I want to lose weight so badly and my Mon-Fri during the work days are right on track but I lose all focus at night and on the weekends I start to snack or go out and make all the wrong choices then am disgusted by what I've done. Dieting and losing weight are ALL I THINK OF and I am getting no where fast.
I've tried WW several times with good success but I just can't go back again because 1. I would be so embarrassed 2. it's obvious I haven't learned what they taught me.
I have a Wii and really use it lol I take 2 aerobic classes a week and walk on my break 20 mins which equals one mile + and I walk my dogs almost every night so apparently I am eating more than exercising will help
I just can't stay focused 24/7!! Does anyone else have this problem?
Thanks for letting me vent
If you know you make bad choices "in the moment", don't make them in the moment. On weekends--at least for the next few months--plan everything in advance--what you will eat, when you will eat it. "I'll have a sandwich for lunch" is not a plan. "At noon, I'll have 2 slices of turkey on sandwich thins with lettuce and tomato and a bag of steam-in-the-bag broccoli" is a plan.
If you get an unexpected offer to go somewhere that will mess with your plans, don't go until you've made a concrete plan on how you will handle food--I actually role-play turning down food sometimes, practicing exactly what I will say and how I will respond if someone pushes the subject. If you end up eating out, order what you planned in advance--don't even crack the menu. It's just food porn! If you go to a party, make concrete plans, not "I am going to try to make healthy choices", but "I am going to stay in the living room and out of the dinning room and kitchen where they put out snacks. I am going to get little plate and put pretzels on it so that people won't ask me if I need food. If someone asks me if I tried X, I am going to ignore the question and say "It really looks delicious. I haven't seen that before". If I am tempted because something looks so good, I am going to remember that I never regret not eating and I can always eat it later."
If you are thinking about weight loss all the time anyway, use that energy to plan, plan, plan. Don't let yourself make choices in the moment--that just leads to a cycle of guilt and self-loathing.
If you want to snack, then snack! Just make sure it's healthy, delicious foods that you substitute. I'm in the same boat as you - evenings are the worst times for me! Here are some snacks that I make for myself when I just want to eat something:
a. 1/2 cup plain FF yogurt, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1/4 cup raisins
b. Any combo of fruits!
c. During the summer, I whip up fresh berry smoothies. Just throw some of your fave berries in with a little sugar if they're tart (I use 1 tsp sugar with 1 lb of berries), some ice and blend! It's SO delicious and it keep you full. You can also blend frozen berries into a sorbet. I've made it before and it's really simple.
These are ideas I've read on the boards, but I haven't had much success with them: handful of nuts and/or string cheese. I love peanuts and cheese so I can easily go WAY overboard with both. If you can mind portions of these two foods, then go for it! They're protein filled and will help keep you full longer. Those added healthy fats in the nuts can't hurt either.
For me, exercise isn't a problem, eating is. In ten minutes, I can consume 1,000 calories and no amount of exercise can fix that. So my weekend goal is to stay away from food.
This weekend I have stayed on track so far by keeping myself busy. Yesterday, I walked around for a couple of hours. Not a power walk, but just meandering on a beautiful day. I didn't burn many calories, but I didn't consume any either.
Also, I avoid restaurants as much as I can. But my friends often insist I go and then get insulted when I don't eat. I am so frustrated by this. On Friday, I paid $9 for a plate of steamed vegetables at a restaurant, which to me was a stupid waste of money.
Also, I can't keep any processed food in my apartment. If I want bread or pretzels or whatever, I buy a single portion for a planned meal.
One other thing that works for me is I drink as many diet drinks/coffee as I want. I know some people are sensitive to coffee, but it's one vice I can live with.
Thanks everyone....I know it's the food that I need to get control of. The exercise part I have down lol I'm going to plan better and eat less aimlessly! Wish me luck!
I had this problem very badly in the begining. At first it worked because I was so heavy and then once I started getting smaller probably around your weight now my weight loss became 2 steps forward and one step back constantly because of what was going on on the weekends. I would basically calorie count all week and then through it out the window on the weekends. The first thing I did was cut it back to one day, Saturdays only. Then when that wasn't working anymore I discovered calorie zig zagging. It basically allows a much higher caloried day on Saturdays so I am able to fit in "treats" if you will. Now this also takes some disipline because you need to make conscience choices about what those "treats" will be and the need to be accounted for them (log them, weigh them measure them as best you can). Some people can't allow themselves "treats" because it leads to binging and some people don't like to do it because the want everything they put in their body to be fuel and nutritious. So you have to find a plan that works for you. I personally need them...or I guess I don't NEED them but I WANT them so I make it work. Sometimes I go of plan completely, mentally it is just something I WANT to do and it's been working for me. Now granted it has taken me about 2 years to lose the weight (Not counting my pregnancy) but I'm ok with that. I also feel like it's unrealistic to think that I'm going to be 100% all the time and that I want my weight loss to look like maitenance so that I know what to do when I get there and the transistion is seemless. Here is what my zig zag looks like
MThSun 1600-1700
T 1300-1375
W 1775-1875
F 1450-1550
S 1900-2100
Once I started zig zagging my weight loss has been more consistant and I've haven't had any weekend gains. I got really tired of having to relose weight. Good luck to you!
Thanks again everyone. I re-read the entire post and do realize what I am doing so I guess that's half the battle. Freespirit-you asked what a typical day was so here it is:
B. black coffee and either oatmeal with splenda and brown sugar or scrambled eggs in PAM w/mushrooms 100 cal bagel
Break. yogurt or Fiber One bar
L. salad w/veggies, grilled chicken, feta cheese, lo-cal dressing, water
D. chicken or fish veggies, potato, diet Coke or FF milk
the stuff I put in my mouth that is not considered part of a meal could be almonds, slice of bread or two, SF fudgsicle, T or 2 of peanut butter, etc.
This is the stuff I must stop putting in my mouth!!
the stuff I put in my mouth that is not considered part of a meal could be almonds, slice of bread or two, SF fudgsicle, T or 2 of peanut butter, etc.
This is the stuff I must stop putting in my mouth!!
Those things are not inherently "bad". The problem, I'm sure you already know, is how many and how often. There's a big difference between 24 almonds and 224 almonds. And between 224 almonds a week and 224 almonds every hour. Maybe it would help you to be really aware if you write down every single nibble or swallow, even water or coffee, or low fat stuff. Once you know exactly how much you are really eating, then you'll be able to better figure out how to modify your habits to work in your favor. You can come up with a plan that includes snacks...in a fixed amount and at a pre-determined time, if necessary. Then you won't feel deprived, but you will be able to know you are on plan.
Random grazing doesn't help much with weight loss...but if you plan when you're going to eat things, then you can eat ever 2-3 hours and be fully satisfied. I am a grazer by nature, so I've tried to include 3 small meals and 2 snacks into every day. Sometimes I eat part of my dinner for dinner and then part of it later when I have the evceniung urge to snack.
I'm in this place right now. My old strategy for coping with night munchies? Save my fruit til then.
Zuchinni, watermelon, melon. Can eat LOADS in quantity, but calorie wise, very low.
Keep frozen canned pear in pear juice in freezer. Thaw can a bit in hot water so it will slide out, blender it up -- instant "sorbet" for ice cream attacks.
Night time munchies are my downfall too. Blah! I do find that if I eat enough during the day that it's less of a hunger problem. Saving a few hundred cals for a snicky snack helps. Celery with peanut butter is crunchy and salty and not too many cals. The protein in the p/b will curb hunger too. Hard candies are good if you just want a little something sweet. Sometimes when I just want something but am not hungry and do not need that something, I acknowledge the wanting then curse the blasted food and dig my heels in and refuse to give in. . . . just to show 'it' that I can win. That always feels great the next morning.
Do you have to have the food in your house? I'm much, much better at avoiding food when it's not near me. My bf and I made a deal that we wouldn't keep pop or chips in the house. I try to keep fresh veggies and fruit on hand for snacking. We like snacking while we read or watch tv, so I usually cut up a huge bowl of cucumbers, celery, broccoli, and peppers, and a dish of low-cal salad dressing for dipping. The dip is not awesome for me but it's better than gorging myself on chips, so that's how I rationalize it. Or I cut up apples and bananas and frozen berries and we have fruit salad. I have always read that it's better to try to eat at the table, with no distractions, but I LOVE snacking while I do other stuff, so keeping the snacks relatively healthy is key for me.
Recently I got the munchies really bad. I had to eat something crunchy and salty. I was like a crazy woman...I HAD to eat. But there was absolutely nothing in the house to binge on. Not a single processed food in the house. I ended up steaming some broccoli and putting worcestershire sauce on it. And I felt completely satisfied afterward, which surprised me. Maybe I was craving veggies after all.
That was an important lesson for me. I can't be trusted alone at night, so I need to keep my fridge stocked with foods that are safe for me.
I'm not sure if this'll help - but how much extra are you consuming on the weekends? To gain a pound you'd need to eat an extra 3,500 calories, are you eating your maintenance intake on Saturday and Sunday and an extra 1,750 on top of that each day??? For me an extra 1,750 on top of maintenance is nearly 4,500 calories!!
Also, if you are eating at a 500 to 1000 calorie deficit each day during the weekdays (Monday through Friday), then eating extra on the weekend wouldn't gain you any - but if you're shooting for 2lbs loss a week, you might only lose 1, or even .5..but you should not gain.
I'm not quite sure what to suggest, but maybe try to cut it down to one "free meal" on Saturday, and try really hard for that. Eventually, after a few weeks pass by, you'll get used to it, and it'll be much more rewarding while still losing weight.
Also, try to remember that you can still cheat on weekends and stay within your caloric range. If you're daily intake is 2,000, you can eat burgers and fries on those days, just don't exceed it. A calorie is a calorie after all, regardless if it's veggies, chicken, fruit, or a brownie desert.
Lastly, bread (whole grain), almonds, and peanut butter are good for you. Do not stop eating those, unless you are having excessive amounts.
I can't stay focused
I start to snack or go out and make all the wrong choices then am disgusted by what I've done. Dieting and losing weight are ALL I THINK OF and I am getting no where fast. 
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