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Pizza. I have decided that it is EVIL and the food version of crack-cocaine/heroin/meth to the person who is trying to eat healthy and keep calories/fat/carbs in check.
Sundays are my freebie days, and so last Sunday I indulged with the fam in pizza (among other things). I gained 4 pounds from my Saturday weigh-in to Monday. Then, on my supposed-to-be-back-on-track Monday, there was that leftover pizza still in the fridge. Calling me. Saying, "You know you want me. You can have. Just. One. Slice. Maybe just 1/2 a slice. That's it. 1/2 slice down. That other 1/2 slice is very skinny. You can have that, too, just be sure to log it and keep track." And then, I just felt like I couldn't eat enough of anything.
I normally try to stay below my 1400 calories per day and "bank" my extra calories for Friday or Saturday, but this week, coming off the slippery slope of pizza slices Sunday, I slid into Monday continuing the pattern. I went way over my calorie budget of 1400 by more than 450 calories!! In 13-14 weeks, I haven't done that. I have had to be very careful Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and continuing today to get my calorie average (for the week) back down to 1400 per day by Saturday.
Some of my 4-lb gain might have been due to salt/water retention...but maybe not all of it. I'm *finally* back down to the weight I was this time last week. So, no progress made this week due to PIZZA. I think I am going to have to treat pizza like an alcoholic has to treat alcohol. There's no having a little of it in moderation for me. I have to stay away from it and not even fool myself into thinking I can have "just a little bit." Nope. I have been indulging (with all manner of other kinds of foods) every Sunday since I started this plan, but never have my indulgences led into more indulgences after my splurge day ended. There must be something different about pizza for me. Obviously a trigger food.
I think the only pizza for me in my future is going to be my homemade kind on eggplant slices or on a carb balance tortilla. (Both of those are actually pretty good. Not the same, but still satisfying.)
Has anyone else figured out if there are certain foods that you need to 100% avoid because they make you lose all manner of control when it comes to eating? What are your trigger foods?
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 Comments
Pizza doesn't make me feel sexy....makes me want to put on the sweat pants and a ratty old t-shirt and never leave the house.......:)
18 Sep 15 by member: MightyFull
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So you learned that (for now, anyway) pizza is not something you can enjoy in moderation . . . that's a valuable lesson that only cost you a momentary 'stall.' Part of this journey is learning and understanding more about ourselves and what our 'triggers' are and you've done that, so don't beat yourself up too hard! You've already 'righted' yourself . . . I haven't 'tested' myself with pizza yet, because I fear it would have the same effect and I would fall into the abyss.
18 Sep 15 by member: losinit1655
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I can't even have pasta or breads in the house, not because I feel that I shouldn't eat them, but because I will always overeat with those!
18 Sep 15 by member: notelaine
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That's why I don't do cheat days or meals. It's too easy to give your self permission to keep eating. If I want something, I have it. I just plan it in to my day and exercise more if I can. Red light foods I try not to bring in to the house. If pizza does that to you, it might be better to wait a while before you have it again. You can learn to control situations like that. It takes time to build new habits.
18 Sep 15 by member: Suzi161
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It's been a while (quite a good number of years actually) since I've had regular, store-bought pizza. Before going on Atkins, I'd either make my own - I'd just make a batch of 6 to 8 thin pizza crusts and freeze them - or get the "think and crispy" Digiorno pizzas, either the spinach and garlic or the garden vegetables one.
Since I've been on Atkins, I had excellent results with pizza made with a crust using Tova carbalose flour + soy flour and another one (actually tried to make it for the first time two days ago) with the crust made using flaxseed meal and almond flour. The fact that I make my own pesto helps a lot with both flavor and being sure there's no hidden carbs. If I want "red" sauce, I mix half a tsp of paprika in the pesto I'm using to baste the top of the pizza crust.
18 Sep 15 by member: dayberndt
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I can't even have frozen pizza in the house or I will eat it. I may be addicted to it!! ha
18 Sep 15 by member: gayle39573
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Some foods are just not practical to try to fit in your diet. As just about everyone on this site can attest, carbs just trash all your hard work for the week because you just crave more carbs after eating them. Know your body and your limits.
18 Sep 15 by member: soonsoonsoon
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I have pretty much stopped eating breads of any kind Monday - Saturday. Since I'm counting calories, I just hate to sacrifice 100-200 of my calories in a day that I could otherwise use on something that I know will be better. My husband and kids have bread in the house, and I'm perfectly capable of being around them having it and avoiding it. It's not really even a struggle. I *do* enjoy a biscuit or toast or even a pancake (gasp!) on Sundays. I let myself have pasta and bread on Sundays. But *nothing* has put me in a tailspin like the "real" pizza. Not only did I go crazy with it on Sunday, but I just couldn't seem to keep myself out of it on Monday night. But prior to Monday night, I just was so hungry All Day Long. I think the pizza on Sunday affected my cravings/need for more calories all day the next day. Ugh. Learned my lesson. Pizza--not my friend.
Goodbye, restaurant/takeout pizza. I have loved you for a long time. I will fondly remember my first job as a waitress at a Pizza Hut and the free personal-sized pizzas I could get for working a 4-hour shift. And how, in my teens and 20's, I could eat you all the time and still be a twig. It's not you. It's me. I've changed. My metabolism has changed. I tried to keep our relationship going, but it's just not working for me anymore. I have to make a clean break of things. I don't think we can remain "just friends." I still love you, but I have to let you go. It's just something I have to do. For me.
18 Sep 15 by member: dbdmom
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I still tend to avoid any great amount of wheat and sugar (the latter isn't such a big deal though, I like savoury foods more than sweet). I did avoid them entirely for many, many years, because I knew pasta and pizza in particular were easy to overeat, and eating them (unlike anything else I ate) seemed to bypass normal feelings of satiety despite knowing that I certainly didn't "need" more of it. I avoided them for many years. These days, though, as long as I get adequate protein through the day, I feel fine going out for a modest pizza now and then (talking 1-2x a month, tops), but always keeping in mind what impact it will have on the rest of my intake - (not just calories, but nutritionally) for the day. What works for us is this one place - a local chain that has a complete nutrition calculator, and offers options like "half-cheese". (That's one of my best tips for shaving off hundreds of calories from a pizza). While I love most meats, (pepperoni!), the calories they add make the pizza much harder for me to fit in, so when we do fancy one, I just stick to the leaner protein options, and then load up on the veggie toppings for taste! My current favourite is only about 750 calories for the whole thing, but it's a very thin-crust Italian style rather than something quite deep/gooey! It's one lean meat (smoked reindeer), with onion/mushroom/jalapeno. What I wouldn't feel comfortable or good about is making it a daily thing, because I just really do my best on about 45% fat, 25-30% protein, and whatever's left, on more nutritious carbs like sweet potatoes, blueberries, etc. I don't covet it, it's just a fun bit of variety, and I don't give it more power than that, and I don't believe in "cheat" meals. How we eat should be something we can look at, and feel with confidence that we can stick with it for a lifetime; if I eat it, it's just what I had to eat, and I log it, and move on.
18 Sep 15 by member: real_gone_girl
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Pizza does that to me too. I'm an addict, once I've had it I can't get enough. The other thing for me is chocolate. Once I start eating chocolate then I want it all day long. If I just don't have it that is for the best sometimes, but I know I can't give it up forever. If I know there is only a limited amount, like 1 small candy bar or there will be no leftover pizza, then I do okay. It's mentally getting ourselves out of that "need" for particular bad foods and knowing when to allow them in.
18 Sep 15 by member: mars2kids
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Argh...I so get it! It is the wheat flour and gluten that is like crack for me...it becomes sugar in our system and sets up the cravings!
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I wish it was possible to hit "like" on each of these responses, so I just have to say, "Like," and thanks everyone for sharing, too.
@HCB--I think that this was a real revelation for me, because I so strongly noticed how the effect of my pizza intake on Sunday continued to impact me a full 24 hours later. The last slice of leftover pizza left our fridge last night, and I was soooo glad to see it gone, because just getting a whiff of it (when someone else in my household helped themselves) just made all my little nose sensors ignite and my heart start racing and my mouth start salivating. I'm sure, if I had long ears like a dog, my ears would've perked up as if I could hear the pizza. In 13+ weeks, there just hasn't been any other food item that seemed to just take over my whole physical response system.
@real_gone_girl--I'd like to try that pizza you're talking about! But...sadly I won't, because I don't think there's anywhere around these parts that would have smoked reindeer on the menu. :) But, for future reference, if I ever do allow myself to have real pizza again (but I'm not sure I should since it seems to affect me so much), I like the idea of asking for "1/2" cheese. Very smart!
18 Sep 15 by member: dbdmom
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Oh how I hear you, anything bread related and I am doomed... I am finding that high carbs are my worst enemy, can't believe how quickly the weight climbs with these foods...
18 Sep 15 by member: Re-energize
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I too love pizza and pizza loves me Dbmom. Sometimes you just have to eat it and get it out of your system. I would suggest only 2 pieces and then any leftovers immediately put it in a storage bag and freeze it. That way you can have it when the craving hits again!
18 Sep 15 by member: Rhonda512
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This sounds just like me !!
18 Sep 15 by member: krazycat 99
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Immediate freezing of leftovers! Good idea, Rhonda512. Now if I could just figure out a way to nullify the effects that pizza has on me...
18 Sep 15 by member: dbdmom
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just did the same thing last night . ..
19 Sep 15 by member: mrlpdl
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but hopefully ok since I had thin crust papa murphys gourmet veg pizza -ONLY 200 calories per slice :)
19 Sep 15 by member: mrlpdl
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potato chips are my nemesis; can't eat just one. So, avoid them totally.
19 Sep 15 by member: kclab
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we all have our demons...
19 Sep 15 by member: iulani
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