I know some people get discouraged when they theyre trying hard but not seeing results and it kind of derails them... but I have the opposite problem! If I don't get results from my weekly weigh in I get really determined to step it up a notch and work harder. But, if I do really good I start slipping!
This morning I weighed myself and I was 158.8. I was SO excited! 159 has been this super elusive number to me. And then..I spotted the cookies...these lovely little bite sized creations about the size of a silver dollar that are 50 calories a pop. I live with other people who enjoy the occasionally chocolate morsel. Normally, I have no problem being around stuff like that. In fact those same cookies had been sitting on the same counter for a week and I hadn't touched them at all. But I started thinking "I've done so well, I'm already in the 150s, a couple cookies won't hurt." Well...I had 10! That's 500 calories!
This happens almost every time I'm successful with my weight loss. It's a really bad cycle. I'll feel really huge and like a failure at being healthy, which will make me feel super determined to change. But once I actually get to a point where I've lost 5-10 pounds, I feel great and then start to slack off. I've been losing and regaining the same 10 pounds for about 3 years. What can I do?
Lame isn't it? I have no idea why it happens, other than either a) some way to "treat" ourselves, or b) subconscious attempt to revert to previous ways.
It's nice hearing that someone else has the same problem! Sorry that sounds kinda biotchy, I'm not glad but it's nice not to be alone, ya know?
I think it has to do with that part of my identity is being around 165 lbs. That's why I get so frustrated when I'm over that and it's hard to not bounce back when I'm under.
Why would anyone think that losing a few pounds means it's OK to eat 500 calories of cookies?
This is like an alcoholic deciding that because they've been so good at being sober, they deserve a drink...
It's crazy!
My suggestion would be to look carefully at the way goals have been set up. If the goal is to lose weight so you can start eating all those tasty treat foods again without restriction, then it's most likely that you will fail to lose or to keep the weight off. That may sound harsh, but I think we have plenty of folks here who have been through that cycle many times! I am among them.
One idea would be to formulate goals in terms of the end result. "I will reach X pounds, be physically fit, eat healthy, and not over-indulge in fattening foods."
Other than that, I hope that someday the light bulb will go on, and you'll see that self-sabotage behavior before it happens and make better choices. It's not easy--but it can be done! Step away from the cookies!
Is there a way that you can track your progress other than weighing? If weighing yourself and seeing that you've succeeded is causing the problem, maybe try weighing yourself only once a month?
I can sympathise. I tend to do the same thing. I figure that since I've done so well all week and stayed on plan and hit the gym every day and am down a couple of pounds, it's ok to have the fries with dinner, or the cheesecake for dessert, or whatever.
It's self justification at it's finest and it's part of the reason my weight loss stalled out earlier this year and I hit a stall, big time.
It's the reverse of the "I blew it once so I might as well just give up on the day and start again tomorrow".
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Last edited by PhotoChick; 09-24-2008 at 11:47 PM.
Guilty of the same. I lose a few and think so and so treat won't hurt, or if it does I can just lose it like I lost the previous pounds. Yeah, that's why I've been overweight my whole life!! I'm trying to get into the habit of telling myself when I think like that "hey this is what got you in trouble before so knock it off!!" Or "why do you think you lost those pounds? Because you stopped the treats!"
i think its habbits....
i can almost tell the foods ill eat one of and then keep eating and eating until there gone....
i WONT touch these very often at all....
weight loss is a life long journey....
not only for the time you are loosing but also for the time you are maintaining....
if i never eat a chip or burger or fries again i wont mind....
^ Lol same!
I don't know why I do it, tbh. I guess it's similar to what someone above said "If I gain it back, I can just lose it like I did last time." It's such a horrible way of thinking.
Can you prepare yourself for success by having a non-food reward handy for when the scale gives you good news and maybe limiting the number of times you step on it?
Some how I feel entitled to eat extra or splurge on something yummy if I've done really well with diet/exercise and especially when the scale goes down.
I do the same thing, and other things. I seem to just be out to sabotage myself, which is why I decided to join a group for support. If I do well, I splurge. If I don't do well, I say, "well, I failed anyways, might as well enjoy it!" and my other big one is, well my friend is on a diet and is eating that, I can too. the difference, is my friend weighs 100 lbs less than me. I told her to stop telling me the junk she eats and lie if she has to, and having to admit to my failures will help me not have as many.
I think recognizing that you do it is a big step towards preventing it in the future. I know that I do it, and so most of the time now I can derail myself from continuing with that line of thought.
I really had to take a close look at myself earlier this spring to figure out why I'd stalled and it wasn't until I realized I'd gotten sloppy that I was able to breakthrough. But there was an element of "wow, I've lost 70 lbs and I wear a size 12 now (which I haven't done in 15 years or more), so it's ok to eat a little more".
To be honest there are times that I think to myself that I'd be happy at this weight for the rest of my life. I look better in my clothes than I have in years. I am able to shop at "regular" stores and at Target w/out hitting the "fat" section. And I'm much more fit than I have been in years. I mean, losing 70+ lbs has made me much healthier than I was .. so isn't this better than what I had???
But then I wise up and realize that I'm just indulging in a form of "fat acceptance" very similar to where I was at 240 where I said "it's not that bad and it could be worse and besides, I'm not gaining anything". Uh huh.
So you know ... knowing is half the battle, right? Being accountable to yourself and knowing your own weaknesses and strengths and all of that ...
Still, sometimes I wish there were a magic pill. It would make things so much easier!
Did you sit with the bag of little cookies eating them or did you put a prearranged number of cookies on a plate and go eat them somewhere else? I always eat more if I try to sit and eat a couple out of the bag or box.
I've reached goal weight, so I have a few more calories to play with during the day than I've had the last few months, so I bought a box of Nilla Wafers as an occasional evening snack. I have to go in and count out exactly one serving of those wafers, put them on a saucer, put the box back up in the cabinet, then move to a completely different room of the house to eat them or I would do the exact same thing I'm sure...
In your situation, I agree with Josephine - if a positive result makes you think it is okay to splurge, find some indulgence that doesn't involve food for those good moments maybe?
motivated by failure.. derailed by success!
I am among them.
Step away from the cookies! 
