BlogHer - Dieting - Comments

I hear ya!

Fabulous40 — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:09:37 -0600

I think you put the eating dilemma into words perfectly! And I can so relate to what you wrote. I wish you continued success in your journey.

-Karen

You are WAY not the only one

9to5to9 — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 02:49:50 -0600

In fact, I got nailed again tonight, finishing Little Guy's blueberry pie and consoling myself after a day of screaming -- mainly theirs.

Thanks for the compliment!

Debra Legg
9to5to9

Great to know I am not the only one!

Mammatalk — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 09:51:50 -0600

www.mammatalk.blogspot.com

I am glad I am not the only one!

Great blog, by the way, Debra!

But the most important question is ...

9to5to9 — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:25:02 -0500

How many moments does it take to add up to "around the bend and out of control"?

I tried a new sugar cookie recipe tonight that I wound up loving as much as my guys do. And while my sweet innocents slumber, no doubt dreaming of the cookies they'll munch tomorrow, the tell-tale clang of the cookie jar keeps echoing in the kitchen. What?! Who, me? No, babes, Mommy didn't eat that many of your cookies last night.

Rationalizing that I deserve it for having to finish both their burritos at dinner tonight. "Don't want to waste that one!"

Debra Legg
9to5to9

holistic health all the way

laylakelsey — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 22:55:28 -0500

i have the always been a firm believer in this way of nutrition. we need more outlets of info on ayurvedic and holistic nutrition...

go to www.cheekychicago.com

xo,

layla...

I haven't touched it in years.

zchamu — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:57:22 -0500

If my option is aspartame or nothing, I go with nothing.

I realized this several years ago after my dad had had severe GI issues for some time. He also always chewed gum containing aspartame, several pieces a day. He read somewhere that aspartame can cause GI distress. He stopped chewing the gum = the GI problems disappeared.

I then realized that every time I had something with aspartame, it gave me a bellyache. I was horrified by the realization that I was having a side effect to a product and didn't even really realize it til I put the connection together. I haven't touched it since, and I wonder how many other people have issues with it but simply don't realize it since they are so mild.

Frankly, I equate aspartame to cigarettes. It's a guilty pleasure for some, but don't fool yourself into believing it's harmless.

Visit my blogs at ThreeSeven (all that's irrelevant and amusing) and
ecochick (all that's green, cool and Canadian).

Can't Drink Sodas

MLOKnitting — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:59:39 -0500

Honestly, there is no good reason to drink a soda. I'm allergic to corn and, since aspartame is also often corn-based, well it is no more likely to be drunk by me than one with HFCS. I also have a lot of family who are diabetic and have stopped drinking sodas.

MLO / Melissa

What if you're diabetic?

MrsWsKitchen — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:38:49 -0500

Aspartame is something I don't want to consume, but do. As a diabetic, it's one of the few ways I can get a soda--and let's face it. Sometimes you just need a soda. Crystal lite has it, too. If I don't want to drink water, coffee or tea, that's all there is.

I try to balance all of the sugar substitutes I use. Sometimes it's the pink stuff--that's good in hot coffee. In homemade sweets I use xylitol, stevia and whey low.

For me, moderation & balance are key.

Amanda
Mrs.W's Kitchen

I never use artificial

cooper — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 17:46:07 -0500

I never use artificial sweetners of any kind. I try to stay away from man made chemicals, but from what I've read in moderation it is safe. Moderation is the key, as with sugar, used in excess I imagine it could be a carcinogenic or on some way bad for your health.

I also know many people who get sick after ingesting anything with asperteme in it. My good friend in high school had Juvenile Diabetes but found he got severe headaches of the migraine type after using products containing asperteme, his diabetologist told him that was not an uncommom thing, they had a number of patients through out the years who had the same experience. She even ventured to tell him that he would be better off to do his carb counting/ insulin ratios to cover naturally sugared (not added sugared) drinks instead of using asperteme containing products in any significant amount.

Splenda is another one I've also wondered about as with "non naturally decafeinated coffee" all which use chemicals in processing.

cooper

60 Minutes did a report

Laura Scott — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 16:40:22 -0500

It was in the 1980s, during President Reagan's tenure. This is all by memory, but what I recall is that 60 Minutes did a report on the approval of Aspertame. After a whole bunch of studies, independent and corporate-funded, the FDA panel voted unanimously to reject approval of Aspertame as being unsafe for human consumption. The FDA chairman over-ruled the panel, for the first time in history, and Aspertame was approved.

Again, this is all from memory. I wonder if someone has a tape of that show, or whether 60 Minutes has offered up any of its archives online.

Laura Scott, BlogHer Contributing Editor, Tech/Web
design, snap, blog, tweet

Food for thought

kris — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 12:39:03 -0500

I can't decide which side of the fence I fall on, but I know I'm dependent on Diet Coke. I'd like to cut back simply because we don't know what the long-term effects of aspartame use are. If only that weren't such a daunting (and literally painful) task.

www.notyetawino.com

Diet Coke = survival for me!

Kalyn Denny — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 08:33:57 -0500

Yes, I'm sure aspartame is not something that has health benefits, but I also have a hard time believing it's truly as harmful as some people believe. Personally I think sugar is more harmful. I do try to use it in moderation, but can't imagine making it through a busy day without my 4:00 P.M. Diet Coke.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

I avoid aspartame also.

Therextras — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 07:37:06 -0500

I don't think the analysis of the 3-chemical composition is meaningful unless the body breaks aspartame into those parts during digestion. I also don't think the previous comment was motivated by a healthy understanding of aspartame.

My understanding of the history of aspartame is that it was developed as an insecticide, and by accident found to taste sweet. Indeed, I have used it as an insecticide and it knocks southern roaches off their feet.

I would be interested in a brief history of the approval for use of aspartame (without a political agenda). It is true that chewing gum without it is rare - I've looked - also breathmints.

"40 years of research confirming aspartame safety" - it's important to understand "safety" versus effects.

Research shows sugar does not influence activity level in children either, but try debunking that urban legend.

Well-known among medical scientists is that ingestion of high fructose corn syrup is a leading cause of diabetes.

Food choices are the stuff of parenting and mature decisions that become habit or lifestyle. Information like this post is helpful for people to make those decisions. Thank you.

Barbara H. Boucher, PT, PhD, OT TherExtras

FDA and Rumsfield

MLOKnitting — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 03:10:03 -0500

Are you familiar with how aspartame was "approved" by the FDA? The FDA, prior to the Reagan takeover, was starting to pursue fraud charges against the company that had introduced the product and had no plans on approving its use in the human food chain. Rumsfield used his position to make the FDA approve it.

Since Rumsfield and Neo-Cons are involved, I must assume that it is poisonous. Especially considering the way in which the "approval" occurred.

MLO / Melissa

I rarely buy muffins out.

elitsirk — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:02:42 -0500

I rarely buy muffins out. Commercially produced ones are made extra tender and extra rich and with extra ingredients to improve their shelf life. And they're all huge--I have a "texas-size" muffin pan that makes 5-6 muffins out of recipes that usually yield 12. Personally, I prefer homemade ones, and not necessarily the strangely textured "healthy" recipes that substitute applesauce for oil. My favorite basic muffin recipes only have maybe 1/4-1/3 cup of oil and 1-2 eggs max for a batch of 12. And I like things like bananas & walnuts, blueberries, or 100% fruit preserves, not chocolate chips (those taste more like cupcakes than breakfast to me).

At the same time, I don't think 300 or even 500 calories for one of those store-bought muffins is excessive. I've never done weight watchers, but is 530 calories really 1/2 your daily caloric allowance? I thought healthy adult women needed at least 1500 to maintain their weight, maybe closer to 2000. In that case, 700 calories worth of muffin + latte for breakfast sounds about right. It might be a fatty breakfast, but if you're not buttering your steak & fries with dinner, its only 1/3 of your daily calories, and includes a lot of calcium. What's so bad about that?

Before anyone gets annoyed, I'm not a skinny-minny who's weighed the same since she was 14 years old. I'm an average-sized 31 year old woman who's only moderately active (with 2 little kids, I'm lucky if i get a single real workout in per week). But I also believe in cooking at home, eating when you're hungry (and what you're actually hungry for), and not fretting over every calorie and fat/sugar/carb gram. Your body and your hunger level will tell you when you've eaten too much or not enough, if you only listen.

http://elitsirk.blogspot.com