Struggling after illness

clafairy1984

I've taken about a month out of my exercise and healthy eating regime due to a bout of illness, and now I'm struggling to get back into it. My energy levels and motivation are low and I just don't seem to be able to stop eating junk. I'm still eating healthy meals but keep snacking on naughty things and never feeling satisfied. Really depressing after doing so well for such a long time. Any tips on how to resume my will power ?

ElizabethOakes2

Walk. Just walk. Walk every day, twenty minutes, thirty minutes. Being ill puts us out of touch with our bodies, drains our energy and makes us want to comfort eat. Just walking a little bit every day will help you start feeling your body move again and remind you of why you started this journey. Small steps to recovery! You can do this!

geneticsteacher

Maybe try eating at maintenance for a few weeks until you are 100% recovered and feeling better.

MissusMoon

Step one: Be kind to yourself.

Here is an idea. Are you in walking distance to a store that sells those snacks? Perhaps you could promise to only buy those items in single servings but you must walk when you want them. If you aren't willing to walk, you must not really want them. That really works for me.

Francl27

Stop the 'healthy meals'. Make tasty meals that you REALLY want to eat instead. I mean, if you're going to have a 400 calories meal anyway, might as well make it as satisfying as possible, right? Guess what, if I make myself some tasty stuffed peppers I'll be more satisfied than if I just have 400 calories of grilled chicken and veggies, and I'll be less likely to snack on junk later.

Same if I want chocolate. If I have an apple instead, I'll still crave the chocolate, and I'll be more likely to eat something else to feel satisfied (and still won't be). Might as well just have 100 calories of chocolate instead.

So... plan your meals around what you're actually craving, find a recipe for it, make it, and you'll be more satisfied.