s/o - The reason I overeat - pain relief

[Jean in Newcastle]

I do o.k. managing my diet when my fibromyalgia is in remission, but when the pain flares up, all bets are off. I find that I want to eat because for those brief moments, the endorphins from eating counteract the constant pain and give me a little bit of physical pleasure. Has anyone heard of people eating for this reason and how I might lose weight anyway? I tell myself that overeating or eating the wrong things (ie. chocolate, fat and sugar which are the things I crave when I'm in pain) will make my health worse, not better, but I don't really want to listen to myself!

[Rosie_0801]

Babies comfort eat too, so I'm convinced it is a very normal thing to do.

 

If you can't kick the chocolate habit, (it's hard to want to give up something tasty that makes you feel better) can you reduce the naughtiness of it by making raw vegan chocolate? That stuff is magical :drool5: Even when I'm a sleep deprived, pmsing maniac, I've never eaten more than 2/3 of a block, and the blocks are smaller than regular Cadburys.

 

 

I was reading recently about omega-3s and fibromyalgia. Have you looked into that?

 

:grouphug:

Rosie

[Jean in Newcastle]

Babies comfort eat too, so I'm convinced it is a very normal thing to do.

 

If you can't kick the chocolate habit, (it's hard to want to give up something tasty) can you reduce the naughtiness of it by making raw vegan chocolate? That stuff is magical :drool5: Even when I'm a sleep deprived, pmsing maniac, I've never eaten more than 2/3 of a block, and the blocks are smaller than regular Cadburys.

 

 

I was reading recently about omega-3s and fibromyalgia. Have you looked into that?

 

:grouphug:

Rosie

 

Raw vegan chocolate? I'll look for that at Whole Foods.

 

I take 2000 mg Omega 3-6-9's in the am and 2000 mg Omega 3-6-9's in the pm. It does help but doesn't take it totally away.

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

I do o.k. managing my diet when my fibromyalgia is in remission, but when the pain flares up, all bets are off. I find that I want to eat because for those brief moments, the endorphins from eating counteract the constant pain and give me a little bit of physical pleasure. Has anyone heard of people eating for this reason and how I might lose weight anyway? I tell myself that overeating or eating the wrong things (ie. chocolate, fat and sugar which are the things I crave when I'm in pain) will make my health worse, not better, but I don't really want to listen to myself!

 

Oh, I know exactly what you mean. I have lupus.

 

It is so, so hard to remember this, and I mess up all the time, but I have learned that those cravings signify real, good things that my body could use when the pain flares.

 

Fat, chocolate, sugar = calcium, magnesium, D3, omega 3 fatty acids, more fresh fruits and vegetables.

 

Really, its true. Take [coconut oil, fish oil, borage oil], cal/mag, D3, and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and you won't crave the junk so much.

 

Try it for 2 weeks faithfully, and then stop the oils and cal/mag/D3. The sugar/fat/choc cravings will hit like a Mac truck, and then you'll know.

 

Sometimes cravings for fast food or junk food are just a body crying out for plenty of high-nutrition calories. It is very possible for someone with autoimmune disease to be overweight but malnourished. Unfortunately, the brain short circuits somewhere and gets the message about fast calories and misses the message about quality.

[Tap]

How about concentrating on foods that naturally affect the endorphins.

 

If I remember right there are foods like dark chocolate (without the milk fat and high sugar of milk chocolate), jalapenos and pickles that naturally accentuate the endorphins. Maybe it isn't that you eat at all....just what you eat. :0)

[Rosie_0801]

Raw vegan chocolate? I'll look for that at Whole Foods.

 

Peela posted some recipes on here too.

 

Rosie

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

I'm also learning that eating is just one distracting sensation for a very pained body. Swimming, a warm bath, or a massage can help, too, or having someone brush your hair. Just something to feel other than just the pain.

 

Came back to edit and add:

 

I'm not trying to be glib about this. It will take me years to remember all these things I'm learning when I'm actually in the moment of fog and pain. The other things I mentioned (taking supplements, preparing for swim, massage, hair brushing) all take more effort when one has the least to extend, while finding some chocolate or whatever can be done by oneself instantly. But which approach is going to help length and quality of life? Its not easy, it is a process.

 

My cousin has rheumatoid arthritis. I don't know how she does it, but she runs marathons. She is out-paining the pain so she can be in control. I can't imagine being that physically strong.

Edited January 29, 2011 by Dulcimeramy

[Jean in Newcastle]

 

Really, its true. Take [coconut oil, fish oil, borage oil], cal/mag, D3, and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and you won't crave the junk so much.

 

Try it for 2 weeks faithfully, and then stop the oils and cal/mag/D3. The sugar/fat/choc cravings will hit like a Mac truck, and then you'll know.

 

Sometimes cravings for fast food or junk food are just a body crying out for plenty of high-nutrition calories. It is very possible for someone with autoimmune disease to be overweight but malnourished. Unfortunately, the brain short circuits somewhere and gets the message about fast calories and misses the message about quality.

 

Yes, I am overweight and malnourished. I'm treating some of the vitamin / mineral deficiencies with pills but I know that it is best coming from the foods themselves.

[Jean in Newcastle]

How about concentrating on foods that naturally affect the endorphins.

 

If I remember right there are foods like dark chocolate (without the milk fat and high sugar of milk chocolate), jalapenos and pickles that naturally accentuate the endorphins. Maybe it isn't that you eat at all....just what you eat. :0)

 

pickles? What kind of pickles?

[mykdsmomy]

:grouphug: I have similar challenges. I honestly don't have the answer. For me, it was getting sick and having to go to the ER followed by months of GI consults that kick started my weight loss. Once I was rolling, it was easier to take control of my eating.

 

My Fibro is much better now that I'm at a healthy weight (I was 204 and now I'm 145) BUT....I still have to fight the urges to use eating as a self soothing method. Tonight I gave in and had a bean and cheese burrito from a local favorite mexican restaurant. It's ok because tomorrow it's back to really tracking my food.

 

Have you looked into taking any extra supplements? I know Vitamin A has helped a ton for me. I'm super deficient in Vitamin D but I haven't noticed a change in the way I feel since I started taking it so I don't know.

 

What about tracking every time you think you're overeating and write down exactly how much you eat so you can start streamlining it?

[Jean in Newcastle]

I'm also learning that eating is just one distracting sensation for a very pained body. Swimming, a warm bath, or a massage can help, too, or having someone brush your hair. Just something to feel other than just the pain.

 

Came back to edit and add:

 

I'm not trying to be glib about this. It will take me years to remember all these things I'm learning when I'm actually in the moment of fog and pain. The other things I mentioned (taking supplements, preparing for swim, massage, hair brushing) all take more effort when one has the least to extend, while finding some chocolate or whatever can be done by oneself instantly. But which approach is going to help length and quality of life? Its not easy, it is a process.

 

My cousin has rheumatoid arthritis. I don't know how she does it, but she runs marathons. She is out-paining the pain so she can be in control. I can't imagine being that physically strong.

 

I've taken a bath every night this week. . . but you are right about finding other things to distract myself from the pain. And you're also right about how much easier it is to grab a candy bar;)

[Carol in Cal.]

Can you drink a tall glass of water whenever you get hungry? And then see if you're still hungry? That works for me sometimes, but then again, I don't eat for physical pain so I am reluctant to suggest anything. Still, it might be worth a try.

[kalanamak]

I want to eat because for those brief moments, the endorphins from eating counteract the constant pain and give me a little bit of physical pleasure.

 

I am the exact way, but it is ice cream. It is rare a headache, a tummy ache, or a hurt heart is not reduced to a 10th by a nice bowl of vanilla....and I have the figure to show it.

 

What success I've had has been the "walk away" rule. When I went through a bad patch when I realized I wasn't even going to remain friends with my xh, I found myself in front of the freezer whenever I thought of him. I started training myself to stay out of the kitchen when I thought of him.

 

:grouphug:

[Peela]

I am hopeless just before my period- it doesn't matter what diet I am on or how great I have been eating all month.for a couple of days there, I will eat anything I want, if its around. I have no self discipline at all. Chocolate and corn chips are two of my worst indulgences.

So for me the key is to make sure its not around, and to make sure I am eating proper meals so I am not actually hungry. But then, I often don't feel like making meals then, which doesn't help, because if I let myself get hungry AND its that time of the month...I have no boundaries whatsoever.

And then the next step is to make sure if I am going to eat it anyway that it is the BEST quality chocolate or corn chips I can find. So rather than buckle and buy a full bar of some family chocolate- I will make my own raw chocolate. Or, what i have done lately, is make a healthy raw chocolate pudding (which really wouldnt cut it for most people but sometimes is enough to satisfy the chocolate cravings for me).

In other words I guess I am minimising the damage. Not that I think chocolate is bad for you- I don't- its all the other stuff they add to it.

Why not consciously PLAN for those times when you are going to lose your ability to do anything but make it from one minute to the next? Plan what you can eat ahead of time, write it down or store it somewhere so you can remember when the pain hits and you cant think of anything but trying to escape. So you have something to fall back on. Would that help?

[Gratia271]

So for me the key is to make sure its not around,

 

:iagree: Sometimes this is all that works.

[Jean in Newcastle]

My Fibro is much better now that I'm at a healthy weight (I was 204 and now I'm 145) BUT....I still have to fight the urges to use eating as a self soothing method. Tonight I gave in and had a bean and cheese burrito from a local favorite mexican restaurant. It's ok because tomorrow it's back to really tracking my food.

 

Have you looked into taking any extra supplements? I know Vitamin A has helped a ton for me. I'm super deficient in Vitamin D but I haven't noticed a change in the way I feel since I started taking it so I don't know.

 

What about tracking every time you think you're overeating and write down exactly how much you eat so you can start streamlining it?

 

I agree with you about the healthy weight. I'm not at a healthy weight and I do believe that if I were, that it would have possibly a significant impact on my health.

 

I take a boatload of extra supplements and they have helped.

 

And I track my food on Sparkspeople. I'm basically making my calorie goal for the day by binging a bit on one meal and cutting back on another. Yesterday I made myself two "peanut butter cups" by dipping two mini chocolate bars into peanut butter. Then I compensated by eating less at the next meal. But what I'd REALLY like to do is to binge at the next meal too:)

[Jean in Newcastle]

Can you drink a tall glass of water whenever you get hungry? And then see if you're still hungry? That works for me sometimes, but then again, I don't eat for physical pain so I am reluctant to suggest anything. Still, it might be worth a try.

 

Yes, I need to drink more water anyway.

 

What success I've had has been the "walk away" rule. When I went through a bad patch when I realized I wasn't even going to remain friends with my xh, I found myself in front of the freezer whenever I thought of him. I started training myself to stay out of the kitchen when I thought of him.

 

 

Sigh. I do walk away. But then I think about it for an hour or two and next time I'm in there, the craving is still there!

 

So for me the key is to make sure its not around, and to make sure I am eating proper meals so I am not actually hungry. But then, I often don't feel like making meals then, which doesn't help, because if I let myself get hungry AND its that time of the month...I have no boundaries whatsoever.

And then the next step is to make sure if I am going to eat it anyway that it is the BEST quality chocolate or corn chips I can find. So rather than buckle and buy a full bar of some family chocolate- I will make my own raw chocolate. Or, what i have done lately, is make a healthy raw chocolate pudding (which really wouldnt cut it for most people but sometimes is enough to satisfy the chocolate cravings for me).

In other words I guess I am minimising the damage.

 

I don't have anything really bad around here. We tend to eat fairly whole foods so even our junk is organic and without preservatives. I really need to look into that raw chocolate now that you and Rosie have both mentioned it!:)

 

It's just frustrating when I have an avocado with my meal because I'm craving the fat but I go to add it to my calorie counter and it blows my calorie budget for the entire meal!

[Cricket]

I am hopeless just before my period- it doesn't matter what diet I am on or how great I have been eating all month.for a couple of days there, I will eat anything I want, if its around. I have no self discipline at all. Chocolate and corn chips are two of my worst indulgences.

So for me the key is to make sure its not around, and to make sure I am eating proper meals so I am not actually hungry. But then, I often don't feel like making meals then, which doesn't help, because if I let myself get hungry AND its that time of the month...I have no boundaries whatsoever.

And then the next step is to make sure if I am going to eat it anyway that it is the BEST quality chocolate or corn chips I can find. So rather than buckle and buy a full bar of some family chocolate- I will make my own raw chocolate. Or, what i have done lately, is make a healthy raw chocolate pudding (which really wouldnt cut it for most people but sometimes is enough to satisfy the chocolate cravings for me).

In other words I guess I am minimising the damage. Not that I think chocolate is bad for you- I don't- its all the other stuff they add to it.

Why not consciously PLAN for those times when you are going to lose your ability to do anything but make it from one minute to the next? Plan what you can eat ahead of time, write it down or store it somewhere so you can remember when the pain hits and you cant think of anything but trying to escape. So you have something to fall back on. Would that help?

 

I was just discussing this with dh this morning. Right before my period starts, I eat everything in sight. The other night I at least ate a giant bowl of steamed cauliflower but I did put a little cheese on it. I want to eat non-stop and never feel full. Do you know the levels of hormones and what types of hormones are dominant in the body during the monthly cycle? I was wondering about this too and thought you would probably know. I also have flare ups of pain two weeks after my period. I've been charting the pain and it is always two weeks after. It is chest pain and often the only remedy is to not eat. Maybe my monthly feasting is just making up for the calories I lose during those days. :)

[HeathenMom]

I do o.k. managing my diet when my fibromyalgia is in remission, but when the pain flares up, all bets are off. I find that I want to eat because for those brief moments, the endorphins from eating counteract the constant pain and give me a little bit of physical pleasure. Has anyone heard of people eating for this reason and how I might lose weight anyway? I tell myself that overeating or eating the wrong things (ie. chocolate, fat and sugar which are the things I crave when I'm in pain) will make my health worse, not better, but I don't really want to listen to myself!

 

exercise releases more endorphins than eating...are you in too much pain to go for a walk? i've also read about links between aspartame and fibromyalgia which may be worth looking in to.

 

good luck!

[Jean in Newcastle]

exercise releases more endorphins than eating...are you in too much pain to go for a walk? i've also read about links between aspartame and fibromyalgia which may be worth looking in to.

 

good luck!

 

I walk 2 miles every day - even when I'm in pain. Well, that is unless my feet have swollen up and every step is painful. Even then I manage to get in at least a mile. And no, this isn't something heroic - just as you said, I do get a benefit from it.

 

I wish that I ate things with aspartame so that I could cut it out:)

[helena]

Jean, I can 100% relate. :grouphug:

I feel so uncomfortable all the time, I feel like I just NEED some kind of pleasure everyday. I've got myself believing that I need to have something everyday.

My weight is good (naturally, not from my doing), though I have a skinny girl's gut. I've pretty much given up on the idea of having a flat stomach. I just try to sit up straight in front of people. :):001_huh:

The food is a pain relief, and it's also an emotional relief. I'll go get something to eat by myself, and turn on the radio in the car, and I let myself totally relax, I've learned how to let my sneaky eating be truly peaceful, calming and restorative. Darn that guilt and gut!!

 

Can you not touch this problem for now, and instead find other areas to work on? Like supplements, water intake, yoga, or whatever else might be on your wellness list? Maybe if you tighten it up in other areas, this will eventually become a natural and easy change.

 

I'm really glad when these posts come up (I mean, I wish none of us were sick of course), it gives me a chance to re-evaluate what I'm doing for myself... hmmm let's see... lately? Nothing!! Oh my gosh.. I'm such a flake!! I keep wondering if my Lupus makes the leap to organ damage, will I be kicking myself saying "You did bare minimum, maybe you didn't make it worse, but you sure as heck didn't try to fight back hard".

 

I'll be honest I'm not giving up food, like you, we eat well for the most part, I don't drink, I'm not supposed to go in the sun.. ever, I live with vegans, at this stage of my life I love the cookie and the 2nd sloppy joe. :D And I will hurt the person who tries to take it away..

 

But today I will get my supplements out, go buy my oil at the health food store (maybe even fish oil?), I'll get my water glass going right now, I will not go out and garden in the sun even though it's a beautiful day. Oh! I will put my magnesium drink out on the counter, so I can remember to drink it!!

 

Sorry to blabber.. WTM is as close to a chronic illness group as I'll ever get. :001_smile:

And, I've found that CI is a very lonely place to be.. you've really nailed something major for me here. You are so not alone on this.

 

Lots of :grouphug: to you today.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Helena, gentle hugs back. :grouphug: Yes, it is a hugely emotional issue for me because of necessity I have to use so much self control all day. It takes self control to get up in the morning, to make breakfast, to put the laundry in etc. because it would be so much easier and less painful to sit in my armchair and NOT do all of that. So when I am faced with having to exert self control on my diet too, I want to swear like a sailor:D I'm going to go take my supplements right now and drink a glass of water with it.

[Mom22ns]

I totally understand this too. I am a migraine sufferer. Without medication I have 20+ migraines/month. I had to go off my meds for two months this fall and I gained 10 lbs! When I have migraines I crave carbs and I want something to make me feel better.

 

My favorite low cal chocolate snack in the winter is hot chocolate. I use 35 cal Almond silk, hershey's sugar free chocolate syrup and a spoon of splenda. I won't claim its good for you, but for <50 calories I feel warm, relaxed and full.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I totally understand this too. I am a migraine sufferer. Without medication I have 20+ migraines/month. I had to go off my meds for two months this fall and I gained 10 lbs! When I have migraines I crave carbs and I want something to make me feel better.

 

My favorite low cal chocolate snack in the winter is hot chocolate. I use 35 cal Almond silk, hershey's sugar free chocolate syrup and a spoon of splenda. I won't claim its good for you, but for <50 calories I feel warm, relaxed and full.

 

You inspired me to have a cup of hot chocolate made with almond milk:) Very cozy and pleasurable.

[Liz CA]

Hmm...how about starting from the other end? Trying to find some pain relief. Since I have no experience with fibromyalgia, I cannot suggest anything specific but is there nothing that will touch it so you can go through the day without chronic pain?

Once the pain is better controlled, the overeating should stop.

Could you get accustomed to having a nice, hot cup of your favorite tea when you are in pain or will that not do anything for you?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Hmm...how about starting from the other end? Trying to find some pain relief. Since I have no experience with fibromyalgia, I cannot suggest anything specific but is there nothing that will touch it so you can go through the day without chronic pain?

Once the pain is better controlled, the overeating should stop.

Could you get accustomed to having a nice, hot cup of your favorite tea when you are in pain or will that not do anything for you?

 

I take a ton of supplements which help 80% of the time. I just came off of 3 whole glorious weeks with almost no pain.:) But when a flare hits, there doesn't seem to be anything I've found to take away the pain. The pain isn't caused (as far as they know) from reasons that traditional pain medicines deal with.

 

Yes, a nice hot cup of tea is wonderful. But then I want some cakes to go with that tea. . . you know, "If you give a mom a cup of tea . . . she'll want a cookie to go with it. . . and is she has a cookie. . .":)

[Rosie_0801]

It's just frustrating when I have an avocado with my meal because I'm craving the fat but I go to add it to my calorie counter and it blows my calorie budget for the entire meal!

 

If you need avocado with your meal for the fat, either the portions of everything else you are eating are wrong, or your calorie budget is. In my situation, I could eat a cup of beans and about half a cup of grains for breakfast, but if I didn't get the necessary oil, I'd (want to and probably would) go on rampage and eat that much again, then in an hour or so, eat that much again. For health, it's better to eat the avocado. Calories aren't the be all and end all, after all. Try half of the avocado, along with a sensible meal. Chew your food thoroughly (stupid that something so simple requires so much thought and effort, but it does!) Then wait and see how long it takes before you come sniffing around the kitchen again. If it is less than two hours, you needed more food in that meal, and can adjust the next day. If it is around two hours, it's time for a snack anyway.

 

 

Rosie

[Jean in Newcastle]

If you need avocado with your meal for the fat, either the portions of everything else you are eating are wrong, or your calorie budget is. In my situation, I could eat a cup of beans and about half a cup of grains for breakfast, but if I didn't get the necessary oil, I'd (want to and probably would) go on rampage and eat that much again, then in an hour or so, eat that much again. For health, it's better to eat the avocado. Calories aren't the be all and end all, after all. Try half of the avocado, along with a sensible meal. Chew your food thoroughly (stupid that something so simple requires so much thought and effort, but it does!) Then wait and see how long it takes before you come sniffing around the kitchen again. If it is less than two hours, you needed more food in that meal, and can adjust the next day. If it is around two hours, it's time for a snack anyway.

 

 

Rosie

 

Yes - I know that I need small meals every couple of hours. And I hate that Sparkspeople is easier to use if you eat processed unhealthy foods. I tried using their menus and I was appalled at how bad the food was! But I'm not losing weight and was thinking that perhaps my portions were all out of whack, which is the reason behind the calorie counting.

[Rosie_0801]

You know, I'm agreeing with whoever it was last week who said you ought to toss the calorie idea out the window and focus on health. It must be hard to hear what your body is telling you when most of what it says is "OWWWWW" but I really think you should consider tossing calorie counting as the yardstick and focus on what your body says.

 

The grain:legume:fat ratio required by your body at this stage may not fit with the calorie intake recommendations. Your body is unwell. If it needs an avocado, it needs an avocado. If it needs ice cream, well it's trying to trick you and you should feed it more salad :tongue_smilie: If you don't give your body the nutrients it needs, it will be afraid to let you lose the weight. Think about it, if the petrol light in your car is on, your car needs more petrol to fill the tank than if you had half a tank. No amount of telling the car that you only ever put a quarter of a tank in will fill it up. Methinks your petrol light is on.

 

You have a long term illness. Recovery will be slow too. My only problem is having had two children. I've finally figured out what I need to do to recover from the health consequences of that and I'm not fully restored yet after three months. I'd say I'm fluctuating between a third and half a tank, most of the time. When I'm having a good run, I automatically eat less because I really don't need it.

 

:grouphug:

Rosie

[jplain]

I'd agree that sugar is a BIG problem, and should be avoided no matter how great the temporary joy it gives you. Sugar and other carbs (wheat, rice, potatoes, etc.) exacerbate chronic inflammation, which is the last thing you need if you're dealing with fibromyalgia. Honestly, I'd eat Splenda before sugar if I had fibromyalgia. Stevia might be another option if you need sweetener to enjoy life.

 

Dark chocolate and fat I wouldn't write off as bad so quickly, unless you've already done the experiments and proven to yourself that they worsen your pain.

 

For chocolate I'd stick with minimum 70% cocoa. Yes, it has some sugar, but not a ton. My current fave is Green & Black's 70% chocolate, which is fairly easy to find at grocery stores. Check the natural foods section. It should be fairly easy to limit your serving size, as the taste is strong. I usually eat 6 small squares a day, sucking on each one.

 

For fat, I'd suggest avoiding refined plant oils (olive, canola, etc.). They are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which will contribute to inflammation. Nuts are also high in omega-6 fatty acids.

 

Saturated fat, on the other hand, does not seem to increase inflammation. Good sources of saturated fat include meats, eggs, butter, and coconut. Coconut oil, especially, is claimed to be anti-inflammatory. I dunno about that, but from personal experience, it doesn't seem to make it worse. If you don't already, taking a fish oil supplement may be helpful as well. And make sure you're taking enough vitamin D in the form of oil-based gel capsules too.

 

From an anti-inflammatory perspective, monounsaturated fat is fine too, but unfortunately you can't get large amounts of monounsaturated fat without a lot of pro-inflammatory omega-6's coming along for the ride. Except avocados: those are fine, if you like them. (I can't stand 'em.)

 

If you need reading material to convince yourself that eating saturated fat won't give you heart disease (really, it won't!), start with this book: Why We Get Fat. Even if you don't think saturated fat is evil, read it anyway!

 

Other people dealing with chronic inflammation choose to take a very low fat vegan or near-vegan approach, which is also very low in sugar (Ornish, McDougall, etc.). That should help combat inflammation as well. But honestly, I'd try a lower carb approach like the one described in Why We Get Fat first. I personally believe that it is more sustainable for most people, other than ethical vegetarians/vegans, and has the same anti-inflammatory benefits.

Edited January 29, 2011 by jplain

[Jean in Newcastle]

If it needs an avocado, it needs an avocado. If it needs ice cream, well it's trying to trick you and you should feed it more salad :tongue_smilie:

 

 

Hey, no fair!:toetap05: I think my body wants an ice cream diet! That's right! It's the latest thing:D

[Jean in Newcastle]

I eat very little sugar. The chocolate I eat is the 82% Lindt dark chocolate. The only sweetener I use on occasion is a bit of pure maple syrup but I know that's sugar. I eat mostly good fats - olive oil, some canola, fish oil, avocado and nuts. I bought a jar of coconut oil but I have to admit that I haven't tried it yet.:tongue_smilie: I do eat wheat products but not that much. In fact, Sparkspeople keeps getting on me because I eat too little carbs and too much fats.

 

I'd agree that sugar is a BIG problem, and should be avoided no matter how great the temporary joy it gives you.