I just don't know what it is. I have been doing really well for the past 3 weeks and now i feel as though I am losing my momentum...
I have been busy so i haven't had time to journal or come on to the website. My cravings for chocolate, ice cream, cake are getting harder to ignore. i just want it.
I am so afraid that this is the beginning of the end for me, i am so afraid to give up. i want to lose this weight so bad, but iam not sure i can keep doing this. i did so well last week. But this week i am soooooo tempted. Any ideas on how to keep motivated...

The feeling you will get for giving in to tempatation is sooooooo much worse than just ignoring that annoying craving....


Don't do it, it's not worth it. You are doing so awesome!!!!! Don't give up!!!!! The only way to defeat the weight is to keep fighting it day by day by day....

Be vigilant. Every time you see the food you think you want, ask yourself "what's more important? the food now? It may taste good, but then what? My long-term health -- and maybe even my energy NOW -- is more important."

What do you want more? A cookie now? Or health long term?

I'm not trying to be flip, nor trying to suggest it's easy. It's not. But if you know why you're making the choices you are, not having the cookie can be sweet.

It also helps to try to do whatever you can to remove yourself from the temptation -- it's much harder to be vigilant when the food you crave continually stares you in the face.

One more thing... you say you did well for 3 weeks. Is it possible that TOM is lurking, making you more susceptible to cravings? If so, you can remind yourself that that is what's causing it, and that knowledge may mentally help you push past.

You're doing great! Don't give up now!

For me, the key to continued success was in choosing a way of eating that didn't rule out any sort of food, no matter how "bad" it might be. I give myself regular "off" days as well. I know I can't go nuts and eat five or six 800 calorie meals on those, but if I want to eat a couple pieces of fried chicken or barbequed ribs, I do so without feeling any guilt. As long as my total overall for the week or month is less than I burn off, I know I will lose weight. For me, it's alot easier to to say to myself, I can have a hamburger and fries, just not today. I have to wait until Saturday.

My main key to success hinges on the fact that I had/have to do something that I can actually keep doing for the rest of my life. I may not be losing weight as fast because of it, but I know I can keep living this way forever without feeling too much of a hardship.

I do the same thing. What helps me is I right down everything I am craving and post it on my wall. And I tell myself, on my cheat day, I can have all of this stuff. It gave me a sense of controll. Now of course, cheat day would come around and I would have may be 1 if any of those things, but at least I knew I had the option. You may also want to look at what you are doing during those cravings. Are you bored? Stressed? Sad? Lonely? If you are, then you know you have to change the way you deal with those emotions, because cake will only mask that feeling for a short period of time. Then you feel even worse because you are lonely AND guilty. Think of different ways you can deal with things durning these times. And, finally, if you have been dreaming of chocolate cake for a week, have some. I garauntee it will never taste as good as you made it out to be.

You know that would be a great thread...I will have to do this its a good idea

To satisfy your cravings, can you just go to a Baskin Robbins or some other ice cream shop and get one small scoop of ice cream, and eat less during the rest of the day to balance it out calorie-wise? I follow WW, so when I want a snack, I can still have something, but a much smaller portion of it than I used to. As long as I don't have a container or bag of the snack food in the house, I am OK.

Thanks all!
I went to the gym and did 60 minutes of cardio instead of eating a cake! I just got home and had 1/2 a banana and a small glass of chocolate milk. i feel better about going to the gym. i think i am just being too strict with the my food choices and i am getting bored with the foods i am eating...I don't care for vegetables to begin with, so they are really starting to wear on me. i am going to try and get through this...thanks to everyone for their support!!!

I do what many of the othes have said -- don't rule anything out! I think of it like having a calorie budget for the week, I can spend on what i like, but better not be in "debt" at the end of the week. Some days are higher than others, and obviously I can't indulge all the time. I make much more careful choices than I ever did before!

I agree, Don't ever cut out your foods just limit yourself. That's how people start to "binge". So keep up the good work and start to add spices or colorful side dishes. It's all about portion control.

Exactly.

Depriving yourself is never a good idea. If you want that occasional cookie or piece of cake, then have it. Just don't go overboard. Make it ONE cookie and a SMALL piece of cake. Not 5 or 6 cookies and a piece of cake the size of a basketball, lol.

Giving in to temptation isn't the evil thing here. One cookie isn't going to destroy your health. Deprivation is the bad thing. Because when you deprive yourself, all that's going to happen is you're going to snap and end up eating a whole apple pie.

If you want that occasional treat, then have it. Moderation, not deprivation, is the key.

And remember, this isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change. You've got to find a way to make your favorite foods an occasional part of that lifestyle. "Lifestyle" meaning we're in this for life. Do you honestly think you can go the rest of your "life" without ever eating an ice cream cone? Would you WANT to?

No. And you don't have to.

i am exactly the same!

Oh Yay! I am SO proud of you! I am sure all of us have felt as you do many times. NOT giving in to it is a major victory. Yeh maybe you need to try to put some variety into your food choices... it is hard not liking veggies and I used to think I really didn't either; but once I got the junk out of my system and get "into" eating more veggies I find they are good. Perhaps you need a steamer??? They really make nice tasting veggies and you can toss different kinds in at one time.

Dance