When we think about our favorite foods, what do we think about?  Our Favorite flavor of ice cream?  Pizza?  Pasta?  Donuts?  Chilli Cheese Fries?!?!! 

 

Why do we do this to ourselves?   We know how we will feel after we indulge in our cravings...so why do we do it?  We all do it.  I got done with my competition and I went and ate Steak n Shake.  I was at my leanest I have EVER been.  I had worked the hardest that I had EVER worked before, and I go and "reward" myself with JUNK!  I ate things that are not really "real food."  I put toxins and horrible fats into my precious body.  How could I treat it like that?  I caused inflammation, water retention, blood sugar spikes.  YUCK!  I don't normally do that to myself. 

 

Treating junk food as rewards is backwards thinking.  We work SO hard in boot camp and burn 250-300 measly calories.  We work our butts off...literally...and lose 50 pounds, and what do we do?  We celebrate with a donut or cake or a steakburger...or all three.  We eat ourselves right back up a pant size.  Why do we do this to ourselves?

 

Exercise makes our bodies so healthy.  How can we reward ourselves with something other than food?  It is ingrained in our heads that when something good happens we celebrate with food.  If something bad happens, we eat comfort food to make us feel better.  Why?  We learned it over time.  When we were kids, our parents rewarded us with cookies for doing our chores (what are we puppies?!?!!?), Dairy Queen for winning our T-Ball game, pizza and movies when we had friends over.  It is something that we, as Americans, do.  We eat, and we eat too much of the wrong things and for the wrong reasons. 

 

Can we change it?  Of course, you can change anything that you set your mind to, but it won't be easy.  Recognizing it is the first step.  Stopping it before it starts (like with our own children) is the best bet.  Don't make food be your reward.  Remember how happy and satisfied you all felt when you left our healthy picnic?  How surprised you were when you realized that you did not have to have junk at a get together, and you can still eat and have fun. 

 

If you run to food every time you are up or down, find other outlets for your joy or frustrations.  Talking on the phone to a friend or to your partner usually makes you feel better without adding calories to your day.  Going for a walk.  Doing squats and pushups.  Think about how great you feel after you workout in the morning.  No one says you cannot have that feeling all day long.  You can do jumping jacks in your office.  :)  Just getting out of the kitchen and starting a project or doing one thing on your list will help.  Take your mind off of food.  Easier said than done sometimes (I know that better than you can imagine) but try.  Drink a big glass of ice water before you eat anything.  Many times we don't drink enough water, and the hunger that you are feeling is really thirst.

 

Finally, don't be too hard on yourself if you do eat that ice cream once in a while.  You get 4 X's on your food journal for a reason.  And if ice cream is the forbidden food, then it will talk to you all day long.  :)  I remember closing my eyes during my last contest prep, and I would see a big cheesy pizza.  It is sick I know, but I am right there with you at time.  Make sure you are eating the ice cream and really enjoying it.  Stop at one serving, not the whole container, and then eat something healthy for your next meal. 

 

Do you have any ideas about how we can stop rewarding ourselves with food?  What can we do so we don't pass that on to our children?  Please email me back with any ideas or suggestions.

1 large egg

2/3 cup finely chopped shallots

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 cups shredded seeded summer squash or zucchini, (2-3 medium, about 1 pound; see Tip)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400°F.

 

Beat egg in a large bowl. Stir in shallots, parsley, salt and pepper. Place shredded squash in the center of a clean kitchen towel; gather up the ends and twist to squeeze out any liquid. Add the squash and cheese to the bowl; stir to combine.

 

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pack a 1/3-cup measuring cup with the squash mixture and unmold it into the pan; gently pat it down to form a 3-inch cake. Repeat, making 4 squash cakes. Cook until browned and crispy on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Gently turn the cakes over and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

 

Tip: To remove the seeds from summer squash, cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. To shred the squash, use the large-holed side of a box grater.

 

Per serving: 130 calories; 8 g fat (3 g sat, 4 g mono); 62 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrates; 7 g protein; 1 g fiber; 322 mg sodium; 406 mg potassium.