Hi all you beautiful people out there and happy saturday!

So, I was wondering if any of you "beat yourself up" after having a bad day or not working out as much as you should.

I do it. A lot. Like, last night....after a day of eating well I was doing homework and made myself some popcorn (a little 100 calorie pack)

I woke up this morning feeling like a failure and craving all the foods I use to eat.

I know I am my own worst enemy in this battle...and my own best friend...but how to I keep that little voice quiet?

So any of you have similar feelings? Any positive saying that I can use to "pump myself back up?"

I know these feelings are irrational and come from that dark place inside me...(Jung would call it the "shadow".....don't make fun..I am a psychology minor )

But I need to support myself more than I bring myself down...any suggestions?

-Taylor

I do the same thing! I usually eat very well all day then a few hours after supper I tend to break down and eat junk. It usually reflects on the scale - mainly due to the sodium than actual calories to make me gain 2-4 lbs overnight, but it makes me feel horrible!

I was going to write a separate post about this, but I'll just include it here. I have been downloading podcasts and I found an AMAZING one. I ended up just walking 6 miles listening to this woman talk. It's called "Inside Out Weight Loss"

One thing she mentioned that really made me think "woah" is not using negatives so much. She used an example of saying "Don't think of a pink elephant with purple polka dots on it"... because if try not to think of something, then it's what you end up thinking about. In terms of healthy living and weight loss, she mentioned not always thinking about what you CAN'T eat all the time, because it's just what you end up thinking about and struggling with and weight loss can be easier mentally if we do the right things.

I would say - continue what you are doing, a 100 calorie popcorn is nothing to feel bad about! Popcorn has fiber and in that package it's portioned well. Good job on not eating more! Tell yourself that! Every time you think something negative like that, pull out a journal and write a positive. Read it 10 times, then try to let it go.

I am curious what others think...

And I challenge everyone to download that podcast and go for a walk! The miles flew by listening to her and I learned a lot about the mental aspect of weight loss!

today and yesterday I went to a buffet and I feel so guilty...I didn't eat a huge amount but I have no clue of the calories. I completely know how you feel...I didn't gain any weight thank GOD!!!

oddly enough, i've been having these dreams every night where i give in to all my cravings and i feel SO guilty.. when i'm in them, it's like they are real, and i wake up totally guilty. i've been having them 3 times a week since i started!

jayoywhy -- i have had those dreams. terrible! it's like the dreams where you're at work all day, and so then when you wake up and go to work, it's as if you've never left!

taylor -- i would say it just takes practice in forgiving yourself. I think it's taken me years to get to a point where i've been able to move on quickly. I think this site has a lot to do with it!

S

OMG I have those dreams too!!! I usually wake up and am so mad at myself for eating that entire pizza last nite, and then I realize it was just a dream. Usually when I have dreams about a certain food I make sure to eat a healthy version of that food the next day to fulfill that craving.

I never have food dreams...

But I do have work dreams. Those suck!

Taylor- agreed, work dreams do suck. Sometimes at my old job I would work the night shift, go to bed, dream about work, and then go back into work for the morning shift. It was like I never left! Terrible...

Whenever I feel like that I remind myself that everyday I stay on plan I wake up in the best shape of my life, I remind myself of how far I've come. Those things make me feel pretty good inside and usually help me a lot

I would feel that way if I had come far.

I know I have...my night snacking went from bags of cheddar popcorn, ice cream, chips and candy to 100 calorie pack popcorn or WW 0 point soup

I do it a lot too. I KNOW I should but I feel horrible when I eat unhealthy foods, so I give myself a cheat day to pick one food that I love but isn't the healthiest. I do it every Sunday, and since I haven't cheated this week at all, today I get to reward myself with a snack.

Imagine if you had a very close friend or family member who was trying to lose weight. If they messed up once, or worked out a little less one day, would you yell at them and make them feel guilty for hours? No way! You'd point it out (gently) if you really thought they were getting off track and at risk of going back to their old ways, but you'd be encouraging and loving.

I try to treat myself the same way. I don't let myself get away with too much (well, sometimes I'm a pushover, how do you think I got to this weight? ) but I remember that I'm doing this because I want to be healthy, and that includes maintaining my mental health!

See, you have come far. But there's really no point in "beating yourself up." We all mess up, we all have bad days, nobody's perfect. Sometimes we do choose that cookie, but that's okay, it doesn't mean you're a failure by any means. Just keep on going and forget about it and perhaps use it as motivation to work out a lil bit harder that day

An example:
I was so totally OP yesterday, then roommate comes in and says, how bout a bottle of wine? and I say, no thanks, but then change my mind, cuz I have the room left in my day (though clearly would have been better to skip the wine). FOUR glasses later, and some pretzels and hummus, and then sleep...and here I am. Forgiving myself and moving on with a bowl of yogurt with golean and banana, plannin on a yoga class in an hour.
It's all good.

S