So upset with myself

Hfeff

I can't seem to get through one day perfect. I exercised today, ate well, didn't eat birthday cake at the party, had a salad for dinner and then proceeded to eat 8 Hershey miniatures and a handful of m m peanut. Why can't I stay on track? I am my own worst enemy.

janjunie

What is your calorie goal? And since there is a baby in your aviator, I have to ask. Are you breastfeeding? Too low of a calorie goal can lead to a binge, big or small, and so can breastfeeding if you aren't getting adequate calories.

Hfeff

That's funny, actually that baby is now almost 4 years old but I do have a five month old infant. I'm not breastfeeding I just can't stop eating the crap.

janjunie

Ok, but what is your calorie goal? Maybe you need to fit sweets into your daily calories, so you don't go "off track" later on.

macgurlnet

There is nothing wrong with birthday cake, hershey kisses, or m&m's.

Most of the folks here will tell you to eat everything you like in moderation.

You could eat nothing but chocolate within your calories and lose weight just fine. But odds are you would be hungry and malnourished eventually.

If you like chocolate, plan to have some with lunch and/or dinner. Account for the calories. I nearly always have dessert with dinner. It may just be a Ghiradelli square of chocolate, but I always have something.

Focus on eating nutritious foods throughout the day so you're not too hungry. Find what you feel is yummy and keeps you full. Foods rich in protein and fiber help here.

Then, have some chocolate. It's fine. It doesn't mean you "fell off the wagon" or anything like that.

~Lyssa

Livgetfit

Hun, I feel you but my suggestion is going to be less practical & more psychological: don't try for "perfect", just try for better.

Jbell0213

I allow myself a Ghiradelli Chocolate square every night. It's 60 calories and it's my treat. Please don't beat yourself up. You are not perfect. No of us are. Tomorrow is a new day and a fresh start. You can do this.

ElizabethOakes2

"Perfect" doesn't exist, except in your mind. Cut yourself some slack. I bet if you'd let yourself have a little bit of cake, you wouldn't have felt the need to eat the candy. Also, make sure that you're getting all of your protein and fiber - that can go a long way to cutting the desire to pig out on bad things.
You can do this. It's not about perfect- it's about finding the lifestyle plan that works for you.

tara_means_star

Are you restricting too much? It's much more likely you will binge if you are refusing yourself things you love like chocolate. I ate 70 calories worth of dark chocolate pumpkin spice almond candy. That's the kind of thing I eat when I dont have a ton of calories left by want something sweet. If I have the calories, I'll have a donut (did that the other day) or a cookie. I tend to know I'll want something sweet at some point in the day so I generally decide what I want it to be and reserve the calories for it ahead of time. If I simply refused to allow myself something sweet, I wouldn't last long.

CrazyMermaid1

I start my day with a 77 calorie Linder dark chocolate truffle sometimes. Totally worth 20 minutes of walking.

datsundriver87

Everyone is different some people can have sweets in moderation for me personally i can't just have half a bag of m&ms or one cookie so it's something I completely stay away from unless it's a really special occasion and I work off the excess calories I ate, the key is finding what works for you.

tara_means_star

One thing I've found to be the most helpful is to log everything before you eat it. So when I'm choosing what I want to eat for lunch, I go ahead and log it and see how much it will set me back and how much I'll have for the rest of the day. today, I knew going into dinner that I wanted cereal for desert so when I was choosing what I wanted for dinner, I logged it and the cereal ahead of time so that I could ensure I'd stay within my calories. I find that simply KNOWING how much it's going to cost me calorically helps me prioritize any cravings I have.

nadler64

Good advice above.

You are indeed your own worst enemy because you expect far too much of yourself: as others have pointed out, there is no such thing as perfect. You're just setting yourself up to fail. How about a change of mindset? Look at it this way: you ate well (+1), worked out (+1), passed on the cake (+1), ate the candy (-1). That's a net of +2. You could have had the cake and the candy, but you didn't. I'd call that a small victory.

(editing to fix my math. some engineer I am, sheesh)

Need2Exerc1se

Maybe trying to be perfect is the enemy.

callsitlikeiseeit

if you cant leave it alone, stop buying it.

i can leave anything alone except peanut butter cups.

guess what i very rarely buy.....

adamgheli

I used to be the same way Hfeff. With me, it was my brain trying sabotaging/tricking me me. It (my brain) made it logical that

"...hey you tried to stay away and see what happend...you can't keep this up any longer....time to quit and dive your face into the candy bag cuz there's no point to resisting..."

Hope I'm making sense. Yes, we have an enemy within that likes to keep things going the EASY way. Don't let it fool you. It's not you, it's the enemy...the bad side of you. We all have it and must not let it trick us. It's very cunning! Keep up with what you're doing. All those that gave you advice here are sincere. Best of luck.

azulvioleta6

Perfect does not exist.

There is nothing wrong with including chocolate in your diet.

nordlead2005

If we are defining a perfect day as not eating any junk food, then I'm yet to have one, and don't intend to have one anytime soon.

Most days I eat to my calories, sometimes I eat more. I don't think I've ever accidentally ate over my calorie goal, but if I'm hungry and the food is good I'll go over and say screw it, I'll make up for it in the rest of the week (flexible dieting for the win). No reason to get upset over it.

strong_curves

I would log it and then do better tomorrow. It's not the end of the world.

Gertie011

Ive just drank a yazoo chocolate shake, Im in my calories, it was lovely. The rest of the day I'm good.
As all the others have said its all about planning, and eating mindfully.

kshama2001

Hfeff wrote: »

I can't seem to get through one day perfect. I exercised today, ate well, didn't eat birthday cake at the party, had a salad for dinner and then proceeded to eat 8 Hershey miniatures and a handful of m m peanut. Why can't I stay on track? I am my own worst enemy.

Prior to the Hershey's minis, how many calories had you eaten?

KittyInBoots

When I first started MFP, and saw the calorie limit I had to stay under, I had no idea how to do it. For the good first month I went over every day by eating what I'd normally eat. I learned over that month how to shift things around, even junk food and goodies, so that it all fit under the limit. It is way easier now! It takes time to get into this habit, but don't give up. You really can do this!

I am sure you've heard this already but just eating a salad doesn't make you lose weight or stay under calorie limits. They are great for your health nutrient wise but still contain calories just like Hershey's minis! So next time you eat those minis realize maybe 2-3 will do and you can still stay under that limit regardless!

Good luck!

grinning_chick

Ever since I stated logging and counting calories on 11/30/15, my daily caloric goal has been the same: 1600. I have rarely actually achieved it. In fact, my average is more like 1700-1800. Only 19/62 days did I eat 1600 or less. Still lost weight - fourteen pounds to be exact. Nearly twice the rate of weight loss I have set as my goal. That loss has not, I repeat has not, been linear.

My secret? Every day I wake up set to achieve my 1600 goal but don't beat myself up if I fail. I just log as accurately as possible and move on. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Perfection is not requisite for success. Honesty with yourself, reasonably accurate logging, dedication, and realistic expectations are. Oh, yeah, and the ability to not beat yourself up emotionally or talk oneself off the bus if you are not perfect.

FWIW, I eat what I want as far as types/categories/groups of food and I don't exercise beyond the walking required to grocery shop/run errands every 2-4 weeks.