Trouble sticking to healthy eating/sabotaging weight loss goals

nadnan91

So here’s my thing: during the week when I’m following my regular routine (going to the office, then gym, etc.) I have no trouble sticking to healthy meals and snacks within my daily 1400 calories. However, this summer I’m noticing that every time there’s a special event outside of the office or I’m out during the weekends, I give into temptations whenever there is a fresh plate of cookies for dessert, ice cream or burgers and fries. Basically if the food is easily within reach, I go for it and then feel terrible about myself the rest of the day. It can take me a few days to bounce back only to repeat this cycle. I feel as if I’m struggling with my weight loss plateau in taking these two steps forward three steps back. Thoughts/advice?

kimny72

How long have you been on this eating plan? How much weight have you been losing?
How many lbs per week are you trying to lose? 1400 is pretty low.
For some people, forcing themselves to give up all their fave foods leads to a vicious cycle of falling off the wagon. Can you find a way to fit in some small treats throughout the week so you don't feel so deprived? Are you planning to give up these foods permanently, or just to lose weight?

Regardless, you need to stop letting a bad day set you back for days. One bad day is no big deal, and it's possible it's not the bad day that's setting you back, but the days of guilt that follow. We all have days we go over our calories or off plan. You just need to try to limit how far off you go and get right back to it as soon as you realize what's happening.

For what it's worth, I occasionally had cookies, burgers and fries, and other treats while I was losing. I made them fit by either choosing an appropriate portion size, making room elsewhere, and increasing my activity level a bit so I could eat more calories. And some days I just said screw it and allowed myself to eat maintenance calories for the day. I also chose a modest weekly weight loss goal, I decided I'd rather lose slower but have a better chance of sticking with it and retaining my sanity!

malindalamay

I totally agree with everything you have said. Try not to be so down about eating a few cookies! I try to really limit my calories on days that I know I am going out so that I can have a few glasses of wine or a dessert if I want one. Yesterday I had an apple for lunch with some of that Pb2 peanut butter so that I could go out for mexican food and not feel bad after. We are only human and if we don't let ourselves have treats then we won't stay on a diet!

hroderick

i allow myself 1 homemade cookie, preferably warm, It is so much better than a second one would be and guilt-free. i do the same with french fries and tortilla chips, 1 and done. it is how i prove self-control mastery to myself

stwida

If you find yourself giving into these temptations, consider the following:

1) You would not crave or give into these things if you were truly satisfied with your current diet. I, for example, absolutely loved junk food prior to my diet. I guess you could say I still love it, I just don't eat it anymore. The number one thing that has kept me away from junk food has been finding healthy foods that I actually enjoy eating. Among your conventional 'healthy foods', I also managed to find a protein powder that tastes just as good as a legitimate milkshake. It's so delicious, I literally look forward to drinking it after a workout, and having it after dinner satisfies me as much as any desert would. Due to the fact that I actually enjoy the food that I eat, and have found a healthy substitute to satisfy my sweet tooth, when I encounter junk food during my day, I am not tempted by it.

2) If you truly 'MUST' give in to these things when you are around them, do yourself a favor and take some time to go out of your way to avoid locations and events where this kind of food is readily accessible. It took me about 2 weeks of complete avoidance of junk food before I started to stop wanting it alltogether. Believe me, when you see progress on the scale, that alone will be enough to deter you from eating junk food. This is coming from the #1 fan of carrot cake in the world (God, that creamcheese frosting...). I have seen so much success in my nutrition and workout plans that, even though I still see my favorite junk foods and think about how good they taste, the thought of setting back the progress I've already seen is more than enough to keep me away.

Believe me... just keep yourself on track. When you start to see the pounds fall off, you will look at junk food as nothing but a road block to your ultimate goal of weight loss. I still want junk food just as much as I ever did, but I want to see my fitness progress MORE than I want to eat that junk food.

Also, as the poster above me stated, there's not necessarily a problem with consuming junk food as long as you monitor it properly. Use MFP f or what it was intended - log everything you eat. There's nothing wrong with having a slice of cake. Just understand that your carb and fat intake for the day might accelerate more quickly than it normally would. Log it, track it, and maybe focus on a lean protein food for your next meal. I.e.: If you're at some kind of celebration, maybe focus on eating nothing but grilled chicken (pretty common at these kind of events) and then have your slice of cake. The cake will be relatively high in carbs and fats, and the grilled chicken will kind of balance everything out by being extremely low in carbs and fats but high in protein. You can still very easily reach your caloric and macro goals by the end of a day when you've eaten junk food... as long as you don't go overboard. The problem is not the slice of cake... it's the slice of cake... AND the cookie... AND the chips... AND the... well, you get it.

Best of luck, friend.

stfpa

I don’t think there’s much you can do other than muster up all the willpower you have to not give in to those cookies when you can’t fit them into your calories. If it’s just the occasional extra couple hundred calories, don’t worry about it though. As someone who used to eat fast food literally everyday (gross, I know) and snack on junk throughout the day, I know it’s really hard to resist but you kind of just have to sometimes if it’s not benefiting you.

If you know you’re going some place where you might be tempted to eat something you have trouble fitting into your calories, try eating a bit less everyday of the week to save up for those calories or exercising more.

BlessedMom70

cnewsom1237 wrote: »

If you find yourself giving into these temptations, consider the following:

1) Among your conventional 'healthy foods', I also managed to find a protein powder that tastes just as good as a legitimate milkshake. It's so delicious, I literally look forward to drinking it after a workout, and having it after dinner satisfies me as much as any desert would. Due to the fact that I actually enjoy the food that I eat, and have found a healthy substitute to satisfy my sweet tooth, when I encounter junk food during my day, I am not tempted by it.

Curious what the protein powder is?

teranga79

I feel your pain! I've been pretty much at target for a while and over the last few weeks have completely sabotaged myself. My problem is binge eating at home - it's like I need an audience to stop me! Like you, I can eat great, healthy meals through the day but then oh my goodness do the wheels fall off! Yesterday I'd had a great day - lots of walking, avoided the cake in the office (which looked amazing) and a lovely dinner. Then within the space of 30 mins I'd wolfed down another 2000 (yes, 2000, probably more) calories of crisps and chocolate. Am so annoyed with myself. It's not even like this is a rare occurrence now - I'm doing this 2 or 3 times a week now.

tinkerbellang83

nadnan91 wrote: »

So here’s my thing: during the week when I’m following my regular routine (going to the office, then gym, etc.) I have no trouble sticking to healthy meals and snacks within my daily 1400 calories. However, this summer I’m noticing that every time there’s a special event outside of the office or I’m out during the weekends, I give into temptations whenever there is a fresh plate of cookies for dessert, ice cream or burgers and fries. Basically if the food is easily within reach, I go for it and then feel terrible about myself the rest of the day. It can take me a few days to bounce back only to repeat this cycle. I feel as if I’m struggling with my weight loss plateau in taking these two steps forward three steps back. Thoughts/advice?

I think the 2 things to realise is:

• there aren't healthy snacks or meals, just an overall healthy diet - all of the things you've mentioned there can form part of a healthy diet in moderation, considering them "off limits" is more often than not, a hindrance rather than a help.
• feeling terrible about having these foods is detrimental in itself, you basically end up in a horrible binge and restrict cycle (below seem familiar?) it's way too easy to feel like you're a failure but the long and short of it is, one meal/snack/binge isn't going to undo months of progress unless you let it. If you have a bad day, log it and move on, the majority of weight gain you see in the days following binge eating is mostly water weight. You'd have to eat 3500 calories above maintenance (not just above your calorie allowance for weight loss) to gain 1lb of fat.

angelsja

I'm in the same boat I had 4 days of binge eating just after I hit the top end of my healthy BMI this is the 3nd time I've binged after getting to this point it took 3 weeks to get back to where I was then I binged again! Why? 90% of it was "in secret" alone in the kitchen even snacking while I was preparing a meal??? To the point I felt physically sick I've got a celebration in 3 weeks time and there will be a buffet and I know I won't be able to control myself as we go every year and I start off with the best intentions then crumble.

nadnan91

tinkerbellang83 wrote: »

nadnan91 wrote: »

So here’s my thing: during the week when I’m following my regular routine (going to the office, then gym, etc.) I have no trouble sticking to healthy meals and snacks within my daily 1400 calories. However, this summer I’m noticing that every time there’s a special event outside of the office or I’m out during the weekends, I give into temptations whenever there is a fresh plate of cookies for dessert, ice cream or burgers and fries. Basically if the food is easily within reach, I go for it and then feel terrible about myself the rest of the day. It can take me a few days to bounce back only to repeat this cycle. I feel as if I’m struggling with my weight loss plateau in taking these two steps forward three steps back. Thoughts/advice?

I think the 2 things to realise is:

• there aren't healthy snacks or meals, just an overall healthy diet - all of the things you've mentioned there can form part of a healthy diet in moderation, considering them "off limits" is more often than not, a hindrance rather than a help.
• feeling terrible about having these foods is detrimental in itself, you basically end up in a horrible binge and restrict cycle (below seem familiar?) it's way too easy to feel like you're a failure but the long and short of it is, one meal/snack/binge isn't going to undo months of progress unless you let it. If you have a bad day, log it and move on, the majority of weight gain you see in the days following binge eating is mostly water weight. You'd have to eat 3500 calories above maintenance (not just above your calorie allowance for weight loss) to gain 1lb of fat.

I guess my problem really isn’t that I binge eat it’s more this intake of cookies and pastry isn’t helping me to further my weight loss goals yet I can’t resist. I’m trying to lose a pound a week and yet when I see these foods available I end up eating them and going over what my daily caloric intake should be if I want to lose weight.

tinkerbellang83

nadnan91 wrote: »

tinkerbellang83 wrote: »

nadnan91 wrote: »

So here’s my thing: during the week when I’m following my regular routine (going to the office, then gym, etc.) I have no trouble sticking to healthy meals and snacks within my daily 1400 calories. However, this summer I’m noticing that every time there’s a special event outside of the office or I’m out during the weekends, I give into temptations whenever there is a fresh plate of cookies for dessert, ice cream or burgers and fries. Basically if the food is easily within reach, I go for it and then feel terrible about myself the rest of the day. It can take me a few days to bounce back only to repeat this cycle. I feel as if I’m struggling with my weight loss plateau in taking these two steps forward three steps back. Thoughts/advice?

I think the 2 things to realise is:

• there aren't healthy snacks or meals, just an overall healthy diet - all of the things you've mentioned there can form part of a healthy diet in moderation, considering them "off limits" is more often than not, a hindrance rather than a help.
• feeling terrible about having these foods is detrimental in itself, you basically end up in a horrible binge and restrict cycle (below seem familiar?) it's way too easy to feel like you're a failure but the long and short of it is, one meal/snack/binge isn't going to undo months of progress unless you let it. If you have a bad day, log it and move on, the majority of weight gain you see in the days following binge eating is mostly water weight. You'd have to eat 3500 calories above maintenance (not just above your calorie allowance for weight loss) to gain 1lb of fat.

I guess my problem really isn’t that I binge eat it’s more this intake of cookies and pastry isn’t helping me to further my weight loss goals yet I can’t resist. I’m trying to lose a pound a week and yet when I see these foods available I end up eating them and going over what my daily caloric intake should be if I want to lose weight.

So factor some into your day from time-to-time, if you know you're going to a special event - plan around it.

It's only going to stop weight loss if you're eating above maintenance. If you're set to a pound per week, that's a deficit of 500 calories per day, so unless you're going over by 500 calories a day every day of the week or 3500 calories over the week then you're not going to stop losing weight. It's the bigger picture that matters.

When I have an event like if I am out watching rugby in the pub on a Saturday, I know I am going to have a couple of drinks so on a weekend I don't have breakfast I have a light brunch before I go out, usually poached eggs and pancetta on toast or an omelette, which usually comes to around 400-600 calories that leaves me with the rest of my calories for the day for food and a few beers.

You can also bank calories from other days, so if you know you have a work meeting on a Thursday where there might be some cookies, you could eat 1300 calories rather than your usual 1400 Mon-Weds and then you have another 300 calories to spare on the Thursday.

You don't have to be perfect every day, you just have to try your best in the long term, weight maintenance is a life long thing. There are always going to be special events, pastries and cookies, learn how to manage them rather than avoid them altogether and it'll be a lot easier in the long run.

WinoGelato

nadnan91 wrote: »

tinkerbellang83 wrote: »

nadnan91 wrote: »

So here’s my thing: during the week when I’m following my regular routine (going to the office, then gym, etc.) I have no trouble sticking to healthy meals and snacks within my daily 1400 calories. However, this summer I’m noticing that every time there’s a special event outside of the office or I’m out during the weekends, I give into temptations whenever there is a fresh plate of cookies for dessert, ice cream or burgers and fries. Basically if the food is easily within reach, I go for it and then feel terrible about myself the rest of the day. It can take me a few days to bounce back only to repeat this cycle. I feel as if I’m struggling with my weight loss plateau in taking these two steps forward three steps back. Thoughts/advice?

I think the 2 things to realise is:

• there aren't healthy snacks or meals, just an overall healthy diet - all of the things you've mentioned there can form part of a healthy diet in moderation, considering them "off limits" is more often than not, a hindrance rather than a help.
• feeling terrible about having these foods is detrimental in itself, you basically end up in a horrible binge and restrict cycle (below seem familiar?) it's way too easy to feel like you're a failure but the long and short of it is, one meal/snack/binge isn't going to undo months of progress unless you let it. If you have a bad day, log it and move on, the majority of weight gain you see in the days following binge eating is mostly water weight. You'd have to eat 3500 calories above maintenance (not just above your calorie allowance for weight loss) to gain 1lb of fat.

I guess my problem really isn’t that I binge eat it’s more this intake of cookies and pastry isn’t helping me to further my weight loss goals yet I can’t resist. I’m trying to lose a pound a week and yet when I see these foods available I end up eating them and going over what my daily caloric intake should be if I want to lose weight.

But is it slowing your weight loss? Are you not losing the 1 lb/week?

I think what you’ve described is a common occurrence for many people - more indulgent activities on the weekend than during the week which tends to be more scheduled. What I do is bank 100 -200 cals during the week so that I have a buffer of 500-1000 cals on the weekend. It’s the weekly deficit, and ultimately the sustained deficit over time that results in weight loss and whether you eat those calories on Weds or Sat doesn’t really matter.

I also try to make sure the weekends include extra activity - tack on a hike or a bike ride before those events, make them part of the whole day. We often ride our bikes to the farmers market, eat samples and yummy stuff from food trucks, buy healthy fresh foods and bike home to cook that stuff for dinner.

Good luck. Remember this is supposed to be a lifestyle change and fun weekend events are a part of life, and certainly one I wouldn’t want to give up.

Jadub729

I eat more on the weekends but I also save some calories throughout the week to enjoy my kaluha and milk, and some Doritos without feeling like I've ruined my progress.