Sunday, June 13, 2010

My newest best laid plan: three steps to vanquishing the dreaded grazing disease

I went back and checked through some of my old postings over the past year, and it seems that I have now publicly confessed to certain eating sins multiple times.  Specifically, I have openly decried my own sad weakness toward semi-unrestrained grazing.  In fact, I wrote exactly such a post last weekend.

Then I flew to London, England (you know, the country that was supposed to beat the USA in this weekend's World Cup action).  How did I fare during this week of travel in my efforts to stave off mindless eating?  Well, I had a largish bowl of ice cream on the airplane to and from my destination.  Further, I found myself breathing in a small container of room service Pringles every single night.  For shame, me!  The irony of it all was that I was a pretty model citizen otherwise, making wise choices at each meal occasion.  Further, I exercised with a fairly high degree of intensity every day except one -- the day I arrived on the red eye.  It's just too easy to wreck the benefit of good choices with a sprinkling a really foolish ones.

Here's where I am coming out on this.  This grazing nonsense has to come to an end.  It's one of my last, major unhelpful habits, and enough is enough.  So rather than continuing to confess to my eating sins, I now choose to use my little blogging pulpit to announce my new resolution to kick this nasty little demon habit.  I am hopeful that I can vanquish it without a full exorcism, so I am going to start with a more utilitarian approach.

First off, I need to answer the age old question (for me, anyway):  what exactly is the difference between a snack and a grazing session?  According to Dictionary.com:

  • Snack:  a small portion of food or drink or a light meal, esp. one eaten between regular meals.
  • Grazing:  1) to feed on growing grass and pasturage, as do cattle, sheep, etc.  2) to eat small portions of food, as appetizers or the like, in place of a full-sized meal or to snack during the course of the day in place of regular meals.


OK, that's the issue.  A snack is eaten between regular meals while grazing is done in place of regular meals.  Unless you are me and you are also having regular meals.  Said differently, a snack can be thought of as a pre-planned mini-meal designed to fit into a caloric equation (i.e., part of my 32 POINTS).  In my case, grazing would be an endless parade of seemingly innocuous food consumed in addition to my 32 POINTS.  The implications of and distinction between these two words should not be underestimated.

With this little etymological trip complete, I am now prepared to detail my new plan to tackle grazing.

  1. Getting a grip via the old POINTS Tracker.  I have been working at Weight Watchers and doing the Weight Watchers program for over 10 years now.  I am the first to admit that I have a hard time tracking my POINTS every single day.  However, I am now thinking about a tip I heard at a Weight Watchers meeting:  track the time of day that is giving you the most difficulty.  So therefore, I am going to start tracking all of my POINTS between meals.  If I do this for two or three weeks, it should go a long way in helping me stop the immediate damage.  
  2. Plan on snacking.  Ironic isn't it?  However, I know that I am going to need/want smallish meals between meals.  If I plan them in, that should help me avoid the feeling of deprivation which would then lead to backsliding.  The only condition I am setting for myself is that I pre-plan them and use a pre-determined number of POINTS.  Therefore, I am going to plan on one snack in the afternoon and one after dinner with target POINTS of two to three for each snack.  
  3. Restrict snack foods to Filling Foods.  The idea here is that if I am going to have a mini-meal, that means I should be using it with foods that are going to 1) serve a nutritional benefit and 2) actually make me feel full/satisfied.  Practically, this means banning processed foods from my snacking repertoire.  Foods now on the out list include pretzels, hummus, chips, and sadly ice cream treats (no matter how few the POINTS).  
Does this mean I am banishing dessert forever?  No.  It just means that I am not going to use it as a snack.  It means that I am going to eat dessert with meals, not on the couch.  

That's my story/plan and I'm sticking with it.  I will report back on my progress next week.  Wish me luck.  

Cheers,

dk

17 comments:

  1. David, it never ceases to amaze me how a whole week of painstaking angelic OP behavior can turn to mush when boredom kicks in and grazing begins. And the thing that drives me the most nuts is that I'll actually eat things I don't particularly care for, just for the sake of a little immediate crunchy/salty/sweet/you-name-it gratification. I finally had the Come to Jesus meeting with myself and realized that my three biggest trigger foods just had to go -- forever. Two are on the WW list of Big Bads, and I know why: When they're in front of me, portion control goes out the window. So for me, no more chocolate, ice cream, or chips of any kind. Having those official no-no's actually makes it easier to make better choices and get through the day. They are simply just not options for me any longer.

    From one grazer to another, good luck.

    Amy Gross, WWer in Austin TX

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  2. I can relate to the grazing thing as well, especially at work! Between the candy on people's desk, the birthday cake's, vending machine, etc...and don't even get me started on those evil months between October and January!! I have learned to work with it, and try to keep healthy snacks, water, etc around.

    Glad to hear we're all human!

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  3. Good luck in your quest for grazing wisdom, and keep us posted!

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  4. Thanks for a great post! This is one of my biggest problems, too. I think your definitions really opened my eyes! I'm going to post your link on my status!

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  5. I am having this same issue as well. I do so well all day...then 8pm hits and it's hummus city! I am walking to the frig right now to banish the hummus for good! Good luck to all of us!

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  6. David - Thanks for sharing. It's nice to get more male perspectives in the pursuit of healthy living. You would like my weekly blog titled Hey Dad, Lose the Gut that encourages dads to lead by example. keep up the good work!

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  7. Here's a little tidbit from MY WW leader - a snack is anything you can put under water and wash (ie. fruit, veggie). Anything else you "snack" on is considered a treat. Just a little tweak in the mindset/language, and it's helping me keep from "snacking" too often.

    Thanks for the blog! It's great to read a "professional" WWer's daily struggle with it all too.

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  8. My biggest problem too! Ugghhh. Bad thing is, I realize when I'm doing it and can't stop!

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  9. I love that you addressed this issue. I have also taken a stand to try to make snacking 'healthful' in that I am eating only fruits, vegs, yogurt, nuts and the like for snacks. My question to you is why have you forbidden hummus as a snack food? It is great for you, has so many delicious flavors, and is low in points, a great dip or condiment alternative. Maybe you should revisit that choice.

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  10. Thank you for writing this article. I was just pondering how I was going to deal with the grazing problem in my life. Great suggestions. I will give this a try.

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  11. I have the same problem, having the snack/dessert on the couch at night instead of after my meal. I will make that change. I do incorporate snacks in my day when planning my day though, so I stick to having them.

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  12. Thanks for this very timely blog. I am truly struggling with this issue myself. I fully recognize that I graze largely for 2 reasons: boredom and stress. I need a plan for managing these. I appreciate the info about what has worked for you.

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  13. Great ideas. And like many of the comments prior to this one-I to struggle with the grazing/mindless eating. Thanks for sharing!

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  14. Hummus banned? It's actually healthy, though I usually use it in a meal replacement with vegetables. It's a little points pricey for just a snack/treat, but I see this process as a lifestyle change. I'm not in to feeling deprived for a life time....it won't happen, so I want to be realistic and make better choices that are acceptable...not cutting out altogether.

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  15. I admire your strength! Personally, I have found myself analyzing my snacking as well, and found that if I start to drink green tea (with a slice of lemon) earlier in the day, urges for junk are easier to resist/replace.

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  16. GREAT post! I did have a topic suggestion (in case you need something for your 'Writer's block' file! A month or so ago you posted on Twitter a link to an article about couples and weight loss, which I thought was an interesting topic, and would make a great post for your blog to! Especially considering the difference in how women and men loose weight. Perhaps your wife could even ghost blog on her thoughts on the subject (unless you feel she knows way too much to be let loose on the internet!)

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  17. Wow...this post was JUST what I needed...considering I could be grabbing a double-handful of salty pretzels and peanut butter right now (evening time is my downfall...makes that 5am run totally pointless). Ugggh! So, my answer: I have been eating dessert after every dinner (jello with whipped cream) so that my meal is "complete" (and it's a zero points snack) PLUS I am now whitening my teeth with those disposable white strips at night. Can't snack (or talk!) with those things on! So far, so good!

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