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.

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.