Monday, April 27, 2009

(9) Stock Up

O-5 eating sounds very simple but it takes awhile to get the hang of it. It's not a get thin quick diet. It's a way of life. Your goal is not just to lose weight, but to live the rest of your life as a naturally thin person. The way to become naturally thin is to eat the way naturally thin people eat.
Think of how a baby eats. You can't force a baby to eat when they're not hungry. They'll spit out the food or push the spoon away. Or think of a naturally thin person you now. If they're not hungry, they'll refuse food of any kind, even if it's their favorite.
We were all born with the ability to eat only when hungry but somewhere along the way we lost it. We were trained to eat at certain times or to clean our plates even if we weren't hungry. There may have been a traumatic event in your life that you didn't know how to deal with so you turned to food for comfort. However it happened, at some point you learned how to overeat. The good news is that you can change this habit. If you're reading this blog then you probably recognize that you have a problem with overeating and that you need to change. I'll give you the tools to change but it's up to you to make the decision and then stick with it. If you want to live your life naturally thin then make the choice and don't look back. I won't lie, it will be hard sometimes. There will be slip-ups and slide backs. But that's the way we learn...step by step.

Stock Up
It's time to go out and stock up on all your favorite foods. Fill your cupboards, pantry, and fridge with everything you love to eat. Not only the junk food but anything healthy you like as well. Buy the best quality that you can afford. Some of my favorites are: Salt & Vinegar chips, buttery popcorn, lunch meat w/ crackers and cheese, jalapenos, oranges, Zingers, jerky, dark chocolate (well...all kinds of chocolate really), Double Stuff Oreos, Salmon Steaks, plain Ruffles, peanuts...
These are just a few examples of foods that I always have around. I eat many other foods but I always have these because they're my favorites. You pick your favorite foods and buy so much of them that it would be impossible for you to eat it all at one sitting. This way you'll always know it's there when you want it and when you're hungry for it.
You may be panicking a little right now because you think if it's here I'll eat it and once I start I won't stop. Don't worry, that's a normal reaction. And at first you may only eat junk but if you're listening to your body that won't last long. Soon your body will start craving healthy food, along with the junk.
I read a story about a guy and his family who loved a certain type of girl scout cookies. He filled a cupboard completely full of boxes of those cookies. At first he and his family would go through a box really fast. He'd open one and it would be gone within a few hours. After a couple days of having an always open box of cookies, he noticed that they weren't really getting eaten anymore. He didn't want any and his family didn't seem to want any. He ended up throwing quite a few boxes of cookies away because no one wanted them.
After awhile you'll notice that the foods you think you love may not taste as wonderful anymore. For example: I don't like candy anymore. In fact those little sugar bomb pieces are just gross but my kids still like it. We have a huge candy bucket full of junk that sits on top of the fridge. At first it was hard not to eat too much but over time it's not a big deal now. I don't eat any unless my body really wants some. There have even been times that I've thrown candy and chocolate away because it sat in the bucket too long and no one would eat it.
I do love chocolate but even my chocolate tastes have changed. I'll eat any kind of dark chocolate but I don't like the way cheap chocolate tastes and I'm picky about what type of candy bars I'll eat. I like Dominos pizza but not Little Cesears. I don't like white bread at all, only wheat bread, and I refuse to eat the crust. I like chicken breasts but not chicken thighs, they're too greasy. On diets I despised eating salads but now I really enjoy eating them (with my favorite dressing of course!)
Your body is able to regulate all on its own what foods you need and how much of it you need. So stock up on all the foods you feel like right now and when you're tastes begin to change then you change what foods you stock up on. Don't buy low-fat or fat free unless you like the taste of it. If you like certain brands better than others, buy them. (I like plain Ruffles, not wavy Lays or flat chips...plain Ruffles!) Don't run out of your favorite foods. If you run out you'll feel deprived and when you do get your favorite food again, you may binge on it for peace of mind.

8 comments:

  1. This used to be really easy for me. But I've been eating emotionaly for so long, that when I try to figure out what I'm craving... nothing happens. Even after fasting or skipping breakfast. I think I'm completely numbed by food and really out of touch with what my body actually wants.
    What do you do if you know you're at a zero, but you can't tell what your body wants you to eat?

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  2. This actually happens to me sometimes too...I'm hungry but nothing sounds good. In situations like this, when I know I won't get much satisfaction from any kind of food, I try to eat something light. A bowl of cereal, toast with jam or honey, an orange...maybe a small snack would help get your body to send out craving messages. Try thinking of a food that you normally like...does it sound good in your mind or just nasty? Keep trying this until you think of a food that sounds at least tolerable. Get a small helping then eat it slowly, checking with your body to see if there's a different food that sounds better.

    Why are you skipping breakfast unless it's for a fast??? Don't skip meals!! This sets off your body's "I'm starving" mode and your metabolism will slow down causing your body to burn calories slower. Eat any and every time your body is at a 0 or hungry!

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  3. I have a really big problem. I can't physically eat what I want. EVER. I crave fruit all the time but if I eat I will be in agony. It goes beyond fruit. What would it be like to have ketchup again, and sausage....

    Can you think of any way to go about working around this? I can't really go out and buy what I want. I have found substitute foods but it's not the same. Wanting raspberries and eating a pear can't really compare. Some things I just can't have.

    Just for verification for anyone reading this. I have a medical condition that is controlled completely with diet. If I eat something that is not on my good list. I will be in physical pain. The diet is very restrictive and there are more things on the bad list than on the good list.

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  4. This is a tough one because no matter what I say, I am completely unable to really understand what you're going through. I've never had to deal with any kind of medically controlled diet. It's easy for me to say "eat only what you want" because I can eat what I want. But you will always have food cravings that you cannot satisfy. Honestly I really don't know if 0-5 eating is possible to live by for someone who has a condition such as yourself.
    For anyone reading this comment, Mowii is my younger sister. Over the years I've watched her struggle with not only her weight but with being in pain most of the time. It breaks my heart to not be able to take away her hurt and to not know how to help her. Big sisters' are supposed to take care of their little sisters' but I don't know how to make it better.
    I'd say just try to eat when hungry and stop before you get full but I don't know if this is possible with your medical condition and the emotional/physical/mental stress you go through daily. Is it possible to feel satisfied when you can't have the things that satisfy you? I don't know...
    Can you find other outlets to replace the comfort that food gives you? I don't know...
    How does one with a food restricted medical condition ever feel truly satisfied? Sadly I don't know...
    I guess the only suggestion I can give is to try and let the foods you can eat have less and less importance in your life. Maybe Justin (her naturally thin husband), can help. He can eat whatever he wants but he did mentally/physically restrict himself that year when he wouldn't eat any meat. It was a choice he made. And of course it can't be the same because he always had the option of going back on his choice and eating meat. But maybe you can look at it kind of like that. You could try to choose to eat when you get hungry and stop before you get full...even if it's not eating the foods you really crave.
    I'm sorry Moriann, I don't know an easy answer for your question. I wish I could make everything better for you. You have my love and support...always.

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  5. Hey Mowii, I know we've talked about this before too. And I don't know the answer either. But I think if you can try to eat 0-5 even with your restrictions, I think it can work for you.
    I'm thinking of other people with restrictions like diabetes or food allergies. I think it will be harder for you, like an itch you can't scratch.
    But I believe in you, and I believe there's hope for you. I have to believe it, because you're one of the strongest people I know. And I know from past experience that getting over the mental resistance to eating 0-5 is the hard part. Once you actually start doing it, and seeing results it feels really good and empowering. I'm struggling with it myself right now (due to homesickness not a real medical condition) but I know this is the right way to eat.
    I suggest just really slowing down when you eat. Turn off the TV or whatever else you could be distracted by. Pay attention to it. Eat very slowly, and really enjoy your food as you eat it. Get as much satisfaction as you can out of each bite of the food you can eat. Your mind and body need to feel satisfied. Slowing down and savouring your food will probably be more important for you than anyone else.
    I'm going to take my own advice too. I've been struggling more than ever with my weight. I can't go home, I can't fill the hole that I've been try to stuff with food. I just have to find a way around my problem too.
    Maybe we can do this together kiddo. I love you!

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  6. Okay, so I'm just catching up on all of these past posts so I can be up to date. This post is scary! No way else to put it! And, what if the thing I crave is anything different?

    Meaning, when I eat out (which is often, because of travel/work) I think "oh, I have to eat all of this pasta or speciality pizza, or chicken or whatever because I won't be able to have it again for awhile and it's sooo good!"

    I know I over eat, but these are my cravings. Not candy, not food at my house, not food at the grocery store, not even food at restaurants in Vernal, just what I eat out of town. To the point that I refuse to eat at a restaurant that is available in Vernal. What do I do then?

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  7. So, I was also thinking about Mowii's situation. I think it's ultimately a mind thing. We all want what we can't have. So maybe if she changes her mind set to "I CAN have these things, I just don't WANT them" that might help.

    I don't know all of the details of her condition, (and maybe this means to just ignore me) but even if it's life threatening for her to eat certain foods, she can still eat them. The risk simply outweighs the benefits. Same with getting sick. If she REALLY wants to eat the foods that make her sick, she can. She just has to make the choice if the pro consequences outweigh the negative consequences. And, if she REALLY still wants to eat the food that makes her sick she should. She an adult, has considered the consequences and should.

    We all make those decisions, but on a much smaller scale. I LOVED a little italian restaurant in Orem/Provo. But, EVERYTIME I ate there, I got sick. Eventually when I would even think about that place I was disgusted and didn't want it anymore.

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  8. Hey, Moriann, that really stinks, I am sorry! They say that the reason we are craving something is because there is something in the craved food our body is lacking. So if you are craving an orange, you might need vitamin c or bioflavanoids. Or if you are craving apples you might be craving the pectin in them. The trick is to figure out what it is in the fruit that you are craving and then stock up on it in other ways such as vitamin supplement that your body can tolerate or you can get pectin from yogurt. This next part is not exactly applicable, but I think it is good to know. What I understand, is that when we are craving some sort of junk food that we just have to have, it has something that our body is lacking. Sometimes we crave junk food because our body has found a way to fill that need for a vitamin or mineral. The only problem is that the stuff we need is usually in very small amounts in junk food, so we have to eat a ton of it to fill our bodies needs. I have found that I can deter a lot of cravings if I am taking some good vitamin supplements. Maybe that would be helpful to you as well. I like to buy my supplements from Swansons because they are much more affordable and can be ordered from wherever I am living at the time.

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