I wanted to share these flowers with you for such a long time. But I waited for a sunny day. Finally it was sunny today, and will be tomorrow. Aren’t they gorgeous?!

And now to let’s talk weight loss.

This week I asked my buddies… oh, we have a new buddy who has joined our WLW. Meet Bernie!

So, I asked my buddies: You’re trying to lose weight and eat well but there is a type of food or drink that you love so much. Maybe it’s junk food or something loaded with calories but you just got to have it. You might be able to avoid it in the short-term for the sake of your diet, but not all your life. It’s your weak-spot-food. What is it? Why do you love it or crave it so much? And what do you do about it?

Bernie: In this, my attempt at weight loss #982 736 001, I am determined to succeed like never before. Gone are the days of fad diets, restrictive food lists, obsessive weighing and the torturous feelings of deprivation and despair… Read more at Bernie’s Yo-yo no more Blog

Sunny: I’m still not sure the right way to deal with all my favorite bad-for-you foods.  Should I limit myself to eating some of my favorite things only 1 day a week?  Like an “eat whatever you want day”? Keep reading at That Extra 20 Pounds

Joie de vivre: Weaknesses? Yeah, I can name a few dozen. Weaknesses can be shored up, however the irrational frenzy I feel when around a pepperoni pizza is another thing entirely! Read more at Joie de vivre: An amateur gourmet’s guide

Me: There are a few weak spots for me, but I can narrow it down to two, heavy cream and baked goods.

Since I can remember myself, I was fascinated by heavy cream. In savory dishes as a base for a creamy cream sauce, but mainly as plain, good-old whipped cream in desserts. Oh-My-Goodness how I love whipped cream!!!! Whipped cream is magnificent.When this stuff is near me, I want to eat the whole thing and clean the bowl with my finger.

The second best thing close to the heavenliness of whipped cream are baked goods. Oh my my. Any mix of  flour, eggs, butter, a little bit of sugar, preferably there are yeasts involved, mixed together and baked, or even better, fried! Oh boy. Not having those in my life is the hardest thing.

When I was pregnant and diagnosed with gestational diabetes these were forbidden. I tried to convince the nurse to give me a pass on an eetsy bitsy piece of baked good only now and then but she was a tough nut to crack. It was a no-no. I was miserable (then I discovered chocolate truffles, but that’s another story). After all what is a pregnancy if you’re not allowed to make your craving wishes come true? But there was a baby’s health involved so I tried to be good as best as I could. One week after the birth I ate half a cheesecake (and a few others) all by myself!

Avoiding my favorite food altogether is no solution. So what do I do regarding damage control? How do I have my cake and eat it too? Do not despair. There is an answer.

But first, I want to say this: I believe that if a certain type of food makes me/you happy, go ahead and have it, and it’s OK to really treat yourself and feel good about it. But, if I did it every day, I might end up feeling bad about myself. So… that said…

1. I hate to say it, but…. moderation is helpful.

I don’t make cakes like this Marjolaine cake or that strawberry shortcakes very often. I love them too much than to eat only one slice  or share them. Although last time we went out on a date, I gave the babysitter about a quarter of the Marjolaine cake to take home. It wasn’t pure altruism though.

2. Quality, quality, quality.

Pre-whipped cream in a can? No-no! my heart is after the real thing. Anything else is unappealing after you have real fresh whipped cream. (When I was in high school it used to be powdered whipped cream. I wonder now, what the hell was that?). It’s a no brainer to make (worse case scenario, you’ll end up with fresh butter) and truly heavenly.

I call myself a picky eater, but you can go ahead and call me a food snob if you want. Some people don’t care and will eat anything you give them. But I turn my nose away from old pastries or anything baked with sugar glaze on top or as the main ingredient, which brings me to #3.

3. Flavor, texture.

So many foods are really bad food hiding under a cover of sugar (or salt, or oil, or you don’t want to know what it is). I can’t stand too sugary pastries and cakes. Or whipped cream…Yuck. Eating sugar diluted with water? Not my thing. Unless it’s a sugar syrup in a cocktail…

4. Scarcity is precious.

Luckily, or to be more accurate, sadly, there is no real good bakery – that is, one that meets my expectations – in the vicinity. I have to drive to Seattle for a good bakery (like this one or this one – these places are so good, they don’t even have a web site), and I can’t do that too often due to my busy being a mom and having a job schedule…

So, you see, the temptations are minimized whether I like it or not.

Yes, I want to lose weight but if it means that I will never ever eat a freshly baked cake or be able to stick my finger in a bowl of whipped cream, then forget it.

I think my pickiness helped me lose weight so far and I’m still trying to find the way to make it work for me while I continue to enjoy the food I love.

Life’s too short for a fake diet shake.

Related Posts:

Weight Loss Weekly: Diet Soda?

Weight Loss Weekly: My Relationship With the Scale

Weight Loss Weekly: Having a Good Time

Categories : Weight Loss/Diet