Monday, August 15, 2011

How do you solve a problem like Oreos?

Oreos. Two chocolate wafer cookies separated by a creamy, sugary, icing that pairs wonderfully with a glass of milk or a bowl of ice cream; great for overeating on the couch, in the car or in the closet.

I love Oreos. I LOVE Oreos! I have overeaten and binged on many Oreos over the years: the original Oreo, double stuf, mint Oreos, Oreo ice cream, and Oreo ice cream sandwiched by two big Oreo cookies. Needless to say, I have all sorts of dieting baggage that accompanies every box of Oreos I decide to buy. I can’t seem to eat just one. Or four. Or even a whole row.

To me, the Oreo cookie represents all “bad” or restricted foods from the last twenty years. Oreos are one of those foods guaranteed to initiate overeating, if not a full-blown binge. Many of the pounds I’m hauling around today are a direct result of eating too many Oreos, especially during my two pregnancies.

In my last post, I wrote about why I always have something sweet (but not too sweet) in my house. I noticed that cupboards completely vacant of all foods of the restricted variety increased my anxiety and obsessive food thoughts. I also wrote about the mixed results of bringing super sweet foods such as Oreos (food with dieting baggage) into the house and how I would either overeat or forget about them entirely.

But, I didn’t write about how I cope with Oreos in the house (because I will always have a hankering for Oreos). Will I buy Oreos? Will I eat Oreos?

Yes, I will buy Oreos. Yes, I will eat (maybe even overeat) Oreos. If I do overeat on Oreos, it is important that I remain positive, do not feel guilty and start again immediately, “I had an oops moment, it happened, and now I’m going to forget about it.”


The good news is that since therapy, I no longer crave Oreos as frequently.  No food (including Oreos) is considered off-limits and the conflicting mental battle of wanting to eat but can’t or shouldn’t eat it thoughts are manageable. So buying Oreos on the rare occasion does not initiate an anxiety-induced turmoil resulting in bingeing. It’s just one of those foods that sometimes I will eat a normal amount and sometimes I’ll eat more.  

Come to think of it, I haven't bought Oreos since May and those Oreos were destined for my son's ice cream birthday cake.

7 comments:

  1. I'm partial to the golden oreos myself..Cant even go down the cookie isle at this stage of the game. Damn those little cookie sandwiches from heaven

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  2. Damn yes! I haven't tried the golden ones, they don't speak to me the way the original ones do. As long as I don't know what I'm missing, that is one less Oreo variety for me to think about.

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  3. Have you seen the new Triple decker Oreos? Let's not even get into the Triple stuffed Oreos. I love(d) Oreos. If I buy them now, I buy the small packages you get in the gas stations, haha.
    And I always have to have milk with my Oreos.

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  4. Triple decker Oreos, had to google that. I haven't seen them in Canada yet. Thankfully.

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  5. My problem is chips & salsa. I have had oreos in the cabinet over a month for my boys. Give me my salt any day!

    I have always said moderation will be my key & I am allowed to indulge. The problem is learning I don't need to indulge daily.

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  6. I have that problem with chocolate covered pretzels. It is still the one thing I can't be trusted with.

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  7. I had a mint creme oreo last week. It was heaven... When I have a wicked craving, I try to avoid it or have a piece of fruit to see if it will subside. I go for a walk. If I still crave it, maybe even the next day - I go buy a single serving pack at a gas station (as stated by someone above). It's less dangerous than buying a whole pack. I bought a pack of 6 Reeses peanut butter eggs when it was Easter time, I love them. I came home, took 1 out of the package and walked the rest down to my neighbors for their kids. I knew if I kept it, I would have knocked out all 6 in about 5 minutes. The things we do and the work it takes to reprogram our cravings!!! It's tough!

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