I just had a bad 10 days when I didn't count calories and put on 6 LBS!
I kept saying I will start tommorow and then kept putting it off. So anyone have some good ideas to learn a new Habit so I stay on plan. I'm going to plan my program tonight for tomorrow. But feel bad I let it go so many days.
I guess I got discouraged.
Well can't say this is new, but I personally cleaned out all temptations from my kitchen. Anything my roommate or my son wants to eat, they keep track of anyway lol - so that keeps me from getting their stash. As for me, I replaced it with tons of healthy options. I also devised a meal plan, a simple one just for induction, albeit very strict, and eat about every three hours or so. Another rule I am doing is before I have anything to eat, I must drink 16 oz of water. That's just to keep water in check, and it helps me get fuller on less. And there's other stuff I do too, but the point is to not have anything you can binge on around... if you want something crunchy, have celery with a smidge of low fat peanut butter, if you want something salty use salt substitute on a tomato wedge with a bit of laughing cow on it (so good), if you want substance have some chicken ready to toss on your george foreman, or grill extra so you can grab and nuke it when you're hungry, if you want something sweet grab a yogurt with a tsp of whole oats and cinnamon on it. Have things available for any kind of craving you have - prepare, prepare, prepare! And protein bars? If they are good enough, its almost like having a candy bar lol; I will split one in half and have some fruit with it, saving the other half for later if the mood strikes. Might seem extreme, but I have zero willpower lol, and this is what works for me. I also eat slowly, and stop when I am satisfied. I read somewhere it takes like twenty minutes for your brain to register you are full (correct me girls if that time is shorter or longer?), so I think you will find if you pay attention to your stomach and stop, a few minutes later I promise you will feel fuller than you did when you stopped, its the satiety kicking in. Or just plain telling yourself "nothing tastes as good as thin feels", or "NO MAM" lmao. We're all different, and what works for one may not work for the other. And no solution is wrong per se - its just how we tick. Good luck!
If I'm not consciously on-plan, I tend to be off-track seriously. I no longer consider one day off-plan as a disaster, but to stay on track, I realy need to weigh daily. It's just that daily reminder not to let things get too far out of hand. That being said, I don't let daily fluctuations panic me either.
For me, my bottom-line is that I have to weigh daily. I'm not perfect in counting calories (for me, I count calories indirectly through exchanges, though since I have so many food calories memorized from decades of dieting, that I tend to jot down the calorie count also). There are days when I forget or decide not to journal. That can backfire, but because I'm weighing daily, I do tend to catch myself before I have a significant gain.
My weight loss has been very slow for two main reasons. The first is that I have health and metabolic issues that make rapid weight loss difficult. I'm recovering from pneumonia now, and can't believe how much strength and stamina I've lost during the last two to three weeks, so exercise is going to be difficult in the next month or so. The second reason is that I've just burnt myself out on dieting. Going into my fourth decade of dieting, I'm just tired of the "traditional" process, so I just refuse to do it. Which is fine, I'm making progress my way, and for me that meant deciding that weight maintenance is ok, losing is great and gaining is the only thing I have to say no to. Small gains, do happen, but when I see a small gain (even if I suspect it is a water weight fluctuation), I go immediately into more serious "lose" mode.
For me, knowing that I could give myself permission (and doing it) to maintain my weight, allowed me to decide not to give myself permission to gain weight. I think also because I decided that I wasn't "bad" for gaining or not losing, I felt less discouraged with the weight loss process. I chose to celebrate "staying the same," not just losing, so most days I was able to celebrate, instead of only getting to celebrate when there was a loss (and there were many times in my life in which even a significant loss wasn't cause for celebration unless it was large enough).
I really think the biggest key is having patience rather than anger with yourself (some people say they got motivated BY getting angry at themselves - but for me, that has never worked. When I think I'm an idiot, I tend to act like an idiot).
Some people need to make a lot of changes at once, but for me, the reverse has worked best. Adding only those things to my life, that I can see myself doing for a lifetime. I don't cut my calories more than I'm willing to live with for life, and I don't plan for more exercise than I can handle forever. I expect that as I get better, I will do better (as opposed to to "traditional" idea that dieting is always most successful in the beginning, and less successful later on).
I don't know if any of my tips will work for you, and I'm sure you will find your own, but I have to say that I am surprised at how many changes I've made in the last year or so have become actual habits - things I do without even thinking. I have a long way to go, but I do feel that I will get there (as opposed to previous attempts when I made dieting so unpleasant that quitting was nearly inevitable).
I just had a bad 10 days when I didn't count calories and put on 6 LBS!
I kept saying I will start tommorow and then kept putting it off. So anyone have some good ideas to learn a new Habit so I stay on plan.:
Okay. So you see that NOT counting your calories doesn't work for you. Same for me by the way. Use those 10 days as a learning experience - and learn from it.
Tomorrow is most often not an answer either, because that tomorrow turned into 10 days. Where DOES the time fly? It means we're not doing what we're supposed to be doing TODAY. And today was indeed yesterday's tomorrow. Did that make any sense?
Again, I would just use the previous days as a learning experience. No need to beat yourself up. What's done is done. Start focusing on TODAY.
The best way to learn and establish a new habit is to decide to do it and then - just start doing it. One day at a time. Day after day. And before you know it a new 10 days will pass!
Count those calories. Make a plan. You bite it, you write it. Map out your food schedule ahead of time. Stick to it - like glue. DECIDE that this is how you want to live. Stock up your home with healthy, tasty foods. Be determined to succeed, as it is the best way to not fail. Be excited about the changes you are making. Don't dread them. Challenge yourself.
One day at a time. New habits form. Leaving the old ones in the dust. You CAN do this. And you should.
Last edited by rockinrobin; 05-05-2009 at 08:19 AM.
I had to change my grocery shopping habits. I refuse to put anything in my buggy that would serve as temptation. If I do buy things for my children that are snack foods---and horrible for my diet---my oldest will take it and hide it. What I can't see, I wont eat. It works for us thus far.
You hang in there! Start over and I'll echo what others have mentioned, use those ten days as a learning experience. You CAN do this.
When I first started I wound up cleaning out my entire kitchen & then go shopping for healthy food (that is why I wound up doing the Core plan with WW so I could go by a list lol I had no idea where to start!)....luckily my husband was on board so I could do that easily though.
I have to agree with those who have said that having the tempatations out of my house was the best step I have made.
My weight loss has been slow and has really stalled out the last 4 months or so. The reason for that is simple. I don't always stay on plan. It's a process for me. I'm much better than I used to be. But I'm still stuck in the mindset that "it's not fair that some people (like my husband) can eat whatever they want and not gain a pound" When I start feeling that way, I give myself permission to cheat or to not follow a plan. Lately I've finally realized that life isn't always fair.
I have to change the way I think. I have started doing that. I'm changing the negatives into positives all the time. Lately, when people ask me "can you have this on your diet" instead of saying no and feeling deprived, I now say "I'm not on a diet, I've decided to change my lifestyle. I can have whatever I want, but today I CHOOSE not to have that particular thing".
I can't believe how much this has helped me. Hearing myself say that I could have something if I want to but that I choose not to has given me so much freedom. I finally feel that I am in control of things. I've made a choice. It's not about being fair or unfair anymore. It's not about feeling deprived or less than. It's about taking control of my life and realizing that I do have a choice and I choose to be healthy.
If I'm not consciously on-plan, I tend to be off-track seriously. I no longer consider one day off-plan as a disaster, but to stay on track, I realy need to weigh daily. It's just that daily reminder not to let things get too far out of hand. That being said, I don't let daily fluctuations panic me either.
For me, my bottom-line is that I have to weigh daily. I'm not perfect in counting calories (for me, I count calories indirectly through exchanges, though since I have so many food calories memorized from decades of dieting, that I tend to jot down the calorie count also). There are days when I forget or decide not to journal. That can backfire, but because I'm weighing daily, I do tend to catch myself before I have a significant gain.
My weight loss has been very slow for two main reasons. The first is that I have health and metabolic issues that make rapid weight loss difficult. I'm recovering from pneumonia now, and can't believe how much strength and stamina I've lost during the last two to three weeks, so exercise is going to be difficult in the next month or so. The second reason is that I've just burnt myself out on dieting. Going into my fourth decade of dieting, I'm just tired of the "traditional" process, so I just refuse to do it. Which is fine, I'm making progress my way, and for me that meant deciding that weight maintenance is ok, losing is great and gaining is the only thing I have to say no to. Small gains, do happen, but when I see a small gain (even if I suspect it is a water weight fluctuation), I go immediately into more serious "lose" mode.
For me, knowing that I could give myself permission (and doing it) to maintain my weight, allowed me to decide not to give myself permission to gain weight. I think also because I decided that I wasn't "bad" for gaining or not losing, I felt less discouraged with the weight loss process. I chose to celebrate "staying the same," not just losing, so most days I was able to celebrate, instead of only getting to celebrate when there was a loss (and there were many times in my life in which even a significant loss wasn't cause for celebration unless it was large enough).
I really think the biggest key is having patience rather than anger with yourself (some people say they got motivated BY getting angry at themselves - but for me, that has never worked. When I think I'm an idiot, I tend to act like an idiot).
Some people need to make a lot of changes at once, but for me, the reverse has worked best. Adding only those things to my life, that I can see myself doing for a lifetime. I don't cut my calories more than I'm willing to live with for life, and I don't plan for more exercise than I can handle forever. I expect that as I get better, I will do better (as opposed to to "traditional" idea that dieting is always most successful in the beginning, and less successful later on).
I don't know if any of my tips will work for you, and I'm sure you will find your own, but I have to say that I am surprised at how many changes I've made in the last year or so have become actual habits - things I do without even thinking. I have a long way to go, but I do feel that I will get there (as opposed to previous attempts when I made dieting so unpleasant that quitting was nearly inevitable).
get out of my head!!! hehehe seriously tho geeeze!!! we're twins except i don't weigh daily, i'm a weekly girl. But you're right, after DECADES at this I know what works for me, or more importantly, what DOES NOT work for me!!! I march to the beat of my own drummer, and i'm down 80lbs. for my efforts. Sure it took almost 2 years, but so what??? I can LIVE WITH THE CHANGES I've made, I'm not making myself crazy, I don't think i'm "BAD" if I have a bad week. I have given myself permission to LOSE or STAY THE SAME, but I am not allowed to GAIN. If I do, then it's hyper-vigilent mode for a while til the scales go back to where they should be. find what works for you Hun, no one else knows that better than all of us here on 3FC!!
Thank You all for the great advice and encouragement.
I got back on plan the next day and my weight loss has began again.
I feel like I'm on a roller coaster, I lose and then I gain some back. I hope eventually, the bad days will be less. It will just take time to get use to planning. My Husband is underweight and usually eats healthy, but has a sweet tooth so buys some sweets. I can have some sweets in the house and I'm okay. But sometimes I don't do as well. I think I will have to tell him to hide the sweets.
Oh those underweight husbands - I've heard about them. Not the case with me. Anyway, if he refuses to do without sweets in the home, and quite frankly, I would speak to him about it - tell him for the time being, that you really need his help - if he can please have his sweets outside of the home. If that won't work, then hiding it is a good idea and him not eating it around you. I would also think of it as it's "his food". NOT yours. It's off limits to you. Make it a law. Because we all know the best way to avoid that roller coaster is - consistency.
Glad to hear you're back on track. It's such a relief, isn't it? And as far as the planning, I don't look at it as a burden, but a necessity. One that keeps my condition (overeating) at bay. One that enhances my life. It gives me order and food semblance. A very much needed thing. I know for sure that you WILL get used to it and find it a comfort, not a chore.
I think knowing how to pull yourself back out of that bag of chips and onto your planned eating is one of the most important skills overweight people have to learn. After all, we are all going to have days (or weeks or whatever) where we make less than stellar decisions about our food; that is simply how life works. But how we decide to think about those days and how we handle them makes all the difference in the world!
And it sounds like you handled it just right: recognized that things had gotten out of hand, put the brakes on the bad eating decisions and got back on track. Good job!
I'm down three LBS. Writing down everyday what I eat even when not on program helps. It makes me accountable and aware of how much I'm overeating. I need to start finding out what my food triggers are, so I can learn other ways of coping with my emotions other than eating.
Reasons we Overeat and new Habits to Learn.
And protein bars? If they are good enough, its almost like having a candy bar lol; I will split one in half and have some fruit with it, saving the other half for later if the mood strikes. Might seem extreme, but I have zero willpower lol, and this is what works for me. 
Writing down everyday what I eat even when not on program helps. It makes me accountable and aware of how much I'm overeating. I need to start finding out what my food triggers are, so I can learn other ways of coping with my emotions other than eating.
