Losing steam...

phanatic82

I am almost 1/3 of the way to my goal but stress has kicked in and I am losing my motivation. I find myself seeking out chocolate and sweets. How do you get through these roadblocks? Looking for more friends and support/ideas/help. Thanks!

EvelynBrethour

Make a contract with yourself. After a set time in the late evening, reward a good day of controlling your diet, and exercising by having dark rich chocolate. Set an amount, two, three squares. You can't bite them, no. You slowly melt them in your mouth. Then get ready for bed. You will sleep well because it will satiate you.

bailj67

Keep telling yourself why you want to reach your goal. Put a photo on your fridge of your goal, on your bathroom mirror. Things to remind you why this is important to you. Think of all the NEW clothes you get to go shopping for when you get there. Dig deep. Don't sweat the small little treats you allow yourself once in awhile. Think the big picture. You got this!

Skyler103

When I start losing motivation I always think of how it will feel seeing the next pound come off. That always feels so good to me that I don't want to make it happen slower than it needs to be.

fiddletime

I also am almost a third of my way to my goal. The way I think about it is that there are many things I have little choice in. I need to work for a living, I can't afford a new car and I can't go away for a year like I want (because of that "having to work for a living" thing).

I have a choice in how much I eat and therefore, how I look and feel about myself and life. A third of the way there, I feel thinner and better mentally and physically. I want to own my body and don't want my cravings to own me. I won't stop now, after the work I've put in.

So, I'd ask you, why would you give up how you feel about yourself for some extra helpings of dinner and dessert? You have a choice here, to look and feel great. Why throw that away for an instant quick fix? You know how giving up now will negatively affect your health and life. Stay in it for the long haul. For life. And, have a tablespoon of your favorite food today, and put the rest in the fridge for the rest of the week. Throw it out (gasp!) if it's still there in 3 days.

GaleHawkins

@phanatic82 the way I got past the craving for the first time in my 40 years of dieting was when I went off any food containing sugar as well as all grains last year. It was hellish for the first two weeks then they started to fade and have stayed away for 10 months now. Not sure if the cravings would come back if I started eating food contain sugar and grains but I now I am not going to risk it. Just the loss of joint pain is enough reason not to risk my old way of eating. I like @bailj67 poster.

phanatic82

Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement. I think I needed to get some bad eating out of my system to get myself back on track. I am starting again today (i hope I succeed!).

NoIdea101NoIdea

phanatic82 wrote: »

Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement. I think I needed to get some bad eating out of my system to get myself back on track. I am starting again today (i hope I succeed!).

Yep, sometimes I just need a 'F*** This' day and indulge. I'm definitely a stress eater, and I feel so much more....relaxed after a blow-out (an occasional blow-out!)

mbaker566

chocolate and sweets aren't bad. if they fit in your calorie allotment.
I remind myself what I look like in pictures and how much I hate it.
if I'm comfort eating, I ask myself why and what I can do about it. and sometimes I go do some physical activity

Artemis2121

LOL, Don't stress over it. Feeling helpless and comforting with shallow carbs makes an endless cycle. You can try to create an action plan to deal with stress. Write one down on a paper. Brainstorm for ways to deal with it while taking a walk (or other physical activity) with a bottle of water. Look at ways to help your body's stress response system with good nutrition, not just calories and hydration. Increase your seratonin levels with sleep, especially in the wee hours of the morning, and with movement or exercise, not with shallow carbd. Keep blood sugar levels even to avoid cravings, with even consumption of protein and complex carbs throughout your day. If I open a bag of potato chips, I'm a goner. I started picking up the dumbbells instead of shallow carbs during that "relax" time while watching TV. Changed to interesting programs instead of "action" ones which trigger adrenalin.

Lizzy622

I actually just had a few (10) M&M's. A small treat isn't the end of the journey unless you let it be. When I start slumping I like looking for challenges(walking, running, burpee, ect.). If you get a few friends involved it becomes more fun and harder to slump. I also found the more active I am the less the treats tempt me.

barbecuesauce

I was like that towards the end--it's like having a mid-normal BMI made weight loss optional, so I just didn't care as much.

What I did was figure out my maintenance and told myself I couldn't eat more than that. The weight came off more slowly that way, but it all came off.

blakedebo

I sent a friend request- I am struggling with the same thing at the moment. I am less now about 1/4 of the way though and II need to get my head right so I don't back slide. I know I am a stress eater, and I have been feeling it lately.