Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Day 15 Spawn of SoDDDY Challenge: The deliciousness of fatty Cobb salad convenience, a few chilly glimpses of eclipse, and amazement at the self-sabotage all around us while I have a full-on rant about holiday food nuttiness....

Anyone watch the eclipse? I used to be a real avid skywatcher (got my first telescope when I was 13 and it was love with the stars/planetss/etc thereafter). I used to stay out all night to watch meteor showers and stay through the duration of eclipses, but in the neighborhood we're in now, I don't feel safe out at night in the yard, so my skywatching is curtailed. I did catch bits of it as I went in and out in the chilly night. Lovely. The full eclipse phase was particularly beautiful with the rusty-dark moon in shadow and all around it the most beautiful stars of winter--Orion, Taurus, Canis Major...  I mean, it was a bejewelled display with that smoky red lunar stone as the centerpiece. I hope you caught some of it.

Yesterday, my calories made it to  1569 (42/36/22 ratio, too much fat). Made the water and then some. Had low hunger until later in the day, when appetite came back.

Holding at 238.0.

I gotta say that I could get addicted to that Ready Pac Cobb Salad I picked up at Publix. What caught my eye as I was shopping for produce was the big 290 (for the calories) on the label. Of course, those calories were heavy on the fat! But man, so tasty. It was a crazy flavor bomb in my mouth. If you're watching fat, stay away. If you're low-carbing, this baby is insanely yummy for about 300 cals and super-duper convenient for take-to-work type lunches (if you have a fridge or cooler to keep them in, I guess).

Speaking of fatty deliciousness: What's with all the cinnamon rolls, cookies, pies, cakes, and assorted crap my blogging compatriots are indulging in? Seriously, reading our challenge leader's post today echoed what was in my own brain.

I'm hardly the epitome of any sort of really self-deprivation type dieting, but the last thing me, a conditioned overeater, should be doing at ANY holiday is baking up a bunch of all-out butter/sugar/carb-bombs to tempt the hell out of everyone around us.

First off: We obese overeaters should never be baking a bunch of crap for us or anybody. It's counter-productive for us and it's not good for them. Trust me. Kids, no matter how active and lean, don't need to eat half a dozen cookies and a slice of cheesecake just cause it's a holiday. What? Do we want them to be fat, too, and struggle like we do?

Second: How many can really avoid the temptation? For real...

Third: Do we wanna addict another generation to eating tons of sweets/treats and connecting those with love/holiness and they get to pig-out seasonally as well?

I understand that there are holiday traditions and they have meanings beyond mere taste. Emotions, nostalgia...bonds.

But I've seen a couple bloggers who are not just baking one junk food item that has meaning (and if it's loaded with butter/oil/sugar/flour/carbs or a combination thereof, yes, it's junk). It's an uberfest of baking and frying. Does any family need dozens and dozens of items that strain the pancreas and fatten the belly?

I know my family feast will have certain traditional items--quite a lot sanely nutritious, with actual protein and fiber and vitamins and minerals and spices and good stuff, and quite a lot that are pure trash in the nutrition/dieting-aid dept. I have no clue as to what specifically most of the guests will bring. I can only be certain of a few things, and what I bring, natch.

So, while  accept that the holiday is usually just ONE day (maybe more, but generally the big feasting falls on ONE day), and it's not a horrible thing to enjoy the special foods on that one day, even enjoy more than one's diet-level caloric allotment (here I differ from some other dieting bloggers, and that's fine, the world is not full of automatons, but individuals) in order to bask in those memories/bonds/emotions; why is it that there is a week or two weeks or three weeks of eating all the accompanying crap?

Are we just looking for that excuse to overeat? "Well, it's the season. Let's have another cookie! Let's break open that pie! Let's fry up some churros and hit it with some cocoa made with butter! Just like grandma used to make!"

I dunno. I do think we just want a reason to go nuts and totally lose logic about what's sane treat-enjoyment. I mean, we got this fat cause we AREN'T sane about food. And this is like this retro-trip back to an all out vacation to the Land of --and this is Beth's term, but it fits, and if you hate cuss words, look away and skip to the next paragraph-- Food Fuckery.

Part of me is worried that I will fall into the FF pit, because everyone around me seems happy to dig the pit and stock it with candy cane spikes.

Um, if you have fat people in your family, stop with the baking already, stop with the frying and overloading fridges and finding ways to show love with food. Can we show love with something else? Cause with little kids getting diabetes, the idea of a month of candy canes, sugar cookies, pumpkin pies, caramel popcorn, chocolate truffles, spice cakes, donuts, funnel cakes, churros, and what-not is like saying, "Yes, die sooner. Fewer Christmasses, but we'll die in a happy sugar-fat haze."

Oh, man, I went overboard. Sorry. I just worry about myself and all the obese--and there are LOTS of them--younger folks in my family. Lots of us are HUGE, HUUUUUUUUUGE, and the pies, cakes, and crap will be on display like a trough to get us into our caskets sooner.

Christmas has a lot more about it, going for it, special about it that doesn't have calories. With our weight issues in the US, it's time to find new, non-fattening ways to say, 'I love you. Merry Christmas."

And if that came across mean, sorry. I'm more distressed and worried than mean. Oh, well.

On to another day of taming the food demons. Make it a great Tuesday, k?

12 comments:

Anne H said...

Images of people with long candy cane spikes came to mind.....
poking you into some cauldron boiling over a fire ... like on bugs Bunny.....
or into a giant Food Fuckery Pit O' Despair!
Wow.....
Happy Holidays.... the non-food way!
*hugs*

Joy said...

Amen!! Almost all of us are probably going to have an occasional slip-up this time of the year but I def. don't get the mentality of planning to fail, i.e. I will allow myself so much off-plan foods on this, this, and this day. You're really not helping yourself at that point, you are setting yourself up from failure and that is just not something we should be advocating for ourselves; this dieting crap is hard enough without self-sabotaging. Loved this post! Here's to a happy and healthy holidays for you and yours!

Jacqui said...

great post! I tend to agree with you on most of this. I have always done baking at Christmas... the whole love with food crap.. when really it isn't. I will be baking on Friday morning one small batch of Harvest loaf to take for Saturday at my brother in law's. I make it a bit "healthier" .. and I really want something there for my daughter who has food allergies, so most baked items are out. But that is it. I have been considering doing a small batch of sugar cookies to take, but I think I like the idea of the loaf better. yep, it still has sugar.. and it's a treat, but at least it is less than cookies, no butter, and I use whole wheat flour.

For me though, it's no treats.. no plans to veer off the path. :)

Kimberly said...

BRAVO!!!
So true.
So well said.

What do you want more? To be thin and healthy or have baked goods because the calendar says you should.

It is all about the choice.

I know which one I'm making.

Anonymous said...

I completely agree. Thanks for putting it into words. It's actually something I worry about when/if I have kids.
The whole planning to fail mentality just kind of blows my mind. And yet I did it for sooooooo long. Crazy.

that TOPS lady said...

Thank you for commenting on my blog. Anyone who will discuss chin hair with me has got to be a friend! LOL Nice to "meet" you!

And great post! I am not cooking ANYTHING for the holidays. But I know that junk and I will be crossing paths over and over again. *sigh* I'm just ready for it to be over already.

the strawberry said...

I've had this exact same argument already today!! Over half of Americans are obese for a reason- and it's because we continue the same traditions that got us fat in the first place. Someone has to make the first move towards change to keep the generations that follow us from following down the same path.

I'm making my Mammaw's strawberry bread as is, but that's it. Everything else: Splenda, fat free this, fat free that.. I'm taking traditional dishes and cutting as much of the fat and calories out as I can. I'm actually in a weird spot because we're supposed to be putting weight ON my son (he's really underweight because of his medicine) while taking weight OFF of everyone else.

Digger said...

Princess, you are so right about simply not having the wrong foods around. That's why I am not baking a single thing this season, nor am I bringing any Christmas candy into the house. Staying under 1200 calories is tough enough without commiting food suicide via baked goods and candies. I know I am not strong enough to resist all the temptations of holiday fare, so I am keeping myself separate from them. Works for me.

And thank you so much for your words of encouragement. You were right about taking care of myself today, and I feel better tonight.

Diandra said...

With a little research on the internet or in the cook book aisle of your favorite book store, it may actually be possible to find less dangerous variations of traditional treats. I know that in one of my cookbooks that was written by a famous dietitian, there is a recipe for christmas cookies ("Vanillekipferl") that fits with most diets (except for diabetics) if eaten in small amounts. And if it has to be cake - why not try fruit tarts instead of fatty fancy cakes? Even while trying not to slip too far from your food plan, there are always possibilities of enjoying something special.

I mean, all the not-overweight people I know have their treats, only, if you look closer, most of them are less deadly...

Have a merry holiday!

Losing It said...

THIS is why I'm not making anything this year. Why even tempt myself? I don't need this test on top of others. :)

Ann (-50 lbs in -60 lb challenge) said...

An Uberfest of baking and frying? LOL Princess, great post, and that line just cracks me up!! I'm SO going to use it on someone today!! LOL

I hope you enjoy your Christmas ... merry, merry to you and the family!! xxox

Beth said...

A great post, work on building up some traditions that don't involve food! It's great to do actions and activities for a celebration and bring meaning through those things, not through food. There's enough fat around already, no need to add to it through our celebrations.