and Weight Loss Tips
[  ] Enjoy a long bath or shower.
[  ] Chew some sugarless gum or brush your teeth.
[  ] Put a puzzle together.
[  ] Play a game with your spouse, children or pet.
[  ] Tackle a household chore.
[  ] Go for a walk.
[  ] Do something you enjoy like knitting to keeps your hands busy.
[  ] Experiment with putting your makeup on in a different way.
[  ] Make a grocery list of healthy foods for the coming week.
[  ] Walk out of the kitchen and give yourself a pat on the back.
[  ] Reorganize a closet or junk drawer.
[  ] Work in your garden, or start an herb garden in your kitchen.
[  ] Do the laundry.
[  ] Write in your diary about what you are feeling.
[  ] Turn on some music and dance.
[  ] Post in Forums
[  ] Read a good book or magazine.
[  ] Take a 15-minute nap.
[  ] Drink a glass of water or other non-caloric beverage.
[  ] Work out with an exercise video.
[  ] Study a foreign language from sources you Google on the web.
[  ] Apply a facial mask.
[  ] Do a crossword or Sudoku puzzle.
[  ] Read a Weight Loss topic.
[  ] Go on-line to find inspirational quotes to keep you motivated.
[  ] Find a saying to repeat when you feel like eating.
[  ] Make a chart and give yourself a star for not eating.

Post this list on your refrigerator, and see how many you can check off. After completing one of these tasks, it's likely that you'll be in a better frame of mind.


 


 

Disasterous BBQ's and Summer Parties

I have had a lot of people ask me how to avoid eating at their family party, or a friend's birthday bash, or a BBQ.  Well, Obviously I can't give you all the answers, because every gathering is different.  But here are some tips:

Go get food.  I know....sounds wrong, but do it.  Put fruits, veggies - or the healthiest stuff on your plate.    Don't wait for someone to say "you need to eat something"....get in line with everyone else!  Here is why:  If you sit and watch everyone eat, they will notice you aren't eating.  And then, when they finally force you to get something, it will be fattening and they will watch you eat it.  However, if you are in the line yourself, most likely, everyone is too involved getting their own food to even notice what is on your plate.  Then, when you are all sitting down, bring food to your mouth...even nibble!  If you have really healthy stuff, eat it!  No one will pay you any mind for long.  And, if someone IS watching you...usually if you pick at your food enough, you will annoy whoever is watching you and they will probably stop looking. (works for me all the time)

Talk to everyone - a lot.  You can't eat when you are talking.  Then when they look down to take bites of their own food, you have a wide opportunity to stash your own.  If you are eating finger food, hold whatever you are eating while you talk....that way it is already in your hand to be tossed into bushes (if you are outside obviously).

Indoor parties are usually a lot harder.  Or parties where you all have to sit around a table.  I still suggest getting the healthy food in line with everyone else.  You are less likely to eat something bad when you already have food on your plate when someone offers you more.  You can point to your plate, and say you can barely finish what is there, but thank you.

Birthday cake and desserts! UGH! The most dreaded part of ALLLLL parties!!  Simple enough though.  Just say you are cutting sugar out of your diet.  Or, even say you are on a diet!  (works for those of us that have a lot to lose).  If the people don't know you too well, you can claim you are borderline diabetic.  Or even glucose intollerant.  You can say you don't like that kind of cake....or that frosting makes you sick.  You can claim you have weird reactions to that certain kind of fruit they used in the pie.  Or that brownies are just too rich for you.  Icecream gives you a headache - or you had too much sugar today already!  Some parties like to do dessert immediately after - or even DURING the meal!....hold your stomach and say "oh no...thank you, I'm still trying to digest what I just ate!"  
I know, sometimes birthday cake is the only thing you have. No dinners, no lunches - no food - just cake.  Everyone expects you to eat it.  So, you take the plate.  Squish it around your plate.  Take the frosting off and pile it on the corner of your plate (a lot of people do it because it is too much)  However, when you scrape off the frosting, pull off some of the cake with it.  You will have less cake to worry about.

Worse comes to worse - you eat the cake, and feel bad about it later.  But you will pick yourself back up again!  You will do a few more pushups/crunches/situps/leg lifts...or whatever you do!  Life doesn't end because you put food in your mouth.  Life doesn't end when you end up in the hospital because you made it obvious you are avoiding food - but it will be a lot worse than a few bites of cake.

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