Forgive me, MFP for i have sinned

Mikolinz

I recently began my weight loss endeavour. Today I walked into a grocery store to buy a head of lettuce. I picked the lettuce. Then walked to the till. That's when I saw it. The biggest, shiniest bar of chocolate you've ever seen. I must mention at this point that chocolate has always been my weakness. I looked at the lettuce in my hand, I thought of all the things it represented. I tried to reason with myself, and I failed. I didn't buy a chocolate bar. I bought TWO. 180g each. Went home and devoured as much of them as I could. And I feel absolutely sick. Not physically but emotionally. Why would I buy two? Why would I buy one? I feel like all my hardwork thus far has been for nothing. I feel like a failure. A loser who lacks self control. I'm not even going to log my food for today because it's a joke. I wouldn't even eat that much chocolate before. Why now? Please, to all you superstars who have won and are still winning the battle of the flab, where do you get the self control to just turn away from all the sweet and unhealthy goodies in life? How do you just not eat them? Sorry for the rant

jgnatca

You are forgiven, and you are still a winner in my books because you learned an important lesson. You can wear out your willpower muscle. The temptation that big was too much for you that day.

You have confessed, so why not log it? You might be surprised by the results.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jgnatca/view/halting-a-binge-session-715131

jgnatca

BTW good, dark chocolate has antioxidants in it which makes it healthy. But I would have stopped at one square (ummm or maybe two).

Liftng4Lis

There is nothing wrong with chocolate, in moderation. What's the problem?

higgins8283801

There's nothing wrong with eating the things you love.

There is no such thing as a bad food.

It's ok.

I lost 50lbs and reached goal just fine by doing my fair share of eating chocolate.

4legsRbetterthan2

1. Still log today so you know what the impact has been on your weekly goal.
2. Even the most successful people here have had experiences just like that, so far i have not met anyone claiming to be some perfect calorie counting robot.
3. Try to do better tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. Old habits are hard to break and new ones are hard to form. That doesnt mean it cant be done but beating yourself up about a small setback doesnt get you there any faster. Today gave you a bit more knowledge about yourself that you can use in your battles tomorrow, never be ashamed to gain new knowledge.

higgins8283801

Restricting yourself completely usually doesn't end well for most people. It doesn't work for me and that's why in the past I always failed.

Just log it and move on. Please don't label food bad or feel the way you do because you ate something "unhealthy".

jgnatca

This is the abstention - binge - guilt cycle that I dread so much. If there is a little less angst over food and a little more self love, these miserable patterns can be disrupted.

GiveMeCoffee

First there's nothing to forgive, there's learning to be done

For many people, myself included when I say I can't have something, I want that item more, it will become my focus. But, if I say I'm going to include a portion of it (whatever that portion is that fits into your day/week etc) it no longer becomes a focus. In over 2 years of being here, 125 lbs lost, I've eaten a dessert almost every night. The portion and what I have depends on how the rest of my day is, but I know it's there so I don't have that overwhelming feeling of I can't have something.

Now for not logging, all that is doing is not giving you information, if you only log the good days you don't get that information to learn from. I needed to see the good, bad and ugly, my body knows what I had, so who would I be lying to for not logging it... only myself.

malibu927

First of all, you didn't fail. I couldn't see my life without sweets, so I work a bit of them into my day. You don't have to have it all the time, but maybe buy a bag of individual squares or pieces to satisfy you when the craving hits. Eat one or two and put it away.

Second, not logging...well, you know what happened, but you should still keep up with it. One day over your goal will not hurt you...it's when they add up over time that causes problems.

caseyann52

Haha!
I did the same thing today... 220 gram block of Cadbury peppermint chocolate on sale for $2...
I thought I'd just have a tiny row of it... Finished the entire thing before lunch time. So ashamed

PeachyCarol

Log what you did from today and move on, but learn from it.

You love chocolate? Incorporate it into your plan. In small amounts. There are all sorts of individually wrapped small amounts of chocolates on the grocery shelves that aren't that many calories. Look for them in the candy aisle. Plan for that treat in your day, look forward to it, savor it. Stick to that one treat, knowing that you have another one to look forward to the next day.

You saw today what happens when you tell yourself that a food is off limits. You eat too much because it's the last time you're going to give in. If, instead, you set no food on the no-no list, it's okay to eat it in small portions, because there's always a tomorrow to have some more.

This whole dieting thing is all about learning. You didn't sin or fail. You learned.

Lounmoun

mayawalz wrote: »

where do you get the self control to just turn away from all the sweet and unhealthy goodies in life? How do you just not eat them? Sorry for the rant

People do eat them and lose weight. They fit them in their calorie goals on a regular basis. Read the forum and you will see this over and over.
Planning to have foods you like often is helpful to not going overboard.
Don't be overdramatic or emotional over food. You didn't rob someone or injure a puppy. You ate a bit more than normal. Log and move on.

mom2ava07

Sounds like you must be depriving yourself too much. Work the good things that you love into your diet with moderation. Nothing wrong with having a candy bar or even two occasionally. As another said, log it...you may be surprised.

I had a cheat day on my birthday. I was so stressed out about eating cake and other stuff, but it was my birthday, so what the heck? I exercised that day as I would've any other day, logged all my food including the pizza and cake I had. Guess what? I didn't even go over my calories that day AND I had lost a pound the next day!

You are doing fine. Just don't deprive yourself to the point of impulsively buying two chocolate bars and devouring them, then swimming in guikt. Treat yourself occasionally with no guilt.

cazpom37

i lost 35lbs and i still had a bit of chocolate or pizza etc. personally for me, if i completely rule something out i end up binging on it anyway and crave it more. don't get me wrong i don't have it everyday but now and then doesn't hurt

Sugarbeat

It happens OP. Log it, learn from it, and move on. If it puts you over your calories for the day, and this bothers you, perhaps add a few extra minutes to your workout or just take a walk.

999tigger

Hey its funny in a laugh or you will cry sort of way. Dont sweat it, just learn. its probably going to be sensible if you start your diet by making a gradual transition and once you are on it to moderate treats, that just means not restricting becayse that seems dull and like torture, but instead eating some of thos treats in your calorie allowance, but you just get to eat less. Choclate is a challenge for many and there are threads with various suggestions of lower calorie alternatives that deal with the cravings and rush.

Never beat up on yourself. Pointless and counter productive. I hope you enjoyed the choclate whilst you were eating it.

Unknown

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SezxyStef

I eat chocolate every night and have pretty much since I started this journey (as soon as I found out about IIFYM)....there is nothing wrong with eating the food you love as long as it's within your range....

Vailara

It's not black and white - it's not necessary to be in complete control all the time. Eating more than you planned occasionally doesn't mean that you're failing. It's just a case of keeping going and not doing often.

If it helps, count up the calories and the damage. I you have a 500 calorie deficit, and you ate 500 extra calories then all it will do will delay your weight loss by one day. If you ate 1000 calories extra, then you'd have delayed it by 2 days, if you see what I mean. If you did that once a week, then it would mean you had slower weight loss, but it wouldn't stop you losing weight. I'm not recommending you do it, but just saying, a little bit of overeating isn't always as bad as you think, if you're sticking to the plan the rest of the time.

I've found I'm more likely to be low on self-control if I've got too big a deficit. There's no way I could manage to lose consistently at 2lb a week (1000 calorie deficit). If that's the case for you, maybe you could try increasing your goal (1/2lb to a 1lb a week loss) and see if that makes it easier?

jgnatca

Also try storing individually wrapped chocolates in the freezer. To help slow you down.

macgurlnet

I absolutely love chocolate. I could eat and eat and eat it.

When I find that I'm really overindulging in sweets, or anything really, sometimes I will cut it out completely for a period of time. It's usually only a week or two, sometimes I'll do a whole month. I don't know if it's all a mental thing or if I'm building up a tolerance of sorts (like with soda - if I let myself, I'll go through a 12-pack of Mountain Dew in a 2-3 days if I'm drinking it regularly; right now 1 in a day is enough).

Either way...don't completely deny yourself. Now you know you will eat the entire larger candy bar if you're not eating chocolate at all. Buying the snack size candy bars might be the way to go then. I like individually wrapped stuff, like Hershey kisses, because the serving may be 9 pieces but I can eat half of that or a third - it's still delicious, still the treat I want, but not all the calories as the full serving.

Pre-log your chocolate it if that will help. See it as a reward for sticking with this another day.

You've learned something about yourself. Log it, evaluate your options to try keep this from happening again, and keep going.

You've got this.

~Lyssa

1bellringer1

There are just some things you build into your diet. I have to have sweets so I'm not tempted when I hit the grocery but sometimes *kitten* happens. I was in Ross shopping yesterday for smaller clothes and there at the register was a box of Mrs. Fields white macadamia cookies. I bought it and ate three as soon as I got in my car. Soon as I was done I felt guilty but I've lost 15 lbs in a little over two months and have learned that as long as I stay on track 99% of the time, the weight is still going to come off. Don't beat yourself up, the food control isn't worth it.

MelodyandBarbells

TURN AWAY FROM CHOCOLATE?? ARE YOU CRAZY, WOMAN?

No, you're not forgiven. Quit speaking such blasphemy

Sophiasmomma

4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »

1. Still log today so you know what the impact has been on your weekly goal.
2. Even the most successful people here have had experiences just like that, so far i have not met anyone claiming to be some perfect calorie counting robot.
3. Try to do better tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. Old habits are hard to break and new ones are hard to form. That doesnt mean it cant be done but beating yourself up about a small setback doesnt get you there any faster. Today gave you a bit more knowledge about yourself that you can use in your battles tomorrow, never be ashamed to gain new knowledge.

Yes yes yes!!!!!!
Dont beat yourself up. I think many of us have an all or nothing mind set and we shouldn't . I am just learning now that eating everything In moderation is ok.

WinoGelato

As others have said, you are giving the food too much power. Chocolate is not bad. Many of the most successful people on MFP work chocolate, ice cream, pizza, wine, etc into their daily calories. The fact that you are trying to cut it out completely is going to likely result in more situations like this. Plan to eat what you love and you will have more control over the food rather than the other way around.

As for not logging it, I also think that is a huge mistake. Your body counts it, whether you log it or not. As others have said, logging every bite, even when you overdo it, helps you gain perspective and figure out where you can make small changes to still fit things in. For example, If those two candy bars put you over by 400 cals, but you have a 500 cal deficit, you're still in a deficit. Don't be so discouraged.

Lastly, what were you planning on doing with the head of lettuce? If you weren't planning to make some delicious salad or incorporate it into some other delicious food, if you were just going to make some sad, tasteless meal then no wonder you chose the chocolate. You need to learn how to make the "healthy" food delicious too. I put "healthy" in quotes because I don't personally believe foods are healthy or unhealthy, good or bad, but I sense that you do OP.

captivatedlife

What makes you binge? For me, it's not eating enough calories. I tried 1200 for 1.5 months and that led to me binging! Also- there are some things I just can't eat at this time - biscuits, pancakes, naan, cake - because it will trigger a binge. It sounds like you needed the chocolate and should also check to see That you are eating enough. Good luck

kindrabbit

Oh I feel your pain op! For me this is a psychological battle. I am a binge eater. My hands and my mouth seem to work independently of my brain. It's like there are 2 'me's' and one is trying to stuff my face and the other is just tutting and shaking her head! I used to scoff my daughters leftovers whilst racing to the bin to throw them away. I would literally try and stuff as much as I could in my face before I could get to the bin to get wrid of it. How is that 'normal'? Its so easy to be logical and say 'allow yourself a small portion' but some of us don't work like that.

The truth is though, that you are on this journey - you are doing it! If that means falling off the wagon then so be it. As long and you dust yourself off and get back up you are still winning the battle.

I had a huge binge on Friday night. I logged it (700+ calories!!). I then added up what I had left over from the previous week and it was over 800 so it turned out I was still in deficit (barely but it counts!)

You're going to be fine OP XX

csteuter

If it helps, count up the calories and the damage. I you have a 500 calorie deficit, and you ate 500 extra calories then all it will do will delay your weight loss by one day. If you ate 1000 calories extra, then you'd have delayed it by 2 days, if you see what I mean. If you did that once a week, then it would mean you had slower weight loss, but it wouldn't stop you losing weight. I'm not recommending you do it, but just saying, a little bit of overeating isn't always as bad as you think, if you're sticking to the plan the rest of the time.

---

What a great perspective! I feel so much better about going over my limits and eating the wrong foods this weekend!

WinoGelato

csteuter wrote: »

If it helps, count up the calories and the damage. I you have a 500 calorie deficit, and you ate 500 extra calories then all it will do will delay your weight loss by one day. If you ate 1000 calories extra, then you'd have delayed it by 2 days, if you see what I mean. If you did that once a week, then it would mean you had slower weight loss, but it wouldn't stop you losing weight. I'm not recommending you do it, but just saying, a little bit of overeating isn't always as bad as you think, if you're sticking to the plan the rest of the time.

---

What a great perspective! I feel so much better about going over my limits and eating the wrong foods this weekend!

You're still missing the point. There was nothing wrong with the chocolate. What was wrong was the amount of chocolate that you ate. If you had eaten a single square of chocolate, 50 cals or so, after you ate the lettuce, would you still call that eating the wrong food?

Mikolinz

thank you everyone for the reassurance. two chocolate bars will not stop me from reaching my goal. its true that i had the 'bad food' mentality, and there's something about forbidden fruit being the sweetest. everything in moderation is the way to go from now on. i did my exercises as usual and i'm ready to get back on track. now for that difficult process of logging...