Anyone else watching their diet while serving up daily yummy goodness?

[Proud Texan]

Hey, I love the tough Texas attitude. Still, being a recovering chocoholic and sugar addict, I do find the temptations a bit overwhelming at times. If I lived in my own home, there would not be chocolate chips, sugar, etc in my pantry and it would be easier. I think being an innkeeper, a chef or anyone who works with food, it can be a challenge..

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[Proud Texan]

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[Proud Texan]

pt, if pollyana could just not eat it she wouldn't have posted asking for coping strategies. obviously, if she's lost 30 pounds, and wants to lose more, for her it IS hard.
pollyana, i wish you all the best! lots of lifelong thin women i know never have sweets in the house ... they say they can't. i think it's good to know your strengths and weaknesses.
something i really like are the atkins endulge bars (yes, that's how you spell it) they taste really good and can be your treat ... but only one, once in a while. good luck! and congratulations on what you've accomplished..

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[Proud Texan]

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[Proud Texan]

My 61 year old MIL who religiously watched her diet, exercised frequently and was in fantastic shape died within 5 weeks of being diagnosed with stomach cancer this year. She had no risk factors and no symptoms. Science understands NOTHING about the link between diet/fitness/disease/mortality.
Eat what you like and be happy! Have a taste of the sweets and toss the rest, or just do what you've been doing and pass of the extras to your guests, I'm sure they are loving your to go bags..

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[birdwatcher]

I feel you poly-I have gained quite a bit and I find that as soon as the season is over-meaning if you get most of your guests between March-Oct I start loosing that weight, I am however going to join a community gym-cause when I was excersising it helped me mentally and physically-good luch, I know how hard it is to loose weight, the MAINTANING part is the hardest and the older I get the harder it is to loose it.
Congrats on your your weight loss and your determination.

 

[JBloggs]

Owning an inn you have the aspiring stage, the perspiring stage and then the retiring stage. Somewhere in the middle is the freshman 15. You have to taste what you make, and you surely don't like to waste what you make.

 

[sandynn]

Good for you!!!!!!!!!! I have lost 35 lbs as of April. I now don't eat left overs I fix guests. I eat very little bread, sugar, fried foods and potatoes. This is not to say I never eat them but not often. I also do a lot of portion control. I will never weigh, count points, or calories again. I did that so many times and I would loose 15 lbs just to put it back on. I think I can keep this off.

 

[JBloggs]

Excellent Sandynn!

(cheering you with a light beer)

 

[EmptyNest]

Good for you!!!!!!!!!! I have lost 35 lbs as of April. I now don't eat left overs I fix guests. I eat very little bread, sugar, fried foods and potatoes. This is not to say I never eat them but not often. I also do a lot of portion control. I will never weigh, count points, or calories again. I did that so many times and I would loose 15 lbs just to put it back on. I think I can keep this off..

Yeah! I have lost 30 pounds over the past year. We don't do any fast food or any kind of junk food. No fried foods. But we do eat Whole grain breads when we do and we do have our sweet treats occasionally. Moderation is key...and exercise. I have to keep up with that as is it something I don't like doing..but my orthopedist says...keep moving and stretching and walking otherwise....my neck and back will be getting even worse..so I have pledged I will do more!!!
BY the way what is going on with this thread. I have stuff spreading all over the page and text over stuff??? SWIRT?????? HELP!

 

[sandynn]

Oh the thing that helps me the most is I weigh every day. I was out of the county for 2 weeks and could not weigh and I was uneasy but I knew I was eating little there so I would be ok. If I don't weigh every day I could just say to my self think about it tomorrow. Now I think about it every day and I don't get out of control.

 

[sandynn]

Good for you!!!!!!!!!! I have lost 35 lbs as of April. I now don't eat left overs I fix guests. I eat very little bread, sugar, fried foods and potatoes. This is not to say I never eat them but not often. I also do a lot of portion control. I will never weigh, count points, or calories again. I did that so many times and I would loose 15 lbs just to put it back on. I think I can keep this off..

Yeah! I have lost 30 pounds over the past year. We don't do any fast food or any kind of junk food. No fried foods. But we do eat Whole grain breads when we do and we do have our sweet treats occasionally. Moderation is key...and exercise. I have to keep up with that as is it something I don't like doing..but my orthopedist says...keep moving and stretching and walking otherwise....my neck and back will be getting even worse..so I have pledged I will do more!!!
BY the way what is going on with this thread. I have stuff spreading all over the page and text over stuff??? SWIRT?????? HELP!
.

Good for you too. This time I found it not quite so hard. Not sure why except it feels like a life style change not a diet.

 

[Pollyanna]

Good for you!!!!!!!!!! I have lost 35 lbs as of April. I now don't eat left overs I fix guests. I eat very little bread, sugar, fried foods and potatoes. This is not to say I never eat them but not often. I also do a lot of portion control. I will never weigh, count points, or calories again. I did that so many times and I would loose 15 lbs just to put it back on. I think I can keep this off..

Yeah! I have lost 30 pounds over the past year. We don't do any fast food or any kind of junk food. No fried foods. But we do eat Whole grain breads when we do and we do have our sweet treats occasionally. Moderation is key...and exercise. I have to keep up with that as is it something I don't like doing..but my orthopedist says...keep moving and stretching and walking otherwise....my neck and back will be getting even worse..so I have pledged I will do more!!!
BY the way what is going on with this thread. I have stuff spreading all over the page and text over stuff??? SWIRT?????? HELP!
.

Sandy and Catlady, now that is encouraging that you too have lost weight even while surrounded by vacation-splurge candy, cookies and baked goods. And yes, the exercise is a discipline. I am finding that I feel so much more limber and energetic when I do keep up with the exercise. Several of our guest rooms are upstairs and that trip upstairs lugging supplies is getting much easier.

 

[gillumhouse]

I always have a box of quart size zip bags in the house. NO guest leaves without being asked if they would like a "care package of muffins". If they are made with Splenda or Stevia DH can eat them but I still try to get them out of here. I make muffins and pretzels so often now that THEY are not a problem for me. My downfall is that I do not "cook" any more. DH does not eat "real" food - no sugar, no fat, no salt.... and I do not like raw or almost raw veggies. It is easier to open a can of ravioli when it is on sale for a buck a can. Or a TV dinner whe they are a buck apiece.
I must be slipping - it took me almost 3 weeks to polish off my box of bloopers from the Russel Stover outlet, and that particular box was full of the ones I like!
I forgot to tell you Pollyana, congrats on the weight loss. You are correct that dieting is not hte way to go - it has to be a lifestyle change to keep it off.
I do agree with Don, depriving oneself of everything we like is not living. DH watches his diet to the point that he is really not happy, but he does not want another heart attack (I think he really does think he can almost live forever by eating as he does). However, when we go out, he will "have a taste" of whatever I have (usually half or more). My Mother warched what she ate, exercised, read, volunteered, and was very active. Poor thing was so heathy she could not die. Our genetics is the Big A.
My condolences, Don. I am glad you are able to mourn rather than be grateful for the release - that is how it was for me with both parents. Daddy had lung cancer but bought himself 10 years by quitting - cold turkey at 69 years old.

 

[Don Draper]

Also writing down everything I eat has helped me a lot, then at the end of the day I know exactly how many "splurge" calories I can afford to use. It took a lot of effort for me to discipline myself to write this down every day, but it became a habit after a week or so.

 

[JBloggs]

I thought of this thread this morning as I served Orange Marmalade Coffee Cake to a full table and told them all "Eat it up, I won't take it back to me den until you do!" I told them all about the Innkeeper Freshman 15 and they will do me a favor by not leaving it. This is a dish I bring out and present and allow guests to pass their plates around and be served. Leaving it ont he table helps them to eat it, and not me.

 

[birdwatcher]

I also find that if we try to do portion control on how many guests we have and how much we really have to make and stick to this, there is so much less waste and less goes to MY WAIST.

 

[Samster]

Good for you, Pollyanna! Keep up the good work!
When I first opened, I actually lost about 20 lbs in the first several months. Then, I started stress eating and put it back on. Some people lose weight when they're stressed, and some people pack it on. I stayed level but was heavier than I've ever been in my life. Then, there was a lot of stress in the last 6 months we were open and I gained some more. :-(
I'm working on this now but the only thing missing is scheduled regular exercise. That's the missing link for me. We have so much going on in our lives that even though we closed the inn, there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day. I think once we get our son settled and take care of all this stuff from the tree falling on the house, we'll be back to normal and I can get back in an exercise routine. It helps that now it's actually cool enough to just walk. It's not easy to go for long walks with 100F weather with 99% humidity! :-(
I'm all for helping each other to stick with it! You've inn-spired me again. Thanks!

 

[bbinnsitters]

A few years ago I read that if you replace your caffeine drink with green tea you will lose weight. I tried it and lost 5 lbs very quickly. I have found Green Tea to be a great weight loss tool. I start my day with a cup and find I eat less - it is not the most pleasant tasting stuff, but I can't argue with success! Hang in there - if you have already lost 30 lbs. then I'd say you know what you are doing.

 

[The Tipsy Butler]

I'm proud of you PollyAnna - it is tough. I had a health scare in late June and have since lost 20 pounds - with another 10 to go.
My "problem" is different from yours. Luckily I've never liked sweet things - in fact I've had to MAKE myself eat something in the morning and try and get my blood sugars responding better.
My motivation is how much better I feel and the fact I can get back in some, but not yet all, of my old clothes. The single biggest help has been the elliptical machine we now have in the OQ. As I mentioned before, I've spent a lot of the summer making sure I've put aside some time for myself and that now includes an (almost) daily session on The Machine.
The other thing that really helped me was making a big "cosmetic" change - I cut off all my hair and I'm loving it. I personally needed that super obvious change from the old to the new.
Stick with it. NEVER blast yourself if you fall of the wagon, just look back at how far you've come.