How to get good at not cheating on your diet?
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Tips to avoid cheating on your diet - write your list of why you want to lose weight, then keep on rereading it. Mindfulness - this is the first time this happened to me - I binged at 12:30am a few nights ago. Thought that I wouldn't eat breakfast/lunch the next day to make up for the added calories. I woke up, and did want to eat. And then I said to myself "Am I binging today?" Usually I just do it without thinking, habit, a voice or need tells me too. But this time I took a second to think about it. I did not binge that day. I cannot keep any trigger foods in the house. I might think that they are safe but when you are faltering, you will go to those items that will not help you lose weight.3
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1. I pre-plan my meals (even looking at a restaurant menu and deciding what I will order prior to going out).
2. I keep a running list of under 100 calorie go-to snacks to have in case I am feeling the urge to jump off a cliff.
3. I have learned to say "NO" very firmly to my husband when he is scooping up ice cream/having snacks.
4. I have found herbal teas...Pepperment, Lemon and Licorice......all give me a taste sensation of having a treat without the calories.
5. I cook and make meals that make me feel good (and full), freezing the leftovers, so I don't have to think so much about food all the time.
6. I enter recipes into MFP and determine beforehand whether or not they will fit into my day.
7. I stay away from "trigger" foods...for me, soda (even diet) will make me eat everything in the kitchen.
8. I try to remember the big picture...I am doing this for me, so why undermine myself?? 😁😁😁
Herbal teas have been my best friend lately. Raspberry and peppermint are my favorite flavors. I have a cup whenever I’m tempted to reach for a soda or something sweet with way too many calories.
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If you have a specific body type in mind, it helps to post pictures of an individual with that body type where you can see it. My ultimate body type is that of a Victoria’s Secret Angel or Halle Berry as Jinx in Die Another Day. I have one of the VS Angels as my phone’s wallpaper and I see that every time I pick up my phone and it reminds me of what I’m working towards. And I ask myself, do I want XYZ and to cheat on my diet or do I want to look like a VS Angel? VS Angel generally wins.
And I would definitely suggest keeping trigger foods out of your house. For example I have a very hard time keeping portions of chips, cookies, etc reasonable. I don’t even buy that stuff. It’s hard to cheat when I don’t have what I want.8 -
Sounds like you are referring to “diet” as a short term approach to help you achieve a specific goal, that you intend to abandon when you’ve reached the goal? And you feel compelled to “cheat” because the diet is restrictive and you aren’t fully satisfied on it.
Reframe the way you approach it. Don’t “diet”. Eat at a moderate calorie deficit to help ensure you are losing weight at a sustainable rate. Don’t cut out all the foods you love, figure out how to incorporate them in your plan. Prioritize nutrition and satiety but don’t forget about enjoyment and sustainability.
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^ what she said. I am not thinking of weight loss as a diet. That implies “temporary”. This is a lifestyle change. I’ve made up my mind this is permanent, and that I have to think that way now, instead of when I reach maintenance.
Discover what you enjoy eating. Your tastebuds will change as you get further away from your old habits. I discovered an unknown passion for oranges (!!!!), and a daily banana smoothie with a tbsp of plain cocoa has made an unexpectedly satisfying replacement for the pound or two of chocolate I used to scarf down every day.
I can’t keep junk or processed foods in the house. Even things like a bag of pretzels, which are OK but not my favorites, turn into mindless eating. Sat down last night to have a serving (2 sheets) of graham crackers, and it ended up being six, but was thankfully only a little over range. I just tell myself, “well it’s better than the old days, so just get over it” and move on.
Keep your hands busy. I’ve gotten into needlepointing (wonder how many calories that burns, lol). Idle hands being the tool of the devil and all that. My own personal devil would rather encourage me to stick them in a sack of M&Ms.5 -
When you have foods that are off limits you will almost ALWAYS want to eat them. What helped me is to think of it differently...like eating what I want isn't cheating on my diet. I just fit what I want into my macros. For example today im going for afternoon tea and there will be plenty of cake so I've made sure I have a nice high protein low carb breakfast and also have a low carb high protein dinner planned. Then I'll enjoy myself and not worry. If I want takeaway, I just build into my weekly plan and every week I have a treat that I want. Not like a whole cheat meal, because that's a mindset, just something nice if I fancy it and if i dont then i dont force myself to have that treat.
Also remember why you want this, remember that you're worth it and constantly setting yourself back isn't what you deserve. You can do this !!1 -
I did a little experiment with potato chips. The first couple of chips are delicious. After that I can hardly tell the difference between them and the apple slices. I guess its the effect of the salt on the taste buds. But, I have put the chips in their place - 5 grams - 25 cal - over and out.3
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