Stopping sabotage?
 

Hi, I'm finally actually logging in and contributing. I've been lurking for a year now and this site has made all the difference for me! I've always wanted to participate in the challenges, but it seems like any time I set a specific goal, I start sabotaging myself. Does anyone else have this problem? How did you deal with it?

mmmmmm hard one
 

mmm this is a hard one. what do you mean by sabotage??? what is your biggest fall down? i know for me my biggest problems were bread and chocolate. and i delt with it by giving up chocolate and only buying 1 loaf of bread a week. so if i ended up eating it all in the first 2 days then i went hungry at work during the week. i'm not suggesting that this method is suitable for all but its worked for me its now nearly the end of april and not a single drop of chocolate has passed my lips this year. think about what you biggest problems are. what foods sabotage you when do you normally eat them? do you often find you eat late at night while watching tv? think about what where and when find the pattern and go from there.

I am the sabotage queen! Here's what I'm doing - no matter what I keep coming back. So far, it's kept me from gaining and I'm losing VERY SLOWLY. I'm totally in yo-yo zone but right now, I'm going downward.

Sometimes, the only thing I can be consistant with is logging in here.

Hi, I'm with angi, when you feel like you might eat something that you shouldn't, tey logging in here and writing for a while. At least for me, by the time I'm done, I'm over the craving that I had and I don't eat. And with the challenges, I'm on my first one right now and I set little daily goals to get to the main one. I just think about being able to post my accomplishments on here for everyone to see. Because I know that the people here will be happy for me, and not pass any judgement. Gosh I LOVE this place!!!!!

The first thing is to target your "sabotage" foods and just don't keep them in the house. I know anything chocolate is bad in my house, and usually ice cream can send me over the edge as well.

The second thing is to do somthing else that prevents you from eating when you're not hungry...get up and go for a walk, do a needlepoint or other hands-on project....

Good luck, and post more often. We don't bite. :D

Jennelle makes a good point about doing something with your hands. I stopped smoking years ago by teaching myself crochet.

Thanks for the input...lots of great ideas! At least I'm starting to see a pattern...every time I'm about to hit a "magic number" the old eating habits start calling to me.

here are a few more thoughts... eat MINDFULLY. so many of us go on auto-eat when we have some trigger food around [think of everyone at the movies eating all their popcorn before the movie actually starts, if you need an example!].

Don't do anything else while you're eating. like watching TV, reading, whatever. it'll take your mind off your eating and you'll end up eating mindlessly. just focus on what you're eating, and enjoy it.

MEASURE a serving. and put the rest away. VERY away.

and, by the way, there's no law that says you have to eat an entire serving in one sitting. if a serving of pretzels is 20 pieces, put them in a little plastic bag and THAT'S IT!!!!

and instead of eating, try drinking, but don't drinnk your calories! you need the liquids [not caffeine, by the way], and it helps keep you full. ideal for the evening TV watching.

and maybe give some thought to why you're falling off the wagon [jumping off the wagon?] when you approach that 'magic number.' are you thinking 'reward time'? or 'i'm done now'? or are you afraid of actually succeeding at this?

and if i''m reading your stats right, you've lost 70 pounds!!! obviously, you've been doing SOMETHING right and now for some reason, you think you're doing something wrong... so, start dishing, you former lurker!!! what's going on with you???? something's up... stress?

and si... NO CHOCOLATE?????? how have you managed to survive??????!!!!!!

My helper is a stick of gum (or a pickle, depending on what I am wanting). I find that if I chew gum, I keep myself busy, and don't just snack on the bad foods. It usually does the job for me.

Good luck!

no chocolate
 

umm well the first week was a nightmare. then the cravings went and its been not to bad really. the only prob i find is going to the store wanting a small snack and not being able to eat anything unless its a nutrigrain bar or something. i found a good substitute though yoghurt covered raisins. there lovely. don't have them often though. now its just habit to refuse chocolate all my mates no i don't eat it so its cool now not more temptations. mind you was only for a new years bet. a mate bet me a pint of beer i couldn't go all year without chocolate so this coming new years day i'm gonna have a huge bar and a nice soothing pint of guinness

AmyJ - I so know what you mean. I do the same thing too. I'm a very "black" and "white" person....if a thing isn't 100% perfect, it's 100% bad. And when I make one mistake, it's almost like I have to prove to myself that I can't do it "right". The scale is what sends me over the edge. I can be OP for days and days & if I get on the scale and the needle hasn't moved, I go berserk. So, now, I pitched the scale and only weigh at the dr's office. I'm glad you broght the subject up, because I always feel like I'm the only one who feels this way.

mmm, i go for the pickles too -- only 5 calories! that can curb the munchies for a bit. =)

Yup, Claussen Kosher dills & Dentyne Ice Artic Chill. I chew it in the grocery store, to help me through.