What is the deal with holiday baking? Now that I'm not eating emotionally ( much anyway, I catch myself from time to time.) holiday baking really sticks out like a huge red flag for me. For many reasons.
Here are a few observations (my opinions only)
1. If you bake it, you are likely to eat it.
2. If you bake it and give it away, others will have to deal with it.
3. If you're eating lots of baked goods, what aren't you eating instead?
Okay, one of the things I had do do for both weight loss and weight maintenance was to kick Holiday Baking to the curb. In a big major way.
Here's what worked:
- Admitting that I was buying and baking so I could eat it.
- Admitting that I was enabling others to do the same.
- Stopped all holiday baking and candy making and cookie parties.
- Put my time into meeting with friends, family, walking outdoors.
- Give non-food gifts except coffee.
- Use spices that have a holiday flavor- but no triggers- cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves.
- Baking and eating
- Giving baked goods to people who had diabetes/obesity issues.
- Cookie parties where I vowed to only have 5-6 WW points of cookies.
- Time spent baking (and eating, and not wanting to be with others)
- Saying I was going to give non-food gifts and re-gifting food to others.
- Eating seasonal goodies and really wanting the spice/flavor, but getting hooked on the sugar/flour.
YES!!!! Holiday baking is the worst. I didn't do much this year --just the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I made Christmas Eve. I gave some to family, neighbors and coworkers. I did NOT want them in my house!!!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I can't even have chocolate chips in the house! If I need it for a recipe I buy exactly the amount I need and no more.
ReplyDeleteway to go, Karen! knowing what sets us off, and what we're safe with, is IMPORTANT in helping us live the way we really WANT to.
ReplyDeleteThe only baking I did was pumpkin muffins from Dr. Davis's Wheat Belly book. Since my parents are diabetic, I wish people would stop giving them carby treats.
ReplyDeleteEvery once in a while I run I to a (beloved) blogger who loves holiday baking with her kids, my suggestion is to switch the baking to COOKING and teach the kids how to cook whole foods. There are a lot of weight loss bloggers where part of the past problem was they did not know how to cook. So they relied on restaurant and frozen and packages. The gift to teaching a child how to COOK/prepare whole foods is priceless. It is like the old Chinese Proverb about teaching a man to fish.
ReplyDeleteThe other suggestion I have is to buy single servings. Last night is a good example, kids bought two servings of Apple Crisp from the bakery section of local food coop. They were large single servings. They split each in two for a total of four servings (husband and three kids). And then it was gone. No 9x13 of apple crisp because no one needs that much apple crisp. I could have baked myself a plain apple and added cinnamon. Or I could have eaten a plain apple with PB2 (have now conditioned my taste buds, not an easy transition, I wrote a post about having problems with real peanut butter recently). I considered both, but I am sort of beyond the substitution thing, and was not actually hungry.
ReplyDeleteGood for you recognizing the triggers. I have battled this as well. I know I can't bake...major trigger...my mom was horrible cook but an amazing baker...and the smell of homebaked goods in the oven just sets me off....so I don't bake. I buy candles to give the illusion of baking. It is good from my brain without the calories.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. Baking is my favorite kind of cooking but I have to curb my impulse for all the reasons you outlined.
ReplyDelete