IMAGINE AWAY YOUR CRAVINGS?

Drawing on research that shows mental imagery and perception affect emotion and behavior, A Carnegie Mellon research team - led by assistant professor of social and decision sciences Carey Morewedge - found that repeatedly imagining indulging in a treat decreases the desire for it.

"These findings suggest that trying to suppress one's thoughts of desired foods in order to curb cravings for those foods is a fundamentally flawed strategy," Morewedge said in a statement.  This study goes against the ages old idea that we must banish thoughts of the foods that tempt us into excess.

The researchers conducted five experiments in which 51 people were asked to imagine themselves doing a series of repetitive actions - including, in one experiment, eating different amounts of M&Ms. A control group imagined putting coins into a washing machine.   Subjects were then invited to eat their fill of M&Ms. Those who had imagined eating the most ultimately ate fewer candies than the others. Further experiments confirmed the results.

So go ahead.  Imagine the experience of unwrapping your favorite candy bar and tasting that rich chocolate in your mouth.  Or the tart sweetness of the cherries wrapped in the perfect pie crust.  Or the buttery richness of some homemade holiday shortbread.  Or...

MARCHING TOWARD THE HOLIDAYS

I am finally finished with my training on my new job, so my weekdays are again my own.  I got over to the storage unit and lugged all our holiday decorations home and today I started putting things up (and cleaning while I went.)  No excuses, but I skipped the gym knowing that I would get my exercise going up and down the stepladder, hauling boxes around and moving furniture. 

My weigh in at the gym on Sunday shows I am remaining steady at my 2 pounds a week weight loss.  The next two weeks will be critical because I am going to do some baking.  As I mentioned before, I am going to be making some biscotti to send to friends.  I am also going to share that recipe on Cammy's Potluck.  It is such a cute idea - we all share our recipes in a post on our own site which is linked in to her potluck page!

My recipe is not a low cal recipe - it is very rich and yummy:  Macadamia Nut Biscotti made with lots of butter and Myers rum.  I found macadamia nuts at Trader Joe's so I am ready to bake - photos and recipe soon.  Wish me massive amounts of willpower to get through this!!

THANKS FOR NO GAIN THANKSGIVING!

I managed not to gobble gobble, as planned.  I have lost another 2 pounds this week.  I did get very silly on champagne and had a great time on Thanksgiving!  For dinner I ate only the broccoli rabe and the turkey with a little gravy, one small whole wheat roll and one bite of my sister's luscious lemon cake. 

I have still been avoiding the gym - which is strange.  I was there today and I was completely enjoying myself.  I was thinking about what has been holding me back from getting back into going daily and I honestly don't know what it is.  So I am just going to get up and go every morning - no excuses, no delays, no I'll go later with Ally - because then she doesn't want to go so I don't go...

That is my number one goal for this week.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

We have all heard a lot of negative talk about high fructose corn syrup.  Companies have been removing it from their products and advertising that their products do not contain this ingredient because of the public perception of high-fructose corn syrup as unhealthful,  including Hunt’s Ketchup, Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice and Wheat Thins crackers.

However, the food industry is now attempting to get around the bad publicity of HFCS by asking the FDA for a name change to corn sugar.  Why is the food industry so intent on using this product? 

Compared with sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup doesn’t mask flavors, has a lower freezing point and retains moisture better, which is useful in making foods like chewy granola bars. And because the corn crop in the United States is heavily subsidized, high-fructose corn syrup is also cheap. As a result, it’s now used in so many foods that it has become one of the biggest sources of calories in the American diet.

The reality is that HFCS is not any more unhealthy than other sources of sugar, it is unhealthy because it is possible to put it into so many different food products, often in addition to sources of  sugar.  It is found in products where we don't think to look for sugar.  Like Stovetop Stuffing, Cough Syrups, salad dressings,  canned soups and  tomato sauces and  virtually every cereal, cracker and bread product. 

At least for those tings there is a label to read, the problem gets worse in restaurants where the use of "layered" flavors has become state of the art in attracting diners and getting them to return for more.  The use of fat and sugar in combination is known to become "irresistible"  for some people and restaurants and fast food outlets rely on this unhealthy combination to keep customers coming back for more.

The F.D.A. has six months to respond to the name-change petition. If the agency accepts it, the decision on whether to allow the name “corn sugar” on food labels may take another 12 to 18 months. 

WILL YOU EAT IT ONCE YOU KNOW?

Many years ago when my youngest was still in a stroller, they opened a Cinnabon in the mall.  Cinnamon rolls for me are one of those foods with so many happy memories attached.  A special food made by my mom for special occasions, a tradition I carry on with my own family.

I have never been one to buy store baked things except for bread.  I am a bit of a snob that way!  But I must say that the mere smell of the Cinnabons told me that they were making a high quality cinnamon roll, and I stopped in and bought one.  I split it with my 3 kids and we all loved it.  Getting a Cinnabon - without icing because that made it too sweet - became an occasional treat when we went to the mall and they behaved.  Then there was a newspaper article about the franchise which disclosed the nutritional content.  The fat content was equal to 3 days worth of recommended dietary fat.

I have never eaten another Cinnabon.  That was in 1998.

So when people question whether putting the nutritional counts on fast food menus or receipt, as they are doing in one Pacific Northwest burger chain called Burgerville - I say YES!  It really can have an impact on people.  They use a service called Nutricate which displays the Calorie and nutrition content of the food ordered and shows the customer exactly how many Calories they are eating. Burgerville seeks to be a fast food industry innovator and to set the standard for other chains to follow. 

Critics say that people who want a cheeseburger won't care, but my experience says otherwise, sometimes you just need to see the numbers right in front of your nose, instead of having an idea of what it could be floating around in your mind.

 I think that is just great, and I hope other restaurants will do the same thing.

APPROACHES TO WEIGHT LOSS

There was an interesting show on TV last night about the efforts of people to fight their obesity and some of the new scientific knowledge about appetite and the brain.  In many ways the information was not new, but it was interesting to see the combination of stories that they chose to tell.

One woman who had "done it all" including stomach stapling and was still over 300 pounds had electrodes implanted in her  brain to simulate the feeling of fullness.  One man did the whole diet and exercise route, one woman ate huge amounts of food while sleep walking.  They had interviews of other people including David Kessler, author of  The End of Overeating.

The woman with the electrodes was very hopeful at the end of the story, but I am not sure what a feeling of fullness will do to decrease cravings or eating when not hungry which many of us do.  She was saying that she did not have her usual cravings and was eating healthier - so far.  I hope they learn a lot from her willingness to try this experimental surgery.

The thing I frequently think about when seeing these stories, or when reading some of the weight loss forums (not so much the blogs) is that the focus remains so much on the food.  What I can have, what I can't have.  What I can substitute?  Making mock versions of things that people love.  It bothers me.  It is like changing one addiction (unhealthy eating) for another (substitutions/mock food).  When I tried a low fat diet many years ago, I did a lot of those things and the minute I tried real food again - I was a goner!  Back to the real thing!!

I would really like to make my continued weight loss focused on how I am going to eat going forward.  Make it about changing  my awareness and habits and expanding my real food choices - including and all those things we are trying so hard to "mock up" in reasonable amounts and on occasion.

Something I did get out of the program; I am going to read Dr. Kessler's book - I keep hearing such positive things about it.  So I am off to the library!

SPRING CHALLENGE

The Spring Focus has been created as a group effort by Sarah. That's what the new button is on the sideline.

Everyone who participates is going to state their own goal and then we will all have a little accountability and support. For instance, Karen wants to stop overeating at night. I want to transition off the products I have been using and on to regular food, keeping at 1200 calories per day.

Sarah is going to make a list of participants and their goals and we will all check in. So click on her name to go to her post if you want to join the spring challenge! We may not all be trying for bikini readiness - but we can all be a bit better by the summer

FAMILY DINNER

My brother and his wife and daughters are in town from Boise. They are touring colleges around the Bay Area with their youngest daughter and staying with one of my sisters. We gathered at the home of another sister to have dinner last night. I was telling them about my blog post yesterday - the junk food and addiction study.

All of my siblings are slim. All four of them. I am the only one who "takes after" our dad's side of the family (all of whom are overweight.) So when I was talking about food addiction being like drug or alcohol addiction and saying that I would be better off getting hooked on heroin because I would get skinny and be socially acceptable - they thought I was joking around.

And later when they offered me dessert and I said - "no thanks, remember, I'm an addict" - they laughed and laughed.

They really don't get it.

FEELING HUNGRY

For the past few days I have been feeling hungry. Nothing has changed, just no longer feeling satisfied by the program I am on. I am going to stick with it, but maybe make some minor modifications to see if it helps.

I am eating 6 "snacks" of about 150 calories and a lean protein and vegetable meal, usually for dinner. All adding up to about 1200 calories per day. The snacks are in the form of shakes, bars, cereal which I eat with a bit of low fat milk, little crunchy things like cheerios (flavored with BBQ or sour cream and onion), puddings and there are other choices which I have tried and not liked or haven't tried from the company. These are high protein, moderate carb foods, fairly natural and nutritionally balanced.

I like that the plan is easy to follow. It offers variety in textures and flavors and although I have to be creative in planning the evening meal so it works for all 3 of us, I can usually modify a recipe and make one meal for a family dinner. Last night I made Chicken Picatta with Pasta and I skipped the pasta.

So I am thinking I may double up some of the snacks. For instance, make a double shake so it is more filling and see if that is more satisfying and lasts longer than an hour or so before I am hungry again.

I am already drinking a lot of hot tea and water already. I feel full after I eat my snack, so sometimes I think I just need to distract myself when I feel like I am hungry. Maybe I am just bored, looking for something to occupy myself.

Time to work up a new To Do List with small, distracting tasks.

WORKING THROUGH DIET BOREDOM

I have been going through a few days of boredom with my eating plan. Wanting some variety in tastes and textures. I spent some extra time in the store and looking through cookbooks to see if I could find some new variations for the "lean and green" meal - usually dinner. It is pretty limited.

It also appears that people who have been on the plan for a long time have found the same thing, they stick to simple variations. I have ordered some different products for my meal replacements. I find that being limited to the products which are controlled in portion and calories really helps me. When the time comes, I'll move on to "regular" meals. For now, this is working. I just wish there were more flavors - seems like everything is chocolate!

I have bought some of the sugar free syrups which can be added to the protein shakes and puddings, although, I think the basic flavor extracts work just as well, if not better.

I have also been playing with some new salad dressings. I made a sort of remoulade dressing for a shrimp salad this weekend with some capers, lemon juice, diced shallot, celery and sugar free catsup and low fat mayo.

Trying to keep things interesting!

I lost another 3 pounds so far this week.