The last three days I have been on a pretty slippery slope. I can't put my finger on the reason.....just that I did. I wasn't horrible, but I wasn't good either. Didn't work out hardly at all last week. Did ok on food/drink up until Friday through Sunday. Why do we (and I say WE because I know I am not the only one) do this to ourselves after we have worked so hard AGAIN to get where we are at? Well, at least this time, I was able to nip it in the bud after only three days. I really have no idea why I do this....I keep asking and no one answers (meaning myself). Aggravating.
There were always so many reasons with me...
1. lazy (tator tots and waffles are really easy to make and fast food is easier)
2. boredom
3. i don't eat enough for a couple of days and then binge
4. a big one for me-- HABIT it just became habit to have a bowl of cereal at midnight. it just became habit to pick up cheesesticks from sonic during happy hour to go with my DIET COKE!
I hear you, just did the same thing this past weekend but like you said, at least we didn't let it get too far and we're back on track...SO, wishing you courage and confidence that you can choose healthier options from now on. You're smart, you're back on track, keep up the good work, you can do it, we can do it!!!
Oh I have another reason I used to lose focus... special events. I would break my diet at a special event and then never get back on. oh and friends and family that aren't supportive.
I've been struggling over the last 24 hours or so as well and I think, for me, a lot of it boils down to habit and simple gratification. It's difficult to change any long standing pattern of behavior - it takes time and effort to learn new ways of dealing with situations and finding alternate methods of coping. I think changing eating patterns is no different in that respect.
For years I dealt with stress, boredom, unhappiness, etc. with food. Food was comfort, it tasted good, it made me feel good in the moment and, to an extent, it was a "socially acceptable" way of medicating myself. It's very difficult to change that mindset pattern.
Also, to me food tastes incredibly good. The good taste makes me happy and lifts my spirits. There is an emotional attachment to food that goes beyond just fueling my body. Which means that, when I'm having a moment of weakness, that instant emotional gratification can take priority over what my mind knows is good for me.
Sometimes I just wish that I could just come home from work and order a pizza for dinner like "normal" people. That I would not have to weigh and measure everything that goes into my mouth, and that I did not have to spend time prepping and cooking and planning.
This last week was like that. I just wanted to go through the drivethru and get a bag of something to take home. It is especially harder when I do not see the fruits of my labors and I do all of the work and the scale barely moves. Or when I feel "skinny" like my work IS paying off and then I see a picture of myself which defys how I feel.
OK so obviously having an issue with this lately. Sorry for the mini rant
I have never tried seriously to watch my food intake until this year. I did great and then I got to the 220s which is where I was in highschool and I started getting all kinds of compliments so I started to let myself have some treats because Ive done SO GOOD Id say. Then I decided I would just try to maintain through the holidays and wouldn't you know? Back to just nonstop shoving the food in mindlessly.
It is so hard to break the cycle and change your life no matter what it is.
At least, that is my reason.
There were always so many reasons with me...
1. lazy (tator tots and waffles are really easy to make and fast food is easier)
2. boredom
3. i don't eat enough for a couple of days and then binge
4. a big one for me-- HABIT it just became habit to have a bowl of cereal at midnight. it just became habit to pick up cheesesticks from sonic during happy hour to go with my DIET COKE!
Agreed. I think the reason I fall off the wagon is the people I live with eat all these foods i want, and I want it. It's easier to say yes now and regret it later then to say no and pass the foods.
I start wanting, not just to be healthy, but to be far above average in physical fitness, and to that end, I pile on more & more exercises, and start really being uneasy when eating outside my routine, and end up over-restricting. Then, in a backlash, the whole routine collapses because it is unsustainable.
I don't seem able to be able to scale back gradually, or drop it just one notch for certain periods. I have to do this whole thing perfectly or not at all.
That's when I fail. Due to all-or-nothing thinking. There's nothing in between fat & fit for me.
I get tired. Things get in the way. I lose my "habits" which keep me on track.
I usually try to remember why I'm doing all of this (my original motivation) and then think about what's "off". Maybe I forgot to go grocery shopping over the weekend and now I don't have food in the house and I am making up meals that don't fit my plan. If that's it, then I make time to head over to the grocery store to buy what I need and start planning. If it's exercise, I tell myself that I need to go back or pick something else if I don't like it. Go to the class tonight and if you really hate it then tomorrow you pick something else. I usually don't hate it, I'm usually glad I went back.
I would have to say, for me it's more along the lines of selfishness. Some may call it acting like a spoiled brat. I want what I want when I want it. Because I'm an adult and I can do what I want. Hence trouble in paradise. Because getting the weight off is paradise to me. Sometimes I sacrifice paradise for junk and laziness. SELFISH...all about me.
It's hard sticking to a plan. If you're tired or stressed or feel like you have too much on your plate already, sticking to a diet and exercise plan is just another chore. For me, it would be way easier just to eat what everyone else in my family is eating, but I have to go out of my way to not only cook food myself, but make sure that the fridge and pantry are stocked with things I want to eat. Some days I just don't feel like cooking, and my mom gets us all fast food, so I just give in and eat it. That might involve fitting it into the plan, or just blowing it altogether. But other days, things are easy. You have to look at both your successes and your struggles, so you don't get caught up in thinking about how hard this all is.
But you got back after three days, and you weren't doing horrible, like you said, you were doing okay. Three days of okay are better than three days of nothing.
Almost everyone has slip ups like that where they ease back into old ways. old habits are like old friends. No matter how long you've been apart it is very easy to fall back into rhythm.
I try to not spend too much time worrying about *why* I slipped up. Some times there is no real answer. The important thing is to get back and it sounds like you are ready to do that.
Why do we digress/slip/lose focus?
but like you said, at least we didn't let it get too far and we're back on track...SO, wishing you courage and confidence that you can choose healthier options from now on. You're smart, you're back on track, keep up the good work, you can do it, we can do it!!!
