I've come to the conclusion that there are simply some things, primarily stuff with sugar and flour, like cookies, cakes, pizza, etc., that I simply can't eat ever again, at least as a regular part of my diet. I ate a spoonful of banana pudding recently and literally gained 4 pounds of water weight a few days ago. The next day I felt awful, like I had a mild case of flu, but a day or so after after being back on track, I was fine. I can eat pizza toppings, and I've successfully eaten it that way and thrown the crust to the dogs (they think this is an excellent turn of events, lol).
I do not, however, avoid fats like the plague. I cook with real butter, eat eggs, and eat coconut oil. Our nervous system must have fatty acids to function. I avoid "industrial seed" oil like canola, though. I love olive oil and I use it on salads and on grilled fish. I feel great, am losing weight slowly but steadily and best of all I'm not hungry and I don't obsess over cookies and such.
One book I use as a guide is Gary Taubes' "Why We Get Fat & What to do About it".
Oh, and as an extra bonus, DH has lost 30 pounds since there's no junk food in the house and looks pretty doggone hot for a middle aged fella.
