I've been working out consistently for 4 weeks now. It's almost become a habit. And the days I have to skip my workout, I feel a little tinge of guilt for not going. So, I seem to have done okay with this hurdle.

So can someone please explain WHY my eating has gotten worse?? Because I can't figure it out. I would venture a guess that 95% of my meals are really good: healthy, whole foods, no crappy carbs (still working on portion sizes though) - and then I go and screw it up my eating a bowl of ice cream. Or a mongo-huge blueberry muffin. Or a chocolate bar. And all this was eaten this week people.

And this is not mindless eating. This is the conversation I have in my head:

"Self, do not eat the bowl of ice cream. You worked hard today at the gym. Don't do it."

"But yummy!"

"Forget the yummy. Think of a smaller stomach."

"But yummy!!!!"

"Skinny!"

"YUMMY!"

And of course the yumminess wins out. For the life of me I can't figure out why I have this self-destructive pattern going on. It's ridiculous. I *know* I shouldn't be eating this stuff, but I do it anyway.

Does anyone do this? Have you been able to break the cycle?

Lisa

That could be my post! I can totally relate. Here are my tips....

1. Don't have it in the house. My husband wants a treat after dinner so I buy him large bags of tiny tootsie rolls 'cause he loves them and I hate them. He'll eat a few tootsie rolls and be satisfied and I won't be tempted.

2. Forget will power. There's no such thing. Somebody here at 3FC posted somewhere that s/he finally decided to forget the word "will power" and just focus on choice. It's your choice to eat or not to eat ice cream. I think that mentality helps me a lot. It is a choice and I can choose to eat the ice cream or choose to not eat the ice cream.

3. If you just can't resist the ice cream, use tiny bowls. I have tiny bowls (about 1/2 to 1/4 cup size bowls) at home that I use for ice cream bowls. If I am going to have ice cream, it HAS to be in one of those bowls. I also keep fresh fruit around to put on top of the ice cream. So really I only have maybe three tablespoons of ice cream with a bunch of fresh blueberries or sliced strawberries on top. It's yummy and really not horribly bad for you. Also, when I do buy ice cream, I buy Ben & Jerry's or some other premium brand in the small containers. I am satisfied with a small amount of really good ice cream. That's my philosophy in general. I buy real food and I don't buy processed "diet" junk.

Hope that helps! Keep up the great work w/ the exercise!

Hey deathbychoc,

You are doing really well with your workouts and with 95% of your meals. Remember that first of all.

There are lots of reasons why people, myself among them, make those choices--like eating the ice cream. You may be feeling stress. Your exercise may make you want to eat more--your good meals may be too low in calories overall for your activity level. You may feel deprived in other areas of your life. Or it may just be a habit of getting what you want as a "reward." Five-year-old self rules!

Some strategies you can try: First, don't have ice cream in the house. Really. I had to do this because if it was there, sooner or later I would eat it. Same goes for those muffins. (If you find yourself leaving the house late at night to go out and buy ice cream on the sly, then you may be addicted to carbohydrates. You can find books that tell about this.)

Second, plan some reward snacks that you like that are also good for you--such as a protein shake without too many carbs, or low-fat yogurt with good fresh fruit or berries mixed in.

Another idea is to follow an eating plan that tells you exactly what to eat and when, and stick with it. I had to do this myself because when left any choices at all, I would make bad ones.

And just keep on trying! Remember the positive things you're doing.

SW: 196 5/24
CW: 179
GW: 145

these are very very smart ladies who answered...

i'd like to suggest planning NONFOOD REWARDS!!!. yes, dear. it IS possible to reward yourself with something other than YUMMY...

manicures. extra time in the whirlpool. time with a friend. you choose. you can do it!!!!!

Some people, like myself, have "bad food days" once a week or once a fortnight. Mine is once a week, and it means that, within a set of rules, I can eat some naughty foods! For those of us with evil cravings, having a relief valve like this can be essential! I also recommend not having it in the house ... if I have popcorn in the house, it is very hard to leave it alone.

The other side of the coin is also mental discipline. Many people don't realise that half the battle in losing weight is controlling your cravings, and on the exercise side of things, resisting the urge to sit on your bum and do nothing. You've mastered the exercise side of it, time to apply it to the food side of it!

And finally - we are all human, and the best plans (remembering that this is for life) are those that allow for some flexibility.

Thanks for all your input. I really appreciate it.

Right now, the only crap foods in the house are ones I don't care for. I bought fudgcicles (advice from a friend who said they were a great substitute for ice cream) and they are! I really like them. And my husband doesn't so I don't have to worry about him eating them all on me.

This is a new week and hopefully I'll be making smarter choices. Thanks again for all your input!

Lisa

First of all you are not an idiot. We've all been there and done that and have the tee shirt.Everyone has got some great advice and I will add my 2 cents worth. I used to tell myself that certain foods were off limits. But anymore there isn't anything I won't allow myself to have a taste of, except meat and dairy because of my arthritis in my hip and knees. It seems that if I inadvertantly get any, it really plays havoc with my joints. The only thing is, I have to pay attention to portion sizes.And I always eat the stuff that I can have quitea bit of so that I'm not always hungry. Everyone has to figure out what works for them, the things that work for me are as follows. I never think of the long haul I take this in manageable time alotments. I don't think of the 25 pounds I need to lose, I think of it as 10 pounds which isn't so daunting. Never let yourself get too hungry or all bets are off and you will eat what is handy. Eat 6 small meals instead of 3 large meals. And once every couple of weeks pick a day and have at it. If you knmow your treat day is coming then you will more likely stick to your plan the rest of the days. When this day happens though you should confine your food for all to a specific time limit. Mine is usually on a Sunday and I have to consume it withn an hour. This gives me what I want most in life at that time and after the hour is up I go back on plan. I don't know if this will help but it has gotten me from 180 to 153 so maybe it has merit. I have 25 more pounds to lose and have been stuck here for awhile. Lots of luck, Judy

Hi, Lisa! Here's my input. I'm also a chocolate lover so what I've done is keep some not so wholesome, but lowfat snacks in the house like Snackwells Devil cake cookies. I can have 1 or 2 and that usually satisfies my chocolate cravings. Also, keeping a log of everything I eat during the day, and adding up the fat grams and calories really makes me shy away from that Snicker's bar cuz I sooooooo dont want to see that 18g of fat (lol or whatever it is, I forget) added to my day's total. I also like the carmel flavored Quakers snacks as a munchie to fool my brain into thinking I'm having something naughty!

It sounds to me like you're doing really great, keep it up!

Since I wrote that post, my *need* for crappy foods has dissipated. I'm going to chalk it up to Aunt Flo, although, last week's crappy food cravings was the worst I've had yet.

I finally got up the nerve to get on the scale yesterday. Even though I've been working out and watching my foods, I hadn't gotten on the scale. I hate the scale. But there was good news! I haven't gained any weight since I stopped working out 6 months ago. Soooo...that means I know how to maintain. Now I would like to know how to LOSE.

I have this program in my PDA that allows me to track my food intake, cals, fats, etc. So I've started journaling again. I tend to hover around 1100-1400 cals a day. And sometimes I wonder if that's enough. Because when I was rigorously journaling and eating right and going to the gym before, I didn't lose any weight. I think I lost 4 pounds in 2 months. Very frustrating and it's really no wonder I stopped.

But it's so absurd to think I might not be eating enough. I look in the mirror and it contradicts every rational thought I have. I know that in order to lose weight, you need to fuel your body properly. And I spread out my meals throughout the day because I have low blood sugar and it's safer for everyone involved (because I turn into a monster when I get hungry) if I eat smaller meals, more often. I drink at least 9 glasses of water a day. I have all this knowledge in my brain - but the actual application? feh.

So I'm back to journaling. And I'm going to take my measurements AND a before picture (ugh.) But if nothing changes in...a month? two months? (how long should I give it?) then I'm going to my doctor and I'll show her my food journal and my exercise log and rant and rave about the injustice of it all!

Thank you all for your kind words, advice and understanding. It means the world to know you guys understand.

Lisa