Thursday 28 January 2010

NSV, sort of, kind of

Well, it's not an NSV in the traditional sense, since most NSVs revolve around weightloss, getting fitter, clothes looking good, etc, etc. But, guess what? My NSV revolves around food; well, drink.

Today I had another hot chocolate with whipped cream - hey, I'm like a dog with a bone here, no way was the hot choc going to defeat me, despite my claim that I was going to learn my first banded lesson and not drink it anymore. And, guess what? It would appear that I have battered my band/stomach/whatever into submission because today the hot choc stayed in! Woohoo!

Have I done the right thing? Should I have given up on the hot choc? It's not like it's vital to my wellbeing and, prior to being banded, I wouldn't even have worried about having them this often, in fact my favourite drink at a coffee shop is a latte (esp. gingerbread latte). So, what's it all about? I'm not sure I can explain it to you all because I can't really explain it to myself. It's something like this: my head hasn't caught up with the band situation yet, I don't think. I can't yet let go of the fear of 'going without'. When I go to a coffee shop, I consider it to be a 'treat' despite the fact that I go probably 4-5 times a week. Treats don't happen that often, do they? Surely something that occurs so regularly is just 'something I do'. So, I should stop considering my coffee shop visits as 'treats' and perhaps then I'll stop ordering 'treat'-type drinks. You see pre-band, I could never go into a coffee shop without ordering a cake 'as a treat' (whether or not I was hungry, and more often than not I wasn't hungry, but still ate it) so now that I can't have the cake I'm looking for a liquid alternative and that's where the hot choc and cream comes into play. Before I was more than happy with a latte as 'my' drink, now it has to be a hot choc - grrrr, why am I doing this? Because I'm 'missing out' on the cake and I know I'm thinking to myself 'as soon as I can eat cake again, I'll go back to having just a latte'. ARRGGHHHH! A (gingerbread) latte is a really enjoyable drink, so why can't I be satisfied with one? Why do I have to order a drink that 1) I wouldn't usually bother with, 2) caused me no end of discomfort the last few times I drank it and 3) is laden with sugar and fat? It's the whole issue of re-training your brain as well as your stomach, isn't it?

I'm sorry if this post seems like a lot of rambly nonsense but it's hard to explain concisely!

6 comments:

  1. So I kind of get what you are saying because I have similar issues with other types of food.

    I had written off coffee shops altogether as a place I'd never be able to go to because of all of the empty, liquid calories. On the way home from the mountains this weekend we stopped at a Starbucks and I was kind of sulking around until I saw that they had new tea drinks. I got a great vanilla tea and it really was a sweet treat with no calories.

    Maybe you could try something like tea that will still be sweet without all of the calories and sugar of the hot chocolate or latte? That could become the "something that you do" and the hot chocolate or latte could become a real treat!

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  2. Ok...in response to your post, here is why I am fat: you know how some people have a bad day, or they're depressed, or stressed out and they eat? That's not me at all. I am a HAPPY eater! And I am happy so much of the damn time! Everything is a celebration! Trip to the coffee shop? I deserve a "treat", trip the mall...oooh..."treat!" I bet if you really sat down and thought about it, all the treats you give yourself are yummy ones. I'm starting to really come to terms with it, and I'm noticing it more because the second I get to a mall, my brain is saying "TREAT!!" and I have to tell it to shut up! Next time, try...just try having a green tea. It's cheaper, it's hot, and it's good for you! Also...NO calories! If you hate it, well...then you hate it, but if you love it, and can replace 2 out of 3 hot choccies with it (because let's face it...we have to live a little!!) then I bet that's like a pound a month! And then, make your treats things like a new magazine when you lose a lb, or a mani and pedi when you lose 10! A good friend of mine did that, and she lost nearly 100lbs with no band! Anyway...that's what I'm trying to do right now. Want to try it with me?

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  3. So...why did you get the band? You realize that this band is designed force cutting down on treats right? If you replace all of the 'treats' with liquid treats you are not going to lose the weight right? Instead of trading the cake for liquid calories why not keep eating some of the cake? I can eat cake. I just cant eat a whole piece of it anymore. by eating two bites of the cake you are ingesting fewer calories than you are the hot chocolate. In fact I bet that hot chocolate is as high as the cake was (of course wait unti you are on solids again---I cant remember if you are yet? are you??

    ...This winter I had a bit of a peppermint mocha habit. They accidentally put the whip on it and I drank it...when I got home I looked up the calories. 120 extra on top of my drink!!! It was not worth it. here is a link to the starbucks lineup and the different calorie cutting or increasing options. They also have the baked goods nutrition information. The numbers always help me make an informed decision :) Even if you are not going to Starbucks you can get an idea of the caloric payment for these treats.

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  4. Crap..I put it in there and it didnt show up..trying again...http://www.starbucks.com/retail/nutrition_beverages.

    I hope that doesn't sound to harsh up there...I don't mean it to be. Have a look at the calories..some of them are eye popping.

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  5. Thanks for your comments! I know full well that I'm sabotaging myself with these "empty" liquid calories but I'm still working to convince myelf/my brain to work WITH the band and not AGAINST it. I am only 9 days post-op so it's still a work-in-progress. I know there are lo-cal options of all the drinks in any coffee shop (unfortunately I don't like tea, and me a Brit! although I am going to give peppermint tea a try), but all through my pre-band life I knew there were lo-cal options of everything I ate, but did I choose them?!
    However, I don't want to let myself down, or my family or my fellow bandsters, so I really promise to try and steer clear of the hot choc. Thanks for kicking me up the butt!

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  6. shh Justine...don't tell about the tea...they'll kick you out of the country! lol!

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