What kind of strategies do you use when you feel like revisiting old habits due to emotional struggles, boredom, tiredness, etc?

Recently, I've been finding that just sitting and reading posts on 3FC can keep me from going back to old eating habits, but I'm looking for other ideas?

One thing that I do a lot when i feel like going off plan is look at old pictures of me at my highest weight and compare them to now. It usually motivates me to stay on plan or get back on plan when I am off since I never want to be like that again. Also, I kept one pair of old shorts from my highest weight and I will put them on so I can see how much progress I have made

Delay it. Just put it off. Remember that this morning you made a commitment to stay on plan (you did, didn't you?). Tomorrow is another matter, but just for today, you're going to work through it.

Tired? Can you take a nap? Can you just sit down for a few moments, or go for a short walk to clear your head, get some air?

Are you actually hungry? Can you eat a weight-loss-friendly snack? Surely you have some of them around.

Bored? Visit your local library and browse the books, DVDs, etc. and see if there's something to check out. Write cards to people you haven't heard from in awhile--or send e-cards from a funny site.

What about your closet? Any rearranging there? Stuff that needs to find a new home? (I know, it's not the most fun in the world, but it does keep food out of your mouth.)

You get the idea... distract yourself and direct yourself to better choices.

Jay

Oooh lots of things..

-Drink a hot cup of tea or hot chocolate - filling, soothing, hits the spot, ends the munchies
-Exercise, grab my resistance band, pop on itunes and start dancing,
-Remind myself of how horrible I would feel after the fact and that this too shall pass
-Remind myself that sometimes I just have to suck it up and do the mature, responsible thing
-write, read, journal, call a friend or relative
-pay bills

And probably my favorite:
-Organize, clean, straighten up - great diversion which actually accomplishes something worthwhile

Get up, go for a walk. If I still feel like eating garbage when I'm done, I walk some more. If I'm still going nutso, I usually cave at that point...and then realize that my stomach has shrunk enough that I can't binge, so I yell "ugh!!" in frustration, and go for another walk.

Usually I grab a small handful of almonds or a cup of yogurt. It usually means I'm legitimately hungry.

If it's because I've had too much sugar (and it doesn't take much), the protein sets me straight again.

Seriously, the only reason I ever stray off plan is because I've had too much sugar, even planned splurges.

Drink a large glass of water.
Knit.
Get comfy with a laptop and some games and a dog or two on my feet.
Have a long bath.

Drink tea and browse pictures of people who have made goal. Or I exercise... Physical activity is a great appetite suppressant.

I received some valuable advice about a year ago from a fellow OA friend. She said, "Leesha, can't you go through just this one day without going off plan?" " Can you honestly say that you will die of you do not get pizza today?" "Remember, you can always eat it tomorrow."

So-when I am pacing the floor in front of the fridge, I say this to myself over and over again. "I do not have to eat (insert temptation) today" "I can do without it for today." " If I want it again, I can always eat it tomorrow." " It will still be there."

The craving goes away and I feel empowered to make it through the rest of the day.

My first response is always to drink water. If after that I still feel crazed and in need of something I try to find my "next best thing." I always try to plan for what I might crave and to keep something that'll match the craving without being bad for me. So when I know I want ice cream, a nice chilled fat-free pudding works. When I want chips, I do popcorn. When I want pizza, I make my own so I can cut way back on the cheese and load it with veggies. You get the idea. It works about 80% of the time. The other 20% I use as motivation to do better next time. Someday I'll get it down to where it works 100% of the time.

I'm going to point out here that the times I want to go off plan are almost always when I've recently gone off plan. The less I stick to it, the more cravings and weak moments I have. That's why I try to stay on plan when possible, because I know every day I spend on plan is one day it gets easier.

Thanks for all the fantastic ideas...I think I'll make up a list of suggestions and keep it posted around my house with some of the lists of reasons I hate being fat (I find that thread very motivating)~

More suggestions are certainly welcome

I think the very best idea, is to have a great plan in place so that you will not want to go off plan. Which for me means, eating frequently to avoid hunger and the munchies; it means eating really delicious, highly flavored foods; it means eating high quality foods that keep me satiated and satisfied and avoiding hunger; it means eating lots of volume; it means keeping my cravings for the *wrong* foods at bay, by avoiding them altogether; it means keeping my home free of junk; it means planning ahead so that I know something yummy is just around the corner and knowing exactly what that will be - something to look forward to. It means adhering to a calorie budget and taking it very seriously. It means being concerned where my choices will lead me in the long run, not the short term.

Love your plan. Embrace the healthy lifestyle, become passionate about it- make being on plan a joy, then there's no need to go off plan (mostly ).

Another great thing, when I'm wanting to eat JUST to be eating... And Im bloated from so much water. LOL I brush my teeth.

I can never stand the thought of eating with freshly brushed teeth.

You will find a variety of opinions here, and interestingly for me, it's a complete disaster for me to substitute a low calorie version of the food I'm craving... that method never worked "for me" even though I know it works very well for others.... for example, a sugar free popsicle when I'm craving ice cream seems to keep the craving alive for me.

My method was a bit different. I put a lot of stuff on a permanent NO list. The permanent NO list is not necessarily the highest calorie food all of the time-- it is the food that I KNOW I always want to overeat and that makes me crave it when I eat it.

Once I know I'm not going to eat those foods, if I'm hungry I have my go-to single serving snacks: an apple, a cheese stick, a yogurt, some carrots...

If I'm not hungry and just WANT TO EAT, I try to remind myself how far I've come and then try to distract myself.

The Five D's help me -

Distractions - computer, garden, phone a friend, etc.
Deep breathing - several deep breathes can help
Distance - distance myself from that food (or situation) if possible.
Drink water/tea
Destroy - douse that food with soap and put it in the trash, if that's a possibiity (better in the trash than you)