breaking adictions

Are you pre- or post-op?

I hear you about potatoes- and pasta and rice and bread and sweets and pastry and let's see what else I can come up with. I try to not have them in my house, my car, anywhere in my universe as much as possible and I don't buy them because they too seductively call my name. 

I can't resist, and I do treat it like an addiction- sugar and carbs effect the same pleasure center in the brain that drugs and alcohol do.

It's not fair, is it??? I intensely dislike having to naysay the foods I love, so I understand your funeral. RIP. 

I feel ya!  I have been drinking Diet Coke or Coke Zero every day in my life for as long as I can remember.

I thought for sure it was going to be agonizing to stop.

But you know what?  I quit on Jan 3rd and have not had a single carbonated beverage since and I don't even miss it!  Every time it starts to sound good I ask myself if I want to follow my doctor's instructions to the letter so that I am successful in this journey or do I just want to have a minute of something that tastes good and feel like a failure immediately afterwards.  Now that it has been almost a month I don't even want them anymore!  Now, chocolate is an entirely different matter!  :-)

haha....I like the idea of re-burying the potatoes. 

I know exactly what you mean with this post.  Potaotes are one of my favorite foods.  They have been a part of my entire life (yep - I'm a stereotypical Irish person who LOVES her potatoes).  It's a very difficult thing to give up as are so many carbs.  I made major changes to my diet and lifestyle on 1/1.  There are many things I gave up eating and drinking but the first thing I will tell someone when they ask me how it's going is that I haven't had a potato in a month!  That's how big of a deal potatoes can be for me.  I really just had to completely get rid of them from my life. 

I can imagine putting the potatoes in the ground and throwing a handful of dirt over them as Taps is being played in the background....

LOL  I am happy I am not alone.. and others get it. yea!

Sweets and carbs in general are my triggers. I am still waiting for my surgery, but wondering how I am going to handle what comes after...

I love the idea of the funeral. Maybe I can get sweets and carbs from my house and have a ceremony. Include my kids (at least my 8 year old) in the process. And then next time she will ask for something sugary I'll tell her it is dead and gone.  LOL

Hmm, are you a hobbit?? 

Mashed potatoes are/were one of my favorites. But after surgery, I've found that cauliflower is a decent enough substitute! Boil a few frozen florets, mash them up with a dab of Can't Believe it's Not Butter and maybe a little bit of Laughing Cow cheese, and it's actually pretty darn good. A tablespoon of that along with some shredded chicken breast makes for a pretty good dinner!

There are healthy substitutes that can satisfy the itch:  Classic sub is mashed cauliflower -- there are several recipes out there.  I cut up a head in small pieces and steam it; use paper towels to get most of the water out; ma**** add cream cheese and parmesan cheese and mix up with a hand mixer like mashed potatoes.  If you are limiting your fat (I don't), it can be more difficult to get the creaminess you expect in mashed potatoes.  You can also "rice" cauliflower in a ricer, and then stir fry.  I also love sliced sauted radishes.  Don't knock them until you have tried them.  I use both the red radishes and the daikon; they make a lovely substitute for fried potatoes.