It seems like everytime I make good progress with weight loss, something happens and I end up back where I started... or worse.
A few summers ago, I joined 3FC and began working really hard. By the end of that year (2007), I had lost over 40 pounds and I was working out several days a week. The following spring, I ended up changing schools and lost my access to a free gym. Coupled with spending lots of time with my new boyfriend who loved nothing more than eating, I gained back a lot of what I lost. So then last summer I decided to trying WW and get back to walking. I started losing again, but I still had my food-loving boyfriend to contend with and only a treadmill and Total Gym at my disposal. It turned out that I was hardly ever home and didn't really get to work out at all, and I slipped off the WW wagon when I got a job waitressing at a Pizza Hut. Then it all went down hill from there. It's unbelievably hard to resist free pizza, and Pizza Hut is truly bad for you... even more so than regular Italian pizza.
So now I weigh more than I ever have in my entire life and am just a few pounds shy of 300. Hardly any of my clothes fit and I usually wear sweatpants or my one pair of jeans that fit
And now I am determined to get back on track! I intend to go down to Walmart today and pick up a notebook to begin recording what I eat and when I exercise. I'm going to drink lots of water and lay off the the Cherry Pepsi. Dealing with the constant temptation of Pizza Hut will be difficult, but at least they have a salad bar and hoagies.
If I were working at Pizza Hut, I would make that pizza STRICTLY off limits. Make it a steadfast rule that no matter what you will not touch it. Not a bite. Once you make it off limits, a definite NO - no ifs ands or buts, it's much more easier to deal with - you don't ever have to think about it again. It stops calling your name. It's no longer an option for you. It takes the decision making process away. Should I? Shouldn't I? Well no. History shows that it doesn't work for you. Same goes with the soda. ABSOLUTE NO'S. It's not worth it. That free pizza is not really free after all - it comes with a VERY large price tag. Your health. Your future. Being the best you that you can be. And that is too high a price to pay.
You may want to try one of the many on line calorie counting websites, like thedailyplate or fitday. Calorie counting is a great way to put the brakes on overeating. Built in accountability and portion control.
Losing weight IS a doable thing. Make a commitment, make a plan, change it up as need be - and stick to it. Don't let any one (the BF) stand in your way of being all that you can be. You don't have to be overweight if you don't want to be. You've got the strength and the power to conquer this.
I know how hard working at Pizza Hut can be when you're trying to diet! When I worked there as a cook I would constantly by snacking on the pizza toppings that were in front of me ALL DAY!! However, just try to remember that a salad will make your body feel so much better!
you can do this, maybe taking a lunch is better cuz you're bound to get sick of salad every day.
What I Do is cook bulk foods once or twice a week, keep them in the fridge for when I'm 'on the go' or don't feel like cooking....you could do this and take lunches with you. I agree with rockin' robin, I wouldn't EVER eat the pizza, at least not right now, maybe someday when you're willpower muscles are stronger but right now they probably can't handle the decision making process involved.
also, hoagies aren't great for you. I think bringing a lunch is the way to go.
about the bf. Do you cook? I cook, my bf is a cook by trade, so I do all the cooking at home. He eats whatever I put in front of him or he has to make his own food. which is fine, I'm recently vegetarian and I still do this and he still eats all my veggie friendly food.
I am going to start making him meat though just because our fridge is full of it! lol.
Truthfully, you need to find another job as quick as possible. I gained almost 60 pounds this last year working at a convenience store. The temptations and incredibly long hours were too much for me.
If you can't get another job that will be more friendly for your healthy eating, then you have to give yourself some really tough love. Bring your own food to eat and work on realizing what that junk is doing to your body and health.
I have been on that dieting roller coaster, so I feel your pain. But, I think that Robin is right on when she says it takes commitment. If we just go along with the flow and end up in the victim role, we're setting ourselves up for failure. We have to take the bull by the horns, own our on plan program, and then work it. Commit to it whether you are "motivated" or not. It will work.
I restarted back in March and have not looked back. I started to say that I recommitted at that time, but I realized that I never committed to this journey before. So, for the first time, I am committed to getting this done!
Thanks for all the encouragement! You are definintely right, rockinrobin and lottie. I should say no to ever eating the pizza, breadsticks, or poppers again while working. I should stick to the salad, which can be quite versatile with the right ingredients. I don't really know anything about the nutritional info of the hoagie, but I imagine most of the bad stuff is in the cheese and the dressings, which I can with extra veggies and low-fat/low-cal dressings brought from home. Bringing a lunch is a great idea that I should try.
My bf, who is now actually my fiance, has slowed down in his eating and actually wants to start eating right. He is a big fan tuna, too. The problem lies in that he ends up giving into temptation very easily and eats entire meals as midnight snacks. It would also be easier to eat right when with him if I planned out meals, because we tend to be out and about a lot, and whenever he gets hungry, his first instinct is Taco Bell. Yuck! I refuse to go there, though. We still often end up eating garbage, because we have no food plan integrated into our activities.
I look forward to living with him when we get married, so I can have some control over the shopping list and what we eat for dinner. Luckily, he doesn't cook much besides cream of wheat, ramen noodles, and mushrooms (not together, of course). So meal planning will be up to me.
Pita, I have been telling myself that I need to get out of food service for a long time! I would have never gotten into this mess if I hadn't taken a job at Long John Silvers as a freshman in college. I ballooned at that job. It seems that I've been stuck working with food ever since, and have progressively gotten bigger, too
Thankfully, I'll be graduating college in the near future, and I can get a job that has nothing to do with food.
And Slashnl, I think you may be right about commitment. I would say I was definitely committed back in 2007 and got myself sidetracked, but I don't think I was very committed at all during my second attempt.
I wonder if it would be useful to tell my coworkers to forbid me from eating unhealthy food... while none of them have any apparent weight issues, they might enjoy the opportunity to tell me what to do
you might want to check out www.sparkpeople.com, or the daily plate or fitday, and find whatever you like best.
They are all very helpeful with calorie counting, fitness tracking and have lots of support.
about your bf giving in ....don't have junk in the house. if he wants it, tell him to run to the store and get a single serving of chips or whatever it is he wants. just don't keep it around, it's much easier to say no when it's not there looking at you!
also, my bf and I are both dieting. he weighs 202 (He used to weigh 240) and when one of us wants to go 'off' the other is there to talk sense into them. SOOoo maybe you can talk about being each others voice of reason? Talk about it before hand though, don't just go slapping a doughnut out of his hand, that might seem naggy, hehe, but just say something about how you are going to keep each other accountable.
and come here, and post in the accountability thread too! :
That Pizza Hut pizza is EVIL! I worked there for a short time, and they start by squirting a big glug of oil in the pan before the dough. That is why it is so nice and crispy, it is like it is deep fried!
Just think of it as pure fat in a pan. That should help you stay away from it.
Lottie, I'm definitely going to take advantage of that accountablility thread.
Judy Lynn, I know, the pan pizza is terrible. They cut back on the amount of oil used a few months ago, but it's still quite bad. The good news is that I have been trying to avoid the pan pizza lately and have been chosing hand tossed and thin crust. I still put too much cheese on, though
I really do think I will stop eating food from work except for salad. I'm not sure about the hoagies, but I really don't eat them much, anyway. I think I'll start packing lunch, too. I can bring tuna for my salad, or a nice wrap or something. I'll have to do quite a bit of planning.
Shadow,
For sure packing your lunch is a must! I have carried a cooler to work everyday (except for the rare occasions) for 7 years! It is something I HAVE to do because if I don't then I will be forced to eat crap.
Accountability is huge. You have to be willing to make a change! Most people say on Saturday, "I am going on a diet starting Monday" that whole night they start thinking about things they can "work" into their diet so they don't feel deprived. Before you know it their everyday meal plan is just as bad before but now it is disguised with what seems to be healthier choices.
Change is hard! You tell yourself that and decide on if you really want the change. How many smokers have you seen say "I want to change and quit smoking, however I will take baby steps and smoke less" How do they end finishing up?
Now this being said, you must think about food more in a healthful manner. You putting crap into your body is just as bad as being an alcoholic or a smoker. Also know that everyone is a diet sabotager even if they don't mean to be.
Also, KNOW YOUR FOOD! You can't depend on labels to make your healthy choices. The FDA/USDA allow food companies to outright LIE to consumers.
I will show you an example, name me a couple of your favorite healthy choice foods. Lunchmeats, bacon, milk whatever. Of course I am talking about labels so name something that would have a label =)
Also another example is microwave popcorn has a chemical in it called Diacetyl that gives it a butter flavor. This chemical is killing people that work with it at an alarming rate. The FDA still allows it in the food because the people who die actually work around it long periods during the day. Would you paint your kids crib with lead paint?? Or would you willing work in a building that you knew had craploads of asbestos in the walls?
Planning is absolutely, positively one of the KEY elements to eating healthy. It won't happen on it's own. You've absolutely got to plan AHEAD. Can't leave your food intake up in the air. When it comes to meal time, with no plan in place - well it's all too easy to grab for this and grab for that. Nope. You've GOT to have something healthy and lower calorie in place. I URGE you to map out your days food schedule IN ADVANCE. Pack your own food and bring it with you.
One of my favorite phrases - "failing to plan is planning to fail". Believe it, cause' it's the truth.
No General would send his troops into battle with out a plan. Plan. Plan. And then plan some more.
Starting over... again
