Stop Torturing Yourself with All This Food Porn

Family & F.I.T.  |  Debbie Hatch

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A friend sent me the recipe for these Bailey’s pudding cups, several weeks ago and challenged me to “fix it”.  This happens frequently.

The request usually means, “lower the fat, sugar, and calories please.”

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And, I usually do it.  I’ve “fixed” a few recipes in my day, and I made these Bailey pudding cups too.  Mine weren’t as pretty – for sure!

The difference is 773 fewer calories. 47 fewer carbs, 73 less grams of fat, and 3 less of protein; and my recipe is below.

BUT…………

BUT……………..

BUT…………………

 

I NEED TO CLARIFY A FEW THINGS!

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===> Here’s what I believe.
I believe in nutrition for life. I believe in eating from all of the food groups. MOSTLY unprocessed whole foods. Protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats (e.g. nuts, avocado) with treats occasionally mixed in. I don’t believe we should feel guilty about what we eat: and I don’t believe that food should be used as a reward (“hooray, I exercised today, now I can eat cake”) NOR as a punishment (“I haven’t been exercising, now I have to eat a plain green salad”).

I don’t believe in die-ts. I’ve tried them all!!!! Low fat, low carb, pure paleo, grapefruit diet, skim milk diet, and my favorite (the Suzy Q, nicotine and caffeine diet). I lost weight on every one of them. I also got sick on a couple. NONE of them allowed me to achieve sustainable weight lose. NONE of them made me healthier.

Are Suzy Q's "bad"? No. Do Suzy Q's provide sound high-quality nutrition? NO!

Are Suzy Q’s “bad”? No. Do Suzy Q’s provide sound high-quality nutrition? NO!

 

===> Here’s what I want you to know about the recipes I “fix”.
I want you to know that we can change recipes to make them more macro friendly. Even little changes (for example, using Oreo thins [100 calories, 19 cabs, 2 fat] instead of 5 Oreos [267 calories, 42 carbs, 12 fat] like the original recipe calls for; or switching from full fat whipping cream [555 calories, 59 fat] to lite whipped cream [40 calories, 2 fat].) That’s easy – those little swaps are awesome and you can make a huge change by just implementing such seemingly small things into your recipes and daily nutritional habits.

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Here’s where I feel I’m not adequately making my point.

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===> You really need to understand this, too.
I believe in focusing on what you’re trying to do (lose fat, gain weight, gain muscle, become more fit, get stronger, decrease your medication, become more mobile) and eating accordingly. If you want a 1,143 calorie dessert…. have it, because making a lower calorie version (for most people) won’t satiate the craving anyway. Don’t stress about it. Don’t worry about it. Don’t feel guilty about it.

But (and this is a big one!) you must also be willing to accept responsibility for your choice.  The fact is, we CANNOT routinely have a dessert that takes up 75% of our daily calorie allowance and expect to be successful at reaching our goals. We just can’t. That’s not realistic and it’s not possible.

 

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If you’re susceptible to cravings because you see 1,000 new recipes in your FB/Instagram feed every day, try decreasing the temptation.

 

 

 

 

  • Do away with the trigger.
  • Stop torturing yourself.
  • Unlike some of those pages.

 

You are doing nothing but making yourself miserable by looking at these things and thinking, “Oh. I would love to have that!!!! But, I can’t.  Trust me, I get it.  I sooooooo get it.  When I was competing regularly, the food porn on my Pinterest was excessive.  There were so many things I “couldn’t have” that all I did was look at pictures of food, look at recipes, and dream about the things that I wanted.  I was miserable.  Seriously, what does seeing those posts every day do for you?  Other than make you want that food……..

Most food photos don’t come with a warning label, but should!

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Pinterest and Google are going to be right there. When you’re actually getting ready to make something, or in the mood to try a new recipe, go look for one THEN.

 

 

 

 

 

Before you salivate over every delicious recipe that comes across your field of vision (there are a LOT!!!!!!!!!! Again, trust me, I know.), spend ten minutes thinking.

  • Think about your goals.
  • Think about WHY you set those goals for yourself and what you’re really trying to accomplish.
  • Think about all of the things you can have; the things you can do; and the things you are going to be able to enjoy once you accomplish what you’ve set out to do.
  • Think about whether you really want the dessert OR (and this is the much more likely answer) whether it is something you’re thinking about because you just saw a picture of it flash by?

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