By Lynn Haraldson-Bering
My Maintaining Diva friend Sondra will be featured in next month’s Weight Watcher’s magazine. Her story is online now. Click here to read how she went from an inactive 242 pounds to a sleek 129-pound marathon runner.
Sondra's story prompted an email question from reader B.B. that I wanted to throw out to all of you. Sondra's answer is below, but we'd love for you to offer your insights to B.B., too, all you wise, wise RTR readers!
Here's B.B.'s question: "You know I've maintained my weight lost for 8 years now, but I still have the demons that send me to the pint of ice cream or cookies or whatever every once in awhile. I'm curious. Do you? Does Sondra? If not, how did you finally release these devils; you know those devils called feelings, memories, insecurities, etc?"
Sondra's reply: "What a great question and I think it is one that every person on this journey has. I can honestly say that I do still eat foods that some would consider taboo…including my good friend, Lynn. (NOTE FROM LYNN: This is probably true. Ya'll know what a militant I am. However, in my defense, I do eat chocolate and stuff I "shouldn't" sometimes...LOL) I allow these foods at times because I am a firm believer that if you tell yourself that you can never have something again, you will always crave it. Once you allow yourself to have a little you can learn to control it…at least I have. I also find that I have substitutes for many of the foods I felt that I could not live without.
"That said, when I have an urge to eat not because I am truly hungry, but because I am bored, upset, tired, happy, breathing or whatever, I do two things: I grab a healthy snack first - a few (4-9) plain almonds, a piece of fruit, a slice of toast with sf fruit spread or tsp of peanut butter, a cup of tea or coffee, or even a piece of strong flavored gum. If I finish that and still feel the urge to eat, I think about what I am doing and analyze again if I am truly hungry. If it is just that I really want that Entenmanns’s coffee cake (yes, that was my demon last night) then I portion out just a few bites - it might not even be a full serving - and I eat it.
"There are times that I have cravings that I need to make sure it isn’t just my body asking for more of something - protein, iron, carbs, etc., and that is why I take the time to really think about why I am having 'hugries.' I have found that if I am wanting something out of frustration or some type of emotion, writing it down helps the most. I am blessed that the Divas are great listeners, but there are times when I just sit and write in my journal. I have also taken up doing jigsaw puzzles again. It has helped with my nighttime snacking a lot. It even has slowed my dinner/meal eating down because we are a 'eat in front of the TV' family and I have been eating while working on the puzzle instead. I don’t find myself rushing through my food anymore.
"Do I still have demons? Heck yeah. The great thing is that we have learned to live together in harmony. They know they will only be placated sometimes. But most of the time I get my way."
What are your thoughts on B.B.'s question? Do you still have your food demons in maintenance? Leave a comment or send an email. As always, we look forward to your replies.
