Early, Early Dinner

Tina

January 27, 2008 at 2:02 am

Hey guys!~ this is a general question for anyone! I was doing so well with my eating habits the past couple of weeks but then I had one night of overindulging, and for the last few days following that night, I kept overindulging. I can’t seem to get back on track despite my good intentions every morning! How do you guys deal with this problem? What tricks do you use to remind yourself that all is not lost?!!

linds

January 27, 2008 at 2:11 am

I went over to a friend’s place tonight for some girltalk and drinks and we wound up sharing a bottle of the most delicious red wine I have ever had. We had a marathon chat and drank the bottle over a 4 hour period so neither one of us was drunk, just warm and fuzzy lol. Anyway her roommate came home and she was hungry and suggested we order food, which I usually don’t do because I find most delivery just doesn’t taste that good- but anyway we did and I wound up eating 3 pieces of pizza! My stomach must expand after drinking… I feel pretty full now and also pretty sure that I ate twice as much as I usually do. What should I do tomorrow? Should I make an effort to cut back on calories or just pretend tonight didn’t happen? Also, kind of on the same note, this girl is planning a big sleepover party for next weekend (we like to pretend we’re in jr high again haha) and I just know what that means, munchie-wise..Is it a better strategy to head into the night after eating a good amount all day and then not worrying when I go over by nibbling at the party, or should I try to save the bulk of my daily calorie needs for the evening and eat roughly that amount at the party?
I know its just a number but it bothers me when I go over.. I seem to feel more full when I think about the numbers :(. Thanks in advance for any advice and sorry for the long post..

Lisa

January 27, 2008 at 2:28 am

Hey Jenna (or anyone who has a great yummy recipe)

I really want to make some homemade hummus but a lot of the recipes I have found have too much fat in it (even though it is a healthy fat) I was wondering, Jenna, if you have a healthy recipe for a great hummus!

Tina…I have days like that where I stumble with my eating…I LOVE dessert and just have to have it! What I’ve learned from reading these bolgs and through books is that it’s OK to indulge in the things you want (even if they aren’t the most healthy) and if you allow yourself to have that brownie or some chips when you want it most, you’re more likely NOT to over indulge later. Before I understood that idea I would also have a brownie…then some chips (i love that salty sweet combo!! lol) and really indulge but then felt really guilty and upset with myself for my lack of self control. I found I was make myself miserable and just learned to pick myself back up and know that tomorrow will be a better day and I can make better choices that will benefit my body. It also helps when I pack my lunches for work. I take time each night to pack a lunch that is healthy for me so that when I’m at work I HAVE to eat what I packed and I have controlled food portions…so that’s all I get. My office is kinda out there from all the resturants and other food places so it is a little easier for me to keep to my packed lunches. Also, I always pray that God will give me the strength and self control for the next day! That always helps!!
Hope some of that helps! Keep it up and stay positive and have hope for the next day! You can do it!

Sarah

January 27, 2008 at 3:07 am

Remember that it takes 3500 calories OVER what you need for the day to gain one pound. One night of over indulgence won’t kill your body. Sometimes it is actually good to go over with calories once in a while to keep your metabolism on its toes (take that with a grain of salt, it doesn’t mean go crazy all of the time!) Usually I find that when I over do it at night, I’ll hit the gym first thing because I’m usually still full from the night before. Then just cut back a little (I really mean a little, like 200-300) calories from the rest of the day. That can be as easy as having an open faced sandwich for lunch and passing on wine with dinner or having a smaller afternoon snack. But make sure you listen to what your body is telling you. And if you feel bloated, know that it is just water weight and after you resume your normal eating patterns that will go away.

Jenna I have a question for you…I have been taking yoga classes at the UCF gym (I also live in Orlando) and the instructor has mention the Bikram (not sure on the spelling) yoga classes. I think I remember you saying that you take one in Orlando, what studio do you go to? I’m fairly new to yoga, so is it a beginner friendly class? Thanks…love the blog!

Sarah

Sara F

January 27, 2008 at 3:08 am

Linds-
If it were me and i had a sleepover to go to (and i wish i did!!!) I would eat a normal sized breakfast and lunch so that I’m not tired and hungry and thinking about food all day. Then I would make dinner a big snack…like maybe a small bowl of soup and some whole wheat crackers and a glass of milk, or a half of a turkey sandwich with an apple, etc. hopefully that will send you into the sleepover not hungry, but with room enough to indulge on brownies, icecream, chips, etc. Also, at the sleepover, if you wait to start in on the junk until a little later in the evening you’re probably less likely to over eat. you could also consider bringing a couple of healthy snack options. My favorite is homemade popcorn (popped in a pan on the stove) because it’s super salty and excellent for munching. Other than that i say enjoy a night with the girls! I’m jealous.

jenna

January 27, 2008 at 3:11 am

Sarah,

I have yet to try a bikram studio here in orlando…I usually do that when I go home to Tampa. I do try to go every tuesday afternoon though to “Full Circle Yoga” in winter park for the 4:00 ashtanga class. The website is http://www.fullcircleyoga.com I really enjoy it and love the teacher. Let me know if you ever come!!

jenna

January 27, 2008 at 3:12 am

oh yeah, and that class on tuesdays is DEF a beginner friendly class for sure. Its a level 1 and tons of people are there that have never done yoga before in their life.

Amber

January 27, 2008 at 3:21 am

Jenna that chicken looks so good….do you think your roommate would share the recipe?

Thanks for everything and asking each other questions is a great idea!

Arika

January 27, 2008 at 3:33 am

In light of Jenna’s request to have more of an open forum style in the comments/questions area, I though I would give my 2 cents to a readers question.

Lisa,
I LOVE hummus and always make my own in the food processor. To cut down on fat the key is to add only a little or even no tahinni (sp?) or olive oil. I usually just use this recipe as a basic hummus:

1 can chick peas (garbanzo beans) drained
juice from half a lemon
1 to 3 cloves of garlic (to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 teaspon cummin
1tsp olive oil (you can totally omit this to cut back on fat)

Then I just add a few splash’s of either chicken broth or vegtable broth, depednding on how thick or thin you like it. In a pinch you can just reserve some of the liquid from the can of chick peas and use that instead. Then to spice things up I make flavored batches sometimes. I will add a few spoonfuls of roaster red and yellow peppers, or maybe some hot peppers if you like spicy. Olives, sundried tomatos, and arthichokes can also make fun additions. Experiment and have fun with it. One last tip, I find that fridgerating it for atleast an hour or more after blending it all together really helps to meld the flavors better. Hope this was helpful.

jenna

January 27, 2008 at 3:37 am

Thanks, Arika! That looks so good….I actually DONT have a hummus recipe because I dont have a food processor! I wish I did because one time my mom made the BEST homemade hummus at home with their food processor and the taste has stuck with me all these years. I will have to see if I can find her recipe for you all. I like to buy Cedar’s hummus from whole foods or hummus from middle eastern restaurants to get that “homemade” taste. Ahhh…how I love it!

jenna

January 27, 2008 at 3:37 am

Amber,

Il have to see if I can get her to make a comment about how she did that! I just asked her and she said she “threw a few things together”….

Arika

January 27, 2008 at 3:40 am

Jenna~

Hummus is one of those foods I can just never get enough of. I lucked out and got a food processor for Christmas…awesome gift! You can totally make the hummus in a blender though, although it may take a bit more blending to get that really smooth texture. Yum! Oh…and I forgot to say, your new hair cut is very sheek : ) Have a great rest of your weekend!!!

ana

January 27, 2008 at 3:45 am

to continue the discussion with overindulging-i had been doing really well with my eating too and had recently dropped weight (not sure how much as i have not been vigilant w/the scale). i knew a binge was coming (i started eating a little bit more each night-right now i am trying to lose the 5lbs i gained over christmas so have been sticking to roughly 1500cal a day and working out-wed and thurs night i ate 2000) and when i ate 4000 calories total friday, i was actually ok with it (it was 2000 over but i figured i could handle it), and was prepared to let it slide and just pick up my healthy eating the next day. i figured i needed the extra fuel. well, this morning i woke up and felt awful! i had been up till 2 last night b/c of energy from binge and ended up sleeping till 12-i had a great breakfast, but then after that it was like all my willpower disappeared! i hit the pantry and consumed another 2000. i started to get worried. my behavior even out once i got out of the house. i managed to get to the gym and use that energy, do recycling, and hit the grocery store to restock. then i got home and my family had cooked pizza (my weakness!) and cookies (another weakness!). i had already been planning soup and cottage cheese and a whole wheat english muffin (light but filling dinner) and was actually really looking forward to it! i figured i would eat that and be satisfied. nope! the soup actually turned out a disappoint (i had bought a new brand to try) and some of the groceries had been pretty expensive! plus i was dreading working tomorrow and stressing about my hw. before i knew it i was reaching for that piece of pizza! it wasn’t even that good! but i ate it anyway, then did 1 cup of ice cream and 2 cookies and settled down to do hw and get my mind off it! but even after that i went back and made myself another bowl of ice cream and snagged another cookiie!!! i’m sorry i am going on and on about this but it really really scared me! i have binged before but never this bad! the whole thing (what i calculated and i could be way way off!!) was a total of 5260!!! that’s almost a 2lb weight gain in the span of only a day! after having such great results (i was finally starting to fit back into my jeans w/out having to suck in and wiggle!) i feel torn apart! and really really embarrassed! no one else ever seems to have had such a big loss of control! i’m worried about getting back on track and am so depressed! i’m dreading trying on my jeans again tomorrow! can anyone offer some advice or just some comfort for me? i’m sorry to spill my guts here but i just feel so alone and dejected! i thought you guys could maybe relate?

linds

January 27, 2008 at 3:56 am

Sara F-
Thank you 🙂 Those are great suggestions. Sometimes I feel like you sort of know what you should do but it helps so much to hear it from someone else and to get their support behind you as well, so thanks! And I am excited about the sleepover lol I havent had a big girls night sleepover since high school! I’m sure there will be chick flicks and manicures and every other stereotypical sleepover thing you can dream of lol, as the hostess is pretty much the definition of a girly girl. Should be fun 🙂

melissa

January 27, 2008 at 4:07 am

Tina – Were you overinduldging on soemthing that you were restricting yourself from? I once tried to stop eating candy(mostly gummybears) and then the moment I had some i didn’t want to stop. I found that if i have a little bit every now and then i don’t end up with that problem. It has worked for a while now. I always make sure to give into 1 craving a day in moderation. However, if overdoing it does occur, I know what you mean. You seem to feel much hungrier the next day. When you start to get cravings but you know you have ate enough, trying going for a walk or jog and drink some water. Or, do a task to keep your mind off it. Once you make it through the day it should be easier to get back on track. Hope that was helpful!

Tina

January 27, 2008 at 4:11 am

Ana- I totally know how you feel! That’s what my comment above was about as well! I do the same thing sometimes and I feel just as awful afterwards. I guess we need to try to remind ourselves that tomorrow is another day and we can put the past behind us. I think that acknowledging what we did is the first step. I don’t know why I sabatoge my healthy eating habits. You are definitely not alone, so even though I don’t have many helpful tips, at least I can sympathize with you! The hard thing for me about getting back on track the next day is that for some reason, after eating so much the day before, my body prepares for that much food the next day or something and I end up feeling starved when I only eat the normal amount that I’m supposed to eat! Does anyone else feel this way?

Tina

January 27, 2008 at 4:14 am

Melissa & others- thanks for your comments! I actually don’t overindulge on “treats.” Ironically, I overindulge on healthy foods- just far too much of them! For example, I eat way too many raw almonds or a TON of yogurt and fruit.

Megan

January 27, 2008 at 5:49 am

Tina and Ana,
I have had my fair share of overindulging and so can relate to going overboard. Eventually though, my body starts to resist the amount of food and I never seem to do too badly. The best way to avoid the binge, is to not have the “trigger” food nearby. If you don’t live alone this may not be easy. Whenever we overeat, we should ask ourselves why that is. Oftentimes, its because we need some comforting, or we are bored, or that cookie and ice cream looks too good to resist. These behaviors are normal, and can even be somewhat therapeutic, since afterall food is more than just fuel…it is something to be enjoyed. But the guilt that comes with overeating often leads to a snowball effect, with added guilt means more eating to comfort ourselves for overeating and the thought process is well, since today is already ruined….Just stop. take a deep breath. Whatever you ate, it doesn’t matter. what is done is done…let the guilt go and make a committment to go work out the next day to help work off what you indulged in today. To stop yourself from binging you have to first acknowledge what you are doing while you are doing it, and make sure it is something you want to continue to do. If not, throw out the gallon of ice cream if necessary, give the cookies away, or simply walk out of the house and go somewhere. Chances are the need to gobble up everything in sight will go away.
I wish you best of luck in your weight loss endeavors, but I think far too many people think of it as a diet…eating right and working out are lifestyle changes that should be permanant. If you said to yourself that you could never have another potato chip or cookie or whatever for the rest of your life you would start craving it all the time, even more than when it was a regular staple in your diet. So have a little bit when you feel like it, and don’t feel guilty about it, eating is one of the greatest joys in life!

Katelyn

January 27, 2008 at 7:44 am

Jenna:
I lived in Denver for a year while going to school while my boyfriend stayed back in my hometown. He seemed to be having so much fun and it would be so hard to come home and see him. I remember sitting in the airport terminal silently crying to myself because it was so hard to leave. Just wanted you to know that I’m sorry you had a hard day and hope you have a better one tomorrow. The day you leave is always the hardest and then life seems to go back to normal. GOOD LUCK! By the way, keep up the awesome work!!!

Christie

January 27, 2008 at 11:51 am

Ana and Others,

I think many women who have been on the “diet” rollercoaster can attest to binges, and te longer you restrict yourself the more often these binges will occur. It is a vicious cyclce and I beleive it all stems from depreiving yourself which leads to an obbsession with food and eventual binge. For the longest time I would save up one day to binge on anythign I wanted and little did I know I was creating a disorder. I realized that I can space those extra calories I eat throughout the week and lose weiught, be satisfied and not feel guilty and beat myself up after i binge. I think you prob need to start eating more for health and balance, include mini treats everyday so you dont feel deprived b/c if you do restrict you will eventually binge and end up gaining all the weight back, not to mention puttingyour body under some serious stress (meaning not knowing what is going on) and in turn it lower metabolism b/c it doesnt know when your feeding it. Trust me when I say you are not a lone but try to rememeber how you feel after you binge and use that to gain control, try to find an outlet for when you want to binge… and than try to be more balanced during the week.

Sarah C

January 27, 2008 at 1:27 pm

oh one more thing about the sleepover…low fat or air popped popcorn is the BEST sleepover/movie treat!! Only 15 calories a cup!!

Sarah

January 27, 2008 at 1:38 pm

Tina:

I totally over do it on healthy foods too…I think its because our bodies crave good food now! A trick that I do is when I buy a huge bag of almonds/graham sticks/dried fruit/etc (things that ARE healthy but I view as a treat and are kind of calorie dense) I buy mini ziplock baggies and portion them off (ex. 27 almonds is one 166 kcal serving) so I know when I grab that baggie exactly how much I’m eating. Sometimes being aware of that helps control the mindless snacking.

Does anybody else have Boyfriend/Husband/etc sabotage problems? Ugh, Its so frustrating. My bf is the type of guy that can eat ANYTHING and still look amazing… So he eats anything and everything. But like the other night, I was all set and done with my eating for the day, and he came over to hang out and brought icecream with him…PB cup…my fav!! and not even the slow churn “light” kind! Of course I couldn’t resist. Sometimes its so frustrating when he does stuff like this…and when I say something he always just say something like “Babe, you look great, you can eat as much icecream as you want.” So sweet, but so not true…

jenna

January 27, 2008 at 1:44 pm

I just wanted to put my 2-cents in. First of all….Linds, a sleepover sounds AMAZING. oh my gosh..I could use one so bad! That makes me miss my friends that I grew up with because we did that kind of stuff all the time and now “real life” came and we are scattered all over the country! 🙁 Anyways, it sounds like you really dont do this thing often (by thing, I mean eating 3 slices of pizza after drinking wine late at night). You WILL NOT gain weight by one night of this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know how you feel because I’ve done the same thing before and felt so gross the next day..thinking I MUST have gained at least four pounds! I have actually kept myself up all night just worrying that now I might look fat after ONE night of overindulging. That is simply not the case! You will fall right back into your normal eating routine and be totally fine. I dont really believe in “saving calories” throughout the day if you are doing something fun at night. I dont believe in that simply because when you are doing something fun at night, its a special occasion (usually) and you can afford to have one night of fun without worrying about calorie counting! I would rather see everyone eat healthy, balanced meals and snacks during the day (limit the junk and drink tons of water) rather than restricting yourself , which usually leads to a binge later on. I know its easier to think about the numbers, but sometimes that can get hard and or obsessive. If you just focus instead on eating healthy during the day you CAN afford to have some fun at night! I mean come on, how often do you do this? Okay…well I take that back. If you do this three nights a week, you might want to cut down. But I get the feeling you dont do it that often. In my experience, restricting calories leads to getting really hungry, which then leads to eating way too much…..so instead, just relax, eat healthy! Exercise the next day after a night of overindulging and detox your body by drinking tons of water and herbal tea. Long walks are really good too, not only for the body but to calm down the mind.

jenna

January 27, 2008 at 2:12 pm

Katelyn,

Thank you so much for your kind words. They really mean a lot!

Sara

January 27, 2008 at 2:33 pm

Jenna-

Wonderful philosophy. I need to work on cutting out the obsession whether it be over-eating or under-eating and working on the living 🙂

-Sara

linds

January 27, 2008 at 3:33 pm

Jenna-
Thanks so much for adding in your thoughts. Like I mentioned in the post for Sara, sometimes I feel like I know these things but I remember not to underestimate the huge supportive effects of someone else’s advice. Having someone else say it calms me down from number thoughts. So thanks again I’ll post the day afterwards and let everyone know how it went 🙂

jessica

January 27, 2008 at 6:21 pm

Hey everyone. I am really relating to this conversation of over-indulgence and vicious cycles of roller coaster eating.

I was wondering if there was anyone who’d like to be my “online eating buddy”. I know it sounds like a bit of a creepy idea at first, but I’m really in need for someone to open up to about food. I try to eat super healthy when I’m around others, but when I am alone, I totally binge on Kashi crackers, cereal, yogurt, almonds, trailmix, etc etc!!! This needs to stop. I want to develop a healthy relationship with food.

Would anyone like to swap emails???

ashes

January 27, 2008 at 7:06 pm

ana – i have the problem too. its really annoying. you just have to take it one day at a time and try to think about how terrible it is to binge and how its best to try and eat healthily.

Helen (the roommate)

January 28, 2008 at 1:53 am

Hey guys (or girls)!!
If you didn’t guess from the name, I’m Jenna’s roommate Helen…I heard you were all curious about my healthier version of “sloppy joe” that I concocted the other night. It was soo good, and not much of a concoction! Actually it’s just about the the simplest you can get. All you need is a pound (or two if you have a hungry friend, boyfriend, etc.) of ground chicken, and two cans of sloppy joe sauce; one barbeque flavor, and one regular. You can use both of either the regular or barbeque if you prefer but I don’t like it to be too overpowering so I use one of each. Plus I think that makes it taste unique. You will only use 3/4 of the second can though. First, put your ground chicken into a big pan (deep enough to be able to stir the chicken and sauce without overflow!) or a pot over medium heat. Break it up and keep turning and stirring until it is cooked through (until there is no pink left). Then, add your 1 3/4 cans of sauce and stir and heat through. Let it set for a few minutes and you’re all done. Serve it on a fresh dinner roll from the bakery or whole wheat bun. Southern goodness! I like to have a nice salad with cherry tomatoes and olive oil vinagarette dressing on the side, and something sweet for dessert of course! I like this meal because even though it tastes like my favorite Southern barbeque, it’s nice and healthy. Believe me, I like to eat all that stuff (sometimes!) but it’s nice to know I can have that guiltless alternative. I work in Law Enforcement so trust me it’s tempting to eat what all the guys eat, but on an everyday basis I can feel and look great with my own alternatives (they would fool the guys anyway!). Hope you enjoy!

Helen (the roommate)

January 28, 2008 at 1:55 am

Note: If you only make one pound, you will only need half as much sauce.

Erica

January 28, 2008 at 2:10 am

I will def. try the sloppy joe recipe soon, it sounds (and looks) delicious! Thanks so much!

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Tina

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melissa

Tina

Tina

Megan

Katelyn

Christie

Sarah C

Sarah

jenna

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Sara

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