But I feel the same way. Believe me, I would love to go back to eating bread, pies and pasta and even "junkier" foods like Twinkies, Oreos, tortilla chips and one of my favorite candies which was those caramels with the creme centers. If I knew I could eat those without gaining back the weight I worked so hard to lose, I would eat them. And with the holiday season coming up, I would love to imbibe in the egg nog and the home-baked cookies and the jelly-filled macaroons and all that other stuff. But I am going to get through this season without touching any of it - no problem. My recent memories of being fat are still too strong to slip back to old ways. Also, all my family and friends are waiting for me to put the weight back on. "The hardest part about losing weight is keeping it off" is on everybody's lips. So this is motivating me to keep it off once and for all to prove all the naysayers wrong.
So this holiday season, I will have to be content with extra nuts and cheeses and of course some fine wine and beers. Those my body can handle.
First of all congratulations on your weight loss. Now the fun part of maintenance begins ;) One thing that helps in making this a lifestyle change is finding substitutes for the things we used to love. Here's a couple of recipes for egg nog that looks really good.
Classic Egg Nog
Ingredients:
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Splenda
2 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Brandy or rum flavoring to taste(use the real thing they have 0 carbs)
1 teaspoon eggnog flavored oil (LorAnn or Amish brand) [optional]
1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped with sweetener of choice Ground nutmeg and/or mace
Beat 1/2 cup Splenda with egg yolks. Add salt, stir in 2 cups cream and 2 cups water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture coats a spoon. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Beat egg whites until foamy then gradually add remaining Splenda, beating to soft peaks. Add to cooked mixture and blend thoroughly. Add vanilla and flavoring(s). Chill at least 3-4 hours.
Pour into punch bowl or cups. Dot with "islands" of whipped cream. Sprinkle with nutmeg and/or mace.
Serves 4. 4 grams per serving.
EGG NOG
4 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup artificial sweetener
2 tablespoons artificial sweetener -- to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon brandy extract
1 pinch salt
3/4 cup ice water
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Blend together egg yolks, 1 cup cream and 1/2 cup plus 2 tbls. sweetener. Cook in a saucepan, stirring constantly with a spoon or spatula for 5-7 minutes. The egg yolk will start to curdle a little. Put this mixture back in the blender and blend for a minute or so. It will get thick and creamy.
Blend it up until it's mixed well and pour into a container. In a separate bowl, beat 1 1/2 c. heavy cream until thick. Gently blend it into the egg mixture. Mixing it too much will break it down and it won't be thick (I learned this from experience). Add nutmeg to taste and refrigerate until chilled. The longer it is in the fridge, the less "eggy" it will taste. It's pretty good for "fake" egg nog!
2302 Calories (kcal); 241g Total Fat; (90% calories from fat); 23g Protein; 34g Carbohydrate; 1666mg Cholesterol; 391mg Sodium