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What I Like About Maintaining #2

Sunday, March 10, 2013

I THINK (knocking on wood here) that I've conquered my addiction to cheese. It's no longer a binge trigger. I can eat cheese in moderation. I can go days without eating cheese at all. Cutting a big whack of cheese was very often the first thing I did coming into the house . . . and then another big whack . . . and maybe a third: but not now. When I do have cheese, it's generally a moderate amount of low fat feta in an omelette. And tracked.

Read an excerpt from the Michael Moss book today (on manufactured addictive salt/sugar/fat foods) that says average per capita consumption of cheese has risen from 11 pounds in the 1970s to 33 pounds now. The 33 pounds representing 1 month's total calorie requirements for the average adult. The 33 pounds representing 6 months' total fat requirements for the average adult. The "cheese" no longer being "cheese", actually: but cheese-like stuff (Cheez Whiz is now cheese free) added to so many manufactured foods in so many categories: potato chips and crackers and cheese-stuffed pizza crust and cheese-topped frozen casseroles and cheesy appetizers and cheese-cake type desserts and cookies and . . . .

Used to love cheese. Used not to be able to resist cheese. But warily and cautiously I'm becoming pretty sure: while maintaining, I've managed to break the cheese addiction. Yeah!

PS Not to malign Cheez Whiz (which is associated with way too many happy childhood memories for me) CRYSTALJEM points out that the Canadian Cheez Whiz label definitely does include "real cheese" . . . below is a link to a list of ingredients, maybe for the American formulation which if accurate does indicate "no cheese" as Moss says. Do you suppose that the Canadian dairy industry has a stronger lobby?

www.ask.com/web?q=cheez+
whiz+ingredients&askid=7f1
90cf8-2d87-4f98-94b3-0a745
eaf53e5-0-us_mse&kv=sdb&gc
=0&dqi=&qsrc=999&o=5116&l=dir
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  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

ILIKETOZUMBA 3/18/2013 11:56AM

    Awesome!!! Cheese is so yummy, I'm impressed at how you've managed to handle it. You enjoy those feta omelettes! And ew, yeah, there is SO much fake cheese floating around this country, it's so gross. I wish we did have the standards that Canada appears to, and that presumably much of Europe probably has as far as using real ingredients in their foods, and healthier amounts of things - like, I swear I've read that fast food overseas uses less fats and salt that in the US, even in the same menu items. Ridiculous.

I'll have to tell my husband about what someone said about Kraft Mac and Cheese. He looooves the stuff, it's "better than any other mac and cheese, especially homemade) - but I refuse to buy it. I never thought to check if it used real cheese, so I'll have to pass that little factoid along to him. Maybe he'll stop whining about non-Kraft Mac and Cheese so much...

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GRGAP86 3/17/2013 5:52PM

  breaking a habit like that is no easy task. Congrats on your accomplishment.

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TANYA602 3/17/2013 12:23PM

    Your cheese is my bread. Only recently have I allowed any bits back into my diet. Loving these posts!

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LRSILVER 3/17/2013 7:17AM

    I used to eat so much cheese, thinking it was healthy. Now only a little bit. Thanks for the blog.

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CMRAND54 3/16/2013 8:06PM

    I'm eating way less cheese now, too. I still love it, but in much smaller portions. I only eat the real cheese, just not as often. I used to love Cheese Whiz, too.

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ID_VANDAL 3/11/2013 1:56PM

    I love cheese as well and that is one of my many foods that I need to get under control.

Makes it easier to know someone like you who actually did it!!

WAY TO GO!

Vandal

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MANDELOVICH 3/11/2013 12:39PM

    What an accomplishment - overcoming a trigger food so that you can have it but not too much!

Very impressive. I usually just try to eliminate them completely. I like this!!

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NANCY- 3/11/2013 11:48AM

    emoticon emoticon emoticon
Thank you for sharing. You show us all that it can be done.

Changing our dairy habits is hard to do. That said I have turned into a bit of a cheese snob and prefer to get my cheese from local farmers. I tend to treasure and savor every morsel. Oops are those those opiates talking?


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TRYINGHARD1948 3/11/2013 5:40AM

    Well done on breaking the cheese addiction. I hadn't really thought about cheese as an addiction. I grew up having two rounds of toasted cheese every morning for breakfast, all made by my loving Mum and Dad. No wonder I had gall bladder problems. Fortunately I no longer do that and do not feel the need to have cheese with very meal and no more tummy problems.

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_LINDA 3/11/2013 12:03AM

    I have a huge cheese addiction as well. I used to put away one of those 907g bars of old cheddar in a week (although I think it was even larger back in the day -they have downsized everything to give the illusion of the price not going up too high)
I ate cheese with every meal. Probably put as much weight on with the cheese as any junk. The one thing I have found with the Nutrition Tracker is American entered data is almost always different than Canadian, sometimes remarkably so for the same things. I usually end up entering my own and saving it to the favorites.
How did I conquer the cheese addiction? Real cheddar cheese slices. One a day. The fact that my hands struggle with cutting hard things, the slices are easy, perfectly tracked portion sizes. Min-Babybel, light, once in a while. I do not seem to crave it like I used to. Now if only I could ditch the last bastion -the salty chips.
Keep up the awesome work -you are doing fabulous!!

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KANOE10 3/10/2013 11:02PM

    Very good on breaking the cheese addiction. I grew up on horrible velveeta and loved it. Now I eat parmesean. I stay from the the high fat cheese that is attractive.

Good for you..conquering a childhood addiction.

You are doing a great job in maintenance.

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PHEBESS 3/10/2013 10:45PM

    I grew up with Velveeta cheese, and had a serious addiction to it in my teens. But now, I can take or leave cheese. Small amounts are enough. Although a bit of brie, an apple, and some crackers make an excellent light lunch.

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FREELADY 3/10/2013 10:10PM

    You keep showing me how to do BALANCE!!

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SLENDERELLA61 3/10/2013 7:44PM

    Hooray for conquering cheese!! Good job! I know that took a lot of work and dedication to come about. Getting better all the time!! Yeah, I like being free of food obsessions and compulsions. It's freedom -- freedom in so many ways!!

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BOOKAPHILE 3/10/2013 6:51PM

    Maintenance is a life change compared to our heavy days/years. You're still making progress and inspiring those of us coming up behind you. Well done!

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LJCANNON 3/10/2013 4:40PM

    emoticon I am ALMOST where you are with My Pizza Addiction ~ Though I haven't dared to go to an All You Can Eat Pizza Place in Over a Year!! But at least at home where there is a Limited Amount of Pizza available I CAN enjoy One Slice without going Nutz and eating the Whole Pizza!!
emoticon emoticon Congratulations!!!

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PHOENIX1949 3/10/2013 4:07PM

    emoticon Wish I could say I had done this on my own like you, but lactose-intolerance and soy allergies took care of my cheese habit.

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TBANMAN 3/10/2013 3:15PM

    Re: Cheez Whiz and Canada. That's why Kraft Dinner is called KD in Canada and not "Kraft Macaroni and Cheese" as it is in the US - because KD has no cheese! I think Canada does have stricter labelling laws.

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NITTINNANA 3/10/2013 2:28PM

    Used to be my "go-to" meal or snack whenever I got home from work was what I called Cheese Toast. Lots of chees on buttered toast and popped in the convection oven I'd turned on while making the toast. Two pieces, of course! It was so quick and easy for a bone-weary nurse to fix before crashing! I'm sure a lot of my recent success is because cheese is now only an ingredient in something I've cooked myself. Not chips, Cheetos...or Cheese Toast!

So glad you're doing so well with cheese!

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ADVENTURESEEKER 3/10/2013 2:18PM

    woohoo!

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NUOVAELLE 3/10/2013 1:15PM

    Really? There's hope!!!
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I know exactly what you mean as we are a family of cheese-lovers! I've managed to slowly introduce them to a wide selection of low-fat choices but I think we're still far from breaking this addiction! But we have definitely cut down on our past consumption.
Congratulations on your own victory! That was a hard one for sure!
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DDOORN 3/10/2013 1:12PM

    Breaking triggers...one HECKUVA victory!

You have done so many truly amazing things!

It's been terrific to see the kind of exposure Moss has been getting for his book and "blasphemous" thoughts...kudos to him for speaking the truth!

Don

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TINAJANE76 3/10/2013 1:02PM

    Oh, to be where you are with cheese! I typically have to limit myself to one cheese day a week because once I start in on it, I have a really hard time stopping. For some reason, I tend to do better when it's part of a recipe rather than on its own. I can do some serious damage if left alone with a big hunk of cheese, though!

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CRYSTALJEM 3/10/2013 12:57PM

    I'm a cheese nut too and need to watch the binge trigger. While I agree I use the term cheese loosely when referring to cheese whiz I gagged when I read your post. I just checked the label (I admit it, I use it in sauces and sometimes on crackers) and it says:

Modified milk ingredients, cheese [milk, modified milk ingredients, bacterial culture, salt, calcium chloride, colour, Microbial enzymes, lipase) etc. The front of the label actually says made with real cheese. The side also says no artificial flavours or colours.




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ONEKIDSMOM 3/10/2013 12:28PM

    Sigh. Wish I was where you are with cheese. As is, my best defense related to cheese is to leave it at the store. Yes, I have it in pre-portioned foods... but I still can't reliably buy it and have it in the house.

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TRAVELGRRL 3/10/2013 12:26PM

    I don't know if it was the same author speaking on National Public Radio, I think it was...he said a lot of the reason for the explosion in cheese consumption was the result of the FAT FREE MILK movement. Since there was so much cream left over, the US government started subsidizing cheese manufacturing, and then since they "owned" all the cheese they started giving it away to schools, prisons, and poor people. I remember 30 years ago when my sister was a student/single mother she'd get a 5-pound block of cheese once a month as part of a government-subsidized food packet (and I was so jealous!).

It's interesting how one good thing can result in another bad thing. But I'm glad you've conquered the cheese addiction; it's one of mine too and one I control and track (most of the time).

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SUSANNAH31 3/10/2013 12:10PM

    Breaking your addiction to cheese is an impressive accomplishment!
Even more impressive is that you achieved this during maintenance - not during your initial weight loss time.
You are demonstrating how this is a lifetime journey we are on by continuing to change old habits and becoming a thin person emotionally as well as physically.

And as you do all of this, you are an amazing model for the rest of us.

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DMEYER4 3/10/2013 12:05PM

  congrats on breaking the cheese addiction. any thing is good in moderation keep up the good work

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