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Old 09-25-2008, 11:22 AM   #1  
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Default Argh....so frustrated. Advice anyone?

Hello All:

I'm a newbie here and hoping that this forum could maybe act as a catalyst for change.

I've had a horrid couple of weeks that seem to have turned into a downward spiral. I recently had to undergo an endoscopy and had to fast for that. I took that as my "free ticket" and before the fast totally pigged out for DAYS. I got on the scale on Monday and surprise surprise I had gained weight. Normally I'm at 135 and it doesn't really fluctuate from there much. Seeing that 139 on the scale totally freaked me out because it's so close to 140 (which in my mind is a danger zone). Instead of motivating me this scale reading seems to have caused me to lose all motivation. I've been bingeing all week and I can't seem to break out of it. I start the mornings off with good intentions and do my 10 Minute Weights and eat a healthy breakfast, but it all seems to fall apart after that.

Here's what I've noticed:

1) I'm educated about healthy eating habits and exercise and for the most part follow at least the eating habits. I HATE exercise so that one is more of a toughie, but I am trying to at least establish the morning weight routine habit before adding another workout attempt into my day. It's frustrating that despite the knowledge base I seem to cancel out my own good sense when I dive into the junk food.

2) I have a major self control problem. Once I break down and start on the junk food I can eat until I physically feel ill. A lot of the time when I get a hold of a bad snack at home I will eat the entire thing just to get rid of it so it isn't there tomorrow. Home is dangerous because my husband and I work opposite shifts so I can eat as much as I want without being accountable to anyone. It doesn't help that despite my good intentions grocery shopping (picking out mostly fruits, veggies, lean meats, healthy grains, etc.) the husband and his brother who lives with us have super metabolisms and are always bringing home junk and encouraging sharing. Sharing always turns into me finishing it off because someone left it until it became undesireable (not to the point of going bad, but there seems to be a two day fridge rule and then they won't touch it so I end up finishing it).

3) I have these weird bottomless pit days where I start the day out super. Have a healthy breakfast and lunch packed, have some motivation (which is rare) etc. but about 30 min. after I eat breakfast I'm famished again. This continues through the whole day. No matter what I seem to eat on those days, I'm still left feeling hungry.

I apologize for the rambling, but if anyone has experienced anything similar or has any tips/advice I would love to hear it. (P.S. I'm a calorie counter with vegetarian leanings in case that matters.)

Thanks in advance for any suggestions/advice!

PaniAnia
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Old 09-25-2008, 11:33 AM   #2  
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PaniAnia!!!

Based on what you've said so far you may enjoy checking out a few sections... Featherweights, Exercise (to get ideas), Chicks in Control (due to the overeating), Calorie Counters, Vegetarian section (for your mostly vegetarian ways) and Maintainers (because, although you'd like to lose a few, you're very close to your maintaining point).

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Originally Posted by paniania View Post
1) I'm educated about healthy eating habits and exercise and for the most part follow at least the eating habits. I HATE exercise so that one is more of a toughie, but I am trying to at least establish the morning weight routine habit before adding another workout attempt into my day. It's frustrating that despite the knowledge base I seem to cancel out my own good sense when I dive into the junk food.
Exercise doesn't have to be anything formal. It can be a bike ride to nowhere, a walk around the block, a hike, rockclimbing, a sport you love to play. If you absolutely hate doing something, it is far more difficult to do it frequently. I think it's great that you want to start a routine, but I'd suggest looking for something you actually like.

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2) I have a major self control problem. Once I break down and start on the junk food I can eat until I physically feel ill. A lot of the time when I get a hold of a bad snack at home I will eat the entire thing just to get rid of it so it isn't there tomorrow. Home is dangerous because my husband and I work opposite shifts so I can eat as much as I want without being accountable to anyone. It doesn't help that despite my good intentions grocery shopping (picking out mostly fruits, veggies, lean meats, healthy grains, etc.) the husband and his brother who lives with us have super metabolisms and are always bringing home junk and encouraging sharing. Sharing always turns into me finishing it off because someone left it until it became undesireable (not to the point of going bad, but there seems to be a two day fridge rule and then they won't touch it so I end up finishing it).
New Rule: After two days in the fridge it is now garbage. You are not a garbage can, so this two-day old food does not belong in you. It belongs in the trash now... underneath yucky used tissues and old paper towels where you won't want it anymore. If you're concerned, ask that your husband & BIL not offer you any junk. Or that they get rid of it as soon as they're done with it.

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3) I have these weird bottomless pit days where I start the day out super. Have a healthy breakfast and lunch packed, have some motivation (which is rare) etc. but about 30 min. after I eat breakfast I'm famished again. This continues through the whole day. No matter what I seem to eat on those days, I'm still left feeling hungry.
What are you eating on those days? If your breakfasts/lunches don't have enough food with them, or don't have enough protein, carbs, fat, fiber... they may not be filling. An alternative is to prepare and bring along something that you can graze on without feeling bad... like celery. It's not perfect. In a perfect world we'd only be hungry at meal times and then only eat just enough. But it's better than eating, say, a muffin, after our breakfast is done.

Stick around Let us all know about your plans & progress.
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Old 09-25-2008, 11:34 AM   #3  
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I know you said you're educated in healthy eating, but can you give us a sample of what you typically eat for breakfast and lunch? Maybe we can all work together and figure out why you're binging.
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Old 09-25-2008, 11:46 AM   #4  
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Honestly it sounds like although you're eating healthy things, you might not be eating the right combination of things in the mornings to hold you over. Especially if you're exercising in the mornings as well.

Can you give an example of your regular diet - just an average day? That will really help us to see what might help you!

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Old 09-25-2008, 11:55 AM   #5  
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New Rule: After two days in the fridge it is now garbage. You are not a garbage can, so this two-day old food does not belong in you. It belongs in the trash now... underneath yucky used tissues and old paper towels where you won't want it anymore. If you're concerned, ask that your husband & BIL not offer you any junk. Or that they get rid of it as soon as they're done with it.
Argh, I really would love to do that, but I absolutely hate throwing food away. My mom was really big on the not throwing food away because there are so many that are without and we should honor it. There is also the thriftiness factor - throwing it away is wasteful. I suppose that I could try to rationalize it and mentally transfer the guilt to the BILs conscience since he buys it and it is his money that would be wasted. Maybe after enough of it gets thrown away he'll stop buying three "treats" and only buy two of them.


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What are you eating on those days? If your breakfasts/lunches don't have enough food with them, or don't have enough protein, carbs, fat, fiber... they may not be filling. An alternative is to prepare and bring along something that you can graze on without feeling bad... like celery. It's not perfect. In a perfect world we'd only be hungry at meal times and then only eat just enough. But it's better than eating, say, a muffin, after our breakfast is done.
To answer your question, Tuesday I had one of those days and managed to write down what I ate:
Breakfast: 1 Whole Grain Bagel (normal sized, like before the time that they exploded, 110 Calories) + 1 TBS Gooseberry Jam (25 Calories) + 1/2 cup Fat Free Greek Yogurt (60 Calories) + 1 oz. chopped Dried Mango (to go on top of the yogurt, 115 Calories) + 2 TBS chopped Walnuts (also for on top of the yogurt, 100 Calories) = Total Calories 410

Lunch: 2 oz. Breaded/Panfried Japanese Style Pork Cutlet (250 Calories) + 1 cup steamed Nappa Cabbage (10 Calories) + 1 TBS Tonkatsu Sauce (for the cutlet, 25 Calories) + 4 Japanese Pancakes (for the pork and cabbage, 200 Calories) + 1 cup Watermelon (dessert, 50 Calories) = Total Calories 535

Both of those meals seem to have enough protein, carbs, fat, fiber, and calories. I just don't get it....
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Old 09-25-2008, 12:24 PM   #6  
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Argh, I really would love to do that, but I absolutely hate throwing food away. My mom was really big on the not throwing food away because there are so many that are without and we should honor it. There is also the thriftiness factor - throwing it away is wasteful. I suppose that I could try to rationalize it and mentally transfer the guilt to the BILs conscience since he buys it and it is his money that would be wasted. Maybe after enough of it gets thrown away he'll stop buying three "treats" and only buy two of them.
Is it better to waste the food, or to waste your hard work and your health & life? Because seriously, either way you *ARE* wasting something. Which would you rather waste?
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Old 09-25-2008, 12:33 PM   #7  
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Is it better to waste the food, or to waste your hard work and your health & life? Because seriously, either way you *ARE* wasting something. Which would you rather waste?
I know it sounds silly, but I have to convince myself of that. Ha! Shows how much self esteem I have I guess.
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Old 09-25-2008, 12:44 PM   #8  
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To answer your question, Tuesday I had one of those days and managed to write down what I ate:
Breakfast: 1 Whole Grain Bagel (normal sized, like before the time that they exploded, 110 Calories) + 1 TBS Gooseberry Jam (25 Calories) + 1/2 cup Fat Free Greek Yogurt (60 Calories) + 1 oz. chopped Dried Mango (to go on top of the yogurt, 115 Calories) + 2 TBS chopped Walnuts (also for on top of the yogurt, 100 Calories) = Total Calories 410

Lunch: 2 oz. Breaded/Panfried Japanese Style Pork Cutlet (250 Calories) + 1 cup steamed Nappa Cabbage (10 Calories) + 1 TBS Tonkatsu Sauce (for the cutlet, 25 Calories) + 4 Japanese Pancakes (for the pork and cabbage, 200 Calories) + 1 cup Watermelon (dessert, 50 Calories) = Total Calories 535
Hm. Ok, this is purely speculation on my part, but that seems like a LOT of food for those meals. Is it possible that you're conditioning your stomach to expect quantity?

Also, I personally HAVE to eat more often rather than less. I find if I eat a big breakfast, no matter how much protein I have, I am still hungry mid morning. Which results in me eating too much at lunch.

Have you thought about dividing your food out over smaller meals and snacks.

For example, here's what I've eaten today so far and what I'll eat this afternoon:
Breakfast: serving of steel cut oats witih cheese
Snack: Pumpkin muffin with cream cheese
Lunch: Butternut squash soup w/ sour cream, 1 whole wheat pita, toasted (to dip into the soup)
Snack: Apple and V8 juice
Post workout: Protein powder in orange juice
Dinner: planning on stir frying a chicken breast, broccoli, onion, mushroom, celery, carrot, cabbage ... serve over 1/2 cup of brown rice.
Snack: either another pumpkin muffin, or possibly a 1/2 cup of starbucks low-fat mocha latte frozen yogurt.

I eat about every 2 hours, give or take. I eat breakfast at around 9:30 in the morning and I have my last snack around 10 p.m. (of course I don't go to bed until well after midnight, so this isn't a problem for me).

Maybe if you had smaller meals more frequently, you wouldn't feel as hungry?

.
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Old 09-25-2008, 12:51 PM   #9  
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I know it sounds silly, but I have to convince myself of that. Ha! Shows how much self esteem I have I guess.
You got it. It comes down to believing that you are worth the choice.
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Old 09-25-2008, 01:06 PM   #10  
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Hm. Ok, this is purely speculation on my part, but that seems like a LOT of food for those meals. Is it possible that you're conditioning your stomach to expect quantity?
Is it really that much? It fits into the calorie breakdown for the day and into the bento box I have (I'm using those to control my portion sizes). I normally have the same thing for breakfast all week (except for Fridays when the company provides breakfast) and on Monday and Wednesday I had relatively the same thing (minus the nuts and dried fruit, but plus grapes) and I was fine through to lunch.

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Maybe if you had smaller meals more frequently, you wouldn't feel as hungry?
I tried that in the past, but I tended to over do it calorically. And I didn't like that feeling of constantly eating. It seemed like every time I looked at the clock it was time to eat. Also, the snacking tended to make me even hungrier because it seemed as though I would get to really eat, but it was really a teaser.

Argh, I'm hopeless!

I think I'm going to try the advice someone else posted and just keep a stash of healthy munchies for my "bottomless pit" days. Also, I have to remember to keep in mind that the day will pass and tomorrow will be normal - since those "bottomless pit" days are pretty rare.
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Old 09-25-2008, 01:34 PM   #11  
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Originally Posted by paniania
Argh, I really would love to do that, but I absolutely hate throwing food away.
Now hold on there! You say you let it sit there for two days until it's stale and yucky, and then you put it all in your mouth...?? Sorry, paniania--that's just nuts.

That's like an alcoholic refusing to empty out the booze closet because alcohol costs so much... even if it's Ripple... And besides, who made you the garbage can, as another member asked?

Throw the stuff away! It is already wasted because they didn't finish it. Put coffee grounds on top of it or something else so that you won't end up fishing it out of the trash.

What you have been eating looks OK to me, even though dinner isn't listed. But since you haven't planned for snacks, you don't get to eat them. You might want to make your dinner lighter and then have a planned snack an hour or two after, so that you're not tempted to eat those guys' food.

Basically it comes down to self-control. There is no magic to it. Your hand and your mouth--no one is forcing you to eat anything.

Good luck!
Jay

Last edited by JayEll; 09-25-2008 at 01:35 PM.
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Old 09-25-2008, 02:41 PM   #12  
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Now hold on there! You say you let it sit there for two days until it's stale and yucky, and then you put it all in your mouth...?? Sorry, paniania--that's just nuts.
Wow, that made me feel disgusting. Never thought about leftovers that way...

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Put coffee grounds on top of it or something else so that you won't end up fishing it out of the trash.
Thank God I have never done anything that disgusting and have no desire too. I guess that means that there is hope...

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You might want to make your dinner lighter and then have a planned snack an hour or two after, so that you're not tempted to eat those guys' food.
I was actually thinking of making dinner cereal with some sort of nuts (for protein) and fruit. At least that way it's quick (since I'm completely starving when I get home) light, and I don't have to think about it - it's pretty much automatic.
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Old 09-25-2008, 02:43 PM   #13  
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I was actually thinking of making dinner cereal with some sort of nuts (for protein) and fruit. At least that way it's quick (since I'm completely starving when I get home) light, and I don't have to think about it - it's pretty much automatic.
I know there are a ton of chicks on the boards who prepare all their dinners on one day, freeze them, and then take them out, pop them into the micro & tada! dinner. Soups & chilis work well, too, if they're kept in the fridge.

Just another suggestion in case you get tired of cereal.
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