I read a meme somewhere that said "Continuing to eat like crap after you slip up and cheat is like stomping on your cell phone and breaking the screen because you dropped it anyway." That sort of sticks with me, because I was the queen of "well today is already shot, might as well order some midnight lasagna!"
It does feel good not to care. We're supposed to go out occasionally, have a good time, eat what we want. One day isn't going to derail you. In fact every few months, I take a break for a week to ten days, in fact I did at the end of February. I don't binge, but I'll go out to eat once or twice, make something forbidden that I miss, and not worry about every single calorie. When I get back on the horse, I may be up 3 or 4 pounds, but it's usually water that's gone in a few days, and I sometimes even get a woosh. The trick is, I schedule my "break" and I get back on the horse.
There is no good in guilting yourself. Get back on the horse, and the next time you need a "Taco day" take it.
Thank you guys for the support. Today has been a great food day and I feel better. I was so tired last night and feeling blah.. Thank you so much for being there for me..
I also went to the grocery store and spent some money on healthy foods that I really like, even though they are a little out of my budget, so that I can be full and satisfied with delicious, healthy foods BEFORE I get into tempting situations again.
I just wanted to comment on this. I have to remind myself that I am not comparing the cost of healthy food just to non-healthy food. I'm also comparing it to the expense of how much eating out we were doing. A run to McDs or Wendy's was $12-13 for the two of us. Dinner at a "real" restaurant could be $40-50. All of a sudden, additional fresh fruit and produce isn't that expensive.
I have to say that it felt so good not to care what I was eating and that's what scares me half to death. I'm so afraid of ruining all the hard work I've done since the first of the year. I know I should just forget it and move on and I plan on trying to do that, but I'm still worried that I will be thinking of how good it felt not to worry..
I did this at Chinese last week :-(.
But, here's the thing: I did care about how much I was eating--I cared about how hard it was to put it into MFP. I cared about the incredible water (I hope) gain from too much Chinese food. I cared about not meeting my resolution of being within 10% of my net calorie goal every day. I cared about my jeans being less over-big. I cared about not reaching a mental goal/date that I had set for myself. I cared about the scale.
So, I did care--I just wanted not to care, and at that moment, wanted to not care about not watching what I ate more than I wanted to care about all of those other things.
For me, there's no such thing as not caring about it. There's no such thing as not thinking about. It's a matter of choosing what I'm caring about and what I'm thinking about--whether it's about a food or exercise mistake, or a food or exercise success--I'm going to think and care about it either way.
The feeling you describe is the main reason I regained many times in the past. This time around is the first time that I haven't felt that way, and I attribute it to finding a plan that allows me the flexibility of eating a lot of what I want at least once a week. I cycle calories (i.e., I have a weekly rather than a daily total---although I do track daily calories, of course), and I start my "days" calorie count w/ dinner (my most unpredictable meal). That flexibility has gone a long way toward allowing me the some eating freedom and spontaneity, and I believe it is the reason that I have not gained beyond my acceptable "range" since I started maintaining in Nov. 2011.
My point is that maybe you should find a plan that allows you to go out with the girls occasionally and overeat. I know some would frown on advising someone to overeat, even if on occasion, but I, personally, need some of that in my plan.
I also went to the grocery store and spent some money on healthy foods that I really like, even though they are a little out of my budget, so that I can be full and satisfied with delicious, healthy foods BEFORE I get into tempting situations again.
This is a great strategy that I've used before as well (recently, as a matter of fact). When I feel that my eating is getting a little to loose or haphazard, I stock up on healthy items that I love even if they're a bit more money (e.g., I make shrimp cocktail for lunch). That goes a long way toward getting back on track.
I can really relate to that, I have a very hard time saying no to certain foods and even though I know they are bad for me, I dont feel bad after I eat them!!! Ive learned recently that keeping water and sugar-free gum handy helps curb my cravings and keeps me fuller before I go into eating.
Totally agree with the "Cost is relative" thing. I spent 300 on groceries on Tuesday for a household of two, and will probably need to go again this weekend for produce. BUT before I started dieting, I was spending $8.68 5 days a week for breakfast plus 10-12 dollars for lunch at very least 3 times a week, and easily $50 bucks twice a month for take out. So for a month that's $400 bucks right there, IN ADDITION to groceries I was still buying and often wasting because I didn't want to cook.
so far I am down almost 50lbs, and why it has worked for me this time is I DO let myself slip up sometimes (cake AND a PB cookie today) but instead of saying to myself "oh I screwed up AGAIN, may as well quit." I get up the next day and get back on track, and tomorrow I WILL hit the gym and so a little extra, and next on the 22nd I will slip up again when I go to red lobster for my bday, but I will get back on track on the 23rd. Dont beat yourself up over little slip ups, they are bound to happen
I had a major slip-up on Sunday through Tuesday as well and I was seriously alarmed, so I get how it's kind of scary. It was a serious reality check. How did it happen? Why did I stop caring? I have tried so hard to fit into my old clothes again! Was everything going to be lost?
My strategy was to reevaluate my commitment to my new lifestyle and what I want out of my new life. I took some time on Monday and wrote in my journal about what was happening, and why I thought I might be losing motivation on my diet.
What I found was that my slip-up was actually a gradual slacking with looser and looser rules that went over the edge one day (with multiple McDonald's runs--argh).
There were a few reasons why I went over the edge, one of which was that I just didn't feel like keeping track. It is hard to put that much focus and energy into something with consistency.
Go easy on yourself. Think of this as an opportunity to prove to yourself that you are truely committed to weight loss. A slip-up won't derail you if you are determined and forgiving to yourself for being human, in my mind.
I also went to the grocery store and spent some money on healthy foods that I really like, even though they are a little out of my budget, so that I can be full and satisfied with delicious, healthy foods BEFORE I get into tempting situations again.
Good Luck!
This is very accurate to me, especially the bolded part. Every time I slip back into bad habits it starts as a gradual loosening. Then I get to a "tip point" where the energy of going back to eating on-plan is just an exhausting idea, and I give up for a while.
I agree wholeheartedly with the person up-thread who said that one of the keys for them this time is to have a more flexible plan that allows for eating out, parties and events, and all the food temptations and trials of daily social life.
It's annoying to log my food every day. It's annoying to weigh myself and measure my food and plan out every meal. It's draining. It's life-sucking.
But it gets to be a habit. And because my plan is rather flexible, it can accommodate some of the things that used to throw me into a tailspin. For instance, I'm planning to go out with some friends for a full British-style tea (complete with clotted cream!) next month. I have done my homework and know what I can order there, including a few treats that are not on-plan on regular days.
A year ago, I would have gone there blind, eaten everything, enjoyed it, then hated myself later. And then gone completely off the wagon and continued eating off-plan.
Don't beat yourself up. Just get right back on the horse.
