Fell off the wagon :(
 

Hi Guys,
I have feel off the dieting band wagon again. I keep starting my diet and then a week or so into it i seem to sabotage myself and I cant figure out why. I lost 6.6lbs last week and then on Saturday, Sunday and today ruined it by eating pretty much rubbish. Does anyone else have this problem? I am going to California for a year (Im from the UK) in September and I so desperately want to lose weight by then but for some reason I keep falling off. My diet isnt too restrictive either, I eat carbs etc just within my calorie intake. Why is it so hard? I just seem to keep thinking, i'll start again tomorrow, or ill start next wednesday after my weekend away, and now im disappointed in myself for all my missed weeks of dieting. Grrrrrr!

Sorry needed to vent :)

Mel
X

Sorry, not much advice, just venting along with you I do the same thing I want to lose the weight but i keep cheating every single weekend! Im so pathetic i can't keep to anything for the life of me! I always do pretty good during the week but as soon as the weekend hit's everything goes out the window. hopefully someone will have better info ;)

Have you read Jillian's book (Winning by Losing)? She has a whole section on negative self talk...I found it quite enlightening. There is a lot of goal setting as well - if you give yourself small goals with concrete prizes to work for...it often helps with motivation. Reading posts here of people who have been successful helps me, too.

You CAN do this - you just have to find a reason for yourself to stay on track. It ain't easy - but it can be done...

:goodluck: and :hug:

Maybe you should not call it cheating - build a "free day" into your diet. I try to eat within my calorie range. carbs, proteins, etc and I chose 1 day to be a free day. If you have two days then throw in an extra workout.
You have to remember that the more you exercize and eat right the higher your metabolism which means you are burning calories faster. Even if you have a few "slips" your metabolism is burning fast enough for you to recover. No this does not give us an excuse to fall off the wagon all the time but is helps.

I hope this helps you. Good luck!

Mel and Kimberly,

I agree with Gina -- way too much negative talk! We all have lapses -- no one expects you to be perfect all of the time!

Use the 90% rule. That is, eat clean 90% of the time.

To put that into perspective, if you eat 6 meals per day, that's 42 meals per week. Eat clean 38 of those meals and you're golden!

With that said I am not a fan of a "cheat day" because you can really consumer a ridiculous number of calories in a single day. Take it meal by meal and you have a much greater chance for success.

I personally follow Dr. John Berardi's eating plan which is based on these 10 habits:

Habit 1: Eat every 2 - 3 hours
Habit 2: Eat complete, lean protein with each meal
Habit 3: Eat vegetables with each meal
Habit 4: Eat vegetables and fruits with any meal; other carbs only after excercise
Habit 5: Eat healthy fats daily
Habit 6: Don't drink beverages with more than 0 calories (my exception is protein drinks)
Habit 7: Eat whole foods instead of supplements whenever possible
Habit 8: Plan ahead and prepare meals in advance (THIS MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE -- I PLAN EACH DAYS MEALS THE NIGHT BEFORE)
Habit 9: Eat as wide a variety of good foods as possible
Habit 10: Plan to beak the rules 10% of the time

I think a big realization is that this is not a DIET and you are not CHEATING-- this is a way of life, and you can't expect to eat totally in an ideal way every single day for the rest of your life. If you've worked hard and done well all week, sure, give yourself a day or so to relax (but not go wild!). Then hop right back on!

Another good thing to remember is that once upon a time, your "Day of Glutting" was just a normal day. When I think about the way I used to eat, it amazes me. And isn't it better to have a day like that once in a while, rather than all the time?

You fell off the wagon..........SO JUMP BACK ON!

I fall off the wagon often but after reading jillians book i have come to accept that this will happen and i no longer view it was the end of the road.
It will happen.... But keep at it! Its just another speed bump to conquere!

If you have 1 or 2 days of cheat, the weight gain on the scale is mostly water weight.

I like to have 1 cheat day a week. Or i call it a reward day. Key is not to get on the scale for a few days after. :)

Hey Guys,
Thanks for all your help. When I went to WW I used to have a fat night in which i probably consumed enough calories for 3 days. I had Nacho's, followed by a pizza, followed by a toffee pavlova, followed by either sweets or chocolate. It was a BAD night. I think the concept is good though. Being good most of the time is a good idea rather than the all or nothing I have been used to. :) I have come to the conclusion that I will NOT look like Britney Spears (Pre-Baby) or Beyonce before I go to California, but am aiming for about a size 14 (UK).
I like the idea of the 90% of the time, thats a good idea, I think i'll do that. Im starting again properly on Wednesday as I am home for the weekend from University and my mum wants to give me my favourite foods :|
Thanks guys for all your help, it really helps :) Maybe if i post here more ill stay on the wagon more :)

-Mel
X
PS. How do you get those funny bar things?

The weight loss tickers? There are instructions here.