Just Say No
A post for mom’s.
I’m a Yes girl! And I like it. I will say yes to 99.9% of the committees or projects you ask me to be on. And I want to say yes. I enjoy being busy and being involved. BUT, I also say yes to food I should say no to, 99.9% of the time. As a woman who gains weight easily, this is dangerous.
If a neighbor brings us cookies, I will eat them immediately. If I bake some bread, I will help myself to enough pieces to stuff myself. If I start on a bag of trail mix (the kind with raisins and m&m’s), I will continue to munch on it ALL DAY. If I go to Subway, I will always get the cookie that goes with it. If I stop by my mother-in-law’s house, I’ll always help myself to a mini-payday candy bar. This is what is going through my head:
- I deserve it.
- If I don’t eat this now, I’ll never have a chance to eat it again. It will be gone tomorrow.
- I shouldn’t forbid myself to eat food! Its not healthy. If I eat well 80% of the time, I can enjoy a treat once in a while.
- Or I don’t think at all! I just mindlessly eat it without thinking.
Why is this a problem? Well, did I mention, I gain weight very easily. Here is proof. I’ve lost weight twice in my life. And at the time, I said no to many foods that were in front of me. You couldn’t pay me to put a potato chip in my mouth. I never had dessert.
Well, today is a new day! I could stand to lose a few pounds, but mostly I’m doing it to take my healthy habits to a new level. To emulate healthy behaviors to my kids, and to keep my pants from getting any tighter than they already are. Last night a neighbor brought us Christmas cookies. The me before yesterday would dig right in! The new me, put them on the counter and walked away. I’ll let the kids have one in their school lunch and I will not have one. If I have one, I’ll want two. Then I’ll want the whole bag. This realization that I do not deny myself anything in the form of food, that I’m a yes girl when it comes to food is empowering to me. I have some red-light foods that I can not start on. These are the foods that when I eat one, I want more. When I’m not hungry, I will eat them anyway because they are there and I love them.
My red-light foods: Cookies, homemade breads, cashews, trail mix, candy bars, granola bars, vanilla wafers, graham crackers, caramels (especially homemade ones).
What I’ve done well. Its been two weeks without diet coke. I actually don’t miss it at all.
Posted: December 18th, 2008 under Ideas and Issues.
Tags: say no to food
Comments
Comment from Amy
Time December 18, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Megan, it seems like the first time I lost weight, I would go to an aerobics class before school, and had a second aerobics class for PE in the afternoon. (That was during high school).
Then when I lost weight at about age 20, I joined the gym and used the cardio machines for about 45 minutes, and was forced to walk everywhere because I didn’t have a car. I’ve always liked cardio, but I know I was more active during weight loss. Between my kitchen counter and my laundry basket, I’m definitely not as active as I was before.
Comment from Susan
Time December 18, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Certain foods are a trigger for me, too. I can still remember stuffing myself with all the goodies at a party, long after every one else had stopped! Okay, so it’s like being an alcoholic. I cannot even have one bite or it’s all down hill from there. I’m learning that if I really have to have a treat to head for the fresh fruit. Most of the time it works.
Comment from workout mommy
Time December 18, 2008 at 9:00 pm
two weeks without diet coke?! You are my hero!
I too am a yes girl when it comes to all things sugar and white carb. I need to work on my willpower, especially during this time of year.
and how exciting that you were featured in Fitness magazine! I must have read all about you before I actually *knew* you! 
Comment from Liz
Time December 18, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Way to go, Amy! What an inspiration you are. This is my exact problem right now. I have a lot of red light foods that I have been trying to get out of the house by eating them all. Probably not the best plan for trying to clean out the unhealthy food! I’ll try to refrain from bringing you any unhealthy treats to tempt you!
Comment from Lindsay
Time December 19, 2008 at 4:25 am
I highly recommend the book “Intuitive Eating.” It is about giving up dieting and food rules and enjoying food (in moderation). It will change your life (it has mine)!
Comment from wendy
Time December 19, 2008 at 6:34 am
Thanks for your honesty as I am a “Yes, Girl” too! I just downright enjoy eating! I am noticing bulges in places that aren’t cool so I have decided to do better. Keep us posted on your progress and congrats on the NO diet coke. Dr. Pepper is my biggest weakness. That cold, fizzy delight is just evil!
Comment from Amy
Time December 19, 2008 at 8:20 am
Mom; guess I know where I got it from.
Workout Mommy, Glad I’m someone’s here. Liz, gettting rid of the junk food by eating it, is something I would totally do. Lindsay, I have read that book, but unfortunately for me, it does not work. I give myself way too much freedom when it comes to eating what I want.
Wendy, I LOVE to eat also. Don’t say the words Cold, fizzy or delight in front of me, it just might send me into a relapse. When i read that, I immediately saw myself in the bath drinking a cold fizzy diet coke, and it sounded so intoxicating! Evil! YES!
Comment from Jackie
Time December 20, 2008 at 11:45 am
I really enjoyed reading this post. And I’m so not bringing you cookies this year. oh, no.
Comment from Jackie
Time December 20, 2008 at 11:46 am
Or if I do bring cookies, I’m ringing the bell and running. But then you’d probably catch me. So I’m not doing that either.
Comment from Phaedra
Time December 22, 2008 at 10:46 am
This is our first Christmas with food allergies – the kids are allergic to gluten, soy, dairy, eggs, and peanuts. Since it is hard to eat these things in front of them, I haven’t bought xmas candies/cookies/treats this month. At first I was really sad about it all, but I’m realizing this may be the first year ever I don’t gain weight over the holidays! There is an upside to everything I guess.
Comment from Amy
Time December 22, 2008 at 11:30 am
Jackie! pretend you didn’t rread this. I NEED neighbor cookies.
Phaedra:Thank you for sharing! I think you have a great attitude about it. It would be so tough to eliminate all those things, but you are so right! If I could take just gluten out of my diet, I know I’d lose weight for sure.
Amy Roskelley
Comment from Beth
Time December 22, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Crap! I have caramels that I forgot to give you on Saturday…well, I’m giving them to you, anyway. They’re really good – probably the best I’ve ever made. Sad for you, I guess.
Comment from Megan
Time December 18, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Amy,
you are so inspiring to me. I’m totally the same. I can’t say no to food. I eat because its there. And if it’s something I like I eat it because it’s still there and I don’t want someone else to eat it all before me. I’m just trying not to have this stuff around.
So what kind of exercise schedule did you do to lose the pounds?
-Megan