For me, it's all mental

Sean_TheITGuy

I'm at mid day of day two of this latest attempt to change my lifestyle. I find my mind wandering to the giant bag of chips I want to eat. Or the double big mac and large fries I'd like for lunch. I know most people say moderation is key. That you can have a little of something as a treat if it doesn't blow your calories.

I can't do that. A handful of chips, or a half dozen gummies doesn't satisfy me. I'm not satisfied until the container is empty, and even then sometimes want a second container. Any sized bag of chips is a single serving to me.

If you've ever tried to teach a big dog how to walk on leash, you know how I feel all day. I think about something I want, then I think "Eh, what can it hurt, just this once" and I have to give the leash a sharp tug to let my id know who's boss. Challenging, however, as my id is a bull mastiff and my ego is a little boy.

I don't plan on depriving myself of all food I like forever, but I can't be cheating on new lifestyle day 2. If I can make it 30 days, I'm hoping eating sensible amounts of appropriate food might become a habit to break the current habit of eating crap that I've built up for 30+ years.

I'm not really looking for any feedback or advice, just firing some thoughts down somewhere where others might recognize their own struggles with their health and realize they're not alone.

stevesample76

Great post. They say it takes 21 days to form new habits. Stick with it and I know you will get there.

jemhh

I started off the same way and completely understand what you're saying. It sounds like you have a solid plan in place. My plan was to relegate "treats" to one day a week--Sunday--and I could only have one serving. So each Sunday I'd have a dessert and either bread or pasta, because those were my problem foods. I stuck with that for around 5-6 months before gradually loosening up the rule because I felt like I could handle (behave myself around) those foods without going off the rails.

Good luck!

Sued0nim

Yeah I kind of did that at the start but I also found other foods that I started to crave ...like 200 calories for toast, cottage cheese, avocado and tomato and go to meals like veg stew, rice and cheddar

And then after a while I started to fancy other things and work out that actually 140 calories for a Mars Ice cream or 85 calories for a packet of quavers was easy to include in my overall diet

I'd say you've got this ...keep on keeping on

slideaway1

The longer you stay on track with your calorie counting and eating in a deficit your cravings will slowly reduce, your stomach will probably shrink a bit so you your appetite will naturally reduce so it will take less food to keep you satisfied. Eventually it will all feel like second nature to you and treating yourself to a McDonalds etc will be by choice and not because you are craving it. Stick with it, it gets better and the results will inspire you to keep going.

tekkiechikk

Someone once said about drinking beer that "One is too many and twelve isn't enough." Until recently I was the same with food- I couldn't handle a single serving of potato chips because that handful turned into the entire bag and then I turned into a guilt-ridden, blubbering mess.

Some people can handle that handful of chips. Others, like us, need to figure out a way to put food into its proper perspective. Does the urge to binge on the entire bag ever come back? Definitely. But I'm learning to not let it rule me. And I no longer use food as a reward. When I realized I was using food as a feel-good prize, that was a light bulb moment.

Recognizing that part of your problem is in your head is a big first step, keep going!

carakirkey

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stevesample76 wrote: »

Great post. They say it takes 21 days to form new habits. Stick with it and I know you will get there.

I found it helped to focus on introducing new good habits, rather than focusing on the bad habits to eliminate. Try a new vegetable, drink tea while watching tv (instead of the bag of chips), get exercise each day etc... Eventually those good habits will crowd out the bad.

benzieboxx

slideaway1 wrote: »

...and treating yourself to a McDonalds etc will be by choice and not because you are craving it.

I really love this. There's such a different between eating something because you have control over it and blacking out and going crazy. Whenever I'm craving something badly enough it's almost as if I just totally black out and devour what I want. Portions were my biggest downfall but now I'm way more aware of what I'm serving myself.

elexis1985

Yea, this is me all the way. I am an emotional eater and I just started this diet. I was supposed to go have the gastric surgery done I need to lose 100 pounds and I went through the whole procedure up until the actual doing it part. I chickened out and now I'm just at the end of the rope and I have put my four down and started working out but still I want to constantly eat when I'm emotional. Idk what to do about it.