RE: [CR] Dieter Dream -- Eat More, Weigh Less

[Guest guest]

Hello Toni, Dean, and CR ALL:

The following that Toni wrote (below) and that Dean

picked out and quoted is perhaps the #1 most effective way

(that works for me) to implement personal dietary discipline

with the least stress, the least deprivation, and the

most happiness ultimately for a lifetime of health.

If the CR diet is a lifetime diet, certain lifetime

choices are needed. It may sound harsh to permanently

eliminate certain passion foods that are our darlings.

But a beautiful result is better than the ugly consequences

of dietary abuse.

Quite frankly, I am a personal disaster and a sad

" binger extraordinaire " , when it comes to tasty foods

that are my personal downfall. Therefore, I have made a

decision based on PRINCIPLE, that I will find a healthy

replacement food for a binge abuse nightmare food.

I permanently eliminate the offensive food, and choose

a lower calorie counterpart. Then my diet is under

firm control because I am under control, being firm

and principled.

The problem food is eliminated. The good low calorie

counterpart is substituted, and I am very happy.

I believe this is a core principle and an essential

principle for success and happiness for humans who

live in an adlib world full of temptations.

Should we conduct a poll to see what people think

is the best way to eliminate binges? Also, a poll

to see whether there is a correlation between

duration of CR practice in years, and the number of

binges (adlib meals and abuse episodes) per month.

I have the polling mechanism set up, and can arrange

for such a poll, if people will supply their ideas

for how to eliminate binge eating.

Note that some people on CR do allow binges, and feel

that some abuse is normal, feeling that it is healthy

to avoid extremist attitudes, and useful for better

social interaction with family and friends and at work.

So my attitudes toward temptation (eliminate abuse foods)

are on the extreme side. A poll to see how other people

feel would be interesting.

I personally believe that asking questions and getting

answers from successful people (polling; surveying) is a

good way to know about ourselves and to help others.

Again the polling mechanism is easy, since it is just

an internet click on a website. We register people

to vote of course, and the poll allows only one vote

per person. So the poll is trustworthy. If you want

to see a sample poll, then there is an interesting one

already set up at the CRsupport website

( /)

with choices for the survey question:

What is the #1 reason that motivated you to try a

CRON diet, after you first learned about it?

Register one time, and you are registered forever to

vote and see the results. The poll also allows you to

change your mind, which is useful (for me, anyways!).

-- Warren

> On 23 Oct 2003, Toni Belcher wrote - Thank you Toni -,

> and Dean Pomerleau quoted - Thank you Dean:

>

> So, it seems unavoidable to me for those of us without

> iron willpower, the best way to a CR lifestyle is just to

> write off certain foods for good. I did this years ago

> for pastries, for example. Allowing for even the possibility

> of eating a donut means a constant judgment call on my part

> every time I drive by the donut shop. Eliminating them from

> consideration solves that stress and makes things simple.

> Not only simple for me but for my friends and family too.

> After having been told about 100 times I do not eat donuts,

> for example, it is a given for friends and family not to

> bother me with the temptation.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/24/2003 1:47:35 PM Pacific Daylight Time, warren.taylor@... writes:

There are foods (pies, cakes, donuts, ice cream ... so many more ...) that I just plain don't eat any more.

I agree and find that's much,much easier. The simpler the better, too. Personally, the less thought I give to food, the better I do. I like the juggling chainsaws simile. Peg

[Guest guest]

Hello Dean and Mike and CR ALL:

I have found that " tickling the beast of hunger " , ie,

trying to eat only small limited portions of the

very tempting foods that I previously consumed with

gusto in the past -- then that is like trying to

juggle chainsaws.

If I am tired, upset, plain hungry, or in any other

countless number of vulnerable settings, moods, or

conditions, then I don't tickle any " beast of hunger " .

The beast eats me. So I have quit tickling.

There are foods (pies, cakes, donuts, ice cream ...

so many more ...) that I just plain don't eat any more.

-- Warren

The most successful strategy with food addictions is the

one that works for all successful recovered addicts.

Stay away, away, fiercely and unapologetically away ...

=============================== ==========================

On 24 Oct 2004, Dean Pomerleau wrote:

> Mike Colella wrote:

> And after REALLY looking and being with it [hunger], can I

> make peace with this beast, and even better, can I learn

> to enjoy this beast.

I too found I could " tickle the beast " of hunger without

binging. But it resulted in a focus on food that I found

detracted from my enjoyment of the rest of life. As you

suggest, food is now secondary in my life - I eat in the

quantity and quality that I do in order to maximize my

health and lifespan, so I can pursue other things.

If you find you can tickle the beast of hunger without

losing perspective (or control), that is very admirable

and more power to you. Different strokes for different

folks... Have a great weekend!

--Dean

[Guest guest]

Hello Toni and CR ALL:

I get immense value out of the posts you make Toni.

You are certainly one of us!

I would say that the group with the largest change in BMI

(rather than the ones with the lowest BMI values), is the

one group that knows what they are doing. Some CRONies

had naturally low BMI values to begin with. They now

eat healthier diets.

Those of us who used to weigh 250 lbs (and more),

who now weigh more like half that now, have a victory

to celebrate -- and to share.

Yes, I think that we will have more polls, and they will

be very helpful.

-- Warren

================================ ========================

On 24 Oct 2003, Toni wrote:

Hi Warren,

I have argued both sides of the fence: restrict your choices for

good but have one or two cheat meals per week. I'm still trying

to figure out where I stand. Certainly I feel we should eliminate

the worse foods for us such as chocolate in my case. Even at a

cheat meal I allow no chocolate. I'd love to see a poll such

as you describe to see how others have worked out these issues.

To eliminate the CR want-a-bes which, unfortunately still

include me, I'd make certain low BMIs a requirement for being

in the poll. The group with the low BMIs obviously know what

they are doing.

Toni

[Guest guest]

> Hello Toni, Dean, and CR ALL:

>

> The following that Toni wrote (below) and that Dean

> picked out and quoted is perhaps the #1 most effective way

> (that works for me) to implement personal dietary discipline

> with the least stress, the least deprivation, and the

> most happiness ultimately for a lifetime of health.

*****Personally, I don't agree with this stragegy. I seriously

question whether one's CRON diet will be irreparably harmed by having

a piece of pastry on a RARE occasion (I would define " rare " as, e.g.,

the " major " holidays in the US: birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas,

4th of July, etc.) This probably amounts to 6-8 days out of 365.

Eating what you want, even overeating! on even 10 days a year (which

amounts to less than 3% of the year) is not going to " damage " one's

diet, one's waistline, or even one's life-extension.

I've been doing CRON now for about one month (and the ON part for

about six months) and still find a way to have the

occasional " indulgence " from time to time. AND...I'm still losing

weight (slowly). For me this isn't a matter of " iron willpower " - it

is a function of balancing needs, wants and desires and, ultimately,

not feeling deprived.

The one " trick " that helped me, immeasurably, was getting all the

cookies, ice cream, cakes, candies, sugar-laden sweets, chips,

pretzels, etc. OUT OF THE DARN HOUSE! If I want an ice cream cone

(or even a sundae!) I need to go out of the house, make a special

trip, and then eat it OUTSIDE of the house (where I'll be too

embarrassed to order a second helping! Hahaha!!!).

Actually, this summer, this strategy was put to the test with

surprising results. I was visiting relatives in Louisville, KY when,

one hot afternoon, we went to an " elite " ice cream shop, Marble Slab

Creamery, where each dish is " customized " to satisfy the patron.

Although the store does offer low-fat frozen yogurt, most of the ice

cream is basically super-premium, ultra-high fat (I particularly

liked their Banana Rum although I failed to get drunk on it...hee hee

hee).

I ordered a " small " dish and found, surprisingly, that halfway

through it, I was truly and genuinely satisfied. I threw the rest

away, sans regret.

I also recognize that this may not work for some people. There are

people who have " issues " with food, especially foods that they

consider " forbidden, " and maybe for those people, avoidance of an

entire food group (defined as " bad " foods!) is the only way to

prevent the occasional treat from becoming a regular habit. (I

personally know of one person like that. He has, in general, an

addictive personality and clearly uses food as a " drug " to soothe

emotional upsets.)

~ andy

> > On 23 Oct 2003, Toni Belcher wrote - Thank you Toni -,

> > and Dean Pomerleau quoted - Thank you Dean:

> >

> > So, it seems unavoidable to me for those of us without

> > iron willpower, the best way to a CR lifestyle is just to

> > write off certain foods for good. I did this years ago

> > for pastries, for example. Allowing for even the possibility

> > of eating a donut means a constant judgment call on my part

> > every time I drive by the donut shop. Eliminating them from

> > consideration solves that stress and makes things simple.

> > Not only simple for me but for my friends and family too.

> > After having been told about 100 times I do not eat donuts,

> > for example, it is a given for friends and family not to

> > bother me with the temptation.