Emotional Work

Doing Cambridge has it's own set of special emotions. It challenges our food issues, our sense of self esteem, our learned behaviors, conditioning from our youth, and so many other parts of our personalities. It's a LOT! Plus, eating is enjoyable and social and comforting...usually. Sometimes, for those of us with compulsive eating disorders, it can become a weapon of self destruction and loneliness. I remember my lowest times of my eating disorder, almost feeling like I was beating myself up with food. Probably sounds overly dramatic to those with lessor or different issues then I was dealing with, but it's the best way to describe what I was doing. It was a violent act against myself.

What I realized, as I progressed through this emotional maze of weight loss, was that 99% of my  viewpoint and my internal dialog was negative. I grew up a chubby kid and weight had ALWAYS been the focal point of my life. I visualized it like a wagon wheel, obesity being the hub and all other aspects of life branched off from it. Every choice I made in life had my obesity at it's center. There were no goals or ambitions made from a desire to lead a full and rewarding life. So many lost opportunities.

It was a process that took time, my emotional recovery. It was like building myself a new house to live in, brick by brick. Eventually, momentum kicked in and the bricks started seating themselves.

I consider myself a fully recovered compulsive addictive eater. That person is so far buried in my past, I can not even comprehend that was me. I still struggle with some things. I never did reach my ultimate goal of my high school weight. Not even close! lol!. But I have managed to maintain well enough to have made up for some of all those lost opportunities. The past 17 years have been some of the best, and most heartbreaking, but my miracle is that I have been able to experience these normal life events without turning to food or any other substance to cope. I'm happy about that.

April Monthly Special

Beginning April 1st

Go to: www.cambridgediet.org
Monthly Special for April!

Retail Customers:
Order $150 or more in Cambridge products and receive one FREE POUCH of your choice, ANY FLAVOR! One special per order.

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**If you are ordering online, please note monthly special and flavor in the comment field.

Detour

Due to a lot going on the past few weeks with my Daughter's cancer medical treatments, I took a break from my modified SSing and practiced eating sensibly. I've done ok, but I am getting back to my program now. It's been a stressful time, and in my past life I would have turned to food for comfort and sedation from the stress. But, food doesn't do that for me anymore.  In fact, I have little to no emotional attachments to food as I had most of my earlier life. Now and then I will get a mild craving for something...but it's typically not something I have hanging around the house so I just let it pass.

 With all the commuting we have been doing for my daughter's medical care, it has been pretty much impossible to stick to my plan, but things will soon be settling down...at least that's what we are hoping. She will be staying out there at Hope Lodge for her radiation treatments with us bringing her home on the weekends. At some point, I will be staying there too when she needs supportive care, but that will be manageable as they provide a kitchen and food storage for each resident. I can bring my blender and my Cambridge with me.

I still have not weighed. I may decide to once I get back in the groove.

Quick update

Just to let my readers know...my husband and I are still going strong on our diets! Yes...he has hung in there for 49 and lost 25 pounds so far. He only has about 18 more to get to his goal of 190. I am on day 53. I still haven't weighed but I'm shrinking! lol! We've really done well doing this together. I'm proud of him and of us!

I hope you are making progress to your goals. There is no better feeling then of being in control of your choices and behaviors, then reaping the benefits of better health and knowing it shows.

DAY 29!!!!!!

Wow! I can't even believe it! I am actually on day 29 of my diet. Time is flying by and I am very happy with the changes I am seeing. All my shirts are getting very loose on me and I got in to a pair of pants today that I haven't felt comfortable wearing in over a year and a half. All together a good day. My husband Andy is 5 days behind me and he is doing remarkably well. He will be weighing in tomorrow so I'm looking forward to seeing his numbers. His tummy has melted away and he feels so much better.

For the most part, I have maintained the majority of my weight loss from 16 years ago. I can fluctuate as much as 15 or even 20 pounds, but never more then that and as soon as I notice, I get right back to Cambridge and get rid of it ASAP. The first week in Feb, before my emergency gall bladder removal, I had lost 8 lbs of my holiday weight gain. Then I ended up in the ER getting my zombie gall bladder removed. I regained that 8 lbs and then some because I was SO hungry afterwards. Well..that weight is a distant memory now, gone and forgotten. I am now on track for reaching my ultimate goal. I'm still not weighing because I will know when I get there and weighing messes with my head big time. Ignorance is bliss whilst losing weight!

Too Good To Be True Cambridge Cake Recipes

 

Deep, Dark, Chocolate Lava Cake..YES!

For this I use one serving of Original 330 Dutch Chocolate or Rich Chocolate Shake (I actually use half of each) add 1 T Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder, 1/4c Splenda 0 cal sweetener, 1/2 tsp baking powder, egg white, and just enough unsweetened vanilla almond milk to make a thick batter. You could add some instant espresso powder if you like. I mix it with my little wire whip in a microwave safe cereal bowl. It should look shiny and like brownie batter consistency. Bake in microwave 1 to 1.5 minutes. It should still look moist in the center, but spring back around the rest of the cake. Cover bowl with small plate and cool upright in the bowl for a couple of minutes, then turn the whole thing over. The cake should plop out on to the plate, but if not, just loosen with a rubber spatula. When you turn it out there should be a fudgy center. Yes.. I said FUDGY! Seriously....this is so good!


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Super Oats Ginger Bread Cake

If you want some spice in your life, then you simple must make this! I use one serving of the FFL Super Oats Cereal that I first grind up in to a flour. In a microwave safe cereal bowl, mix the Oats, 1/2 tsp baking powder, about 1/4 c Splenda 0 calorie sweetener, 2 tsp cinnamon (or to taste), 1/2 tsp powdered ginger, 1/4 tsp allspice, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. You can adjust spices to your own personal taste. We like ours spicy! Add 1 egg white and enough sugar free vanilla almond milk to make a thick cake batter consistency. Mix well and bake in microwave on high for about 1.5 minutes, or just until no wet spots remain. Cover bowl with a small plate and let cool for a few minutes, then turn over on to plate to cool. Top with sugar free whipped topping. This makes a delicious moist gingerbread cake that is almost too much for one person. Yummy!!

Long time, No blogging

Hey everyone! It's been a while since I last wrote anything here. I've had a lot going on in my family that has kept me distracted from my normal life. These past few months have been very challenging for me and as people tend to do, I have been less then on top of things diet wise. I had my gall bladder surgery in Feb and the recovery was not fun, but now I'm feeling good in that regard. But..like some do...I managed to gain some weight post-op. My appetite was on fire and I probably doubled what I normally eat! Well..maybe not double..but enough to put back on the 8 pounds I had lost the week before surgery and probably another 10 on top of that! EEEK!!I also had to put down my much loved cat of 18 years, Mitzie. It was heartbreaking and added to all the other emotional issues going on.

So..now I am ready to get control of things again. I decided to begin Cambridge SS mid-day today. Not tomorrow morning like people typically do. I like to start for Dinner and then that way I get to sleep through a lot of the first 24 hours! Brilliant, right?

In a couple of weeks our pool should be at swimming temp. I am looking forward to having the exercise. But first I have to be able to get in my swim suit so thank goodness for Cambridge! Here is a pic of my beautiful Mitzie. The most wonderful cat in the world. I miss her terribly.

Weight Loss Challenge!!

I'm running a little contest for the next few weeks on my Support Board. We are having a weight loss challenge that is open to all Cambridge users who would like to join in. You can read how to enter and what the rules are here:

http://members5.boardhost.com/pam140/msg/1484974938.top

Be sure to get your beginning weight in to me tomorrow! Good luck to all who enter!!