I had a mini-binge recently after making great gains. It's the second time this particular thing has foiled my diet plans (at least this time I'm halting the slide after two days instead of after three weeks). My diet and gym-time go hand in hand, so if one goes downhill, so does the other one. I had a mild injury in the gym - enough to make me have to lay off for a bit. Depressed and disappointed, I figured what-the-heck, what difference does it make, and I started eating. And of course I eat all the foods I've been desiring lo these many months (I'd rather not go into them). It's dumb, I know, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one this happens to. I just have to get it through my extremely thick head that it's not a big deal, my body will heal up, and to stick to the diet. And remind myself that if it were easy, everyone would be thin.
If I were you I would do my damnedest to separate gym and diet from one another. If you trip up with your diet, keeping up at the gym can help pull you along and vice versa. The next time you want to think "well this can't hurt" take a step back and think about what it will hurt. How will it affect you 2 weeks from that moment? 3 months? 6 months?
That's what I try and do, I try to look at the big picture before I let myself fall off the wagon. Now, there are times when it happens unintentionally, weddings, holidays, birthdays are all instances where it's easy to say "oh it's just one day" and then it snowballs.
I do let it be one day where I eat what I want, but never without abandon. If the cake isn't that great, I don't eat it because it's there, I push it away. If the food is pretty rich, I stock up at the veggie tray first.
I always hold myself accountable regardless of a good day or bad day.
I wasn't always like this. I used to be like you, I'd be on track for a couple weeks, I'd see 5 pounds or so gone and it would go to my head, and I'd think I was hot stuff (not necessarily a bad thing) and I'd eat whatever I want. I let going to the gym slide. And next thing I knew it I was binging on Oreos and destroying my pancreas.
I made the decision last month to start taking charge of my weight again. First, I started with my own cobbled together version of LA weight loss, a program I had done before with great success. Recently, after reading a success story here and owing further research, I decided to start counting my bites. After a bit of a hiccup, I am on my way.
Now, my weight loss has stalled because of TOM, but I'm trying to not let it get to me. It's hard, but I just keep looking at the big picture. If I stay with it, I could be in a new dress size by Christmas. If I let myself cheat or fall off the wagon, I will be in my same old, I'll fitting clothes this year.
I support what izzyboomama said regarding separating gym and diet so you don't fall into the "oh well" attitude. I also try and set a ton of mini-goals, some really simple, for myself. That way if I fail one there's still plenty of things I can do to keep on track. Stuff like stay on plan for the day, make a healthy choice, get in some exercise (even if it's minimal). So if I fail something, like getting in exercise.. then I still have the eating goals, they don't all go hand-in-hand, and I still have stuff I can go "yay me" over.
To the question at hand though.. I don't do so well with nummy chocolate in the house. I can do most sweets now, but chocolates (especially chocolate covered peanut butter anything) I just can't seem to have only one of. The result is that aside from some ice cream bars which don't seem to count, in my mind, as chocolate.. there is no chocolate in my house. Boyfriend doesn't like it anyway, and I still can have some as a treat.. but with the caveat that I have to go get it. That's enough to keep to a once in a while treat for me.
I agree with the others, pairing your diet and exercise can be disastrous. Mainly because you set yourself up with good behavior and bad behavior. I was either good or bad for years. Good behavior begets good behavior and vice versa. So naturally when you make one "bad" decision it's a flood gate. You're constantly teetering a line and when you fall you really fall.
I had to completely change my mind set around food and exercise. I had to get used to not labeling food as good or bad or labeling my exercise as good or bad. Just stop judging yourself for everything you do. Eat, it's just food. Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full and don't worry about making the "right" decisions, let your body do that. Exercise because you enjoy it, do something you love because it feels good. Don't tally how many calories you burned. All this good and bad stuff can seriously derail anyone.
It's funny, but once I stopped worrying about how many calories I burned exercising, I not only enjoyed each activity more, but I became better at them. Now when I run, I don't just try to detach and get through it. I actually focus on how I feel and how my form is. I'm trying to become a better runner, not a better calorie furnace.
For me, it is usually complacency that makes me feel over-confident after I've been maintaining for a while.
I start to believe that I have erased all my food issues and that all food is equal, that maybe my trigger foods aren't trigger foods any more, and that I can eat absolutely anything in moderation -- like a perfectly "normal" person. It's all just food, and I am strong and smart and I can handle anything, so bring on the jelly/candy/pancakes/Fritos I know exactly what I'm doing.
This is never true for me, no matter how much I might wish it to be so.
As for the exercise and diet combination -- my weight is entirely managed by the way I choose to eat. It doesn't matter whether I exercise or not. I run and walk and bike and kayak and do other stuff on a recreational level because I enjoy it, because it relieves stress, because it is fun, because its adventurous, because my husband does it with me, because it keeps my joints loose, because it helps my back, because it clears my head, etc. ... it has nothing to do with losing weight.
I'm learning to enjoy exercise because I can. One day when I'm older I won't be able to do it at all, and I'll look back with fondness on the days when I could.
Complacency is a good word! It's what foils all of my budget/saving/financial planning.
Sadness, depression makes me fall every. time. I'm much better and healthier about it than I used to be and don't totally degenerate into bad binge behavior, but I definitely get derailed for weeks. I'm getting better at talking, asking for help.
My diet and gym-time go hand in hand, so if one goes downhill, so does the other one. .
I posted the same issue a week or so ago. This way of thinking is a big obstacle to weight loss, but I totally get it. I do the same thing myself!
My issue has a been a bit reversed as my diet has been less than optimal due to really awful pregnancy cravings. I'm "slipping up" more than I'd like so its a struggle to keep at a fitness routine.
What's been working for me in the reverse is scheduling my workouts. I run every other morning, 3 miles. I've tried to mentally make that its own commitment, and not think about it as a weight loss or in my case right now a weight management tool. Its to keep me healthy. That has worked so far. I know exercise has other benefits besides weight control, so I'm focusing on those.
In your case, with diet, can you remove the weight loss element of it? Don't eat with the thought of losing weight, but rather with the thought of fueling your body and nourishing it? I find when I have difficultly with sticking to calorie amounts, this is a great fallback for a little while. I know you didn't want to mention the foods you were eating that weren't healthy, but when the opportunity arises to eat those, can you as your self "will this be a healthy choice for me body?"
The reason this seems to work for me (I don't know if it will help you) is often my issue is volume. I'll eat and be like "that's it??" lol and that kind of restriction is what sends me into not wanting to "diet" or into a binge. If I let go of that restriction, and say ok you can eat as much as you want, we aren't dieting, but still make nutritious choices, it kind of helps. This was instead of over eating pizza for example, maybe its grilled chicken and veggies.
When I get in the weight loss mind set I fee like I need exercise AND diet or all is lost. Weight loss is this goal I am working towards and I want to fee like I'm doing everything to get there...Its a destination, so all along the way I don't feel accomplished in my efforts (diet or exercise), BUT when I think of health, it becomes about every choice. Its not about the destination for me. It become more of a life style, probably because I cant measure it with a scale or tape measure.
I'm not sure if my reply made sense but I hope it did!! and I hope it helped!
What makes you fall?
