Eating off plan?

[yogamommy5]

Hi, I'm a newbie, almost completed 4 weeks. I have successfully negotiated some restaurant outings, special occasions and even pizza night.

However, I want to know if anybody actually PLANS to eat off plan (this early in the game). I can't see my going without my ultra favourite food poutine until I am close to my goal weight (I have 50 lbs to lose).

I certainly am not going to go order it down the street every time I get into a deep depression (self medicating with food) which happens a lot because I have bipolar.

But, every 2 weeks I have a tradition where I take my two teenagers bowling, and the only food there is burgers, hotdogs, fries and ice cream.
I have already managed to just have a burger with fixings and no bun, but I really would like to just order the poutine, since I am walking 15 min to get there and 15 min back and bowling a couple of games. Or maybe even split a poutine with one of the kids.

I know there must be hundred's of carbs in the poutine. What do others do? Is it possible to do this once every 2 weeks if you are good all the time otherwise?

P.S. Is there a trick to getting the smilies working??

[Relief]

what's a poutine?

about the smilies--first you have to hit the "post reply button" to get to the screen that has a smilie menu ( not just use the quick reply that appears at the bottom of a post) then second --in your message it shows up as code but will print as a smilie once you actually post it. preview it before you post to check.

[Gaelen]

Welcome in, yogamommy!
Relief, poutine is french fries, cheese curds and gravy (see this link: http://www.cs.umanitoba.ca/~gedetil/poutine.shtml )

I wouldn't order it regularly this early after starting the plan, and it doesn't really matter HOW much exercise you do prior to or immediately afterwards. Why? Because this, to me, has all the makings of a routine, emotionally charged 'comfort food', and if you already have emotional issues with food, it may be better for you in the early stages of eating like this to just walk away from the things that can trigger routine, habitual eating and cravings.

And poutine sure has all the makings of that kind of food. YMMV.

[gitfiddle]

Yogamommy, have you had a chance to read any of the Protein Power books? It's much more than burning off calories to lose weight. The first benefit of eating low carb, in my experience, is that the cravings back way off and can even go away, so you won't even want the poutine. Any time I have too many carbs for any reason, I have to put up with several days of cravings, which means more white-knuckling to get past them again.

Stress tends to induce me to go for comfort food, but in the long run I'm better off with some of the re-engineered recipes offered on this board that have reduced carb counts. This is very fresh in my mind, because I just had a foray into cheese-potato land a couple of weeks ago. :rolleyes:

I have to agree with Gaelen.

[back2me2007]

I agree I wouldn't eat that regularly either. Really after reading what it was I'd not touch it cuz I hate potatos. bleech.

If you are fine just having a few bites of it it might fit into plan. However if you know it's a binge food I'd skip even a few bites. Then cheese curd part fits into plan!

I know my all time favorite treat is butter cream icing on cake. I won't even chance it because I know I can eat a half a cake easy.

[yogamommy5]

Thanks for your replies. I have read Atkins books and some general low carb books, and look forward to getting the PP books. The book that has helped most so far has been "Living the Low Carb Life" by Jonnie Bowden, and that along with the Active Low-Carber forum lead me to PP, which is working great for me.

My physical cravings for the poutine are gone, but I still have psychological feelings about it. Thank goodness I have not had those awful cravings which made me need it like a drug and cry and be depressed and etc. etc. so my husband didn't know what was best to do. (I have bipolar, and though we would know the poutine was bad for me, it worked like a drug giving me temporary relief mentally).

I guess I shouldn't risk any of that coming back, but I have strong associations with it when it comes to the bowling or to our family vacation which will be in a cabin on a beach next to a great place that makes mexican and poutine (my only 2 addictive foods). These 2 places specialize in burgers, hotdogs, fries and icecream, no salads or veggies! I really don't want to change going to our local bowling alley or to our favourite vacation spot just due to my food addictions though.

[gitfiddle]

We used to have a saying in OA that "Desperate situations require desperate measures." That said, Mexican food is easy to render low-carb if you can stand to watch the others eat it and resist the chips and salsa.

My favorite is Plambras, a concoction of sauteed beef and chorizo and peppers and onion topped with a little cheese. I give the rice to DH and restrain myself with the beans. At one place that has absolutely nothing on the menu but a good musician, I eat the insides out of a burrito. It works.

A burger or brat without a bun is just fine and you can have a big salad another time of day. I realize the issue is emotional, and you can't necessarily change your whole family, even if you wanted to. My sister was really upset with me when I stopped being her binge buddy. We were the ice cream twins all summer!

We can't change all at once, but we can change a little at a time. You can always come to the challenge board and join us?

[back2me2007]

I agree with Carol. Just work around it as best you can. You know what. It's ok to have the mental "It's not fair I can't eat what everyone else is eatting tantrum" in our heads over these things too. I admit to having them!!! Another thing that I had a hard one with is say I need 2 big burger pattys to be satisfied since they have no salads/veggies is the cost of ordering two. We are worth it. Our health is worth it.
It sounds like you are right on track with not wanting to reopen those addictions. Is there a new habit of comfort you can substitite like a delicious coffee when out or something on that order? Something special just for you?

Yes! Do join the challenge! I'm a newbie too and the challenge is great.

[gitfiddle]

GOOD point, Mikki! Go for quality and start a new tradition. Billie and Gabe go gourmet and make me whimper when they describe their dinners. Randy goes to great lengths to create wonderful treats. Many, many people have contributed recipes to our collection right here on this board. I think Pat pulled most of the recipes off the old board, in fact.

I've come to enjoy a good cup of tea as a treat, myself. No matter where you go, there's tea.