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Old 11-20-2006, 09:21 AM   #1  
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Default Hopelessly, hopelessly, hopeless!

For the love of God someone kick me in the butt! This whole weight loss thing seems so hopeless! I want to eat better and i want to exercise more and the whole bit, I'm miserable about how i look and feel but....I just cant seem to shake these habbits. For years i saw my husband fight a drinking adiction and now i feel like i know how he felt. i try i realy do! i'm like a mindless eating zombie. 1/2 the time i dont even realize i've eaten it till the plate of crumbs is staring me in the face and i'm like "oh ya i'm supposed to be on a diet. What have i done?"
Anyone overcome this? Ideas, tips, words of wisdom welcome and appretiated.
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Old 11-20-2006, 09:55 AM   #2  
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Ok..stop..breathe

Here's my advice...stop! Don't be so down on yourself because it won't help - in fact it will hinder you.

Here are ways to stop that mindless eating - Don't have any crap food in the house, have lots of fruit, try to be more conscious of what you eat, work out why you are eating - do you eat when you are angry, bored or upset? If so tackle that.

Substitute what you eat. Sometimes I still eat mindlessly but I do it with satsumas....after four of them you've hardly had any calories but it takes a while with the peeling etc..so somehow you are satisfied...or I have hummus and corn crackers.

Basically you're not perfect, neither is anyone else, so try to take little steps to sorting things out..having an all or nothing attitude doesn't work especially when you are a perfectionist which you sound like and I definitely am! So try being a bit more gentle with yourself.

Claire x
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Old 11-20-2006, 10:46 AM   #3  
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Default Me too!

I feel hopeless alot too. Like I'm missing that one thing that other people have found to get their butts in gear. I know all the words of advise and wisdom..one day at a time, small steps, little changes..and so on, it's just acting on them. I know we can do it too.

One day at a time seems the path for me. One day to tackle. Find one mantra, that may help.

I wish you the best!
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Old 11-20-2006, 10:55 AM   #4  
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As we say it Brazil, I agree with Claire in gender, number and grade... I just have one more thing to add, as I used to have the same problems, habit is one damn thing to break, so besides all of the good advice you got, also stop before you start eating, just for a second... so when you go to the fridge to grab whatever, stop for a second and ask yourself if you really wanna do that... start paying attention !

You´ll get there !!!
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Old 11-20-2006, 12:08 PM   #5  
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Sometimes I fall into that category, but not very often anymore. For me, I had to really, really want to lose weight. So much so that I was willing to give up the mindless eating and do anything to get the job done. So thoroughly examine yourself and find out if this is what you REALLY want right now in your life because sometimes it really isn't the right time.

But if it is, then Claire's suggestion would be the first step. Rid your house of everything that will sabotage you. And if you have kids, remember that they don't need junk food either. Stock up on fruits, vegetables, lean meats, all the good stuff. If you must have ice cream occasionally, make it a kid's scoop at an ice cream shop. Start reading about others who have successfully managed to lose weight (try the Success section at 3FC), and pick something you can do for the rest of your life. Plan what you're going to eat in advance, and write it down. And start moving! Weight loss really is about eating less and moving more.

You will not be perfect all of the time, but if you pick yourself up after you fall, and get back to your program with the next meal rather than the next day (or week, or month), then you'll be ahead of the game. Sometimes it's two steps forward, and one back, but all those forward steps will help you succeed.

Last edited by Sheila53; 11-20-2006 at 05:02 PM.
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Old 11-20-2006, 01:31 PM   #6  
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I have to agree with getting rid of the junk that you mindlessly nosh on. I'm a mindless eater....the cause of which is usually boredom and it tends to be much worse on the weekend than the work week. The first step I took to beginning a healthy kitchen was to throw out ALL the junk....and I mean ALL, even if it had wasted money. The next thing I did was to make my pantry/kitchen inviting. I bought a bunch of small glass containers to display ingredients in, got a fancy spice rack and stocked it up, fancy oil and vinegar cruets and a big bowl for fruit.
When I shop I spend a lot of time in the natural foods and produce section and avoid going down any aisles where there is nothing that I need. When I can I buy 'bulk' foods which allows me to only buy what I need. I find that if I keep the contents of my kitchen healthy then when I go for that mindless nosh I'm reaching for fruit or yogurt and granola or popcorn....not ice cream and chips and cookies.
In my apartment now I keep a fully stocked fruit bowl, mini-bags of the 97% fat free kettle corn to pop, a fridge full of healthy meals and veggies that I prepare on Sundays for the week, and just a bit of sweets. I love chocolate so I always keep a container on hand of dark chocolate coveredespresso beans... they are so rich I actually can't eat more than one or two (which is something that I can't say about cake and cookies)!
Its all about staying conscious...its tough to do all the time but I always try to think before I eat. You can do it, just take it one day at a time
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Old 11-20-2006, 04:09 PM   #7  
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In addition to the advice above I have found it helpful to WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING YOU EAT. okay, so you ate a plate of cookies mindlessly. OWN IT.

I have found that the spectre of having to write it down often stops me in my tracks. And then when I do, I feel like at least I've owned up to it, rather than ignoring it.

And that's got me thinking about this term "mindless eating." I can't speak for other people, but really for me, while it feels mindless on one level, on another level I know exactly what I'm doing. Knowing I'm going to write it down is a step toward being more CONSCIOUS of everything I eat.

And the people above who said you won't be perfect are right. You have to be able to forgive yourself and own up to it. Trying to figure out WHY you do it is a big (and often long) step.

Before I started I was overwhelmed too. But taking things one habit at a time and one day at a time really helped.
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Old 11-20-2006, 07:42 PM   #8  
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You been given some great advice here and I can't really think of anything else to add. But I have to say that wyllenn's advise is at the top of my list. I basically tell myself that if I really want something, I can have it BUT I have to write it down first. And like her, it makes me stop and think "do I really want to waste calories for this item" and most of the time I realize it's not worth it.

Good luck!! You can do it!!!
Melissa
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Old 11-22-2006, 01:39 AM   #9  
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My advice?

When I reached 282 pounds I found myself in the same situation. I just couldn't seem to stop eating junk. I would sit there and eat sweets and then more sweets etc. I don't even think I was tasting the stuff, I just kept scarfing it down! I couldn't even figure out WHY I was doing that. It WAS like an addiction.

I always felt like it was so crazy that addicts could just quit, cold turkey and walk away and never touch something again, but us fat people couldn't, because we HAVE to eat!

But then I tried Atkins. I was so amazed at it's power. It was like being able to walk away from the addictive substance. It turns out that carbs, sugary and starchy foods do have a physical effect on the body. They create high blood sugar which releases a lot of insulin to deal with and "convert" the sugars into energy the body can use (and stores the excess as fat). Problem is for a lot of us our bodies release too much insulin which then drops our blood sugars way too low, and then we are hungry again too quickly.

The solution to this physical (addictive) response is to change the types of foods we eat. Cut out the bread, cakes, potatoes, corn, and other starchy foods and the sweets, sugary foods. Eat high protein foods which don't affect blood sugar in the same way. Eat foods with some fat in them too, (but no sugar or starch) and you feel satisfied with way LESS food.

I lost 13.5 pounds the first week and a half that I started on Atkins. Then over the next 8 months I lost 50 pounds total.

I managed to keep it off for 2 years and lose another 10 to 12 pounds over the next few years even though I wasn't on Atkins the whole time. My "addiction" seemed more under control even when I did eat some things that weren't on plan.

Now whenever I feel myself getting back into that out of control feeling, I figure it is time to go back to Atkins. It doesn't work nearly as well the second or third or fourth time around as it does that first time, but it still works for me. I did gain back some of what I originally lost, but am back taking it off again. I've lost over 10 pounds since restarting just a short while back, and feel in control again over what goes in my mouth.

I suggest you read his book and decide for yourself if you can do it. I didn't think I could, but when I read the science behind it I was convinced it was worth a try. When I saw it take the weight off and help me to have more control, I was convinced to keep on with it. I was never "perfect" about it, but it still worked.

Diets are hard to stick to because if you are HUNGRY you want to eat. If your blood sugar is low, then you are hungry. By keeping it more steady and not shooting up and down like a roller coaster it is easier to not be hungry.

Sherry
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