Okay, first of all, I don't want this to sound like a pity party because I want to do this right and not make dumb choices. But today, I had a horrible day. I had my eating plan today all mapped out, grilled chicken and veggies for lunch, salad for dinner, and that plan just took a nose dive about 11am. I am horrible about letting myself be talked into bad choices! I work with someone who has become my best friend, who just happens to be pregnant, and yet somehow is still a size 2. But that's beside the point. We always eat lunch together and she is always very supportive of my weight loss plan. However, when she suggests we go out, I always agree and I always throw caution into the wind. It's not her fault, I think it's my fault for 1) putting myself in that situation and 2) for making the wrong choice once I get there. So today, it was 12 piece nugget and med fry at Chick-fil-A. But, if that didn't mess me up enough, the rest of my day went downhill from there. I was in a meeting this afternoon, got up to go use the restroom and FELL IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE ROOM. ahhhh! By far, my most embarrassing moment to date. Yet, somehow I use this being a bad day to justify another drive thru dinner. Needless to say, in this mood, I couldn't motivate myself to get to the gym tonight. This is the old me, this isn't the new me. Now, I feel so guilty about it.

I guess all this boils down to me asking for advice. What do you do when you completely fall off the wagon, use all your points and feel horrible about it? I may just need a pep talk, and I thought someone out there might understand. Please help a WW newbie!

I'm so glad Biggest Loser is back on. I need the motivation.

All you have to do is move on! One day just isn't that bad. If you think you should, you could use it as a chance to create a contingency plan for next time you have a day like this.

Hi Brittany,
I think what you did is so common among people who are overweight. We mess up on one meal and it just shoots the whole day for us. I am definitely a perfectionist. If I can't do something perfectly, I'm just not interested in doing it at all. I had to completely get over that this time on WW. If I eat or drink something that I really shouldn't have, I just stay op at the next meal. Not the next day or that Mon. after the weekend or whatever. The next meal. That way the guilt doesn't make you mess up further. We are all human and not perfect. It just sabotaged my diet efforts every time. Tomorrow is a new day. You will do fine. Don't look back, just forward.

Brittany,

Hugs, sister! One thing I have done from the beginning of WW Flex is compile a little notebook full of safe foods at fast food restaurants. Just because it's fast doesn't mean it can't be healthy or low in points.

For example:

chili at Wendy's
delite cheese pizza from Papa Murphy's
Blimpies turkey 6 inch sub, without oil or cheese
yogurt parfait at Mickey D's or even an ice cream cone or even a single patty dollar burger for 6 points if I am jonesing bad
Taco Bell has some great fresco tacos for 3 points each

I guess what I am trying to say is that even if you want to stop at a fast food place, you still have options. I just thought of all the restaurants that were near me and that I crave once in a while. I actually don't eat at these places more than once every couple of weeks. I think just knowing I can have something there, I don't need it.

I hope your day gets better. If you screw up, your next meal is a new opportunity to start fresh.

In a nutshell, we dust ourselves off and start the day (or the very next meal) anew.

I know you're not about to quit. But, just imagine if you did, or if you let your poor choices continue longer than just an afternoon... it would just feel awful. The longer we stay off of the wagon, the harder it is to get back on. Don't let one afternoon turn into a slippery slope!

The two situations you were in:

You can say "No, I just don't feel like eating out today." to a friend. You always have that power. You can also say "Hey, Sally, would it be okay if we only went out once every other week to eat? I'm just having a hard time making the right choices when we do, and could really use your support about this."

The emotional eating. By all means embarrassing ourselves in front of co-workers and peers is a terrible feeling. But it doesn't have to be that bad. One of the best ways to not feel as embarrassed is to actually admit the embarrassment.

"Oh my gosh... ha ha! How embarrassing! I guess I need to practice walking more often" Letting down your guard and admitting the feeling, and adding a little punchline often eases the tension of the situation. Nothing is worse than having everyone be embarrassed for you. This sort of comment wipes that away. And if you laugh it off as something trivial, so will everyone else.

It's hard not to drown our emotions in food. Honestly, going to the gym or working out is one of the best ways to switch our mindset. Working off the emotion is better than eating it away.

You can do this. Back up. Back on!

I have a couple of things I want to say


1. you don't say what you had for breakfast. IF you ate NOTHING before lunch no wonder you caved in. Have a decent breakfast it makes it easier to say NO. for so many reasons. also just saying that a SALAD alone for dinner is not enough. for example my dinner last night was SALAD w/cheese and dressing, a can of soup (progresso light soup) AND a bagel with farmer cheese....

2. falling is a fact of life. I fell of a chair in public once. how embarrassing... we've all done it or will do it. ya just gotta keep going.

3. at chikfila why in the world did you think nuggets were the best option. grilled chicken is available at chikfila is it not?

4. what you have to do is one meal at a time and nothing has bearing on the previous or next meal. so if you had a bad meal, make the next one better.

now it's going to be hard when you eat all those refined empty carbs like fries and breading to stay NOT hungry... when the hungries hit have your plan use stuff to fill you up that will satisfy your HUNGER, protein (string cheese or hard boiled egg) some nuts (while high in calories they are satiating and healthy)


be kind to yourself. this is a journey of a lifetime. it's not a diet. it's a lifestyle.... you can do it. ONE day at a time. I'm doing it ONE day at a time for 2 1/2 years and i'm down nearly 80 pounds.

Thanks so much. For a slight second this morning before deciding what I wanted for breakfast, I did have the thought, "doesn't matter anyway, I've already blown it this week." But I didn't, I had a great breakfast and continued to do well throughout the day. I actually just made the Balsamic Chicken with mushrooms recipe from WW and LOVED it. And I made extra for lunch tomorrow. :-)

AWESOME! that's great! you're getting it!

Great job!!! You've already won the hardest battle, which is getting right back on the horse (so to speak) after a fall.

Great! That's what this is all about - a learning experience for life!

Thanks! What an excellent idea. I will have to check and see what would be of interest to me and fit into the program at some on my favorite places.
However I am not there very often but couldn't imagine never going again.

Brittany like the others say let the day go and start anew today. I hope you were not hurt when you fell in front of the whole room.

The first couple of months I was on WW I was very strict with myself and my choices. Now that I have learned how to eat better and make wiser choices, I incorporate some of my favorite foods (with variations) into my meals.

I love Mexican food, and the stuff I like are very high in calories and fat. What I do is really watch my portions and substitute LF or FF stuff (like sour cream). I think portion control is sooooo very important. Check out serving sizes and stick to that.

What you did is awesome. One bad day CAN lead to another if you let it. Just don't let it. It took me 7 years to get where I was and it is going to take me over a year to get back where I want to be. This didn't happen over night and losing the weight isn't going to happen that way either. Patience, keep your goal in site. If you mess up one day, dust yourself off and get back on the wagon! Hey, we have all fallen off every now and then, and with determination and the help of the great people on here, you can get back on the wagon again. Here there are plenty of hands being held out to tug you back on if you are struggling.

Here's something my stepdad's nutritionist said to him one time, talking about messing up your diet. She said, messing up at one meal, and then deciding to just screw the rest of your day, because ****, you've already screwed up, is akin to getting a flat tire, and then saying "Oh, what the ****. One tire is flat... I might as well pop the other 3!"...

Personally, I like that analogy. And it applies a lot to dieting. Don't let one "flat tire" get you down. Change it, and move along! Just because at 11 a.m. your plan took a nosedive... doesn't mean you can't adapt for the rest of the day

Ok, when I was on WW before (and I'm doing it again now that I'm back) I went online to the website of a bunch of places that my friends like to eat, and I figured up the points for "safe" meals, so that wherever my skinny buddies like to go, I have a couple of options to pick from. So instead of beating yourself up, turn the time you could spend eating chips and saying "oh whats the use" into computer time entering meal choices into a cute little notebook for your purse.
Whatever you do do not give up!!!