I have Compulsive Eating Tendencies, It's True

I love food more than the next person.  I always have.  Salty and crunchy win over sweet and savory any day.  I especially love crackers, chips and cheese.  They speak to me.  I also love red meat - the rarer the better.

This love of food was never really a problem growing up.  I started competitively swimming at the age of 8 or 9, so I swam every day after school, burning hundreds of calories each practice.  I could eat whatever I wanted and remain lean and muscular.  In fact, I needed to eat often to fuel my body so that it could work efficiently for me.  I swam every day until I was 17 years old, when a shoulder injury sidelined my dreams of being a collegiate athlete.  But I continued to work out on a somewhat regular basis and maintained a slim figure.

In college I was quite vain and went to the "Ramsey Center" on a regular basis to work out. I started running and became a pro at the eliptical and stairclimber.  Somehow I was able to counteract all the beer I was consuming.  Although, if I did take a hiatus from working out, I easily could gain 5 pounds.  But it was never a "problem."  And then in law school I really started running and worked out as a way to stay sane.  Also I'm convinced that the constant stress helped me to keep any binge eating at bay.

But then I started working a 9 to 5 (or 6 or 7) job and spent most of my day sitting at a desk.  Slowly, weight started creeping on.  Most people haven't noticed, but my clothes haven't fit quite right for some time.  I have a closet full of clothes and can't fit in about a third of them.  I've gone to a nutritionist, trained for a half marathon and tried to watch what I eat.  But nothing has been very successful.  I've been working out again on a regular basis and am in a place of loving my body again, but I still want to drop a few pounds.

So I joined Weight Watchers online.  And in 4 weeks I've lost over 3 pounds!  Which is huge for someone who doesn't have more than 10-15 to go in the first place.  So it's really encouraging!  And yesterday I wore a pair of jeans that 2 months ago made me look like a sausage...and not in a good way (if there is a good way...).

I like the way WW works.  All food and recipes are given a point value.  You're allotted a certain number of points per day, with an additional amount of weekly flex points and you get more points if you are active.  No food is off-limits - so you are not depriving yourself!  If I want chips, I can eat them - then I just have to give somewhere else in the day, or week or run an extra mile.  So far, I'm loving it and am encouraged to keep going.  I think the main thing is writing down everything you put in your mouth, which can be a challenge, but it makes you think before you take a bite.

Last week was the first week that I ate more than my allotted points.  I was over by 10.  And there's one reason for this - chips.  On Saturday, mom and I were painting the living room and working hard all day but I hadn't eaten enough in the morning.  So the afternoon came and I was hungry.  I said I'd just have one chip.  One turned into about 30.  And mom hit it right on the head when she noticed, when I'm hungry, I unconsciously eat whatever I have around the house.  It's a problem.  Always has been, always will be.  I love food.  And then Mr. Cob and I went out to Mexican...more chips.  And then we went out for a few drinks that night and came home and had a late night snack of, you guessed it - chips.  Needless to say, I ate 3 times my allotted points on Saturday alone.  Which is gross in retrospect.  But Sunday I woke up and started the healthy eating again and felt no regret for my binge the day before.  Because one day is not going to derail me.  And if I don't allow myself gluttonous days every now and again, I'd go crazy.

I am also trying to let go of the number on the scale.  I know that I'm a healthy person and not "overweight."  I just want my clothes to fit.  And it did hit me the other day just how proud of my body I should be - not everyone can go out and run 9 miles.  My thighs might be bigger than yours, but odds are, they're more muscular.

I also like WW because they have some AMAZING recipes - seriously.  Everything I've cooked off their site so far has been great.  The biggest hit has been the Shepherd's Pie.  I've made it twice in 2 weeks.  Mr. Cob told me I could milk it for 6 months straight and he'd keep eating it with joy.  So I thought you all might like the recipe.  And for those of you WW folks, it's just 5 points a serving :)  Happy eating!

SHEPHERD'S PIE:

Ingredients:

2 large potato(es), peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces (or I've been using 4-6 small potatoes)
1/4 cup(s) fat-free sour cream
1 Tbsp reduced-calorie margarine
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup(s) onion(s), chopped
2 medium carrot(s), diced  (I've been using 4-6 carrots - more veggies can't be bad)
2 medium stalk(s) celery, diced (I've been uping the celery count too)
1 pound(s) uncooked ground turkey breast
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp rosemary, fresh, chopped (or 1 tsp dried) (dried has worked just fine)
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cup(s) canned chicken broth, or beef broth

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and pour in enough water to cover potatoes. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain potatoes, transfer to a large bowl and add sour cream and margarine; mash until smooth, season to taste with salt and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery; cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add turkey and cook until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Add flour, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper; stir to coat. Add broth and bring to a simmer; simmer until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.

Transfer turkey mixture to a 9-inch, deep-dish pie plate. Spread mashed potatoes over top and using the back of a spoon, make decorative swirls over the top. Bake until potatoes are golden, about 30 minutes. Slice into 6 pieces and serve.