[thewalrus0]

Alright, so far one cheat hasn't derailed me, but I was attempting to adjust because I had been cheating a little every week and it was preventing any more weight from coming off!

But we had one big cheat and then me and my mom decided to try to go two weeks, no cheats and I thought I could do it! One day went by and I was fine. Last night? I lost it! I finished off a bag of doritos that had been haunting me and then I ate two bowls of pasta! Much more than I should have eaten, in any case.

Today I'm feeling better about everything, but having two mess-ups so close to each other is frightening.

But I'm try to see it possitively. Even if I gained two lbs I'm still eight down and if I can reach my goal of losing 4lbs in October I'll still be twelve pounds down in two months and that's a pretty good start. I'm hoping to find the keey to stretching these cheat days to fewer and farther between.

Any advice? I could even just use some encouraging words.

[LockItUp]

Definitely relatable, for me. Most of my August was spent overindulging. I'd say a good 10 to 12 days of that month. I was definitely scared. There was part of me that wondered if I would get back on track. Then I was like, wait, why am I wondering when I have control over it!? Why am I scared of myself?! So I made sure my main trigger foods were out of the house, and recommitted.

Best advice: just forget it happened. I mean learn from it, for sure, but do not dwell on it. It happens (and probably will again at some point), life goes on and so will your success! Our "mess ups" do not dictate our future success.

[westcoast rosa]

The the thing that has helped me the most is to change my mindset. I can't "cheat" because nothing is not allowed. For the most part, I choose to not have any food that is devoid of nutrition and to keep my "trigger foods" (i.e. chips, donuts) out of the house (my partner is totally on board, so that really helps).

I find that if I give myself permission to have (a sensible portion) of whatever then I am not constantly craving them. Not having the stuff in the house is really helpful too. That way I need to really think about if I want it bad enough to put on my shoes and head to the store to get it.

For a long time I resisted buying those pre-portioned 100 cal bags of treats (because I thought the extra packaging was a waste...and it is), but I have found that if my treats are pre-portioned I will stick to that potion. I just like finishing the bag (no matter how big or small it may be ).

Another thing I do is I keep a food diary. It really makes me accountable to have to write things down. I can also what I ate/drank that resulted in "x" amount of loss, etc.

Just pick yourself back up and get back on track. A couple days doesn't undo all your hard work.

[JossFit]

Originally Posted by LockItUp

Definitely relatable, for me. Most of my August was spent overindulging. I'd say a good 10 to 12 days of that month. I was definitely scared. There was part of me that wondered if I would get back on track. Then I was like, wait, why am I wondering when I have control over it!? Why am I scared of myself?! So I made sure my main trigger foods were out of the house, and recommitted...

This is pretty much where I am right now. September was a horrible month for me in terms of my diet; I haven't been out of control like that in a LONG time. Like, years. I gained about 5 pounds this month and honestly, that scares me! I just have to realize that I am totally in control of my choices and that I don't need to be scared of myself.

[thewalrus0]

Thank you guys so much!

I was having a bad morning yesterday but I feel really great today. Yesterday I actually ate out for all three meals, but made good, or at least low calorie, choices each time. I have a veggie omelet for breakfast, one of those mall pretzels with cheese(but no butter or salt) and at dinner I had a grilled chicken breast sandwich with some steak fries and an 80 calorie cocktail. I think my whole day ended up around 2,000 calories which, for me, is still weight loss territory.

Today I decided to face the scale because I figured it would either be bad enough to keep me on track or good enough to motivate me to keep going. It was actually really good at 251, meaning during the past three days of messing up only 1lb has decided to stick, leaving me with a 9lb loss for September. Not too shabby.

I also went to a concert to see one of my favorite bands last night and it was amazing! I wasn't even very self concious, but I noticed standing for those 3 hours really hurt my legs. The first hour in I was thinking "Wow, I don't know if I can stand the whole show!" But I did, and I danced and I think I burned quite a few calories.

I feel like that in itself is a huge reason to lose. Because I broke a sweat just standing for an hour and I'd like to not do that. :P

Anyways, I'm back in high spirits! I feel like I can definitely reach my goal of 4lbs lost in October! I guess I just got frightened that I was tumbling right back to my old ways. I haven't even been on the wagon that long and I still always feel like one step backwards and I'm going to fall off a cliff right into my old habits. I suppose that will always be a fear but hopefully I will learn to deal with it.

Thanks everyone! You're all so wonderful and someday I hope to be an inspiration too. ^.^