well, i have lost over 30 pounds, im feeling pretty good, then 3 weeks ago it all goes to h*ll.
in the last 3 weeks i have had a lot of stressful things happen, first, my new job sucks, and what i am being paid barely covers the 700+ miles per week i drive to work in 5 different cities. second, i got a puncture wound on my foot that required surgery and 7 different hospital visits and also making me miss 2 weeks of work, and third, i am preparing to meet my brother in law and his family for the first time in 5 years. they will be here in 2 weeks. 10 people and 3 dogs in the house..... yaay (not)
my diet has almost completely turned back to where it was. i have gained back several pounds, but not much, but i am finding it so hard to get myself back under control with little success. what do i do? i dont want to lose my progress, and i am back on my feet again so i can exercise lightly.
it feels like i am losing all of my willpower, i find it hard to think about the calories in food and i have been overeating regularly, especially at night. i know pretty much everyone has gone through moments like this, but what do you do to get back on track? this is ridiculous, there is no bake cookies in the fridge i cant get off my mind even though i already had dinner! i need suggestions!!
Lots of things have gone out of your control. It is up to you to take control of things again, and maybe planning your meals will be the easiest one, all things considered. Chew gum to stall the cravings and think up a plan that won't deprive you of too many of the foods you like. Go slowly, but move towards incorporating good food and quitting the junk. You deserve it!
You got this! Don't worry! Pick yourself back up and move forward. Remember that what you eat can impact your mood and stress level. I love eating healthy because I love the way it makes me feel. And exercise is a fantastic mood booster. It can be challenging at first to get back on track but before you know it you will start feeling (and looking) awesome.
I binged tonight (10 inch cheese pizza, glass of wine, and ridiculously indulgent dessert) and you know what, afterwards I felt like crap! Mentally and physically. It was so not worth it. I am going to push forward in spite of my slip up. Never give up!
hey, you know what- i was having the same issue. things were out of control- and well, food was delicious.
here is the thing. you can do it. you know how to do it- and we can help!
my issue was i was adding extra stresses to myself trying to calorie count, and it would set me off on horrible binges. the thing is, i've been doing this for long enough to know what a portion of something looks like. so i don't need to calorie count to know what i am eating is right or wrong- maybe do it a little intuitively?
i also find since i don't constantly have a running total in my head- i don't eat if in not hungry, and IF i am hungry, i have to evaluate whether i am really truly hungry, or just eating- because i don't know how many calories i've consumed for the day. so, some days you go over, some days you go under- but the process works!
Life sucks sometimes, there are so many things we can't control, bad jobs, in-laws, random injuries.
Our weight is one thing we can control. Remember how great you felt when you were eating great and on the path you took that lost that amazing 30 lbs? Work for that feeling again! You're worth it no matter how hard it is. You deserve to feel great about yourself.
You're job might be stressful, the in-laws are coming and you're recovering from an injury, but eating well is something you can totally conquer, you've already proven it!
Last edited by CanadianMomma; 07-22-2012 at 08:50 AM.
Who owns the cookies? Throw them away. If they're not yours, don't eat them! I try not to have good like that in the house or else it's a constant obsession and I don't want some stupid cookies to have that much power over me.
Eating these things is clearly making you both unhappy and unhealthy. Feeling like this is only adding to your stress. You have the power to stop, I know how difficult it is though. I struggle with feeling out of control too but I'm learning to deal with it. If I'm obsessing over something I just dump it, I don't need it. Sure it might taste nice for a minute but is it worth the week of feeling guilty, out of control and miserable? No. You deserve to be healthy and happy in your body.
You know you'll feel better if you're eating well. I'm sorry to hear about your recent stresses and hope your foot feels better!
one thing i have realized, as ive reembarked on fatloss, is that its harder to get back on the wagon than it is to stay on the wagon.... or another way to think it, is its EASIER to stay on the wagon than it is to try and get back on the wagon....
my point being, is that if you can just suffer through one night of not giving into your cravings, or mindless munching, or two days in a row, it becmes SO MUCH easier to maintain that momentum... its the same way with quitting smoking--> if i can just make it through ONE DAY without giving in to my urge to smoke, than i know i can do it again...
Im sure when you were losing the 30 pounds originally, at some point you realized, or felt that it wasnt so hard.... you had momentum going, you were seeing the scale move, and you werent dealing with those inner battles of not wandering into the kitchen to munch after dinner... sure you had bad days, or harder situations sometimes, but in general, once you were on the wagon, it was so much easier to stay there!
Buckle down, and suffer through it just for tonight! tell yourself you can eat that food item tomorrow IF you still want it.... chances are you wont, because most cravings only last, physically, for 10-20 minutes, as long as you dont give in to them.....
Wow, samcakes. You have a lot going on. No wonder you feel overwhelmed! If I may make a suggestion, instead of trying to solve everything at once, just pick one thing to work on. Make a change in your eating that you know you can sustain for a week. Then the following week, make another change. Then the following week... Give yourself small, attainable goals that are process oriented instead of results oriented. For example, next week, you could make sure that you pack yourself a healthy lunch and snacks for each day. After you have success at that, pick something else that is a small but healthy change.
I've found that small changes add up over time and they help to reduce the feelings of stress and being overwhelmed by trying to do everything at once. Good luck to you!
its the same way with quitting smoking--> if i can just make it through ONE DAY without giving in to my urge to smoke, than i know i can do it again...
Quitting, mkroyer? I'm 4 days smoke free but using electronic cigarettes...they're not the same at all but they are way better than inhaling all the weird crap in regular tobacco smokes!
samcakes - You are in control of what you eat, no matter what other BS life throws at you. I'm so sorry you've had such a rough time of it lately but like other posters have said, re-losing the same weight is HARDER than initially losing, so stick to it and don't punish yourself further with junk food that will make you feel bad about weight gain! HUGS you can do this!
Quitting, mkroyer? I'm 4 days smoke free but using electronic cigarettes...they're not the same at all but they are way better than inhaling all the weird crap in regular tobacco smokes!
Krampus-- im going to quit when i hit 140.... thats my "mini-goal" reward.... i really want to quit, but i know i will gain when i do, so i want to be settled into at least a more comfy weight...so i wont feel *as* fat and ucky when i do quit.....
fwiw, i like using the e-cigs to quit.... there are a few situations where i feel like i HAVE to smoke---> aka stuck in rush hour traffic, and e-cigs really helped me when i quit last time (stayed quit for over a year, then picked it back up again when i went on vacation to Mexico--stupid stupid!)
anyway, i KNOW i will be successful, like i said above,, if i can make it through ONE DAY without smoking then i know i will be able to continue without the devil tobacco.... im pretty excited to quit actually. Ive started running more consistently again, and quitting smoking AND losing the extra poundage will make it so much more enjoyable
I quit 4 years ago with the help of Chantix. I was really good until this year, when I've had a bunch of health problems stemming from a knee surgery gone wrong. The stress has driven me back to the cigarettes. GRRRR. I've quit about a million times this year, but the most successful time was a couple of weeks ago when I quit cold turkey and then started getting acupuncture 3x a week. it REALLY helped: they can get rid of all the tension in your body from the nic withdrawal.
Unfortunately I'm away from home (and my acupuncturist) at the moment, and medical related stress has me smoking again...If I haven't quit in the interim, I think I'll definitely go back for more acupuncture when I get home in the middle of August.
Cigarettes are such a horrible, wondrous, dastardly drug!
(p.s. The other thing that really helps with quitting smoking, for me, is pot. I live in a medical marijuana state and while I don't get it prescribed, I have plenty of access to it. It really helps with all the stress, tension, and misery.)
losing the battle... :(
