A tiny tip I thought I would share
115Everest
Posts: 31 Member
So lately when I am craving something that will send me flying over my calorie limit or is just plain bad for me to have that day (or any day), as soon as I identify it, I write whatever it is down and say to myself "When I am at my goal weight, if I still want it, I can have it." For whatever reason, it allows me to move on without giving in. In fact I move on almost as soon as I jot it down.
It just hit me how helpful doing this has been, and people are often asking for tips to help them stay on task, so I thought I would share it in case it helps anyone else power through a craving.
It just hit me how helpful doing this has been, and people are often asking for tips to help them stay on task, so I thought I would share it in case it helps anyone else power through a craving.
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Replies
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I kinda do this. If I really want something, I'll tell myself, I can't make it fit today, but if I still want it tomorrow, I'll make it fit. And I usually never do bc I don't want to eat something high calorie and then be hungry later.0
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Funny how we all do it differently but still are aiming for the same goal! If I can't fit it in my calories that day then I immediately have it the next because if I don't then I will obsess over it and I make it worse when I finally do eat it.0
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I'm glad it seems to be working for you but. I think I'm confused. What of your goal weight is 6-9 months away? Are you just going to give up on a snack you really like for a year?0
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I'm glad it seems to be working for you but. I think I'm confused. What of your goal weight is 6-9 months away? Are you just going to give up on a snack you really like for a year?
Yeah, I couldn't do that. Even if I tried, I'm sure I'd end up throwing in the towel on it and binge on it. It's better for me to just work those things into my calorie goal with moderation. I'd be too miserable without the foods I love.0 -
Good tip! I think allowing yourself a treat at least once a week is okay...I have gotten in the habit of picking up candy bars every chance I got. That is one reason my weight has gotten out of control. I'm going to allow myself to have one every now and then. Hopefully, I won't want one-eating healthy makes me feel better! I actually had my 5 servings of fruit and veggies today!
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Or...If I crave the food, I eat it in moderation and make up for the excess calories the next day with exercise. Closing in on 6 months in with 3 lbs. to goal and 57 lbs. gone!!!0
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115Everest wrote: »So lately when I am craving something that will send me flying over my calorie limit or is just plain bad for me to have that day (or any day), as soon as I identify it, I write whatever it is down and say to myself "When I am at my goal weight, if I still want it, I can have it." For whatever reason, it allows me to move on without giving in. In fact I move on almost as soon as I jot it down.
It just hit me how helpful doing this has been, and people are often asking for tips to help them stay on task, so I thought I would share it in case it helps anyone else power through a craving.
That's a great idea, but you don't have to wait until you are at your goal weight! Fit it in the next day or two or three, that is, if you still want it by then. Besides, if you have the mentality that once you are at your goal weight, you can eat whatever you want, guess what. You'll gain every pound you worked so hard to lose back, plus a few more. Been there, done that. Never again!0 -
Nice tip, I will keep it in mind0
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What happens when you reach your goal weight? What's the plan for not bingeing on everything on the list then?0
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porsiempre31 wrote: »Funny how we all do it differently but still are aiming for the same goal! If I can't fit it in my calories that day then I immediately have it the next because if I don't then I will obsess over it and I make it worse when I finally do eat it.
This is me.0 -
I do this all the time. Sometimes I'm like, "When I'm done, I can indulge once in a while, not yet."
Other times, when it's really bad, I decide to have it the next day if I really, really want it. Next day comes and I'm like, "Tomorrow."
I've been promising myself I'll have a Dunkin Donuts muffin tomorrow for weeks now. Each day, I mean it. Each day, I put it off. Eventually, the desire will pass and I'll move on to some other treat and then I'll put that off. 0 -
I'm glad it seems to be working for you but. I think I'm confused. What of your goal weight is 6-9 months away? Are you just going to give up on a snack you really like for a year?
I did. 9 months from 218 to 118. It is amazing how learning that you don't really need everything you think you want can change your life.
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I'm glad it seems to be working for you but. I think I'm confused. What of your goal weight is 6-9 months away? Are you just going to give up on a snack you really like for a year?
I did. 9 months from 218 to 118. It is amazing how learning that you don't really need everything you think you want can change your life.
By the same token it's amazing when you learn how to eat reasonably all the things you love.0 -
PrizePopple wrote: »I'm glad it seems to be working for you but. I think I'm confused. What of your goal weight is 6-9 months away? Are you just going to give up on a snack you really like for a year?
I did. 9 months from 218 to 118. It is amazing how learning that you don't really need everything you think you want can change your life.
By the same token it's amazing when you learn how to eat reasonably all the things you love.
So true. The sooner one learns that, the better.0 -
I needed to read this yesterday! I did so well all day until the hubby suggested takeaway for dinner... 440 calls over my goal0
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I'm glad it seems to be working for you but. I think I'm confused. What of your goal weight is 6-9 months away? Are you just going to give up on a snack you really like for a year?
I did. 9 months from 218 to 118. It is amazing how learning that you don't really need everything you think you want can change your life.
OMG, Tricia - Amazing. And where did you get that adorable black & white swimsuit on Huffpost? I want one!0 -
PrizePopple wrote: »
By the same token it's amazing when you learn how to eat reasonably all the things you love.
Agree!0 -
I'm glad it seems to be working for you but. I think I'm confused. What of your goal weight is 6-9 months away? Are you just going to give up on a snack you really like for a year?
Yeah, I couldn't do that. Even if I tried, I'm sure I'd end up throwing in the towel on it and binge on it. It's better for me to just work those things into my calorie goal with moderation. I'd be too miserable without the foods I love.
Yep,.... same as this^^.0 -
I eat what I want when I want but in reasonable portions..no way I am waiting for my chocolate...or poutine or pizza or drinks etc. I am living life while losing weight the same way I prefer to live my life at maintenance.0
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I'm glad it seems to be working for you but. I think I'm confused. What of your goal weight is 6-9 months away? Are you just going to give up on a snack you really like for a year?
Yeah, I couldn't do that. Even if I tried, I'm sure I'd end up throwing in the towel on it and binge on it. It's better for me to just work those things into my calorie goal with moderation. I'd be too miserable without the foods I love.
That's what I do. I don't always have things the very moment I want them, but the next day or so? Sure, I can usually work them in. I'm figuring out how to eat for the rest of my life here.
I look at dieting like a look at our family budget. Maintenance will be just like getting a raise in income. The thing is I don't suddenly start living when I get to that point. I'm already living now and spending money (calories) on that life in the here and now. I'll just have more money (calories) to spend when I get to maintenance. I want to enjoy the life I'm living and make the most of the budget I have since I'm pretty good at budgeting.
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That is a plan for regaining everything for me. I've proven that by gaining back on more than one occasion. Sadly I need to resolve to consume only the calories that I can burn. It does mean I am going to need to modify my eating habits including portion sizes and how often I indulge in high fat/sugar treats. I am very close to goal and so is my husband. We are really working together on accepting some modifications to the way we eat.0
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A question: if you tell yourself you can have XYZ at maintenance, but not now, (aka, just delaying it all), how will you maintain?
If this is a true lifestyle/healthstyle, don't you need a plan for incorporating those things you plant to eat regularly now? I guess I don't get how you're planning to do this?
I've been maintaining for 14 years by doing what I've been doing, and eating what I ate when I was losing...I never "went off" my diet. It's the way I eat. Regardless, good luck!0 -
There are probably going to be more calories available at maintenance, so "fitting something in" would be easier.Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »A question: if you tell yourself you can have XYZ at maintenance, but not now, (aka, just delaying it all), how will you maintain?
If this is a true lifestyle/healthstyle, don't you need a plan for incorporating those things you plant to eat regularly now? I guess I don't get how you're planning to do this?
I mean, people always say "Don't make a change that you don't want to do forever." I didn't want to eat at a deficit forever, but I did it in the relatively short term. I might not want to give up Triple Chocolate Brownie Calorie Bomb Fudge Cake forever, but it might be feasible to do so until there is more breathing space in the calorie goal.
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PeachyCarol wrote: »I'm glad it seems to be working for you but. I think I'm confused. What of your goal weight is 6-9 months away? Are you just going to give up on a snack you really like for a year?
Yeah, I couldn't do that. Even if I tried, I'm sure I'd end up throwing in the towel on it and binge on it. It's better for me to just work those things into my calorie goal with moderation. I'd be too miserable without the foods I love.
That's what I do. I don't always have things the very moment I want them, but the next day or so? Sure, I can usually work them in. I'm figuring out how to eat for the rest of my life here.
I look at dieting like a look at our family budget. Maintenance will be just like getting a raise in income. The thing is I don't suddenly start living when I get to that point. I'm already living now and spending money (calories) on that life in the here and now. I'll just have more money (calories) to spend when I get to maintenance. I want to enjoy the life I'm living and make the most of the budget I have since I'm pretty good at budgeting.
I like this analogy! By extension, you can budget your calories by the week. Then if you have a higher day here or there, you know you can balance it out another day. I'm still working on this, but this has helped me feel less deprived, which for me is essential to keep going.
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DeguelloTex wrote: »
There are probably going to be more calories available at maintenance, so "fitting something in" would be easier.Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »A question: if you tell yourself you can have XYZ at maintenance, but not now, (aka, just delaying it all), how will you maintain?
If this is a true lifestyle/healthstyle, don't you need a plan for incorporating those things you plant to eat regularly now? I guess I don't get how you're planning to do this?
I mean, people always say "Don't make a change that you don't want to do forever." I didn't want to eat at a deficit forever, but I did it in the relatively short term. I might not want to give up Triple Chocolate Brownie Calorie Bomb Fudge Cake forever, but it might be feasible to do so until there is more breathing space in the calorie goal.
Yuuuuuuuuuuuup. I'm not going to Texas Roadhouse again until I'm on maintenance. No. Point. At 1200 calories, I lose less than a pound a week without exercise. :P0 -
PrizePopple wrote: »I'm glad it seems to be working for you but. I think I'm confused. What of your goal weight is 6-9 months away? Are you just going to give up on a snack you really like for a year?
I did. 9 months from 218 to 118. It is amazing how learning that you don't really need everything you think you want can change your life.
By the same token it's amazing when you learn how to eat reasonably all the things you love.
this.
im eating at maintenance this weekend cause im taking a few days break (and oh loving all the things LOL) but even when im not, i still eat what i want, ive just learned to eat it in moderation (1 or 2 cookies instead of half the package). i have a beer almost every night. chocolate almost every night. ive lost 50 pounds in 6 months doing it this way, and, for me, will be why i KEEP it off.... because nothing is 'off limits' - i can't imagine saying i can only have something once im a certain weight, or not have it at all ever again or i cant eat out or enjoy parties and food and drinks..... if it works for you great, but that would be a surefire way to fail for some (and is why i failed in the past)0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »
There are probably going to be more calories available at maintenance, so "fitting something in" would be easier.Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »A question: if you tell yourself you can have XYZ at maintenance, but not now, (aka, just delaying it all), how will you maintain?
If this is a true lifestyle/healthstyle, don't you need a plan for incorporating those things you plant to eat regularly now? I guess I don't get how you're planning to do this?
I mean, people always say "Don't make a change that you don't want to do forever." I didn't want to eat at a deficit forever, but I did it in the relatively short term. I might not want to give up Triple Chocolate Brownie Calorie Bomb Fudge Cake forever, but it might be feasible to do so until there is more breathing space in the calorie goal.
I agree with Tex to a point however lots of "us" choose to do this weight loss thing at a slower rate so we have more room to play with our food and calories.
When I am at maintenance I added in a Large coffee from Tim horton's everyday and maybe the odd splurge of ice cream..(not the biggest ice cream fan actually *waits for the boooooo's) but for me giving up my favorite food which is calorie dense is not feasible ie chocolate...and I do eat it every night usually...might miss a few nights a month.
this time when I hit maintenance I am not sure what I will add in as I make Tim's coffee at home (kcups), and ice cream season doesn't last long here...who knows.
But that's the nice thing I eat what I want now...maybe I will just eat bigger portions...however last night proved I physically can't (ordered a medium poutine and could only eat half *cries*)
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This is a great tip for my last 10!0
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I don't usually crave foods, that I do not see or smell. When they are in front of me, I can choose to fit it into my daily allowance, if that means a full serving great, or it is one bite, I savor.0
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Hmm...Don't know how I feel about this. I understand needing to wait until another day to have something, if it won't fit for the day. And I DO understand really limiting some foods (for me, peanut butter). But a serving of ice cream, bit of chocolate...if we don't learn how to make these work in a deficit, how successful will we be in maintenance?
Yesterday I wanted chocolate. Instead of saying I could have it when I reach this or that goal, weight/body composition wise, I said I could have it after I cleaned my room haha. I was productive and got yummy chocolate.
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