I've noticed over time that it is common
to feel that Life gets in the way of one's Goals
and keeps us from reaching them.

Life is full of unexpected events.
Some of them are pleasant, and some are not.

Weekends, Holidays, Vacations, Celebration Events
happen for us all.

Everyone experiences Crisis Situations.
Things like health problems, financial problems,
relationship problems, family problems,
We go through changes in our environment, our homes, our jobs,
our daily routines.

Sometimes a crisis involves us on a personal and physical level,
other times it involves us emotionally because
it is happening to the others we care for.

The Point is, that even in such difficult times,
it is up to each of us to keep our ultimate goals in mind.
If weight-loss or maintaining weight-loss is an important goal for us,
then we need to work to keep our eating behavior off a roller-coaster
in these Life Situations.  
  We need to work to stay steadfast,
and learn not to use these "unusual" times
as "Exceptions" which give us permission to eat in a manner that won't  
keep us directed toward our goals.

Right now I'm experiencing a small and very minor "life crisis".
The hot water pipes under the concrete foundation of my house broke,
and early next week, all of the hot and cold water plumbing
will be re-routed through my attic
and down my walls to my sinks, tubs, toilets etc.

We have been living with only cold water for the past week,
and in a couple of days we will have to leave our home
and stay in a nearby hotel for several days while the work goes on.
Our 10 year old moody cat....who has never left my house and yard
(except for brief visits to the vet) will be coming with us.

Upon our return it will be up to me to deal with contractors who will
be repairing our walls. This will also involve painting walls,
as well as a strip on the front of my house
from the water source to the ceiling,
and new wallpaper in both bathrooms,

 I am very fond of my home. I've owed this house for 37 years,
I raised my children in it, and I'm finding this emotionally difficult,
as well as being a big time nuisance.
This is also a large and unexpected expense, although
I am fortunate enough to have homeowners insurance
that will pay about half of it.

So, this is one of the times that I could use to justify
Life getting in the way of my eating goals.
However, I am working very hard to keep from doing this.
Although there are routine things my situation keeps me from doing,
there are other things I can do to balance that.

I am working to avoid that mentality of throwing the baby out with the bath water.
that natural tendency that many of us have to say,
"oh well, I'll just eat what I want and deal with it later".
If I dent my car, I don't ram it into that obstacle over and over again.
But that is the kind of thinking we dieters often justify.

 So it goes. 
Maybe I'll be offline here a few days,
and maybe I won't.
But for certain, I'm going to be working really hard
toward eating behavior that will help me
toward my ongoing goal of maintaining my current weight.  

Recently I posted another cooking video, Creamy Crab Salad,
which is located at DietHobby, under RECIPES, Mealtime.
This is a low-carb recipe that is low-calorie when eaten in small amounts.

Portion control is understanding
how much a serving size is
and how many calories a serving contains.

Portion control is important for weight management
since a person’s weight is determined by their total calorie intake.

Healthy eating, (using Aristotle's philosophy)
is the desirable middle between
the extremes of excess and deficiency (over-eating and not eating enough).

A "serving size" according to a package
may bear little resemblance to the amount of the food
which most people eat at a time.

First-time dieters can find the process of calculating serving sizes
and calorie counting confusing;.
and because there are so many varieties of supermarket products,
serving sizes are commonly inaccurate.

Portion sizes can be estimated by using objects as a point of reference.
One way of determining portion size is to compare hand size.

For example a healthy serving of protein should not be larger
than a palm size piece of meat.

Carbohydrate servings such as pasta can be measured by fistfuls.
A healthy serving of pasta should be one fistful.

A great many people don’t understand that
a standard “serving size” is NOT the amount of food
that their parents, family, friends, or restaurant places on a plate
and serves to them.

Here are some examples of standard serving sizes.
If you only have half, you’re having one-half a serving;
and if you have more,
consider the fact that you’re having extra servings.

One serving of grain:
one cup of whole grain cereal, one fourth of a bagel, one cup of pasta.

One serving of vegetables:
five cherry tomatoes, five sticks of celery, one whole carrot.

One serving of fruit:
a medium apple, fifteen large grapes, half a banana.

One serving of dairy:
one cup of milk, three cheese cubes, half cup of low fat cottage cheese.

One serving of meat:
1/4 chicken breast, daily guide line: one fist full per meal.

Fats and Sugars:
as little as possible, dairy and meat contain plenty of necessary fat,
while fruits contain enough natural sugars.

Recently I posted another cooking video, Peach Quick Bread,
which is located at DietHobby, under RECIPES, Sweet Tastes.

This is a reduced-carb and reduced-fat recipe
and is low-calorie when eaten in small amounts.

It contains wheat and some sugar, and is a tasty treat
for those who have a food plan which allows those specific foods.

                    
Many of the posts in various diet forums
deal with the subject of Bingeing.
Recently, in one such discussion,
one of the members asked other forum members this question

“Have you ever examined when the binges occur,
what feelings you have before the binge?
I mean, have you ever considered they may be
a reaction or an acting-out to something other than food restriction?
I ask this because bingeing can be a form of self-expression.”

 As a person who has struggled with a lifetime of bingeing,
I agree with the above quote, however...
I have spent MORE than 20 years in therapy dealing with this issue,
and the feelings surrounding it.

This made me feel much better about it,
and gave me emotional tools that have very helpful in my life.
BU FRANKLY all of that Therapy... plus the many, many self-help books,
and eating disorder tactics like Intuitive Eating
did little or nothing to reduce or eliminate binging.

 Recently I began seriously considering
the possibility that my binges MIGHT well be a
"reaction to something other than food restriction".

MAYBE it isn't basically a psychological problem.
MAYBE it IS REALLY a physical reaction to the way the chemicals
in some of the specific kinds of foods that I eat interact with my own body.

I don't know.
I'm experimenting with that possibility right now.