I've been on something of a bender the last few days, been eating more than I'm hungry for and not making very good choices about what I eat. I don't think I've gone drastically over points, but I'm not feeling very good about it. Each morning I attempt to pep talk myself into a great on-program day but lose it somewhere after lunch. I've been able to troubleshoot some of the problems but I'm losing momentum and feeling anxious. Any thoughts on how to break this 'blah' plateau?
Get thee to a mall, go! Don't bring any money or your charge cards. Try, try, try on clothes. Jeans, even bathingsuits if you're brave enough. Nothing like looking at ourselves in a bathingsuit in the harsh florescent (sp?) glare!
Works for me so well, I should go weekly, daily if I could make the time.
Dotti says, No guilt and move on.
Make believe you're completely on program. I don't know why it works, but it does. All of a sudden you find yourself making the right choices and you're OP.
If things are emotional right now, try baby steps. Do one thing perfectly and the others will fall in place. Journal, count your servings of water, etc. You've got the idea.
I wish you lots of luck. You can do this.
I sometimes have this problem and find that I need to eat more earlier in the day. I tend to do a low point high fiber breakfast like cracked wheat ( 1 point per serving and add a little brown sugar and soy milk for another 2 points) . I make a big batch on sunday so all I have to do is heat it in the am as I am on the run geting the kids off to school. It keeps me full till lunch and then I use a good 10 points at lunch. Veggie sub (4 points) and some other protien for 3 like a glass of milk, then I have a couple of cookies or 1/2 a go lean bar, for a really filling meal. Or I will have the go lean bar in the afternoon when the kids have their snack. I am full till dinner and this gives me another 10 to get through dinner .
I find that if I "save" the bulk of my points for dinner ( more than 12) I want to overeat because I am starving. i do make dinner for the kids and DH will have what i am having but in a larger quantity. 10 points is pleanty for dinner if you can make the right choices.
Once a month I make crock pot chilli and freez it for the need of low point food. It is easy and it frezzes well and believe it or not it is 1 point on 123 and 2 on winning points!
1 pkag garden crumble ( freezer section)
1 jar low fat tomato sause (i use aunt millies marrinara)
1 jar chunky picante (pick the hottness you like)
1 15oz can red beans
garlic, salt and pepper flakes
Defrost garden crumbel in pan with garlic, and pepper flakes to break up the crumbel and add all the stuff to the crock pot. On hi will cook in 4 hours and on low you can cook it all day.
Add salt as needed:
makes 10 really good size servings that I freez in single servings.
150 cals 10 grams of fiber and 2.2 grams of fat
I know this is not the place for recipies but we all need help to find filling low point meals.
I find if I plan my meals ahead of time and write them down in my journal beforehand, it's a lot easier to stay on track and motivated. I have better control that way. I plan a week at a time.
It helps me to make myself write it down and figure the points before I eat it. Somehow putting it on paper first makes me make better choices about whether or not I really want to eat that item.
Journalling is very helpful, as is pre-planning. For instance, I know that I will have approximately 5 points each for breakfast and lunch, allowing me 13 for dinner and in-between snacks. Don't get discouraged. The program works. We are all her to help you though. Best of luck.
If you suspect that your problem may be something other than how to follow the program, take a piece of paper and a pen and start writing anything that comes to your head. Stream of consciousness. I did this this morning and 12 pages later I had uncovered a whole lot of issues that had been crying to be heard. I no longer feel like overeating. And I feel as though I can now deal with this stuff because I am now aware of it. This is an ongoing thing for me. I write three sides of an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper almost every morning. Sometimes I get days like today and write more. Anyway, it's another approach that helps me when I'm eating off program and wondering why.
I find that it's really important for me to have enough of the right kinds of foods early in the day. Being underfueled before lunch is my surest trigger for overeating later in the day. For a long time, I resisted "wasting" points early in the day, but have come to accept that this actually saves me points....If I eat a hearty breakfast that has a good balance of protein, complex carbs, and fat, the rest of the day falls into place much more easily. I still have to talk myself out of overdoing sometimes----but it's far easier to do when I'm essentially satisfied, appetite- and satiety-wise.
I am really glad to hear that others have a tendency to overeat later if they don't have a good early start. I use a lot of my points for breakfast, a snack and lunch and then try to tone down the supper. (Unless something special is going on). This works pretty well except for now when it is that time of the month and I catch myself eating stuff that I would not normally even consider. I just try to tell myself that I can get through this and get back on track. Rome was not built in a day, nor will all this fat I carry go away in a day.
