Food for two ...

It's difficult tackling eating issues when you're not able to worry just about your own food. I have to buy and make food for my son, as well as myself. But when I do, I risk compulsively eating it all. As we are trying to go gluten free, I made my son gluten free chocolate peanut butter rice crispy squares. But it takes all my effort not to sit down with the tray and eat them all myself. He likes candy, but I end up eating it. And forget about potato chips and ice cream.

So, now, I have a new tact. I'm still making his rice crispy bars of course - he likes them too much for me to stop. But for most everything else I buy the flavors and varieties that he prefers, the one's that I don't like as much. Instead of candy bars, I buy him chewy candies. Instead of plan or cheese flavored chips I get him salt & vinegar. Instead of chocolate flavors of ice cream I buy him the fruity ones.

He gets his treats and I'm not the least tempted to have any myself. As for the rice crispy bars... they'll still be a daily battle.

100 Calorie Packs

I like to eat. I've already said that. And sometimes I can be very compulsive about it. More times that I care to admit, I've sat down to have one or a couple of something and ended up surprised to discover I'd finished the whole package.

But I discovered a way to control the compulsiveness...

Each morning I measure and package 100 calorie increments of a variety of foods. I aim to put together 10-12 different things, covering the different food groups, as well as a few treat. I pack it all into a nifty, and pretty, lunch bag and keep with with me wherever I go.

So, if I'm running errands and I get the urge to eat, I can pull something out of my bag. If I'm driven to eat, eat, eat I can pull several items out of the bag. But that's all I have with me for the day, until dinner time. I can't accidentally polish off an entire package of anything and I'm not as tempted to stop and buy junk food if I already have stuff with me.

Some of my favorites...
12 cheddar cheese mini rice cakes
9 kalamata olives
4 dark chocolate Hershey Kisses
1 sliced Granny Smith apple
a small container of grilled chicken
1 mozzarella string cheese
a small container of watermelon cubes
a small container of berries
9 slices of low-fat black forest ham
low fat yogurt
steamed broccoli with vinaigrette
small baggy of baby carrots

It's Not a License to EAT

We're still making the shift to gluten free... having decided that it would be easier and far more economically feasible to do a gradual shift rather than cold turkey. And since we don't have any specific diagnosis at this point, there was no real reason to make the switch all at once. But I am limiting the shit to one week.

As a recovering food addict, one thing has become clear very quickly. Eating "healthier" and eating gluten free are not automatically licenses to EAT EAT EAT. Some part of my subconscious has been very comfortably thinking "oh good, it's gluten free (or organic or healthy or...) so I can eat as much as I want." And, of course, at this point in my life, I've become quite good at letting that little justification voice rule the roost.

But seriously... Lay's Ripple Potato Chips and Edy's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream are both totally gluten free! And, unfortunately, I still shouldn't sit down and eat a whole bag or bucket of either one of them.

It's critical to keep an eye on the big picture at all times. Many gluten free products still contain some of the other ingredients on our list... Corn syrup being the predominant one. And moderation must still be maintained. It can't be about making one change and throwing all the others out the window.

Man it's hard work! And a huge disappointment to that little justification voice!