I was put to test today and I...
 

passed! I bragged to everyone I know that I've lost a lot of pounds by
greatly reducing the carbs. People seem to be faster to let you know
that you gained weight than when you lose it... It's more fun to
humiliate someone than encouraging him, I guess.

Anyway, pieces of cake were distributed today at work. They did
everything to convince me to have one or more pieces. I said, "No
thanks. Giving me cake is liking offering a beer to a friend who is
A.A." I'm very happy with me!

I was put to test today and I...
 

On Apr 28, 9:20*pm, "
wrote:
passed! I bragged to everyone I know that I've lost a lot of pounds by
greatly reducing the carbs. People seem to be faster to let you know
that you gained weight than when you lose it... It's more fun to
humiliate someone than encouraging him, I guess.

Anyway, pieces of cake were distributed today at work. They did
everything to convince me to have one or more pieces. I said, "No
thanks. Giving me cake is liking offering a beer to a friend who is
A.A." I'm very happy with me!

Good for you. It's amazing how many people can know you're on a diet
and then try to force some food of their choosing on you. I've never
been able to figure out the psychological motivations behind this.

And I liked the beer analogy. It's something everyone should use.

I was put to test today and I...
 

Just to be clear, one slice of cake would not regain all your lost weight.
However, that depends on how many more carb-laden foods would be triggered by
that single slice of cake. That's where portion control comes into play. Some
people are so addicted to carbs that even one taste sends them spiraling
downwards back into old eating habits. Others can have that single occasional
slice of cake and continue on plan for the rest of the day. I'm just trying to
give you some options here. If you feel you can have a slice of cake without
slipping back into a carb-centered diet, you might consider enjoying it next
time.

Orlando

I was put to test today and I...
 

I find it helps to think of sugar and flour and their yummy products as
poison to me. If you eat some and it doesn't hurt you then you think you
can eat more. I confess I slip once in a while, like a little left over
Halloween candy, but it's better to just keep the attitude that "I don't eat
that."

Orlando Enrique Fiol wrote:
| Just to be clear, one slice of cake would not regain all your lost
| weight. However, that depends on how many more carb-laden foods would
| be triggered by that single slice of cake. That's where portion
| control comes into play. Some people are so addicted to carbs that
| even one taste sends them spiraling downwards back into old eating
| habits. Others can have that single occasional slice of cake and
| continue on plan for the rest of the day. I'm just trying to give you
| some options here. If you feel you can have a slice of cake without
| slipping back into a carb-centered diet, you might consider enjoying
| it next time.
|
| Orlando

I was put to test today and I...
 

FOB wrote:
I find it helps to think of sugar and flour and their yummy products as
poison to me. If you eat some and it doesn't hurt you then you think you
can eat more. I confess I slip once in a while, like a little left over
Halloween candy, but it's better to just keep the attitude that "I don't eat
that."

I understand how that all-or-nothing approach helps people, but it intimidates
and discourages me. My goal in life is not to be the kind of eater who avoids
carbs at all costs. There are plenty of culturally and aesthetically
significant situations in which carbs form a vital part of the foods consumed;
I don't want to be excluded from those situations. In other words, it doesn't
help my weight loss to resolve never to eat cake, bread, potatoes, pasta or
rice. On the contrary, it helps to know that I can have these treats
occasionally and in limited portions, while I can eat as many proteins and low
glycemic vegetables as I need to satiate my hunger. But allowing myself the
occasional carby treat doesn't translate to inattention about portion sizes and
meal balances. For instance, I don't eat carbs by themselves and never let the
portion of carbs exceed protein and vegetables. I also don't include carbs in
one set daily meal as the CAD or Heller diet advocates. Rather, I become
judicious about which carby delicacies will get my attention. Whereas before, I
would scarf down nearly any food I could find that didn't contain melted
cheese, cream or most fish, I'm now much pickier. So, at the original poster's
work party, I would have scoped out the cake and tried to ascertain where or
how it was baked and if quality ingredients were used. I wouldn't have wasted
my carbs on a mass produced factory cake from a box store. I similarly don't
waste carbs on fast foods, convenience foods or foods from questionable
establishments that don't prepare them with any care for quality.

Orlando

I was put to test today and I...
 

On Apr 29, 12:28 pm, Orlando Enrique Fiol wrote:
FOB wrote:
I find it helps to think of sugar and flour and their yummy products as
poison to me. If you eat some and it doesn't hurt you then you think you
can eat more. I confess I slip once in a while, like a little left over
Halloween candy, but it's better to just keep the attitude that "I don't eat
that."

I understand how that all-or-nothing approach helps people, but it intimidates
and discourages me. My goal in life is not to be the kind of eater who avoids
carbs at all costs. There are plenty of culturally and aesthetically
significant situations in which carbs form a vital part of the foods consumed;
I don't want to be excluded from those situations. In other words, it doesn't
help my weight loss to resolve never to eat cake, bread, potatoes, pasta or
rice. On the contrary, it helps to know that I can have these treats
occasionally and in limited portions, while I can eat as many proteins and low
glycemic vegetables as I need to satiate my hunger. But allowing myself the
occasional carby treat doesn't translate to inattention about portion sizes and
meal balances. For instance, I don't eat carbs by themselves and never let the
portion of carbs exceed protein and vegetables.

So, what would you do when the office jerk is trying to shove that
piece of cake in your mouth? Tell him it's OK, but you have to go
out and get some steak and vegs to go with it?


I also don't include carbs in
one set daily meal as the CAD or Heller diet advocates. Rather, I become
judicious about which carby delicacies will get my attention. Whereas before, I
would scarf down nearly any food I could find that didn't contain melted
cheese, cream or most fish, I'm now much pickier. So, at the original poster's
work party, I would have scoped out the cake and tried to ascertain where or
how it was baked and if quality ingredients were used. I wouldn't have wasted
my carbs on a mass produced factory cake from a box store. I similarly don't
waste carbs on fast foods, convenience foods or foods from questionable
establishments that don't prepare them with any care for quality.

Orlando

Seems to me scoping out the situation and making his judgement is
exactly what he did. How many office cakes have you typically seen
that were that great?

I think Mike's real point is how annoying it is to have some people
around that insist you have to eat what they want you to eat. Why
people do this remains a mystery, but I think Mike's answer to them
was a good one.

I was put to test today and I...
 

I was put to test today and I...
 

In article ,
Orlando Enrique Fiol wrote:

wrote:
So, what would you do when the office jerk is trying to shove that
piece of cake in your mouth? Tell him it's OK, but you have to go
out and get some steak and vegs to go with it?

Given the probable lack of quality in that office cake, I would have
declined.

Seems to me scoping out the situation and making his judgement is
exactly what he did. How many office cakes have you typically seen
that were that great?

Not many.

I think Mike's real point is how annoying it is to have some people
around that insist you have to eat what they want you to eat. Why
people do this remains a mystery, but I think Mike's answer to them
was a good one.

I agree and was never suggesting that Mike's answer should have been
different.
He scoped out the situation and decided to decline the cake as I so often do.
I
was just letting him know that in other cases when the carb is of good
quality
or especially appetizing, he can probably have some without derailing his
success.

Orlando

We're not going to open a confessional, or anything weird, are we?
--
- Billy
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html

I was put to test today and I...
 

Orlando Enrique Fiol wrote:

I understand how that all-or-nothing approach helps people, but it intimidates
and discourages me. My goal in life is not to be the kind of eater who avoids
carbs at all costs.

For some people specific foods or foods over some glycemic load do have
to be avoided at all costs or they get driven off the plan.

For some people they can eat anything on occasion and not get driven off
the plan.

Thinking you fall in one class or the other is just a guess. It's
something that has to be tried and learned for certain by experiment.
And it's not just binary on or off. There are shades of gray in between
that may need to be learned.

I was put to test today and I...
 

On Apr 29, 5:48 pm, Doug Freyburger wrote:
Orlando Enrique Fiol wrote:

I understand how that all-or-nothing approach helps people, but it intimidates
and discourages me. My goal in life is not to be the kind of eater who avoids
carbs at all costs.

For some people specific foods or foods over some glycemic load do have
to be avoided at all costs or they get driven off the plan.

For some people they can eat anything on occasion and not get driven off
the plan.

Thinking you fall in one class or the other is just a guess. It's
something that has to be tried and learned for certain by experiment.
And it's not just binary on or off. There are shades of gray in between
that may need to be learned.


I agree completely. It also makes a big difference where you are in
terms of a plan like Atkins. If you're only a month into it and have
50lbs more to lose it's a lot different than if you're at goal weight
and in maintenance. In the first instance, you have a lot to lose,
(no pun) in terms of screwing up the whole thing. In the latter case,
you know how your body reacts and a few days or a week of eating the
wrong stuff you can likely recover from without a long term screw-
up. An example for me personally is when I'm traveling on vacation.
If I'm in Paris or Italy, while I still choose a lot of LC type food,
I'm also not going to deny myself some delicious desserts, some
lasagna, and pizza.

I think we are all on the same page here on this one.