Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .

[Guest guest]

Ahh yes, now that was last supper eating at its best! You could indulge until you burst during the holidays, because you were going to get really serious on New Year's day! And how could you not have one slice of every type of pie at the table, even after you were already stuffed to the gills? It was PIE, after all!

I think for me, I will try to promise myself that I will get the recipe for anything particularly delicious and make it for myself whenever I want. I did this once at a party and it seemed really reasonable and helped curb my desire to eat beyond fullness. A friend had baked a particularly yummy pound cake. Instead of making myself sick eating it, I asked her for the recipe. Turns out it was an epicurious.com recipe and I made it for myself a few days later. So, no emergency. You can enjoy all that yummy food now and later! I also try to remember how much more I will enjoy the food AND the experience of being with friends and family if I don't feel bloated and sick afterwards (or even during!). I deserve to enjoy these occasions fully, including eating and socializing, and I don't intend to deprive myself of that.

Mimi

Subject: Think ahead to get ahead . . .To: IntuitiveEating_Support Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 12:51 PM

The post about winter blues sparked a seasonal thought of my own. The 'holiday' season is fast approaching with Halloween in the next few days. I used to love/dread that day because I was so love-hate candy fixated. I would start thinking about the day AFTER Halloween since I could 'score' marked down candy then. It was a source of glee and guilt in all those colorful packages. Next came Gobble Day where a bursting belly seemed the goal. How could that be avoided when that was the only time each year that I got to eat some special treats?!? Lastly was all the winter festival events - pre holiday parties, holiday dinner and that last hurrah of pigging out - New Years after which being 'good' would atone for all the indulgence done. So rather than look forward with dread and impending shame, what do you envision as an welcome alternative? Can you imagine a way to enjoy this time that would please rather than upset you? How can

IE help you? Just some thoughts.KatchaIEing since March 2007

[Guest guest]

Ahh yes, now that was last supper eating at its best! You could indulge until you burst during the holidays, because you were going to get really serious on New Year's day! And how could you not have one slice of every type of pie at the table, even after you were already stuffed to the gills? It was PIE, after all!

I think for me, I will try to promise myself that I will get the recipe for anything particularly delicious and make it for myself whenever I want. I did this once at a party and it seemed really reasonable and helped curb my desire to eat beyond fullness. A friend had baked a particularly yummy pound cake. Instead of making myself sick eating it, I asked her for the recipe. Turns out it was an epicurious.com recipe and I made it for myself a few days later. So, no emergency. You can enjoy all that yummy food now and later! I also try to remember how much more I will enjoy the food AND the experience of being with friends and family if I don't feel bloated and sick afterwards (or even during!). I deserve to enjoy these occasions fully, including eating and socializing, and I don't intend to deprive myself of that.

Mimi

Subject: Think ahead to get ahead . . .To: IntuitiveEating_Support Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 12:51 PM

The post about winter blues sparked a seasonal thought of my own. The 'holiday' season is fast approaching with Halloween in the next few days. I used to love/dread that day because I was so love-hate candy fixated. I would start thinking about the day AFTER Halloween since I could 'score' marked down candy then. It was a source of glee and guilt in all those colorful packages. Next came Gobble Day where a bursting belly seemed the goal. How could that be avoided when that was the only time each year that I got to eat some special treats?!? Lastly was all the winter festival events - pre holiday parties, holiday dinner and that last hurrah of pigging out - New Years after which being 'good' would atone for all the indulgence done. So rather than look forward with dread and impending shame, what do you envision as an welcome alternative? Can you imagine a way to enjoy this time that would please rather than upset you? How can

IE help you? Just some thoughts.KatchaIEing since March 2007

[Guest guest]

Mimi, Great idea about getting the recipe. I find that is an issue I have a hard time overcoming. If I'm somewhere and already full, I still want to eat more of something because I know if I don't eat it then I won't get it later. Great tip!

Thanks,

Barb

To: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2011 1:46 PMSubject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .

Ahh yes, now that was last supper eating at its best! You could indulge until you burst during the holidays, because you were going to get really serious on New Year's day! And how could you not have one slice of every type of pie at the table, even after you were already stuffed to the gills? It was PIE, after all!

I think for me, I will try to promise myself that I will get the recipe for anything particularly delicious and make it for myself whenever I want. I did this once at a party and it seemed really reasonable and helped curb my desire to eat beyond fullness. A friend had baked a particularly yummy pound cake. Instead of making myself sick eating it, I asked her for the recipe. Turns out it was an epicurious.com recipe and I made it for myself a few days later. So, no emergency. You can enjoy all that yummy food now and later! I also try to remember how much more I will enjoy the food AND the experience of being with friends and family if I don't feel bloated and sick afterwards (or even during!). I deserve to enjoy these occasions fully, including eating and socializing, and I don't intend to deprive myself of that.

Mimi

Subject: Think ahead to get ahead . . .To: IntuitiveEating_Support Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 12:51 PM

The post about winter blues sparked a seasonal thought of my own. The 'holiday' season is fast approaching with Halloween in the next few days. I used to love/dread that day because I was so love-hate candy fixated. I would start thinking about the day AFTER Halloween since I could 'score' marked down candy then. It was a source of glee and guilt in all those colorful packages. Next came Gobble Day where a bursting belly seemed the goal. How could that be avoided when that was the only time each year that I got to eat some special treats?!? Lastly was all the winter festival events - pre holiday parties, holiday dinner and that last hurrah of pigging out - New Years after which being 'good' would atone for all the indulgence done. So rather than look forward with dread and impending shame, what do you envision as an welcome alternative? Can you imagine a way to enjoy this time that would please rather than upset you?

How can IE help you? Just some thoughts.KatchaIEing since March 2007

[Guest guest]

Mimi, Great idea about getting the recipe. I find that is an issue I have a hard time overcoming. If I'm somewhere and already full, I still want to eat more of something because I know if I don't eat it then I won't get it later. Great tip!

Thanks,

Barb

To: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2011 1:46 PMSubject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .

Ahh yes, now that was last supper eating at its best! You could indulge until you burst during the holidays, because you were going to get really serious on New Year's day! And how could you not have one slice of every type of pie at the table, even after you were already stuffed to the gills? It was PIE, after all!

I think for me, I will try to promise myself that I will get the recipe for anything particularly delicious and make it for myself whenever I want. I did this once at a party and it seemed really reasonable and helped curb my desire to eat beyond fullness. A friend had baked a particularly yummy pound cake. Instead of making myself sick eating it, I asked her for the recipe. Turns out it was an epicurious.com recipe and I made it for myself a few days later. So, no emergency. You can enjoy all that yummy food now and later! I also try to remember how much more I will enjoy the food AND the experience of being with friends and family if I don't feel bloated and sick afterwards (or even during!). I deserve to enjoy these occasions fully, including eating and socializing, and I don't intend to deprive myself of that.

Mimi

Subject: Think ahead to get ahead . . .To: IntuitiveEating_Support Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 12:51 PM

The post about winter blues sparked a seasonal thought of my own. The 'holiday' season is fast approaching with Halloween in the next few days. I used to love/dread that day because I was so love-hate candy fixated. I would start thinking about the day AFTER Halloween since I could 'score' marked down candy then. It was a source of glee and guilt in all those colorful packages. Next came Gobble Day where a bursting belly seemed the goal. How could that be avoided when that was the only time each year that I got to eat some special treats?!? Lastly was all the winter festival events - pre holiday parties, holiday dinner and that last hurrah of pigging out - New Years after which being 'good' would atone for all the indulgence done. So rather than look forward with dread and impending shame, what do you envision as an welcome alternative? Can you imagine a way to enjoy this time that would please rather than upset you?

How can IE help you? Just some thoughts.KatchaIEing since March 2007

[Guest guest]

Mimi, Great idea about getting the recipe. I find that is an issue I have a hard time overcoming. If I'm somewhere and already full, I still want to eat more of something because I know if I don't eat it then I won't get it later. Great tip!

Thanks,

Barb

To: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2011 1:46 PMSubject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .

Ahh yes, now that was last supper eating at its best! You could indulge until you burst during the holidays, because you were going to get really serious on New Year's day! And how could you not have one slice of every type of pie at the table, even after you were already stuffed to the gills? It was PIE, after all!

I think for me, I will try to promise myself that I will get the recipe for anything particularly delicious and make it for myself whenever I want. I did this once at a party and it seemed really reasonable and helped curb my desire to eat beyond fullness. A friend had baked a particularly yummy pound cake. Instead of making myself sick eating it, I asked her for the recipe. Turns out it was an epicurious.com recipe and I made it for myself a few days later. So, no emergency. You can enjoy all that yummy food now and later! I also try to remember how much more I will enjoy the food AND the experience of being with friends and family if I don't feel bloated and sick afterwards (or even during!). I deserve to enjoy these occasions fully, including eating and socializing, and I don't intend to deprive myself of that.

Mimi

Subject: Think ahead to get ahead . . .To: IntuitiveEating_Support Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 12:51 PM

The post about winter blues sparked a seasonal thought of my own. The 'holiday' season is fast approaching with Halloween in the next few days. I used to love/dread that day because I was so love-hate candy fixated. I would start thinking about the day AFTER Halloween since I could 'score' marked down candy then. It was a source of glee and guilt in all those colorful packages. Next came Gobble Day where a bursting belly seemed the goal. How could that be avoided when that was the only time each year that I got to eat some special treats?!? Lastly was all the winter festival events - pre holiday parties, holiday dinner and that last hurrah of pigging out - New Years after which being 'good' would atone for all the indulgence done. So rather than look forward with dread and impending shame, what do you envision as an welcome alternative? Can you imagine a way to enjoy this time that would please rather than upset you?

How can IE help you? Just some thoughts.KatchaIEing since March 2007

[Guest guest]

Large spreads of food turn me off. A buffet or big spread out family dinner with overflowing tables, warm inside air, and bouquets of food smells make my stomach clench and destroys all appetite for me. I suspect this is left over from very tense holiday meals I endured as a child, complete with "teasing" about my being chubby.

I always joked about how much weight I could lose just eating at buffet restaurants, and on a ten day vacation years ago, where all meals were served buffet fashion, I dropped weight like I was on a fast.

However, alll that being said, I can't recall a holiday season where I did not buy into the idea of dieting before and after whatever big day was coming up. I would diet before Halloween, eat candy, and diet after. I would diet before Thanksgiving, not eat much anyway, then diet the next day like I had totally eaten all I could get hold of. And the same process at Christmas. New Years did not seem to apply, maybe because we did not go to my grandmothers house at New Years when I was a child, nor did they come to our house. New Years represents peace to me.

Now it seems just weird that I never connected the idea that I wasn't a big holiday eater with the idea that maybe I didn't need to diet before and after! It's like there was some kind of brick wall in my head that stood between my thinking about food and weight and the reality.

I think I'm going to eat some fruit cake. I like fruit cake, even if it is the joke food of the 20th Century. I think I'm not going to eat anything for any reason other than wanting to eat some of it, not because it is low fat or low calorie or someone made it and I'm required to eat it. There will be pie, and asparagus is calling me, but I don't know if the call will last until Thranksgiving!

I think I'm going to plan not to plan, and the menu will come to me.

To: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2011 12:51 PMSubject: Think ahead to get ahead . . .

So rather than look forward with dread and impending shame, what do you envision as an welcome alternative? Can you imagine a way to enjoy this time that would please rather than upset you? How can IE help you? Just some thoughts.KatchaIEing since March 2007 Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use

..

[Guest guest]

Large spreads of food turn me off. A buffet or big spread out family dinner with overflowing tables, warm inside air, and bouquets of food smells make my stomach clench and destroys all appetite for me. I suspect this is left over from very tense holiday meals I endured as a child, complete with "teasing" about my being chubby.

I always joked about how much weight I could lose just eating at buffet restaurants, and on a ten day vacation years ago, where all meals were served buffet fashion, I dropped weight like I was on a fast.

However, alll that being said, I can't recall a holiday season where I did not buy into the idea of dieting before and after whatever big day was coming up. I would diet before Halloween, eat candy, and diet after. I would diet before Thanksgiving, not eat much anyway, then diet the next day like I had totally eaten all I could get hold of. And the same process at Christmas. New Years did not seem to apply, maybe because we did not go to my grandmothers house at New Years when I was a child, nor did they come to our house. New Years represents peace to me.

Now it seems just weird that I never connected the idea that I wasn't a big holiday eater with the idea that maybe I didn't need to diet before and after! It's like there was some kind of brick wall in my head that stood between my thinking about food and weight and the reality.

I think I'm going to eat some fruit cake. I like fruit cake, even if it is the joke food of the 20th Century. I think I'm not going to eat anything for any reason other than wanting to eat some of it, not because it is low fat or low calorie or someone made it and I'm required to eat it. There will be pie, and asparagus is calling me, but I don't know if the call will last until Thranksgiving!

I think I'm going to plan not to plan, and the menu will come to me.

To: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2011 12:51 PMSubject: Think ahead to get ahead . . .

So rather than look forward with dread and impending shame, what do you envision as an welcome alternative? Can you imagine a way to enjoy this time that would please rather than upset you? How can IE help you? Just some thoughts.KatchaIEing since March 2007 Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use

..

[Guest guest]

Large spreads of food turn me off. A buffet or big spread out family dinner with overflowing tables, warm inside air, and bouquets of food smells make my stomach clench and destroys all appetite for me. I suspect this is left over from very tense holiday meals I endured as a child, complete with "teasing" about my being chubby.

I always joked about how much weight I could lose just eating at buffet restaurants, and on a ten day vacation years ago, where all meals were served buffet fashion, I dropped weight like I was on a fast.

However, alll that being said, I can't recall a holiday season where I did not buy into the idea of dieting before and after whatever big day was coming up. I would diet before Halloween, eat candy, and diet after. I would diet before Thanksgiving, not eat much anyway, then diet the next day like I had totally eaten all I could get hold of. And the same process at Christmas. New Years did not seem to apply, maybe because we did not go to my grandmothers house at New Years when I was a child, nor did they come to our house. New Years represents peace to me.

Now it seems just weird that I never connected the idea that I wasn't a big holiday eater with the idea that maybe I didn't need to diet before and after! It's like there was some kind of brick wall in my head that stood between my thinking about food and weight and the reality.

I think I'm going to eat some fruit cake. I like fruit cake, even if it is the joke food of the 20th Century. I think I'm not going to eat anything for any reason other than wanting to eat some of it, not because it is low fat or low calorie or someone made it and I'm required to eat it. There will be pie, and asparagus is calling me, but I don't know if the call will last until Thranksgiving!

I think I'm going to plan not to plan, and the menu will come to me.

To: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2011 12:51 PMSubject: Think ahead to get ahead . . .

So rather than look forward with dread and impending shame, what do you envision as an welcome alternative? Can you imagine a way to enjoy this time that would please rather than upset you? How can IE help you? Just some thoughts.KatchaIEing since March 2007 Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use

..

[Guest guest]

Speaking of planning, does everyone remembering all the agonized planning that went on for the holidays when we were dieting -- all while we were dreading the possibility that we would go hog wild and gain back all the weight? When I was low carbing, my low-carb discussion group would have endless threads on what to bring to the family Thanksgiving table so we wouldn't have to abandon our diets. It was all mock-this and mock-that: mock mashed potatoes (using cauliflower) and sugar free desserts. Not that there's anything wrong with these foods, but it was obviously a miserable substitution for some of us, who just wanted some of the real thing.

I particularly remember one woman bitterly complaining that her friends served, "mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn and peas, and baked carrots" for the side dishes. These are restricted foods on many, if not most, low carb diets. So this woman was like, "I kid you not! That is what they served! Can you believe it??" And she got all this sympathy. That is when I started to veer away from that world....

Mimi

Subject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .To: "IntuitiveEating_Support " <IntuitiveEating_Support >Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 2:14 PM

Large spreads of food turn me off. A buffet or big spread out family dinner with overflowing tables, warm inside air, and bouquets of food smells make my stomach clench and destroys all appetite for me. I suspect this is left over from very tense holiday meals I endured as a child, complete with "teasing" about my being chubby.

I always joked about how much weight I could lose just eating at buffet restaurants, and on a ten day vacation years ago, where all meals were served buffet fashion, I dropped weight like I was on a fast.

However, alll that being said, I can't recall a holiday season where I did not buy into the idea of dieting before and after whatever big day was coming up. I would diet before Halloween, eat candy, and diet after. I would diet before Thanksgiving, not eat much anyway, then diet the next day like I had totally eaten all I could get hold of. And the same process at Christmas. New Years did not seem to apply, maybe because we did not go to my grandmothers house at New Years when I was a child, nor did they come to our house. New Years represents peace to me.

Now it seems just weird that I never connected the idea that I wasn't a big holiday eater with the idea that maybe I didn't need to diet before and after! It's like there was some kind of brick wall in my head that stood between my thinking about food and weight and the reality.

I think I'm going to eat some fruit cake. I like fruit cake, even if it is the joke food of the 20th Century. I think I'm not going to eat anything for any reason other than wanting to eat some of it, not because it is low fat or low calorie or someone made it and I'm required to eat it. There will be pie, and asparagus is calling me, but I don't know if the call will last until Thranksgiving!

I think I'm going to plan not to plan, and the menu will come to me.

[Guest guest]

Speaking of planning, does everyone remembering all the agonized planning that went on for the holidays when we were dieting -- all while we were dreading the possibility that we would go hog wild and gain back all the weight? When I was low carbing, my low-carb discussion group would have endless threads on what to bring to the family Thanksgiving table so we wouldn't have to abandon our diets. It was all mock-this and mock-that: mock mashed potatoes (using cauliflower) and sugar free desserts. Not that there's anything wrong with these foods, but it was obviously a miserable substitution for some of us, who just wanted some of the real thing.

I particularly remember one woman bitterly complaining that her friends served, "mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn and peas, and baked carrots" for the side dishes. These are restricted foods on many, if not most, low carb diets. So this woman was like, "I kid you not! That is what they served! Can you believe it??" And she got all this sympathy. That is when I started to veer away from that world....

Mimi

Subject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .To: "IntuitiveEating_Support " <IntuitiveEating_Support >Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 2:14 PM

Large spreads of food turn me off. A buffet or big spread out family dinner with overflowing tables, warm inside air, and bouquets of food smells make my stomach clench and destroys all appetite for me. I suspect this is left over from very tense holiday meals I endured as a child, complete with "teasing" about my being chubby.

I always joked about how much weight I could lose just eating at buffet restaurants, and on a ten day vacation years ago, where all meals were served buffet fashion, I dropped weight like I was on a fast.

However, alll that being said, I can't recall a holiday season where I did not buy into the idea of dieting before and after whatever big day was coming up. I would diet before Halloween, eat candy, and diet after. I would diet before Thanksgiving, not eat much anyway, then diet the next day like I had totally eaten all I could get hold of. And the same process at Christmas. New Years did not seem to apply, maybe because we did not go to my grandmothers house at New Years when I was a child, nor did they come to our house. New Years represents peace to me.

Now it seems just weird that I never connected the idea that I wasn't a big holiday eater with the idea that maybe I didn't need to diet before and after! It's like there was some kind of brick wall in my head that stood between my thinking about food and weight and the reality.

I think I'm going to eat some fruit cake. I like fruit cake, even if it is the joke food of the 20th Century. I think I'm not going to eat anything for any reason other than wanting to eat some of it, not because it is low fat or low calorie or someone made it and I'm required to eat it. There will be pie, and asparagus is calling me, but I don't know if the call will last until Thranksgiving!

I think I'm going to plan not to plan, and the menu will come to me.

[Guest guest]

Speaking of planning, does everyone remembering all the agonized planning that went on for the holidays when we were dieting -- all while we were dreading the possibility that we would go hog wild and gain back all the weight? When I was low carbing, my low-carb discussion group would have endless threads on what to bring to the family Thanksgiving table so we wouldn't have to abandon our diets. It was all mock-this and mock-that: mock mashed potatoes (using cauliflower) and sugar free desserts. Not that there's anything wrong with these foods, but it was obviously a miserable substitution for some of us, who just wanted some of the real thing.

I particularly remember one woman bitterly complaining that her friends served, "mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn and peas, and baked carrots" for the side dishes. These are restricted foods on many, if not most, low carb diets. So this woman was like, "I kid you not! That is what they served! Can you believe it??" And she got all this sympathy. That is when I started to veer away from that world....

Mimi

Subject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .To: "IntuitiveEating_Support " <IntuitiveEating_Support >Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 2:14 PM

Large spreads of food turn me off. A buffet or big spread out family dinner with overflowing tables, warm inside air, and bouquets of food smells make my stomach clench and destroys all appetite for me. I suspect this is left over from very tense holiday meals I endured as a child, complete with "teasing" about my being chubby.

I always joked about how much weight I could lose just eating at buffet restaurants, and on a ten day vacation years ago, where all meals were served buffet fashion, I dropped weight like I was on a fast.

However, alll that being said, I can't recall a holiday season where I did not buy into the idea of dieting before and after whatever big day was coming up. I would diet before Halloween, eat candy, and diet after. I would diet before Thanksgiving, not eat much anyway, then diet the next day like I had totally eaten all I could get hold of. And the same process at Christmas. New Years did not seem to apply, maybe because we did not go to my grandmothers house at New Years when I was a child, nor did they come to our house. New Years represents peace to me.

Now it seems just weird that I never connected the idea that I wasn't a big holiday eater with the idea that maybe I didn't need to diet before and after! It's like there was some kind of brick wall in my head that stood between my thinking about food and weight and the reality.

I think I'm going to eat some fruit cake. I like fruit cake, even if it is the joke food of the 20th Century. I think I'm not going to eat anything for any reason other than wanting to eat some of it, not because it is low fat or low calorie or someone made it and I'm required to eat it. There will be pie, and asparagus is calling me, but I don't know if the call will last until Thranksgiving!

I think I'm going to plan not to plan, and the menu will come to me.

[Guest guest]

It's funny, all that talk of substitutions... when I did a low carb diet, there was an online support group where there was a lot of chatter about using cauliflower to make mashed " potatoes " . I remember the highest compliment was, " it's so good it doesn't even taste like cauliflower! "

It just so happens that I ADORE cauliflower -- I could easily eat a whole head of steamed or roasted cauliflower alone (if someone else prepared it) by myself. So it's funny to me that it's a universally safe but loathed food for dieters.

Potatoes, though, I could take or leave.

I'm pleased to say that until this post I hadn't even considered how I will eat on Thanksgiving Day!

I'm happy to report, though, that after years of IE I have twice recently ordered chocolate fondue in restaurants because I was still quite hungry, even though my companion wasn't, and I ate all the fruit and chocolate, what I wanted, and didn't touch the little cookies and weird gourmet marshmallows that came with it. They are not forbidden... I just didn't want them. Mostly because I don't like how they make me feel. But there was no internal struggle about it!

Amazing. Finally.

Best,

Abby

IE since 11/08

 

Speaking of planning, does everyone remembering all the agonized planning that went on for the holidays when we were dieting -- all while we were dreading the possibility that we would go hog wild and gain back all the weight? When I was low carbing, my low-carb discussion group would have endless threads on what to bring to the family Thanksgiving table so we wouldn't have to abandon our diets. It was all mock-this and mock-that: mock mashed potatoes (using cauliflower) and sugar free desserts. Not that there's anything wrong with these foods, but it was obviously a miserable substitution for some of us, who just wanted some of the real thing.

 

I particularly remember one woman bitterly complaining that her friends served, " mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn and peas, and baked carrots " for the side dishes. These are restricted foods on many, if not most, low carb diets. So this woman was like, " I kid you not! That is what they served! Can you believe it?? " And she got all this sympathy. That is when I started to veer away from that world....

 

Mimi

 

Subject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .

To: " IntuitiveEating_Support " <IntuitiveEating_Support >

Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 2:14 PM

 

Large spreads of food turn me off. A buffet or big spread out family dinner with overflowing tables, warm inside air, and bouquets of food smells make my stomach clench and destroys all appetite for me. I suspect this is left over from very tense holiday meals I endured as a child, complete with " teasing " about my being chubby.

 

I always joked about how much weight I could lose just eating at buffet restaurants, and on a ten day vacation years ago, where all meals were served buffet fashion, I dropped weight like I was on a fast.

 

However, alll that being said, I can't recall a holiday season where I did not buy into the idea of dieting before and after whatever big day was coming up. I would diet before Halloween, eat candy, and diet after. I would diet before Thanksgiving, not eat much anyway, then diet the next day like I had totally eaten all I could get hold of. And the same process at Christmas. New Years did not seem to apply, maybe because we did not go to my grandmothers house at New Years when I was a child, nor did they come to our house. New Years represents peace to me.  

 

Now it seems just weird that I never connected the idea that I wasn't a big holiday eater with the idea that maybe I didn't need to diet before and after! It's like there was some kind of brick wall in my head that stood between my thinking about food and weight and the reality.

 

I think I'm going to eat some fruit cake. I like fruit cake, even if it is the joke food of the 20th Century. I think I'm not going to eat anything for any reason other than wanting to eat some of it, not because it is low fat or low calorie or someone made it and I'm required to eat it. There will be pie, and  asparagus is calling me, but I don't know if the call will last until Thranksgiving!

 

I think I'm going to plan not to plan, and the menu will come to me.

 

[Guest guest]

It's funny, all that talk of substitutions... when I did a low carb diet, there was an online support group where there was a lot of chatter about using cauliflower to make mashed " potatoes " . I remember the highest compliment was, " it's so good it doesn't even taste like cauliflower! "

It just so happens that I ADORE cauliflower -- I could easily eat a whole head of steamed or roasted cauliflower alone (if someone else prepared it) by myself. So it's funny to me that it's a universally safe but loathed food for dieters.

Potatoes, though, I could take or leave.

I'm pleased to say that until this post I hadn't even considered how I will eat on Thanksgiving Day!

I'm happy to report, though, that after years of IE I have twice recently ordered chocolate fondue in restaurants because I was still quite hungry, even though my companion wasn't, and I ate all the fruit and chocolate, what I wanted, and didn't touch the little cookies and weird gourmet marshmallows that came with it. They are not forbidden... I just didn't want them. Mostly because I don't like how they make me feel. But there was no internal struggle about it!

Amazing. Finally.

Best,

Abby

IE since 11/08

 

Speaking of planning, does everyone remembering all the agonized planning that went on for the holidays when we were dieting -- all while we were dreading the possibility that we would go hog wild and gain back all the weight? When I was low carbing, my low-carb discussion group would have endless threads on what to bring to the family Thanksgiving table so we wouldn't have to abandon our diets. It was all mock-this and mock-that: mock mashed potatoes (using cauliflower) and sugar free desserts. Not that there's anything wrong with these foods, but it was obviously a miserable substitution for some of us, who just wanted some of the real thing.

 

I particularly remember one woman bitterly complaining that her friends served, " mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn and peas, and baked carrots " for the side dishes. These are restricted foods on many, if not most, low carb diets. So this woman was like, " I kid you not! That is what they served! Can you believe it?? " And she got all this sympathy. That is when I started to veer away from that world....

 

Mimi

 

Subject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .

To: " IntuitiveEating_Support " <IntuitiveEating_Support >

Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 2:14 PM

 

Large spreads of food turn me off. A buffet or big spread out family dinner with overflowing tables, warm inside air, and bouquets of food smells make my stomach clench and destroys all appetite for me. I suspect this is left over from very tense holiday meals I endured as a child, complete with " teasing " about my being chubby.

 

I always joked about how much weight I could lose just eating at buffet restaurants, and on a ten day vacation years ago, where all meals were served buffet fashion, I dropped weight like I was on a fast.

 

However, alll that being said, I can't recall a holiday season where I did not buy into the idea of dieting before and after whatever big day was coming up. I would diet before Halloween, eat candy, and diet after. I would diet before Thanksgiving, not eat much anyway, then diet the next day like I had totally eaten all I could get hold of. And the same process at Christmas. New Years did not seem to apply, maybe because we did not go to my grandmothers house at New Years when I was a child, nor did they come to our house. New Years represents peace to me.  

 

Now it seems just weird that I never connected the idea that I wasn't a big holiday eater with the idea that maybe I didn't need to diet before and after! It's like there was some kind of brick wall in my head that stood between my thinking about food and weight and the reality.

 

I think I'm going to eat some fruit cake. I like fruit cake, even if it is the joke food of the 20th Century. I think I'm not going to eat anything for any reason other than wanting to eat some of it, not because it is low fat or low calorie or someone made it and I'm required to eat it. There will be pie, and  asparagus is calling me, but I don't know if the call will last until Thranksgiving!

 

I think I'm going to plan not to plan, and the menu will come to me.

 

[Guest guest]

It's funny, all that talk of substitutions... when I did a low carb diet, there was an online support group where there was a lot of chatter about using cauliflower to make mashed " potatoes " . I remember the highest compliment was, " it's so good it doesn't even taste like cauliflower! "

It just so happens that I ADORE cauliflower -- I could easily eat a whole head of steamed or roasted cauliflower alone (if someone else prepared it) by myself. So it's funny to me that it's a universally safe but loathed food for dieters.

Potatoes, though, I could take or leave.

I'm pleased to say that until this post I hadn't even considered how I will eat on Thanksgiving Day!

I'm happy to report, though, that after years of IE I have twice recently ordered chocolate fondue in restaurants because I was still quite hungry, even though my companion wasn't, and I ate all the fruit and chocolate, what I wanted, and didn't touch the little cookies and weird gourmet marshmallows that came with it. They are not forbidden... I just didn't want them. Mostly because I don't like how they make me feel. But there was no internal struggle about it!

Amazing. Finally.

Best,

Abby

IE since 11/08

 

Speaking of planning, does everyone remembering all the agonized planning that went on for the holidays when we were dieting -- all while we were dreading the possibility that we would go hog wild and gain back all the weight? When I was low carbing, my low-carb discussion group would have endless threads on what to bring to the family Thanksgiving table so we wouldn't have to abandon our diets. It was all mock-this and mock-that: mock mashed potatoes (using cauliflower) and sugar free desserts. Not that there's anything wrong with these foods, but it was obviously a miserable substitution for some of us, who just wanted some of the real thing.

 

I particularly remember one woman bitterly complaining that her friends served, " mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn and peas, and baked carrots " for the side dishes. These are restricted foods on many, if not most, low carb diets. So this woman was like, " I kid you not! That is what they served! Can you believe it?? " And she got all this sympathy. That is when I started to veer away from that world....

 

Mimi

 

Subject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .

To: " IntuitiveEating_Support " <IntuitiveEating_Support >

Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 2:14 PM

 

Large spreads of food turn me off. A buffet or big spread out family dinner with overflowing tables, warm inside air, and bouquets of food smells make my stomach clench and destroys all appetite for me. I suspect this is left over from very tense holiday meals I endured as a child, complete with " teasing " about my being chubby.

 

I always joked about how much weight I could lose just eating at buffet restaurants, and on a ten day vacation years ago, where all meals were served buffet fashion, I dropped weight like I was on a fast.

 

However, alll that being said, I can't recall a holiday season where I did not buy into the idea of dieting before and after whatever big day was coming up. I would diet before Halloween, eat candy, and diet after. I would diet before Thanksgiving, not eat much anyway, then diet the next day like I had totally eaten all I could get hold of. And the same process at Christmas. New Years did not seem to apply, maybe because we did not go to my grandmothers house at New Years when I was a child, nor did they come to our house. New Years represents peace to me.  

 

Now it seems just weird that I never connected the idea that I wasn't a big holiday eater with the idea that maybe I didn't need to diet before and after! It's like there was some kind of brick wall in my head that stood between my thinking about food and weight and the reality.

 

I think I'm going to eat some fruit cake. I like fruit cake, even if it is the joke food of the 20th Century. I think I'm not going to eat anything for any reason other than wanting to eat some of it, not because it is low fat or low calorie or someone made it and I'm required to eat it. There will be pie, and  asparagus is calling me, but I don't know if the call will last until Thranksgiving!

 

I think I'm going to plan not to plan, and the menu will come to me.

 

[Guest guest]

I adore cauliflower, too, but only raw. Mashed cauliflower is one of the few preparations of vegetables that I truly dislike. It's funny how for years I convinced myself that I liked them just because they were supposed mock "mashed potatoes." All this time, I wanted raw cauliflower and real mashed potatoes. Oh, the horror! LOL.

Mimi

Subject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .To: IntuitiveEating_Support Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 4:48 PM

It's funny, all that talk of substitutions... when I did a low carb diet, there was an online support group where there was a lot of chatter about using cauliflower to make mashed "potatoes". I remember the highest compliment was, "it's so good it doesn't even taste like cauliflower!"

It just so happens that I ADORE cauliflower -- I could easily eat a whole head of steamed or roasted cauliflower alone (if someone else prepared it) by myself. So it's funny to me that it's a universally safe but loathed food for dieters.

Potatoes, though, I could take or leave.

I'm pleased to say that until this post I hadn't even considered how I will eat on Thanksgiving Day!

I'm happy to report, though, that after years of IE I have twice recently ordered chocolate fondue in restaurants because I was still quite hungry, even though my companion wasn't, and I ate all the fruit and chocolate, what I wanted, and didn't touch the little cookies and weird gourmet marshmallows that came with it. They are not forbidden... I just didn't want them. Mostly because I don't like how they make me feel. But there was no internal struggle about it!

Amazing. Finally.

Best,AbbyIE since 11/08

[Guest guest]

I adore cauliflower, too, but only raw. Mashed cauliflower is one of the few preparations of vegetables that I truly dislike. It's funny how for years I convinced myself that I liked them just because they were supposed mock "mashed potatoes." All this time, I wanted raw cauliflower and real mashed potatoes. Oh, the horror! LOL.

Mimi

Subject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .To: IntuitiveEating_Support Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 4:48 PM

It's funny, all that talk of substitutions... when I did a low carb diet, there was an online support group where there was a lot of chatter about using cauliflower to make mashed "potatoes". I remember the highest compliment was, "it's so good it doesn't even taste like cauliflower!"

It just so happens that I ADORE cauliflower -- I could easily eat a whole head of steamed or roasted cauliflower alone (if someone else prepared it) by myself. So it's funny to me that it's a universally safe but loathed food for dieters.

Potatoes, though, I could take or leave.

I'm pleased to say that until this post I hadn't even considered how I will eat on Thanksgiving Day!

I'm happy to report, though, that after years of IE I have twice recently ordered chocolate fondue in restaurants because I was still quite hungry, even though my companion wasn't, and I ate all the fruit and chocolate, what I wanted, and didn't touch the little cookies and weird gourmet marshmallows that came with it. They are not forbidden... I just didn't want them. Mostly because I don't like how they make me feel. But there was no internal struggle about it!

Amazing. Finally.

Best,AbbyIE since 11/08

[Guest guest]

I adore cauliflower, too, but only raw. Mashed cauliflower is one of the few preparations of vegetables that I truly dislike. It's funny how for years I convinced myself that I liked them just because they were supposed mock "mashed potatoes." All this time, I wanted raw cauliflower and real mashed potatoes. Oh, the horror! LOL.

Mimi

Subject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .To: IntuitiveEating_Support Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 4:48 PM

It's funny, all that talk of substitutions... when I did a low carb diet, there was an online support group where there was a lot of chatter about using cauliflower to make mashed "potatoes". I remember the highest compliment was, "it's so good it doesn't even taste like cauliflower!"

It just so happens that I ADORE cauliflower -- I could easily eat a whole head of steamed or roasted cauliflower alone (if someone else prepared it) by myself. So it's funny to me that it's a universally safe but loathed food for dieters.

Potatoes, though, I could take or leave.

I'm pleased to say that until this post I hadn't even considered how I will eat on Thanksgiving Day!

I'm happy to report, though, that after years of IE I have twice recently ordered chocolate fondue in restaurants because I was still quite hungry, even though my companion wasn't, and I ate all the fruit and chocolate, what I wanted, and didn't touch the little cookies and weird gourmet marshmallows that came with it. They are not forbidden... I just didn't want them. Mostly because I don't like how they make me feel. But there was no internal struggle about it!

Amazing. Finally.

Best,AbbyIE since 11/08

[Guest guest]

I love good fruit cake. ---

In IntuitiveEating_Support , JT wrote:

>

> Large spreads of food turn me off. A buffet or big spread out family dinner

with overflowing tables, warm inside air, and bouquets of food smells make my

stomach clench and destroys all appetite for me. I suspect this is left over

from very tense holiday meals I endured as a child, complete with " teasing "

about my being chubby.

>  

> I always joked about how much weight I could lose just eating at buffet

restaurants, and on a ten day vacation years ago, where all meals were served

buffet fashion, I dropped weight like I was on a fast.

>  

> However, alll that being said, I can't recall a holiday season where I did not

buy into the idea of dieting before and after whatever big day was coming up. I

would diet before Halloween, eat candy, and diet after. I would diet before

Thanksgiving, not eat much anyway, then diet the next day like I had totally

eaten all I could get hold of. And the same process at Christmas. New Years did

not seem to apply, maybe because we did not go to my grandmothers house at New

Years when I was a child, nor did they come to our house. New Years represents

peace to me.  

>  

> Now it seems just weird that I never connected the idea that I wasn't a big

holiday eater with the idea that maybe I didn't need to diet before and after!

It's like there was some kind of brick wall in my head that stood between my

thinking about food and weight and the reality.

>  

> I think I'm going to eat some fruit cake. I like fruit cake, even if it is

the joke food of the 20th Century. I think I'm not going to eat anything for

any reason other than wanting to eat some of it, not because it is low fat or

low calorie or someone made it and I'm required to eat it. There will be pie,

and  asparagus is calling me, but I don't know if the call will last until

Thranksgiving!

>  

> I think I'm going to plan not to plan, and the menu will come to me.

>

>

> To: IntuitiveEating_Support

> Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2011 12:51 PM

> Subject: Think ahead to get ahead . . .

>

>

>  

> So rather than look forward with dread and impending shame, what do you

envision as an welcome alternative? Can you imagine a way to enjoy this time

that would please rather than upset you? How can IE help you?

>

> Just some thoughts.

>

> Katcha

> IEing since March 2007

>

>

> Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use

> .

>

[Guest guest]

I love good fruit cake. ---

In IntuitiveEating_Support , JT wrote:

>

> Large spreads of food turn me off. A buffet or big spread out family dinner

with overflowing tables, warm inside air, and bouquets of food smells make my

stomach clench and destroys all appetite for me. I suspect this is left over

from very tense holiday meals I endured as a child, complete with " teasing "

about my being chubby.

>  

> I always joked about how much weight I could lose just eating at buffet

restaurants, and on a ten day vacation years ago, where all meals were served

buffet fashion, I dropped weight like I was on a fast.

>  

> However, alll that being said, I can't recall a holiday season where I did not

buy into the idea of dieting before and after whatever big day was coming up. I

would diet before Halloween, eat candy, and diet after. I would diet before

Thanksgiving, not eat much anyway, then diet the next day like I had totally

eaten all I could get hold of. And the same process at Christmas. New Years did

not seem to apply, maybe because we did not go to my grandmothers house at New

Years when I was a child, nor did they come to our house. New Years represents

peace to me.  

>  

> Now it seems just weird that I never connected the idea that I wasn't a big

holiday eater with the idea that maybe I didn't need to diet before and after!

It's like there was some kind of brick wall in my head that stood between my

thinking about food and weight and the reality.

>  

> I think I'm going to eat some fruit cake. I like fruit cake, even if it is

the joke food of the 20th Century. I think I'm not going to eat anything for

any reason other than wanting to eat some of it, not because it is low fat or

low calorie or someone made it and I'm required to eat it. There will be pie,

and  asparagus is calling me, but I don't know if the call will last until

Thranksgiving!

>  

> I think I'm going to plan not to plan, and the menu will come to me.

>

>

> To: IntuitiveEating_Support

> Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2011 12:51 PM

> Subject: Think ahead to get ahead . . .

>

>

>  

> So rather than look forward with dread and impending shame, what do you

envision as an welcome alternative? Can you imagine a way to enjoy this time

that would please rather than upset you? How can IE help you?

>

> Just some thoughts.

>

> Katcha

> IEing since March 2007

>

>

> Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use

> .

>

[Guest guest]

Man, oh man. I remember dieting for the office Christmas parties when I got to

dress up far more than usual - dying to be thin enough to look good while

standing around the buffet table.

I remember one party I went to where the hostess served pumpkin pie without

sugar either on the pie or in the whipped cream. No low cal sweetener either.

Just no sugar. And, she didn't warn anyone. People were spitting out that pie

everywhere!

>

>

>

> Subject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .

> To: " IntuitiveEating_Support "

<IntuitiveEating_Support >

> Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 2:14 PM

>

>

>

>  

>

>

>

>

>

> Large spreads of food turn me off. A buffet or big spread out family dinner

with overflowing tables, warm inside air, and bouquets of food smells make my

stomach clench and destroys all appetite for me. I suspect this is left over

from very tense holiday meals I endured as a child, complete with " teasing "

about my being chubby.

>  

> I always joked about how much weight I could lose just eating at buffet

restaurants, and on a ten day vacation years ago, where all meals were served

buffet fashion, I dropped weight like I was on a fast.

>  

> However, alll that being said, I can't recall a holiday season where I did not

buy into the idea of dieting before and after whatever big day was coming up. I

would diet before Halloween, eat candy, and diet after. I would diet before

Thanksgiving, not eat much anyway, then diet the next day like I had totally

eaten all I could get hold of. And the same process at Christmas. New Years did

not seem to apply, maybe because we did not go to my grandmothers house at New

Years when I was a child, nor did they come to our house. New Years represents

peace to me.  

>  

> Now it seems just weird that I never connected the idea that I wasn't a big

holiday eater with the idea that maybe I didn't need to diet before and after!

It's like there was some kind of brick wall in my head that stood between my

thinking about food and weight and the reality.

>  

> I think I'm going to eat some fruit cake. I like fruit cake, even if it is the

joke food of the 20th Century. I think I'm not going to eat anything for any

reason other than wanting to eat some of it, not because it is low fat or low

calorie or someone made it and I'm required to eat it. There will be pie, and 

asparagus is calling me, but I don't know if the call will last until

Thranksgiving!

>  

> I think I'm going to plan not to plan, and the menu will come to me.

>

>

>  

>

[Guest guest]

Man, oh man. I remember dieting for the office Christmas parties when I got to

dress up far more than usual - dying to be thin enough to look good while

standing around the buffet table.

I remember one party I went to where the hostess served pumpkin pie without

sugar either on the pie or in the whipped cream. No low cal sweetener either.

Just no sugar. And, she didn't warn anyone. People were spitting out that pie

everywhere!

>

>

>

> Subject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .

> To: " IntuitiveEating_Support "

<IntuitiveEating_Support >

> Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 2:14 PM

>

>

>

>  

>

>

>

>

>

> Large spreads of food turn me off. A buffet or big spread out family dinner

with overflowing tables, warm inside air, and bouquets of food smells make my

stomach clench and destroys all appetite for me. I suspect this is left over

from very tense holiday meals I endured as a child, complete with " teasing "

about my being chubby.

>  

> I always joked about how much weight I could lose just eating at buffet

restaurants, and on a ten day vacation years ago, where all meals were served

buffet fashion, I dropped weight like I was on a fast.

>  

> However, alll that being said, I can't recall a holiday season where I did not

buy into the idea of dieting before and after whatever big day was coming up. I

would diet before Halloween, eat candy, and diet after. I would diet before

Thanksgiving, not eat much anyway, then diet the next day like I had totally

eaten all I could get hold of. And the same process at Christmas. New Years did

not seem to apply, maybe because we did not go to my grandmothers house at New

Years when I was a child, nor did they come to our house. New Years represents

peace to me.  

>  

> Now it seems just weird that I never connected the idea that I wasn't a big

holiday eater with the idea that maybe I didn't need to diet before and after!

It's like there was some kind of brick wall in my head that stood between my

thinking about food and weight and the reality.

>  

> I think I'm going to eat some fruit cake. I like fruit cake, even if it is the

joke food of the 20th Century. I think I'm not going to eat anything for any

reason other than wanting to eat some of it, not because it is low fat or low

calorie or someone made it and I'm required to eat it. There will be pie, and 

asparagus is calling me, but I don't know if the call will last until

Thranksgiving!

>  

> I think I'm going to plan not to plan, and the menu will come to me.

>

>

>  

>

[Guest guest]

Man, oh man. I remember dieting for the office Christmas parties when I got to

dress up far more than usual - dying to be thin enough to look good while

standing around the buffet table.

I remember one party I went to where the hostess served pumpkin pie without

sugar either on the pie or in the whipped cream. No low cal sweetener either.

Just no sugar. And, she didn't warn anyone. People were spitting out that pie

everywhere!

>

>

>

> Subject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .

> To: " IntuitiveEating_Support "

<IntuitiveEating_Support >

> Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 2:14 PM

>

>

>

>  

>

>

>

>

>

> Large spreads of food turn me off. A buffet or big spread out family dinner

with overflowing tables, warm inside air, and bouquets of food smells make my

stomach clench and destroys all appetite for me. I suspect this is left over

from very tense holiday meals I endured as a child, complete with " teasing "

about my being chubby.

>  

> I always joked about how much weight I could lose just eating at buffet

restaurants, and on a ten day vacation years ago, where all meals were served

buffet fashion, I dropped weight like I was on a fast.

>  

> However, alll that being said, I can't recall a holiday season where I did not

buy into the idea of dieting before and after whatever big day was coming up. I

would diet before Halloween, eat candy, and diet after. I would diet before

Thanksgiving, not eat much anyway, then diet the next day like I had totally

eaten all I could get hold of. And the same process at Christmas. New Years did

not seem to apply, maybe because we did not go to my grandmothers house at New

Years when I was a child, nor did they come to our house. New Years represents

peace to me.  

>  

> Now it seems just weird that I never connected the idea that I wasn't a big

holiday eater with the idea that maybe I didn't need to diet before and after!

It's like there was some kind of brick wall in my head that stood between my

thinking about food and weight and the reality.

>  

> I think I'm going to eat some fruit cake. I like fruit cake, even if it is the

joke food of the 20th Century. I think I'm not going to eat anything for any

reason other than wanting to eat some of it, not because it is low fat or low

calorie or someone made it and I'm required to eat it. There will be pie, and 

asparagus is calling me, but I don't know if the call will last until

Thranksgiving!

>  

> I think I'm going to plan not to plan, and the menu will come to me.

>

>

>  

>

[Guest guest]

This is a really good topic, and worth some thought. I'm not dreading the

holidays, per se, but then i'm not really looking forward to the endless parties

and special events, all of which have food, food, food. I don't think I want to

make a " plan " though. Perhaps just keep in mind what I really like. There's a

lot of holiday food that I think is just terrible, and I have to remember that I

don't have to eat it. And also, that things taste so much better if I'm

actually hungry, which may not happen that often if there's too much food

around.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, because my brother and his family

usually come, and we have a big family dinner, with whatever strays are around,

but I decided years ago that I didn't like eating to the point of pain (and I am

not really that fond on turkey anyway, though I love stuffing with gravy on it,

and sweet potatoes), so I stopped overeating that meal, and always have room for

pie afterwards (and we have a big pie tradition--last year I think we had

11different kinds of pie--everyone makes them), but again, that's a " which pie

sounds best to me? " kind of thing.

So now that I'm thinking about it, I realize that the holiday problem for me is

not " pigging out " at a single meal, but continuous eating. And since in the

last several months I've really been learning about waiting and letting myself

get hungry before eating again, regardless of official meal-times, maybe that's

what I need to try to remember, because it still feels like a revelation. I

experienced it again last night when I made spicy molasses cookies for an event

today, and manicotti-like things for dinner, and ate a lot of cookie dough and a

lot of the ricotta cheese, both of which tasted great, but then realized I was

no longer hungry, so didn't eat any of the baked cookies, or dinner itself, and

that felt good.

Thanks for your excellent question!

Tilley

>

> The post about winter blues sparked a seasonal thought of my own. The

'holiday' season is fast approaching with Halloween in the next few days. I used

to love/dread that day because I was so love-hate candy fixated. I would start

thinking about the day AFTER Halloween since I could 'score' marked down candy

then. It was a source of glee and guilt in all those colorful packages.

>

> Next came Gobble Day where a bursting belly seemed the goal. How could that be

avoided when that was the only time each year that I got to eat some special

treats?!?

>

> Lastly was all the winter festival events - pre holiday parties, holiday

dinner and that last hurrah of pigging out - New Years after which being 'good'

would atone for all the indulgence done.

>

> So rather than look forward with dread and impending shame, what do you

envision as an welcome alternative? Can you imagine a way to enjoy this time

that would please rather than upset you? How can IE help you?

>

> Just some thoughts.

>

> Katcha

> IEing since March 2007

>

[Guest guest]

This is a really good topic, and worth some thought. I'm not dreading the

holidays, per se, but then i'm not really looking forward to the endless parties

and special events, all of which have food, food, food. I don't think I want to

make a " plan " though. Perhaps just keep in mind what I really like. There's a

lot of holiday food that I think is just terrible, and I have to remember that I

don't have to eat it. And also, that things taste so much better if I'm

actually hungry, which may not happen that often if there's too much food

around.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, because my brother and his family

usually come, and we have a big family dinner, with whatever strays are around,

but I decided years ago that I didn't like eating to the point of pain (and I am

not really that fond on turkey anyway, though I love stuffing with gravy on it,

and sweet potatoes), so I stopped overeating that meal, and always have room for

pie afterwards (and we have a big pie tradition--last year I think we had

11different kinds of pie--everyone makes them), but again, that's a " which pie

sounds best to me? " kind of thing.

So now that I'm thinking about it, I realize that the holiday problem for me is

not " pigging out " at a single meal, but continuous eating. And since in the

last several months I've really been learning about waiting and letting myself

get hungry before eating again, regardless of official meal-times, maybe that's

what I need to try to remember, because it still feels like a revelation. I

experienced it again last night when I made spicy molasses cookies for an event

today, and manicotti-like things for dinner, and ate a lot of cookie dough and a

lot of the ricotta cheese, both of which tasted great, but then realized I was

no longer hungry, so didn't eat any of the baked cookies, or dinner itself, and

that felt good.

Thanks for your excellent question!

Tilley

>

> The post about winter blues sparked a seasonal thought of my own. The

'holiday' season is fast approaching with Halloween in the next few days. I used

to love/dread that day because I was so love-hate candy fixated. I would start

thinking about the day AFTER Halloween since I could 'score' marked down candy

then. It was a source of glee and guilt in all those colorful packages.

>

> Next came Gobble Day where a bursting belly seemed the goal. How could that be

avoided when that was the only time each year that I got to eat some special

treats?!?

>

> Lastly was all the winter festival events - pre holiday parties, holiday

dinner and that last hurrah of pigging out - New Years after which being 'good'

would atone for all the indulgence done.

>

> So rather than look forward with dread and impending shame, what do you

envision as an welcome alternative? Can you imagine a way to enjoy this time

that would please rather than upset you? How can IE help you?

>

> Just some thoughts.

>

> Katcha

> IEing since March 2007

>

[Guest guest]

No sweetener of any kind in a pie?! Now that is hardcore. LOL. Subject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .To: IntuitiveEating_Support Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 10:09 PM

Man, oh man. I remember dieting for the office Christmas parties when I got to dress up far more than usual - dying to be thin enough to look good while standing around the buffet table.

I remember one party I went to where the hostess served pumpkin pie without sugar either on the pie or in the whipped cream. No low cal sweetener either. Just no sugar. And, she didn't warn anyone. People were spitting out that pie everywhere!

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>

> Subject: Re: Think ahead to get ahead . . .

> To: "IntuitiveEating_Support " <IntuitiveEating_Support >

> Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 2:14 PM

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> Large spreads of food turn me off. A buffet or big spread out family dinner with overflowing tables, warm inside air, and bouquets of food smells make my stomach clench and destroys all appetite for me. I suspect this is left over from very tense holiday meals I endured as a child, complete with "teasing" about my being chubby.

>

> I always joked about how much weight I could lose just eating at buffet restaurants, and on a ten day vacation years ago, where all meals were served buffet fashion, I dropped weight like I was on a fast.

>

> However, alll that being said, I can't recall a holiday season where I did not buy into the idea of dieting before and after whatever big day was coming up. I would diet before Halloween, eat candy, and diet after. I would diet before Thanksgiving, not eat much anyway, then diet the next day like I had totally eaten all I could get hold of. And the same process at Christmas. New Years did not seem to apply, maybe because we did not go to my grandmothers house at New Years when I was a child, nor did they come to our house. New Years represents peace to me.

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> Now it seems just weird that I never connected the idea that I wasn't a big holiday eater with the idea that maybe I didn't need to diet before and after! It's like there was some kind of brick wall in my head that stood between my thinking about food and weight and the reality.

>

> I think I'm going to eat some fruit cake. I like fruit cake, even if it is the joke food of the 20th Century. I think I'm not going to eat anything for any reason other than wanting to eat some of it, not because it is low fat or low calorie or someone made it and I'm required to eat it. There will be pie, and asparagus is calling me, but I don't know if the call will last until Thranksgiving!

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> I think I'm going to plan not to plan, and the menu will come to me.

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