Determined To Succeed

Cravings. What is it about them? They happen all the time, everywhere. Being an emotional eater I’ve had my share of them lately (especially when I had to drop a very unexpected $2K on my car for maintenance) and I wish I could stop. Milky Way bars, egg rolls, cheese fries, Cinnabon, Auntie Anne’s pretzels and more. As I’m writing this, I have a craving for my usual cup of extra cream, extra crunchy (sugary) coffee.

You know how it is when you get a craving for something. Don’t ya? You’re deep in thought about how to save the planet, the report you have to do the next day at work, errands you have to run – it doesn’t matter. Once that craving hits you it’s like all the other thoughts in your head all somehow lead back to that craving and you try to justify it in any way possible…

“It would certainly help me think better about saving the planet/these errands/this report if I had (insert the name/type of craving you have here) in my tummy.”

I even heard from one of my friends on Twitter today who had a taste for birthday cake this morning – even though it’s eight months until her birthday.

Lately, I’ve had one helluva craving for strawberry ice-cream. I don’t know what it is or why but there are times when I’m just sitting on the couch and all I can think about is having a pint of good ol’ bad-for-you strawberry ice-cream. The last time it hit me was just the other night. I was watching the Chicago Bulls get beaten by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Playoffs (I was also craving a little bit of home). I was sitting on the couch wondering how much effort it would take to actually get dressed, drive to the store and purchase a pint. Is that bad? OK, I know the answer to that. “Yes, it is.” But if we had beaming technology I would have been so there at the Wawa (the best convenience stores on the planet) looking over the freezer to find a pint of Haagen-Dazs Strawberry Ice-Cream.

Yum.

I think ultimately I replaced one sweet craving for another. I have done a really good job as of late weaning myself off of Coca-Cola (at least as much of it as I’d been having) so I think at night, when cravings really get bad and my cravings are strongest, instead of reaching for a Coke I want to reach for ice-cream. It just so happens that I’m too damn lazy to get dressed to go get a pint which is a really, really good thing. I have also been doing my best to be Zen about my cravings. I allow myself to have my cravings every now and then so I don’t turn into a miserable, grumpy bastard but I also control them and don’t make them a part of my every day. However, it all means one thing – I soooooo need to go shopping and get some good healthier food in the house. I need to at least follow the advice of the personal trainer, Jorge, I saw recently…

1. Apples and peanut butter is a great mid-day snack.
2. Cheat with a liquid – sugar free Jello, frozen yogurt, water ice or low-cal pudding
3. Cheat with a fat – like eating a cheese steak without the bread, wings, ribs, cheeseburger without the bun

These suggestions may not help me stem my cravings for delicious strawberry ice-cream entirely but seeing my numbers go down gradually on my electronic scale sure as hell does.

It always feels good to know there are others out there like you. It could be that you’re a certain height. Or have weight issues. Or like Kermit the Frog green. It doesn’t matter. We all want to feel connected and we all hate the feeling of being alone. Which is part of why yesterday’s 6ABC webchat about weight loss was so cool. It allowed three of us to tell the world-at-large “you are not alone.”

Here’s a short who’s-who of the other wonderful people I met yesterday. Tim, a businessman who flies often, used to top 500 pounds. Asa was 200 pounds. Asa and Tim (and yours truly) lost weight (Tim, over 250 pounds and Asa, 60) the time-tested way – by eating less and exercising more. (For more on our story you can watch the ABC Action News piece on the right side of this very page. Just click play)

As I sat yesterday answering questions and downed the sweet nectar that was my Dunkin’ Donuts coffee I knew I wanted to put fingers-to-keyboard and make today’s blog all about questions and answers. It’s also about not feeling so alone out there in the real world of weight loss challenges. Yesterday, I described the story I’d heard about a young man going through his own weight battles and challenges whose only 12-years-old.  His story touched my heart because I could totally relate to his personal experiences both in feeling fat but also suffering the barbs of other kids point that out on a constant basis.  But as we “fat kids” grow up some of us, like me, get worse and are always looking for answers and a sense of connection. Today (and every day) I hope to provide both.

It’s not often I get to take questions in real-time about weight loss. Usually I receive e-mails asking me the “hows,” whens,”and “whats” of weight loss but not in the fast and furious world of live TV or a live audience. Below are some of the questions we received yesterday and the answers we gave. I do hope they help.

My friends, welcome to Sunday and the first full day of Spring. The weekend winds down and the hours count down to yet another Monday. This has been the best weekend yet, weather-wise, and everyone (at least it seemed like everyone) was out and about enjoying the beautiful 70+-degree day. But for me, there was a shadow looming. A shadow that’s been following me around for days now that I can’t seem to shake (mmmmm, a shake sounds good. Doesn’t it?) And what was that shadow? That spectre looming?

“Snack Attacks,” that’s what.

I think I have done OK overall, both with exercise and eating. But while this was the best weather weekend it has been one of the worst for the “snack attacks.” It’s weird. I have had such cravings for snacks especially at night. I’ve craved chocolate (my precious Milky Way bars), soda (my ice-cold Coca-Colas) and, believe it or not, ice-cream (strawberry, please). I have to say I am sooooo glad I am following this meal plan because it made me go out and buy healthier snacks like Jello and pudding packs, string cheese and my darling clementine oranges. I’ve also snacked on yogurt as a nice compromise for ice-cream. If I didn’t have these in the house I would have gone straight to Wawa and gotten one or more of these, curled up on my couch and watched TV – a deadly combination.

Today I’m going to supplement my weight workouts with cardio as well as some weight training. That should keep my momentum going in terms of exercise. And during that I’m going to continue to try to curb my cravings for my old (and new) kryptonite. Grrrrrr.  As long as I keep telling myself I don’t need it my mind begins to believe it and I win that particular “battle of the bulge.”

Here’s how I did yesterday with my trainer-prescribed meal plan:

Meal 1 Oatmeal (I replaced this with my Kashi Warm Cinnamon cereal)

Meal 2 String Cheese and Yogurt (this I did have)

Meal 3 Lean Cuisine (while I didn’t have one for lunch I took the suggestion and had baked chicken with veggies)

Meal 4 Apple with Peanut Butter (OK, I cheated here a bit and had two egg rolls. I had a taste for Chinese food and instead of giving in full to the cravings for egg foo young or beef fried rice I had these. They did the trick)

Meal 5 Steak, String Beans and Salad (here is where I had a small salad with fat-free dressing, a spaghetti with meat sauce Lean Cuisine and two yogurts for dessert).

It’s so hard sometimes. When I stop for gas or, worse yet, go into the mall I’ve had to resist more and more the smells and sights of Auntie Anne’s, Godiva Chocolates, Cokes, the food courts…all of it. Damn! But here I stand able to say I did resist (for the most part) so I could continue my downward trend.

I will report to you guys tomorrow to let you know how I did today. Hopefully I can resist the draw of a warm pretzel and mustard, a Milky Way or that ever-taunting ice-cold Coca-Cola. In the meantime I’m going to enjoy as much of today as I can before the rain comes and the temperature dips and reminds us, yet again, that it’s not summer quite yet but beautiful springtime…

…no matter how many “snack attacks” lurk in the shadows.

Hey there and happy Friday. I feel sort of like a TV reporter out in the streets reporting live from some scene of some news happening…except that I am reporting from the Honda dealership where my car is in for a diagnostic to determine why I smell a slight burned smell coming from my engine.

To my left is the complimentary donut display. Do you know how freaking tempted I am to have one. Ooooh, they look good, too.  Jelly filled ones and chocolate ones. They even have blueberry muffins. Dammit! That’s OK, though. I just had coffee and I am good.

Why are donuts so damned delicious? To me, donuts and muffins and stuff remind me of the bakery I went to as a kid with my mom. The sweet smell of those pastries was intoxicating and since then I appreciate a good donut, especially the jelly-filled or cream-filled ones, from time to decadent time.

As I am just about ten pounds above my goal I am stronger in my resolve NOT to have a donut. I want to get back to my goal weight. Doesn’t mean I’m not gonna have one of my Sugar Free 60-calorie Jello pudding snacks when I get home but 1) it’s a treat and 2) it makes me wait for it. Both of which are good things to keep in mind.

Today just makes me think about how we all should take care of ourselves as much as we take care of our cars. I know we need our cars to get us from point A to point B but we have to be healthy, too. Check under the hood every now and then to make sure things are running OK. And ten pounds ain’t bad in my book as I will get back to 225lbs. I promise you that.

Until then, and for today, this is Bill Ivory Larson reporting from the car dealership where my car, and myself, are getting healthier.

Although I keep glancing at the clear donut box. I wish people would hurry up and eat the damn things already!