Cake? A thing of the Past????

[daniela]

Hi again, 


Not eating cake ever again (or any dessert for that matter) had me stumped.  Say I lose all the weight I want, can I not have a bit of celebratory cake when the occassion arises?  Will my cravings be that quashed that I don't fancy it anymore?

I have some upcoming birthdays and Father's Day is coming.  I won't be near my goal weight, but what do I do?
Let me see if I can answer the question, based on my understanding of the book.

1.If cake has icing, remove icing and eat a small portion.
2.Cake has cream, remove cream and have a small portion.
3. Forgo dessert altogether, and have fruit, if available
4. If champagne served, have a few sips, not a full glass.

I remember the book says that if something is put in your mouth, (that we, the dieter, didn't make) to make it as less fattening as possible.  To choose the least fattening version of whatever it is.

This applies each and every time doesn't it. Even when you reach your goal weight, because in essence our bodies won't crave all that 'fattening stuff' and we will be eating more cleanly.

But, until I reach my goal weight, and when I am faced in celebratory situations, I will choose the least fattening version of whatever, and take it from there.
Example, at a dinner, load up on the protein (leave any sauce or animal skin behind), load up on the veg (removing all fattening stuff as is possible), no dessert, or very little, if I crave it and, if I'm still in the beginning of The Plan. (or not)

Am I on the right track?

The real test for me is before my courses (that time of the month). I get mad with cravings   

[LINDA RN]

Daniella,

You always have the choice.
All we can do here is share our experiences with making the same choices. DH and I started LDL the first of November in the midst of holiday preparations. DH decided this year he would try his hand at home baking Banana Nut Breads, cookies and fruit cakes for the kids and grandkids. He had never done this before and his baking was absolutely the best! We did give away most of it but sampled some throughout the holidays. I am sure eating that processed flour and sugar stalled the loss of hunger and cravings. I basically maintained weight for 5 months. Did not start loosing until I was doing pure LDL for 2 months. Weight loss on this plan is not incredibly fast as with Gastric Bypass so eating off plan will slow it even more. Your decision will be how important is what I am being offered and served compared to how quickly I want to loose. For me, I chose to indulge (a little) over the holidays and was just happy to not have gained. Generally at parties at work, I pass up the pastries and cakes altogether. If after a meal at a buffet where I had eaten as close to LDL as possible, I have indulged in a taste of dessert. For instance, for our anniversary, I had a bite of a lemon square and ate the inside of a blueberry pie with a couple teaspoons of what I hoped was frozen yogurt. I still lost and it did not fire up the cravings. I felt good that I was able to pass up the oohy goohy chocolate deserts because that would have certinly derailed me. When you are invited somewhere for pot luck bring some delicious LDL deserts (if you know there will be plenty of other main dishes you can eat), but be sure to fill your plate first because as someone else mentioned, by the time they got in line, all their LDL food was taken and only the fatening stuff was left. 

Basically learn what foods really caused you to gain and swear them off for good, finding an acceptable substitute that will satisfy every once in a while. Until we get the whole world eating LDL, we will have to deal with unhealthy food at social events

[barrypaxton]

Daniella,

I started LDL last October. The first week or so that I was on the plan I was still carving the cakes and cookies and ice cream. After just a short time those carvings went away and I never want them to come back so I never put any of those sweets in my mouth. I made it thru family dinners for Thanksgiving and Christmas without any desire to eat any of those "goodies". I have eaten LDL as clean as I possibly can and have not regretted it for one minute. Sometimes it takes some good planning.......for example if you going to a celebration, offer to bring a fresh fruit platter. This will be a good way to participate in the celebration and still make sure there's something there that you can eat.

Best wishes on this new journey for you. I'll pray for God to give you strength to resist all that bad food.

Blessing,
Ollie

[daniela]

Hmm...ok, thanks Ollie, thanks Linda.

[LINDA RN]

If they are both polite and kind, they will not push the issue. But if they are friends who want to test your resolve (like some of my coworkers  ), they will wave the cookies, cake and candy in front of you to "test your resolve". Hopefully you will be long past the craving stage and you can honestly say I don't eat that stuff anymore and mean it. If they are not pleasantly surprised and go away, you can always launch into an ingredient by ingredient detail about why that stuff is not healthy and they will flee. The ones who are not ready to make serious changes in their eating habits don't want to be confused with the facts.

[LittlePrincess]

If they are both polite and kind, they will not push the issue. But if they are friends who want to test your resolve (like some of my coworkers  ), they will wave the cookies, cake and candy in front of you to "test your resolve". Hopefully you will be long past the craving stage and you can honestly say I don't eat that stuff anymore and mean it. If they are not pleasantly surprised and go away, you can always launch into an ingredient by ingredient detail about why that stuff is not healthy and they will flee. The ones who are not ready to make serious changes in their eating habits don't want to be confused with the facts.

I LOVE this!!!!!   

[daniela]

Thank you ladies.  Great suggestions.


Just getting my head wrapped around it, that's all. 

[tprouty]

Hi Daniela!

Welcome to Let's Do Lunch!

It is, indeed, difficult to wrap your head around the idea of not eating cake or other sugary desserts or any of your other old favorites that aren't on the plan, in the future, when in the past they have shouted your name from across the room and seemingly followed you around until you give in and have some.  The idea that someday I would not crave pasta, potatoes, rice, cakes, ice cream, or any sugary dessert was a totally foreign idea that just would NOT compute. But I wanted to give it a try, anyway.

And honestly, many people on Let's Do Lunch, in the process of their weight loss journey, do choose to have things occasionally that aren't on the plan. And like you said, they try to choose the least fattening way possible for their deviation from the plan. Scrape off the icing, eat only a small part of the serving, omit the fattening accompaniments, etc. And that is a choice you have to make.

The interesting thing is, as you go along on the plan, and your body gets healthier and more of the toxins in your system are gone and your chemistry is on an even keel, it will surprise and amaze you that you really don't care to have that stuff that used to shout your name. It will just happen. Some people even feel ill when they do try something that isn't LDL approved. I don't have that gift -- sweets always taste good and give me a rush, but I don't CRAVE them, so it doesn't bother me to pass them up. I'm not usually interested anymore.

Sometimes I still struggle with the old voices. You know -- "You used to love that stuff. Go ahead and have a bite. You can get right back on plan tomorrow, and besides, it's a social occasion, and you should be polite." Or, "You're really stressed, go ahead and indulge -- it will make you feel better." It still surprises me when I can say, "Nah, I don't really want it." If you determine to stay with LDL, you WILL get to the point where it feels so much better to be thinner and healthier, you won't want to indulge, and turning down the bad stuff won't be painful at all. And tomorrow, who is going to remember that you didn't eat cake today? It won't matter to anyone but you, and you will be healthier for not indulging in something you didn't really want in the first place.

Amazing, but true! Let it happen.
Enjoy the journey,
Terri

[LINDA RN]

The first thing I noticed when I did the phen-phen thing was that I could walk away from a goohy doughnut. I had no desire to eat it. Then I noticed I only got hungry once a day and a palmful of food filled me up.
Well, I am so happy that the same thing has happened with LDL and no drugs!!! Like Terry said, I could eat it and it would taste good but like Crickadoodle says, "for me, nothing tastes as good as skinny feels!"

It won't be hard later, as it seems to be now, to turn that stuff down.

[daniela]

Thanks again.  All your responses and supports are stellar!

And a big thanks to Roger Wilson for opening up and sharing his knowledge and his story in the first place.

I will trust in the process and make my choices, for I know this is a good path to be on. 

Best!

[SweetRose]

You know, though, the minute you say to yourself that you can NEVER have cake again, I believe that you set yourself up for failure. Unless you are truly one of these people who would fall off this wonderful WOE and have a hard time getting back to LDL. For myself, I say that I CAN have cake or whatever again....if I really want it! There is a way of having your cake and eating it, too. But only you can decide whether you want to stall your weight for that day or so. Now, I know one thing: if you want to get thin and stay thin, you cannot go back to your old way of eating; eating cake whenever you like, in huge uncontrolled quantities. You'll be right back to where you started. But it is my belief that some people can have cake again- come on, we live in a real world here. It's up to our good judgement to decide when and if it's worth it. I agree that some people cannot even have one piece of cake without setting them off on a downhill spiral. These people should not be eating foods that trigger cravings so strong that it means failure to their weight loss. It's up to each individual to decide this for her/himself.

This is just my own humble opinion.

SweetRose

[wendysgoodnews]

I know for me I can't say I can never have cake or anything else or I will find myself really wanting it.  So I tell myself if I feel the need to have cake I can take one small bite and that seems to satisfy that have to have it feeling.  That is what I did when we went to Golden Corral and when I took a tiny bite of brownie I realized the thought of it was much better then the taste and that solved it for me.

[SweetRose]

That makes sense Wendy! You are so right. Sometimes the thought of eating something is better than actually eating it- or at least eating all of it.

SweetRose

[redkat]

I agree with others that it is a choice you have to make.  Is it worth getting stalled or, worse yet, gaining!?  If so, then go ahead and indulge.  But if not, keep a picture in your mind of the smaller size you want to be, and go find yourself a nice piece of fruit!!

Little Princess, it's nice to see you posting again.

[MsHeirloom]

Daniela- You have been asking great questions and getting great advice.  I know, for myself, that if I ever resume eating the foods I was eating before LDL, that I will weigh what I weighed before- or even more.  Looking and feeling so much better is so much more satisfying than cake, cookies, potatoes, bread, milk.....  You'll get to the point where you will concentrate  on all the yummy foods you can eat while discarding weight and feeling so good about yourself!  Pam

[Joyful Friend]

Daniela, Welcome to the best way of eating.  I agree with  those who said it is a choice.  But if cake has been a problem in helping you gain weight, why would you want it if your cravings are gone?  Nothing tastes as good as my size 6 Mother's day suit my kids bought me feels.  On LDL, my cravings are gone, and I never want them to return.  I eat delicious foods, and I try to plan ahead.  I have been satisfied for almost a year, and I have confidence that I won't gain my 55+ lbs back.  I'm not hungry, because I've not been on a diet.  I have not felt deprived, but blessed that I can have as much of the foods that I enjoy---Oh the corn on the cobb--- so good, and strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, pineapple, oranges, watermelon, not to mention all the roasted veggies can be enjoyed in the amounts we need to satisfy.  I am grateful to God for His deliverance to food bondage by allowing me to know about Roger's book.    Joyful Friend

[SweetRose]

Bless you, Joyful Friend. You always write from the heart and give good advice.

SweetRose

[Joyful Friend]

Thanks, SweetRose.  My best friend's name was Rose, so I think of her when you post. She also was a sweet Rose.  She taught school with me and has been gone for 5 yrs.  I still miss her a whole lot.  and  Joyful Friend

[witheraway1]

Daniela, the choice is definately YOURS........I am sure you are in control of your own decisions  whatever it is and yes, as sweetrose said we are all human or at least should be. Enought said that's my veiw.....Wither