Beginning today

[Rita]

Enough's enough! I need to get away from the white stuff. It's such a joyous time of year, I don't want to taint it by going thourh it in a stupor!

So, here I go -

B - oat bran, raisins, raspberries, flax meal

S - Orange Julius (banana-Clementine-almond milk smoothie)

L - salad, falafel, tahini

S - raw peas

D - steamed brussel sprouts, green pepper, mushrooms, parsley, artichokes, Jasmine rice

[Gramma Jackie]

You are brave for starting before the holidays. I am easing into it and trying to eat up all the non-McDougall foods before January 1st which is my "offical" start date.

GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

[DianeR]

Don't mean to discourage, but regular falafel is rather high in fat. Tahini too. (Great stuff, though).

Unless you've found a good recipe for baked falafel? I've tried but haven't found a version I like. So I occasionally splurge on the regular kind. If you have found a baked falafel recipe that works, please share!

The rest of the day sounds really healthy and delicious. I've found that staying away from "the white stuff" really is key. I can even get away with some fat if I don't have the processed, refined carbs.

That smoothie sounds delicious. What proportions did you use?

[Clary]

Enough's enough! I need to get away from the white stuff. It's such a joyous time of year, I don't want to taint it by going thourh it in a stupor!

Hi Rita. Happy, Healthy Holidays.

Years ago, when I taught some "weight loss" classes, our White Stuff was white sugar, white flour, lard, salt, and milk!

What is your "white stuff" challenge? --and the best to you in meeting it "sober" through these tempting times of the Holidays.

[Rita]

To answer the questions, the falafel is freshly made in the restaurant and I asked to have it baked in lieu of fried. I don't mind using tahini. (It's actually in some of Mary's recipes as a higher fat item.)

My 'white stuff' is refined sugar and flour. Those are two triggers for me to binge, as well as suffering unfavorable symptoms, such as melancholia, bone and muscle aches and pains, fatigue and drowsiness. I know what you're asking yourself - " then why do I eat it?" A very valid question without a resaonable answer. LOL

[Clary]

My 'white stuff' is refined sugar and flour. Those are two triggers for me to binge, as well as suffering unfavorable symptoms, such as melancholia, bone and muscle aches and pains, fatigue and drowsiness. I know what you're asking yourself - " then why do I eat it?" A very valid question without a resaonable answer. LOL

Hey, maybe not reasonable, but a common enough problem and behavior and results that Diet Centers, Diet Doctors, Diet programs, Diet Products, 12-Step Programs, Rehab Centers for eating disorders, Discussion Boards, classes, lectures, meetings, groups, Books, tapes, DVDs, Live-In programs, etc,.
and quiet, sobbing telephone conversations in the dark of the night between supportive friends, try to answer and solve the problem of addiction and reactions to certain foods, in susceptible people.

White sugar and white flour prdts. are at the top of the trigger lists for many--and combinations of those two ingredients when mixed with fat/oil/grease--rolls, muffins, breads, bars, cookies, cakes, icings, pastries, pies (crusts), sweets, etc. A "favorite" (meaning very addictive!) binge food back in '68, before I joined OverEaters Anonymous, was "Bear Claws". Big Thick Glazed Bear Claws. One was too many and 13 (got that discount with the "baker's dozen" ) were not enough. The big three: white sugar, white flour, lard (white shortening)!

I don't do that anymore, but went through "hell" before getting to the other side. I still had to learn about not using food as a drug. We learned to call it "the good girl's drug" in OA, and in AlAnon, where many woman married to Alcoholics "coped" by EATING! --"acceptable" in that current society. We later came to understand about the unspoken agreements between many couples: If you don't mention my drinking, I won't mention how fat you are. TERRIBLE (but life-saving) Awakenings!

Any repeated substance or process or habit used to "alter moods" can become habit-forming and addictive to some individuals.

I still had to learn that my behavior "on white sugar and caffeine" was no different than my Mother's on alcohol. I didn't know about hypoglycemia, and blood sugar-induced mood swings, and withdrawal symptoms. I suffered. My husband suffered. My children suffered. We didn't have a clue in the beginning, of the connection to diet and to what I was eating and drinking ("acceptable" stuff), to my behavior, and mood swings, and depression, and body symptoms....

There were no places like this to come to then. There were limited areas of help. I was fortunate.

The huge turning point for me was around 1975 when I read "SUGAR BLUES", by William F. Dufty. What first drew me to the book was the photo on the edition I saw, showing his before and after (sugar) face. His NOSE was about half the size after getting off the white drug! --and all the puffiness was gone from his face and from the "bags" under his eyes --and having been then a student of "face reading" diagnosis and oriental medicine, I believed the nose swelling reduction to be not only a physical appearance improvement for him, but that it indicated a swollen and harmed heart had been improved, internally.

Glad you posted, Rita. Many still suffer with this problem.

Addictions aren't reasonable. --they are "cunning, baffling, and powerful".
--and this is for sure one of the times of the year we might most be prone to slip, and find ourselves going through these times of food excesses and excuses, in a stupor--as you so well defined a possible food intoxication, not unlike our brothers and sisters unfortunately addicted to alcohol.

Good reminder, Rita, and honest. Thanks.

[DianeR]

To answer the questions, the falafel is freshly made in the restaurant and I asked to have it baked in lieu of fried. I don't mind using tahini. (It's actually in some of Mary's recipes as a higher fat item.)

My 'white stuff' is refined sugar and flour. Those are two triggers for me to binge, as well as suffering unfavorable symptoms, such as melancholia, bone and muscle aches and pains, fatigue and drowsiness. I know what you're asking yourself - " then why do I eat it?" A very valid question without a resaonable answer. LOL

I need to find a restaurant like that

You might be interested in Dr. Doug Lisle's book, The Pleasure Trap. It goes into how these foods actually have an addictive quality to them biochemically. The key seems to be to stay away from them completely for a period of time and one's body adjusts. Not that I've read this book yet; there is an online lecture by Dr. Lisle on this topic:
http://vsh.voip-info.org/lisle.html

[Rita]

Yes, Clary, been there done that with OA. But got away from it and got into the 'insanity' mode - You know, thinking I could do the same thing over again and expected different results. Well, the different results never occur.

I had a wonderful day today without all those symptoms. Yes, in just one day! I shall continue the pattern tomorrow.

[f. kwan]

I have to agree with Clary. I never thought that my food addiction was physical until I decided to treat it as such and quit "cold tofu". I've been veg for two years and went vegan on 30 November, and quit Demon Desserts and Starches from Hell at the same time, and since then I have not had one craving. I used to have fantasies about having cancer because I then I could have a bunch of Last Meals which consisted of canned chocolate frosting, almond paste, chocolate chip cookie dough (the frozen crap, not the ice cream), and the late lamented no longer made HEB pecan pie ice cream with bits of pralines and pie crust in it. The cravings would keep me up at night. I do not want to discuss the bingeing.

I also have not had a migraine in three weeks and my rheumatoid arthritis is in remission.

I lost 47 pounds on a veg diet 2 years ago, gained 20 back, going to re-lose them for good.

[Rita]

Wishing you much success, F. Kwan. We're here to support you on your journey toward better health and weight loss.

[Rita]

Great Day 1 - Here goes Day 2

B - pan fried hash browns, onion, fresh parsley, vegan bakn bits, garlic pepper (I did wipe the pan with a very light coating of oil)

S - pomegranate

L - black bean soup, salad

S - Clementines

D - Tunisian Yam Stew (11/07 newsletter), steamed greens

S - baked apple, raisins, cinnamon

[Faith in DC]

Good to see you back Rita. Just keep concentrating on the one day. Though I also keep lots of prepared stuff in the fridge to help me limp through the week, especially when changes come through. I always have salad stuff, soup, rice and fruit. So being prepared and thinking ahead helps too.

I use to be so bad on white stuff. I mean binge totally. A whole box of hostess chocolate donuts and a half a gallon of milk a night binge. I've also been known to down a whole box of cereal for breakfast and a whole fresh made cake. I feel lucky I do as well as I do now.

This time of year is hard too. I feel like I'm playing doge ball the last two weeks trying to avoid all the homemade stuff.

[Rita]

Day 3 and all's well!

B - celery, peanut butter

S - "Egg nog" smoothie (frozen banana, vanilla, nutmeg, flax meal, almond milk

L - black beans, brown rice, steamed spinach, raw peas, artichokes

S - pomegranate

D - salad, McD Lentil-cous-cous soup (less sodium)

[Clary]

...My 'white stuff' is refined sugar and flour. Those are two triggers for me to binge, as well as suffering unfavorable symptoms, such as melancholia, bone and muscle aches and pains, fatigue and drowsiness.... LOL

Rita, FYI (a Share...)
--thought of you and your recent "white stuff" re-committment, and wanted to share this information with you that came my way just last night . I think it is interesting, validating, and fills me with hope that there are some answers/programs out there for people who are suffering with true food addictions, who may not have been as fortunate as you and I were to find some possible solutions. --maybe not all the answers (yet), and maybe not answers for all the food addicts (yet), but PROGRESS! (progress, not perfection! )

I've been paying more attention to my sugar and flour products again since reading your post.

AND "Life" IS indeed unpredictable. Just soon after your post started me remembering and thinking about my OA days, and got me to looking more closely at my daily food choices ('thin" is not necessarily healthy!), I had contact with a cousin of mine in MI last night for the first time in over 10 years.

Her father, my mother's brother, died from the battering his body took from binges/huge weight gains/purges/"Atkins-type" diets and/or fasting, and other means to remove the excess food and accumulated fat; then more out-of-control binging. His death certificate listed a heart-related cause of death. All of us realized it was from years of unhealthful food addiction and its dire results.

Our extended family is replete with people prone to addictions--taking many forms of either a substance addiction (food, alcohol, drugs, etc.) or a process addiction (gambling, workaholic, rush-a-holic, sex, relationship, computer, etc.). --using the substance or the process to "alter moods". My mother literally died from the poisonous effects and body-systems break down of alcohol poisoning (combined with about 50 years of coffee and cigarettes). Her death, and what happened to and in her body and mind was too horrible to describe.

Anyway, what I want to share with you is interesting information my cousin told me about, and some that she directed me to on the computer. I had often wished there was a 12-Step program to help people with "food addiction" that was not necessarily singled out as only an "Overeater's" program, because true food addiction , like anything used to alter our moods, can take on many forms and behaviors in how it starts, and how it progresses, yet most always "a progressive and deadly disease" unless the addict is fortunate to find a recovery program that works for him/her.

She told me she is a member of a 12-Step program named "Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous" (F.A.I.R.) , and attends regular meetings in the Midland, MI, area, and is finding answers (finally at age 64!--and after a lifetime of misery) for her horrible food addictions (which were heading her right down her Father's path of destruction) by eliminating all SUGAR, and all FLOUR of any kind (and they also eliminate wheat in all forms in the beginning, she said)--anything that has been ground into a flour is not used. I'm looking more into their teachings and program on the computer today to see what I might learn and apply to further tweak my program. I also know several people, some in my own family, who are desperate for help for food problems in the "addictive" category.

She sent me to another website, "Food Addicts Anonymous" to read the post of a list ( FAIR also uses the list, but apparently doesn't post it) to identify some of the forms of sugar that can be hidden in our foods. ("Food Addicts Anonymous" is a separate program from "F.A.I.R", she says, but is also a 12-step program specifically for food addiction). I think knowing about these programs is Good News and worth sharing, in case someone wants help along this line, and wants to investigate.

The list:
http://www.foodaddictsanonymous.org/sugars.htm

And she emailed me this from another source (?):

The following is a list of [many] of the different names for sugar.

Read all labels on the food you eat carefully; sugar is hidden in the most unexpected places.

(Note: Corn starch, wheat starch and modified food starch are not sugars but are such highly refined flours that the body frequently reacts as though they were sugars. Avoid products in which they are listed before the fifth ingredient.)

Barbados molasses
Barbados sugar
Barley extract
Barley malt
Beet sugar
Blackstrap molasses
Brown rice sweetener molasses
Brown rice syrup
Brown sugar
Cane juice crystals
Cane Syrup
Caramel
Caramel color
Cereal extract
Cereal extract dextrin
Clarified grape juice
Concentrated fruit juice
Confectioners sugar
Corn sweeteners
Corn Syrup
Corn syrup solids
Dark brown sugar
Date sugar
Dextrose
Disaccharides
Evaporated Can juice
Fig, date or raisin syrup
Filtered honey succanat
Fructose crystalline Fructose maltose
Fruit juice concentrate
Fruit juice sweeteners
Fruit nectars
Fruit sugar
Fruit sweetener
Fruit syrup
Fruitsourceä
Galactose
Glucose
Glucose syrup
Granulated sugar
Grape sugar
High fructose corn syrup
Honey
Inver sugar syrup hydrogentated
Invert sugar
Invert Syrup
Lactodextrin
Lactose polydextrose
Lactylated dextrin
Levulose
Light brown sugar
Lite sugar
Low sugar
Malt flavoring
Malt syrup
Maltitol
Maltodextrin malted
Maltodextrose ribose
Mannitol
Maple sugar
Maple syrup
Monosaccharides
Natural syrup
Rice syrup
Polysaccharides malt
Raw sugar powdered
Ribbon cane syrup
Rice malt
Sorbitol
Sorghum molasses
Sorghum syrup
Sucrose
Sugar
Sugar cane sugar
Sugar turbinado
Tapioca dextrin
Unfiltered honey
White sugar lo-sugar
Xylitol
Xyulose

I also realize that some can eat the sugars and flour prdts. and metabolize and handle them just fine, without ever dealing with any addictive problems, just like some people can drink alcohol "socially" without lasting problems, while others become alcoholics. For those who can benefit from these programs, I am grateful they are available.

Wishing you continuing progress and happy, healthy holidays!

[Clary]

~~~I discovered the PM, Rita, and responded. Thanks. --Clary~~~

...My 'white stuff' is refined sugar and flour. Those are two triggers for me to binge, as well as suffering unfavorable symptoms, such as melancholia, bone and muscle aches and pains, fatigue and drowsiness.... LOL

Rita, FYI (a Share...)
--thought of you and your recent "white stuff" re-committment, and wanted to share this information with you that came my way just last night . I think it is interesting, validating, and fills me with hope that there are some answers/programs out there for people who are suffering with true food addictions, who may not have been as fortunate as you and I were to find some possible solutions. --maybe not all the answers (yet), and maybe not answers for all the food addicts (yet), but PROGRESS! (progress, not perfection! )...