I just went to the vending machine in the library here for a drink. I swear, I stood there for a good ten seconds, my hand and my brain arguing passionately. Basically, my brain was yelling, "Energy drink! C'mon, sugary energy drink! Coke??? Diet coke at least!! Aspartame's not THAT bad for you!!!" and my hand was hovering over the "Dasani Water" button.

And so it is with a tragic sense of pride that I post this thread to you... drinking my bottle of water.

So I didn't just shed 40 lbs or anything. But sometimes it's the little victories that give you a bit of pride to keep moving on. Say no to junk food today? Say yes to exercise you didn't feel up to? What are your little victories of will?

What a great NSV - non scale victory - for you.

Passing on the diet coke is hard for me too - GREAT JOB!

I've been at the vending machine dilemma before!

For me it is going past the box of donuts, chocolate and creme puffs every day my work puts out for everyone. It's not that hard, but sometimes it is...

I don't know if any of you live alone, but I have a hard time going home and cooking for one when it's so easy to run thru the drive thru and get something for myself. But 2008 is the year of no fast food for this gal. But it takes a lot of will to keep driving, so that's a victory every time!

I've never been a "vending gal" and always try to have food on me at all times... but I agree about the "treats" coworkers bring in ... GAAHHHHHH... I honest to god can't avoid it.

And just when it seems like you're succeeding... someone walks by with a chocolate covered white cream donut in their hand and says, "Hey Jen! There's donuts in the break room!" Or WORSE "I brought you one so you wouldn't miss out"

MISS OUT? I'm missing out on my health and happiness here, folks! But I can't resist.

That's one of the reasons I'm glad I got my new job. I'm located FAR away from the tiny lunchroom and I NEVER have to walk by there unless I want to. So I'm not 1. tempted by the "treats" left out for everyone
2. Tortured by the smells of everyone's tasty fast food, brought from home, nuked in the microwave lunches while I'm sitting eating my 60 calorie pudding and a cheesestick and banana. :-)

That’s a great NSV!
I hate vending machines. Mainly because I'm so cheap, so for the most part I bring in my own water just because I can't justify spending $1.25 for 20oz of something I can get for free, especially since I have a brita at home.

i totally did this yesterday... i consume my water while at work.... but i didn't bring water with me... and i was super tired... but i got my water instead of my coke zero... i was so proud... i'm trying to phase out soda all together except every so often (i make sweet tea with splenda so it has no calories)

That's the worst!!! Our suppliers bring us donuts all the time, and all of my co-workers get super excited over them. Meanwhile, I'm trying to resist the temptation. If I cave in, I always feel like crap afterward. Thinking of how I will feel about myself after the fact usually stops me from eating the bad stuff.

As for my happy will power moment today... I was in Target getting some yogurt and new (heavier) dumbbells. While waiting in the check-out line, I looked at all the candy bars. The surprising thing? I didn't want a single one. Yay!

Good for you!

Yay, I love nsvs..
My NSV: I was hungry after work. Before I would have stopped at a fast food place, but instead I figured I'd have something healthier at home. I'm glad I waited because I found frozen berries I had forgotten I bought the other day. And they were delicious!

i too was in target yesterday.. however, i did want some candy bars while standing in line... BUT i have this habit of looking at the nutrition info for EVERYTHING now and so i was doing that and was like "ya that isn't worth 300 calories... not at all... i can have a real meal for that amount and it will keep me fuller longer"

My boss has a saying about calories. She's lost a great deal of weight in the past, so she's very conscious of the nutrition of everything. If she's going to try something, she'll take a bite, chew it for a moment, and then decide if eating the rest of it is NWTC. NWTC stands for Not Worth The Calories. If it is NWTC, then she'll spit it out and throw the rest of the food away. If it is WTC, then she'll eat the rest. She cracks me up when she screams, "NWTC!" and throw food out.

Yep, my sister (who happens to be a thin, petite, blonde BOMBSHELL.... but has to work her butt off to stay that way) said it best the other day...

She was talking about how she went to the gym for an hour and her big treat for herself is a mcdonalds vanilla ice cream cone. And she said she pulled in there to get her little treat and switched over to a small chocolate milkshake.

She said, "you know, I NEEDED that chocolate b/c it was my TOM... but really, I should have just stayed away from it and not bothered with the gym that day, b/c I just wasted the 300 calories I burned on the treadmill"

HOWEVER... she would have been in a worse spot if she DIDN'T go to the gym, I remind her.

It's so bizarre--- she's petite and tiny boned... and I'm 6'1" and very broad. Who woulda thought we had the same parents?

Target is the devil! It's my favorite store, but they sell Archer Farms (I think) snacks, which are my favorite! I actually had the willpower to not buy their blue corn tortilla chips the other day, and I felt so good about it! I am ban happy, which is banning any food I can't help myself but to eat until it's gone. That along w/ their parmesan potato chips are out of the house, now if I must have tortilla chips I stick to baked!

When I go to Target, I get roped in by the junk food too (not candy bars so much as Oreos and Milanos). My solution (if I have time): try on a bikini. They always have bathing suits there, and if I still want junk food after looking at myself in a string bikini... well that just wouldn't happen!

As for my latest NSV, I let myself have some extra Flex Points on WW today. I know that sounds like a weird victory (who WOULDN'T want more food if the diet allows it?), but I've been doing WW since I was in middle school, long before they had "Flex Points," and I have this control issue where I think that if I had even a few of the extra points, I won't lose weight. It's just one small step towards me not becoming totally neurotic and obsessive about my diet, which is always what ends up happening, and that's just not healthy.