Thursday, May 24, 2012

Let's ALL eat cake!

Today I was asked by a friend to find some diabetic friendly cake recipes, which led me here: Diabetic Cakes at All Recipes UK  Now, of course, I want to bake cake.  As it happens, I must be up at 6am tomorrow to get Boy up for work, so I may be baking a cake!  I have the blueberries, have converted Centigrade to Farenheit, and just need 55 minutes!  I could have it in the oven while I walk Le Dog, and come home to cake-baking smells! Nom! I'll let you know how it goes...


I had made some Belly Fat Burning Brownies earlier (made with black beans), and while tasty, I will have to adjust my method in order to perfect the taste. It is certainly nice to have dessert while on a diet! Thank you, Dessert Angel for that update! I also have been enjoying frozen fruit ice (blender mix of frozen and fresh fruit, lemon juice and Stevia).  Since giving up ice cream (can you even say that without getting teary-eyed?), there has been a real gap in my life, and this seems to fill it very nicely.  Dessert Angel -Helen - has a theory that diets fail when you feel deprived. I couldn't agree more. 
Partly I combat this by reminding myself that 'that food' isn't edible for me anymore.  Example: grasshoppers, while edible, will never be welcome in my diet!  So I mentally shift forbidden foods to the Grasshopper category. Still food for some, but not for me. 
There is always the water trick:  very often when our brain sends a hungry signal, it's really sending a THIRSTY signal.  Drink a large glass of water and distract yourself for 5 minutes.  See if the craving has stopped. 
The other trick I use is to find a reasonable substitute and use a limited amount of it.  Example: I don't eat chocolate at all (I gave up caffeine), but I do eat carob. Since carob is not readily available, this greatly reduces my consumption! LOL.  In the brownie recipe, I used carob powder for cocoa and carob chips for chocolate chips (both were available at my local Bulk Barn). With the brownies, I ate one at lunch and one at dinner, but I didn't eat ALL of them, so this is a vast improvement. 
Another trick is to substitute one type of food for another till the craving is gone.  I happen to really enjoy english cucumbers. If I'm craving a sweet, sometimes I can 'trick' my brain by eating cucumbers which I also like to eat.
The real trick is to not think about food!  Have your meals at regular intervals, at the same time each day if possible.  Your body soon figures out the schedule and won't bug you so much the rest of the time.
Reduce your carbohydrates- eat more fruit and vegetables, and use beans in your diet more.  Hummus makes a lovely snack, although I've been known to eat it at any meal. Have some on a celery stick before dinner to stave off the hunger til dinner is ready.
 

Those are my tricks- what are yours?

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