I am pretty sure I have this figured out...now I need to tackle them!!

My offenders are not so much a certain food, but a type of food and the way I eat. The offenders:
- Lattes w/whole milk
- Chinese food, especially buffets
- Late nite snacking
- Restaurant eating in general

The first one, I know I can't eliminate, so I am working on ordering a size smaller, and lessining the frequency of consumption (currently everyday). As for the chinese, I know I need to stay away from the buffets, and when do eat it, I need to choose wisely and eat smaller portions. Late nite snacking....that is one I need to examine further, to see if there are specific foods that I crave at nite. As for restaurants, I just need to stop myself before I eat out and make sure I cannot eat at home, and try to keep that type of eating to a minimum.

I know today, I had tortilla soup and a shrimp taco in a soft shell at Baja Fresh, whereas I normally would have eaten a lot more. I also got a smaller latte. So, I figure slowly but surely I will get there!

Robin

You've got the new rules down, Robin. As you said, once a person identifies their danger foods, they have these choices to make:
* eliminate (for a while)
* portion control (if you can't, then eliminate)
* make the best possible choice at restaurants and away from home
To this list I added this rule for myself:
* learn to make the food/beverage at home with new lower fat ingredients and flavor enhanceing elements.

This is how I satisfy my chinese food cravings, because I don't trust those type of restaurants not to add ingredients I am avoiding (oil, tons of sodium-rich flavors, fried foods). KD's Cashew Chicken (p.144, blue cookbook) has saved me many many times! I also have a great peanut sauce recipe that I drizzle sparingly over plates of veggies and chicken. Make your favorite things at home and you know exactly what you are putting into your body.

Also, watch that language you are using in your head. You said, "The first one, I know I can't eliminate...". While it is awesome to know what you will and will not let go of for your eating goals, words like CAN'T are confusing. You certainly could but you don't want to - that is the truth right? Be straight with yourself. I find that when I live that way, I up my odds of not turning into Jeckle/Hyde.

quote:

Originally posted by RobinBeBe:
So, I figure slowly but surely I will get there!

You are doing such important and good work right now!

I can do buffets... but I can't do Chinese restaurants with a lazy susan filled with food, 10" from my face! And I've got a whole list of other "offenders".

Good for you for figuring out your triggers. That's a big step in getting things under control.

I can't do buffets either.

Robin,
Great job recognizing and naming trouble spots.
Are you willing to try 2% milk latte?
Like Jen, I generally avoid buffets- I do not do well.
I also find that restaurant food is far more calorie ladden than I want to believe it is. I often check web sites for nutritional info. More often than not, I decide to pack my own food as the calories are too high.
As far as late night snacking... I am a huge propenent of keeping a clean pantry so that when the urge to eat hits, you don't have unhealhty or high cal stuff that is tough to resist. I am lucky in that I never took to evening snacking- when dinner is over- I am done eating without a struggle.
Could you allow 3 nights of snacking rather than 5-6? Might the snacks by fruit or veggies and dip?
The good news as I read your post is that you seem to have ample room to save on calories. You are being your own detective, just like kd suggests. Yeah!

It's cool that you have figured out some of your potential trip-ups. Just some little suggestions:

Buffets are a danger zone for me. I always end up eating more than I would normally because I want to try a little of everything. I try to avoid buffet restaurants or order off the menu. I'm much better off with just a regular entree -- I don't eat nearly as much.

In Chinese restaurants, do you like any of the soups like egg flower or hot and sour? Soup can help fill you up on less calories and they are impossible to eat too fast. Also try hot tea to drink -- again, it slows you down and it has no calories.

Restaurants in general, I try to get a salad or broth soup before the meal so I eat less of my entree -- I take the extra home and usually my husband eats it, or I have it for lunch another day.

For late night snacks, I like popcorn -- either air-popped or 94% fat-free microwave.

Skim milk or soy milk lattes are pretty good -- I don't really notice a big difference, but if that's your thing, the smaller size is a good place to start.

Restaurant food in general is always way worse than I think it is, calorie-wise. I've been trying to scout out websites if I'm going to a chain restaurant so I know what to order before I get there.

Good luck, Robin!