I lack self control as well. Ive learned that if im bored and want a snack, I should have to work for it. By that I mean I have to do 30 sit ups and 30 seconds of jumping jacks. If its something healthy then I dont have to do it. But if its something that is high in calories or not great for me then I have to. It makes me think about if I really want to eat it.
I lack self control as well. Ive learned that if im bored and want a snack, I should have to work for it. By that I mean I have to do 30 sit ups and 30 seconds of jumping jacks. If its something healthy then I dont have to do it. But if its something that is high in calories or not great for me then I have to. It makes me think about if I really want to eat it.
I lack self control as well. Ive learned that if im bored and want a snack, I should have to work for it. By that I mean I have to do 30 sit ups and 30 seconds of jumping jacks. If its something healthy then I dont have to do it. But if its something that is high in calories or not great for me then I have to. It makes me think about if I really want to eat it.
That is such a smart idea!!! Thank you so much I will try that today!!!
Olliepop - It sounds to me like you have a handle on things. You sound smart and sensible. And that's what you can use to pull you through the difficult moments. I love Candeka's suggestion. I think it might help, too, to look at what's been going on in your life the past few months during the time that you've gained a few pounds. Maybe something is happening that you weren't really aware of and by recognizing it, you can eliminate the problem.
Good luck to you. You're doing yourself a great service by forming good habits now. Keep it up.
I agree that your body composition sounds like the issue more than your weight, for most of your concerns. Strength is an awesome goal, and the more lean mass you build the more calories you burn, too, which can be a help in controlling or mitigating the damage of the snacking.
As for willpower, I don't know what to tell you. If you recognize when you are and aren't hungry and have decent hunger cues, it is just a matter of thinking through eating before you actually consume food. Seriously consider the food, the nutrients from it, the calories, if you really want it or if you want water/hobby/hug instead. The way I stop 80% of my not-hungry eating is by consciously thinking about the process and sorting through if I really want this and why. Most of the time it turns out I am thirsty or bored, not hungry. Or I want some sensation, like crunch or sweet, and could get it from an apple or carrots instead of cookies and chips.
And finally, at your age your metabolism is going to have pretty high calorie demands. Sometimes those calorie-dense snack urges come because we're shorting ourselves of some nutrient (often fat or trace minerals) and our bodies send out the signal to acquire more. It's not a weakness of character but a genuine physical need. Your basic diet sounds good but probably a bit light on fat and colorful vegetables, as most American diets are. Try tightening that up and see if the cravings subside a bit.
Beyond checking yourself at a door before eating and making sure you're not deficient, it comes down to good old fashioned willpower. You don't need more of it, you just need to exercise it. The more you say no and keep your goals in mind as more important than the immediate gratification of food, the stronger that willpower muscle becomes. But it is valuable to ascertain that it really is a lack of saying 'no' to yourself and not a genuine biological need for more energy or stress releif that is causing your not-hunger
Regardless of what you're saying at 5'2" and 120lbs it is unlikely you're carrying around 15 extra lbs of fat if you're any kind of an athlete because athletes have at minimum some muscle in their legs and you're describing yourself as having muscles. If you do carry most of your extra fat in your belly it might feel that way but 15lbs of fat is a lot of fat for someone who is 5'2".
To take it a step further I would invite you to take a look at this. These are high level athletes. Perhaps this will change your perception a little.
I believe you when you say you don't have any kind of eating disorder. However, thinking you have 15lbs to lose is the kind of thinking that leads to an eating disorder.
If you want to lose some belly fat I'd suggest you worry more about first understanding how fat loss or gain works because based on your first post you wouldn't have 15lbs to lose if it were accurate. A snack every couple days of chocolate or nuts would not cause you to add 15lbs of fat over the course of a couple months if you had 15lbs of fat to lose.
Fat loss or gain is a direct result of a energy surplus or deficit. Energy is measured in calories.
Quote:
Originally Posted by olliepop96
what I asked for were tips on being disciplined and being controlled and stuff.
Fair enough. We're creatures of habit. Spend some time tracking the number of calories you're ingesting. See what choices you're making that are causing you to add fat and try to minimize them. Nuts and chocolate unless consumed in large quantities do not have many calories compared to some other calorically dense foods.
Olliepop - I apologize right up front for talking about you like you weren't "in the room" so to speak. Here goes:
I'm going to jump in here again - this time to re-state what olliepop said in more than one of her posts. She was 105 just a few months ago. This doesn't have anything to do with an unrealistic goal or body image. It's what she was. And what she was happy with. My mother was a tiny woman who was 5'2' tall. She weighed 95 pounds until she started having kids. Even at her heaviest, she was about 120 - at 40 years old after 3 kids. She looked normal at 95 because that's just how she was built. Small. She looked normal at 120 because it was still a normal weight for someone 5'2" tall.
We're trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist. Most of us fight all the time against our friends and family who tell us we've lost enough weight when we tell them we want to get to a lower BMI. We have to defend wanting to get healthy. Or get healthier. At 105, she is still in the healthy BMI range. I think olliepop wants to stay the thin, healthy teen she was a few months ago. That's not to say she is unhealthy now, but belly fat on a 16 year old is not what she wants to see.
All that said, I agree that there are a lot of different things going on in a developing teens body. I assume that she has gone through puberty. I assume that her body is that of a young adult. Changes are going on. Re-structuring is going on. All the advice is good. But all she needs is tips on recognizing what happened in the past few months, and then tips on how to reverse it and stay with whatever eating plan she chooses to do that.
Now - to olliepop - Just take a deep breath every time you want to eat junk and revisit the mental game of resisting it. Stay away from junk food as much as you can. That's a good life long habit to develop. Stay away from fast food if possible. A thought just occurred to me - did you just get your driver's license? Does that give you more freedom to drive to fast food places with friends more often than before? At 16, that might be something you and your friends are doing on a more regular basis than before you had wheels that has slipped by when you're trying to see what's different now. Anyway, Keep doing the healthy things you've done all along. Eliminate, to the best of your ability, the unhealthy things. If that means skipping the burger and fries, well, that's how it has to be. Get your friends on board. Check back in with us. We'll be your watchdogs and advisers. Just what a 16 year old needs - dozens of extra parents watching over your shoulder! Good luck. Form good habits for the rest of your life and you'll never regret putting in the effort now.
Olliepop - I apologize right up front for talking about you like you weren't "in the room" so to speak. Here goes:
I'm going to jump in here again - this time to re-state what olliepop said in more than one of her posts. She was 105 just a few months ago. This doesn't have anything to do with an unrealistic goal or body image. It's what she was. And what she was happy with. My mother was a tiny woman who was 5'2' tall. She weighed 95 pounds until she started having kids. Even at her heaviest, she was about 120 - at 40 years old after 3 kids. She looked normal at 95 because that's just how she was built. Small. She looked normal at 120 because it was still a normal weight for someone 5'2" tall.
We're trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist. Most of us fight all the time against our friends and family who tell us we've lost enough weight when we tell them we want to get to a lower BMI. We have to defend wanting to get healthy. Or get healthier. At 105, she is still in the healthy BMI range. I think olliepop wants to stay the thin, healthy teen she was a few months ago. That's not to say she is unhealthy now, but belly fat on a 16 year old is not what she wants to see.
All that said, I agree that there are a lot of different things going on in a developing teens body. I assume that she has gone through puberty. I assume that her body is that of a young adult. Changes are going on. Re-structuring is going on. All the advice is good. But all she needs is tips on recognizing what happened in the past few months, and then tips on how to reverse it and stay with whatever eating plan she chooses to do that.
Now - to olliepop - Just take a deep breath every time you want to eat junk and revisit the mental game of resisting it. Stay away from junk food as much as you can. That's a good life long habit to develop. Stay away from fast food if possible. A thought just occurred to me - did you just get your driver's license? Does that give you more freedom to drive to fast food places with friends more often than before? At 16, that might be something you and your friends are doing on a more regular basis than before you had wheels that has slipped by when you're trying to see what's different now. Anyway, Keep doing the healthy things you've done all along. Eliminate, to the best of your ability, the unhealthy things. If that means skipping the burger and fries, well, that's how it has to be. Get your friends on board. Check back in with us. We'll be your watchdogs and advisers. Just what a 16 year old needs - dozens of extra parents watching over your shoulder! Good luck. Form good habits for the rest of your life and you'll never regret putting in the effort now.
Lin
Thanks for the advice I'm glad people are finally starting to understand so thank you for clearing up what I was having trouble explaining. I don't have my driver's license yet (i still have to wait), my real problem is snacking when I'm by myself but I'm trying to work on it. Thanks for understanding
I am glad to help. I wish I would have done something about my urge to eat when I was not hungry when i was your age but it only got worse. I have to tell myself "NO" like a thousand times a day and it doesn't always work. I think overeating/snacking definitely is stress related. Is there any way ti reduce your stress?
Last edited by TiffNeedsChange; 03-28-2012 at 01:07 AM.
