The Pancake Incident

[Chicken lady]

Btw, you inspired me to do push ups. Only I discovered that not only could I not do a push up, I couldn't even do a reverse push up - where you lower yourself slowly to near the floor. So I gave up.

then two weeks ago I told dd I couldn't do push ups. And she said "you can do push ups on the stairs." I said "what?" And she said, "you just find the lowest stair where you can do a push up and you do them. You keep moving down the steps until you can do a push up on the floor.....Then you put your feet on the stairs." I said "you are very funny."

but every day I put my hands on the edge of the fourth step and walk my feet back as far as I can and lower myself to the step. Then I try to do a push up. And I walk my feet forward a bit at a time doing as many push ups as I can until I find a place where I can do ten push ups. When that place is my starting point, I will move to the third step.

[Ultralight]

Incline push ups are great! I warm-up with them when I work out.

I am up to 32 consecutive push-ups. With every push-up the next one gets even harder to do. haha

I am aware that I am lucky to be addicted to pizzas and buffets and deep-fried food -- in comparison to heroin junkies or crackheads. I get it; I understand, really.

But unhealthy eating will put me in an early grave and diminish my quality of life. I don't want those to happen, at least not the diminishing of my quality of life. Heck with that!

I am thinking about two things I did "beat."
Desserts (I used to be a sucker for cookies, cakes, ice creme, and milkshakes).
Also: Soda pop.

I have not had either in well over a decade.

How did I beat these two of the "worst offenders?"

I focused all my energy simply on avoiding them. I spent a year or two kicking them, and not concurrently either, one at a time.

So another approach I am considering is picking another of the worst offenders and quitting it -- just focusing all my dang grit on it for a whole year. Then it might be like soda and desserts -- just a habit of not consuming it.

But I don't know. I will keep trying things until I get some success.

I don't mind working out. I have stuck to 3 work outs a week since January. It is not even a struggle to do it. I almost like it. haha
And I lead a fairly active lifestyle otherwise -- walking and cycling many commutes. I also take Harlan on walks too, for recreation.
I still meditate daily.

But it is the junk food that gets me every time.

[ApatheticNoMore]

probably connected to the cooking thread, if you cooked more and liked it, the junk food might not be so tempting.

I don't know how not to resent cooking though, I like it when I feel I have a bunch of time for it, but given reality, how often is that? Not very! No most of the time, I resent cooking, I'm tired and I have little time and "ugh! I have to cook!", but I force it, or I eat whatever food is around when I can't even force myself because I'm just too worn out.

[Williamsmith]

For me the key has been releasing myself from the "blame the victim" mentality. Too often we accept the notion that it is our fault we are getting or remaining overweight or obese. Despite the lack of evidence that undereating and/or exercise will contribute to weight loss. I can't think of a theory that has been repeated more often with the least success than the calories in/ calories out fantasy.

My observation and research convinces me that it has much less to do with "addiction" or mental weakness than biological condition. We should be no more guilt ridden for being obese than we should be for developing leukemia.

We should exercise because it contributes to overall well being, mental health and ability to perform daily tasks but to do it for weight loss is utter folly given the kind of time and effort it takes to burn a meager 100 calories. Plus, I personally experience an enhanced appetite after exercise and it seems consistent with the body reacting to burning calories.

Some of us tolerate the type of fat producing foods that permeate our food chain better than others. Learning to avoid those that harm us most is something best done slowly and gradually. After all, we put the weight on slowly and gradually. For me, removing most sugar from my diet worked well, followed by many carbohydrates. In addition, a 12 hour daily fast helped greatly.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I suspect UL is on the right track, most biological explanations don't by themselves accomplish anything. Because in order to stay on a diet, any diet, even if it's just avoiding sweets or junk food for one's health, probably does require sustained focus.

It's one thing to say pancakes and other junk food derail one for many biological reasons (take your pick) after one starts eating them and I believe this is true, that some foods ARE hyper palatable and so one just wants to keep eating more and more of them once one has started. But in order to avoid that VERY FIRST bite of junk food, does take focused attention. So it IS focused attention/psychology/willpower or whatever you prefer. It's not just biology, that is unless you start taking some kind of drug to block all pleasure from say pancakes or something (then and only then maybe it's just biology )

Really I think the focused approach would work for me. And yes the temptation is psychological, having a sweet or something junky is often rather consciously medicating what is sometimes quite a bit of psychic pain, but focus could work. (although I may just be a perfectionist as I probably eat at least 80% healthy as is - still ...)

(Eh, there are simple hacks if all one wants to do is avoid binging, if they can't give up sweets, well I find for me binging on dark chocolate is unlikely, so it's way safer than say cookies. But that's just learning not to binge. It's not if one aspires to more than just to stop binging).

I think it's accurate to say we live in an obesi-genic society as they say (for many reasons, people go out to eat to socialize, etc.), but that's only moderately useful to know that, unless one is learning of the dangers of restaurant and processed food for the first time or something.

[Ultralight]

I am aware of our biology (or mine!) and how it makes me want to slam pizzas and crush pancakes.

One of the more psychologically difficult things for me is that I am gritty -- partly through luck, as it is a talent, and partly through dedicated cultivation.
And my grit not being able to overtake this addiction to junk foods like pizza is jarring to my identity and an experience of failure I am unaccustomed to.
So I am adjusting to that.

But I made this list of foods I am currently weak for:
-Pizza
-Jelly/Jam
-Chips
-White breads
-Buffets
-Maple Syrup
-French Toast
-Pancakes
-Deep fried fish
-French fries
-Pakora
-Particle meat (burgers, sausage, etc.)
-Honey
-Bagels
-Fried Chicken

Many of these I have not had in months, pizza and buffets and white breads are the ones that are kicking my butt lately though, and most often.

As I said, I have been clean of soda pop and desserts for over a decade (perhaps 15 years now that I think of it).

I suspect this could be a whack-a-mole game though, like if I kick pizza for a year, then during that year I might get more into bagels, of something like that.

[Chicken lady]

It might help to make list of things you want to eat and focus on that - like, when I am hungry I am going to eat these fruits and vegetables and drink x amount of water and if I am still hungry, I will eat...

i have discovered that that my chip and nut cravings are actually salt cravings. There is very little salt in my diet, so when I exercise a lot I crave chips and roasted nuts, but it appears to be from sweating out too much salt - a heavily salted inch thick slice of baked potato eaten slowly with a glass of water generally does the trick. So I try to keep a baked potato in the fridge.

[Ultralight]

It might help to make list of things you want to eat and focus on that - like, when I am hungry I am going to eat these fruits and vegetables and drink x amount of water and if I am still hungry, I will eat...

i have discovered that that my chip and nut cravings are actually salt cravings. There is very little salt in my diet, so when I exercise a lot I crave chips and roasted nuts, but it appears to be from sweating out too much salt - a heavily salted inch thick slice of baked potato eaten slowly with a glass of water generally does the trick. So I try to keep a baked potato in the fridge.

Interesting thoughts on chips. I occasionally want to smash a bag of chips. Then afterward, I am like: "Chips are only a one dimensional flavor, kind of a let-down actually."

[Williamsmith]

If you have actually posted your height, weight and body mass index history maybe I have missed it or maybe that is not where you want to go with this.

You are talking in terms of a person unable to control his addictions to some foods that you deem harmful to yourself. It seems you have analyzed in depth your current condition but is there some way you can get at why these conditions exist?

Have you gotten any benefits from the counselors and dietitians you have seen? Is this a journey or are you really without clue as to how to find a satisfying direction? Thus, things occur like the "pancake incident".

[ApatheticNoMore]

I suspect this could be a whack-a-mole game though, like if I kick pizza for a year, then during that year I might get more into bagels, of something like that.

yea you probably do need to do something broader like give up all junk foods (just like you gave up all sweets and not just say cake). I read the "focus on one thing at a time" with all one's determination more as don't try to do a dozen different kind of things at once, like try to give up junk foods and exercise (if one hates it) and take up fasting twice a week and ... yea probably don't do that :P

Awhile ago recently I decided both to give up sweets on weekdays and only eat meals and not snack even though by nature I am a grazer (so yes trying to give up even healthy non-sweet snacks). Needless to say although I did it for a week or so, of course I fell off the wagon and I think it might be because of trying to do too many things.