Last night I went with my friend (the one who's been losing so well at Weight Watchers - and has finally made her goal weight and is two weeks away from Lifetime membership!) to visit another friend who just had back surgery. We brought her a pizza (that's what she said she's been craving). My WW pal ordered it with olives and mushrooms. She asked if I minded if we skip the pepperoni. No...I lied. But you know what? When we sat down to eat it - I didn't even notice!
Sometimes I think we are so used to eating the same things the same way that we don't even realize that we wouldn't miss them if they weren't there. I have never even entertained the thought of pizza without pepperoni. But I will now. And now I'm looking for ways to cut out other "non-essentials" to help me shed the weight. Like I did with diet pop (soda to you guys in other parts). I have been drinking it so long that now I prefer it. I can't even drink a regular pop anymore - ewww! Fat-free salad dressings are another. I don't mind them over the regular. (But not the spritzer type - that is just plain awful.)
My WW pal has made a lot of modifications in the way she prepares her food. She substitutes a lot of things that when all is said and done - she never misses. That way she says, she can still eat "normal" food - but with less fat & calories.
Often we think of dieting as eliminating certain foods. But it's really just about modifying them. Using Splenda instead of sugar, lo-fat cheeses, baked chips, yogurt instead of sour cream. We often THINK these substitutions will taste bad but when all is said and done - they really don't! Like the pizza sans pepperoni. It really still tasted great!
Sometimes I balk at having to pay a little more for something that has a "little less" but then when I stop to think about it - isn't it worth it? I'll pay a little more for a nice pair of shoes or a cute purse. I'll pay a little more for my skin creams and cosmetics. So why not my food? Doesn't what I put IN my body count for just as much as what I wear outside my body?
I can be so silly at times. Like when I picked up a loaf of lo-cal bread and put it back because it was 75 cents more than the regular stuff. Then turned around a bought a $5 bottle of shampoo because I liked the way it made my hair feel compared to the $1.99 bottle next to it. Gheesh! Where are my priorities??
I'm not saying I want to live on diet foods my whole life. Nope. But if I can learn to make some substitutions and alterations in the way I eat & cook - then I'm in! I CAN do that for the rest of my life.
Now if anyone can turn me on to a good alternative for butter....I'd be forever grateful!
2 comments:
I don't eat butter - but I know that my husband can't be without it and there isn't anything to replace it. :)
I have been making small changes. When I make eggs I try and use 50/50 the egg substitute and real egg. When I buy ground beef I spend a little bit more and buy the extra lean, I buy a small jar of peanut butter and make it the lite one, I love raspberries (they are my treat) they aren't cheap - but I think about how much I used to spend on candy and it makes it okay. It's all about tiny little choices. I am not claiming to be perfect, but I am not even close - but its just one day at a time.
What a great blog entry!
Your observations are so right...who needs the pepperoni?! Ok, well sometimes it's a good treat!
My wife and I don't even think about bread anymore (of course, until the waiter puts a hot basket of it with honey butter in front of us). This is a process...but we have to all have faith that we all can change for the better. It happens if we have faith in it, and it is far easier than we think it is.
Butter, is there such thing as a substitue?! Unlikely! But anything in moderation is fine I think...we have butter in our fridge, and use it from time to time. If you really want something a little healthier, you might try one of the spray bottles with no trans fats...some of them do add the butter taste you may still crave.
Have a great day and keep up the healthy living. Paying more for good health is well worth it (if you compare it to your doctor visits).
Keep it up!
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