only 3rd day already eaten chocolate
mindoverplatter8
Posts: 13 Member
I've been a member for 3 days and have already fallen off the wagon. I had some chocolate tonight. Late afternoons and evenings are my worst times: I am tired, feel a little weak and want nothing more than to eat dinner and go to bed. I don't have the energy to cook dinner, so I rest for two hours before I get the strength to cook. In those two hours I eat and today I ruined a good day by eating some chocolate. i am disappointed in myself, but not surprised. how do other (older) people manage the end of the day? I have very low energy levels which don't last long.
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Replies
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I'd suggest you read some of the stickies on the tops of the forums. This one is pretty helpful about the whole program: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p12
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What's wrong with eating some chocolate?11
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mindoverplatter8 wrote: »I've been a member for 3 days and have already fallen off the wagon. I had some chocolate tonight. Late afternoons and evenings are my worst times: I am tired, feel a little weak and want nothing more than to eat dinner and go to bed. I don't have the energy to cook dinner, so I rest for two hours before I get the strength to cook. In those two hours I eat and today I ruined a good day by eating some chocolate. i am disappointed in myself, but not surprised. how do other (older) people manage the end of the day? I have very low energy levels which don't last long.
Why do you think eating some chocolate makes it a bad day?
A balanced diet can include foods you like and if you're feeling fatigued in the first place, I don't think I would consider those good days.7 -
Because choc puts my count over on fat, sodium, sugar, carbs and kilojoules which means i wont lose weight. Or maybe i dont understand what the food diary is telling me? It shows a whole lot of red numbers.1
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First thing to do is stop kicking yourself. Next, rethink.
There’s a significant weight loss learning curve. Give yourself adequate time to find your way. You know that thing about experience being the best teacher? Its true. But it takes time to acquire experience. Pretty obvious when you think about it.
Try not to make your program into a set of don’ts. Despite conventional wisdom successful weight loss isn’t about deprivation it’s about problem solving. Weight loss is a skill set.
Do you keep a food diary? Have you set your calories to lose a moderate/modest amount? Do you know your maintenance number for your current weight?
You don’t say how much you are trying to lose but while learning the process maybe aim for no more that 1 lb or even .5 lb per week.
A couple of things I’ve done that may be relevant to your situation. I’ve always planned by the week. Most of my dinners were precooked on Sunday. Most of the time i didn’t have to do more than put something in the microwave or oven. I planned an appealing snack for when I got home from work and 2 snacks after dinner. 1 in the middle of the evening and a small 1 just before before bed. I find delay to be a lot more manageable than just say no.
Your right, evenings after work can be tough. Tired, unstructured, trying to just tough it out is a hard way to go. Figure how you can reallocate some calories to later in the day. That may mean adding calories. To lose weight you need a calorie deficit. But to keep the weight gone, you have to be able to live with it.
Start a food diary and keep it going no matter what. Over your number? Wildly over? Log it all.The process is more important than the numbers. It’s not possible to do weight loss without mistakes or missteps but just like you’ve done in this post, identify your problem areas and solve them one at a time.
The most important thing in weight loss- keep trying. If your plan isn’t working, make it better. The best weight loss plan is the one you will actually follow. You can do this, just keep trying.11 -
Christmas is a tough time to start. There are so many tempting foods readily available.
Each day can be a new start.
😁💪🏼3 -
Thank you. I am on the slowest weight loss (0.5lb per week) and have 65kgs (135lbs) to lose.
88olds what kind of snack do you eat after work and in the evening?0 -
I’m retired now but when working and in losing mode my 2 favorite after work snacks were either a protein and fruit smoothie or banana with LF peanut butter. When in a calorie pinch my go to was always an apple.
My best evening snack/treat has always been some kind of diet modified ice cream. But this- if I give into some other treat like thing during the day- no ice cream. My current favorite is Breyer’s no sugar added. 120 calories worth, about 6% of my maintenance number. If it’s a frozen treat, I’ve likely tried it.
Just before bed I hold back about 50 calories for a homemade “cookie.” I put the quotes because they are made from overripe banana, quick oats and some maple syrup. If I told my late grandmother that I put that together and made a cookie, she’d fall on the floor laughing. I can get 1/2 slice of toast with SF jam for the same 50 calories.
I’ve always found it easier to have something coming next. Then it’s just a matter of delay. I’ve lost 110+ lbs and been maintaining for years. It’s doable. Mostly it takes persistence. But I’ve had to reinvent my plan about 4 time to get to goal weight. It’s all a big experiment. Plan something and test it. Do it as long as it works. If it stops working, adjust and keep going. Good luck.5 -
It’s OK. Are you planning on living entirely without chocolate for the rest of your life? If not, you might as well start learning to incorporate it in a healthy way now.
What kind of job or schedule do you have? Would it be possible to have a pre-planned snack mid-afternoon to prevent the slump and make evenings easier?4 -
OP, hugs to you. My advice to you is for now not to worry about any number in your diary but the number of calories you're consuming. Figure out what foods you need to allow yourself sometimes (like chocolate - yum), and what foods help you feel satiated and energized. Don't be afraid of fats - they may help you feel satiated, but what works for each of us is highly individual. For me, I find that protein and fats help sustain my energy levels and keep me from starving (I love greek yogurt and cottage cheese). If I need a quick energy boost, I'll usually do carbs (sometimes cookies, and sometimes apples - it depends on how many calories I have to play with and what mood I'm in.
I've been on MFP for more than 5 years, and I *still* don't pay much attention to any number in my diary but the calories. You've got this - you just have to figure out what works for you. Give yourself some grace and be forgiving to you while you figure out your path.5 -
It could take a couple weeks to get your brain on board with the tracking part of MFP, which can be frustrating at times. It’s eye opening to see the calorie content in some things, both directions! I would skimp all day to save for what I assumed would be a heavy hitting meal and have too many calories to spare, other times I would eat, log, then see that I did more damage to my “budget” than I anticipated.
I ignore the fat, sugar, carb, sodium numbers. For weight loss you are mainly looking at calories. I have found protein is what I need to feel decent long term so I shoot for higher percentages of that over fat and carbs, but that alone doesn’t make or break the weight loss.
And chocolate is a consistent item in my food diary
that is my favorite part of MFP, you can have whatever you want, you just have to make it fit in your daily allowance - it’s not a diet but a body budget for me! 3 -
You've gotten very good advice OP. Take things slow, evaluate as you go, tinker with your calories and foods until you hit a "sweet spot" and you're good to go. You'll find that sometimes you're just ravenous and go over. Start fresh the next day--no guilt--and just keep going. He wins who eats as much as he can and still loses. You'll find that being persistent is necessary to success. Good luck .2
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tired and feeling weak and not good signs - consider this, take the first couple of weeks before you set any weight loss goals to just get consistent in logging food and seeing what you are taking in on a daily basis and how are you doing weight wise - it will let you start to identify trends
then set yourself reasonable goals - depending on how much you have to lose you don't want to be too agressive (i.e. setting yourself up for a 2lb a week weight loss when you only have 10lbs to lose) etc
but that being said, there is nothing wrong with chocolate - if you want chocolate it, log it into your diary for the evening at the beginning of the day; you can do this with other fun foods (my evening bowl of cereal is the first thing I log every day so that i can make sure i save room for it) - but having chocolate doesn't make you a failure; neither does going over your cals for one day - because you are still in a deficit for the week3 -
Probably just a misinterpretation.mindoverplatter8 wrote: »Or maybe i dont understand what the food diary is telling me?
Thing is: One "lost" day doesn't kick you off the waggon.
Learn from it and it will actually turn out to be a win.
The failure is not chocolate, the failure would be to give up, because of one (possibly) spoiled day in a loooooong list of days that have yet to come.
When fealing weak it most likely is because your deficit is slightly over-ambitioned.
If your current goal makes you feel bad, try one that is easier to achieve.
It helps no one if you give up on your goal because you feel miserable.
The important rule that helped me through my journey:
If my favourite food doesn't fit into my plan, it's the plan that is bad, not my favourite food.
What has to be done though is: Portion control.
Control your intake and if it is too hard to live within your calorie-budget: Go and find a workout you love to "raise some funds"
As suggested by @autumnblade75 : Read the stickies!2 -
mindoverplatter8 wrote: »Thank you. I am on the slowest weight loss (0.5lb per week) and have 65kgs (135lbs) to lose.
88olds what kind of snack do you eat after work and in the evening?
.5 lb per week is 1750 calorie/week deficit. Did you eat 1750 calories over your target? If not, you are still in a deficit. Just a bit less of one.
Chocolate happens. Log it and try to be less hard on yourself. Beating yourself up and calling it a failure is counter productive.3 -
If I had a dollar for every time i fell of the wagon I would be rich. Just don't give up no matter what....2
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mindoverplatter8 wrote: »I've been a member for 3 days and have already fallen off the wagon. I had some chocolate tonight. Late afternoons and evenings are my worst times: I am tired, feel a little weak and want nothing more than to eat dinner and go to bed. I don't have the energy to cook dinner, so I rest for two hours before I get the strength to cook. In those two hours I eat and today I ruined a good day by eating some chocolate. i am disappointed in myself, but not surprised. how do other (older) people manage the end of the day? I have very low energy levels which don't last long.
Having some chocolate isn't falling off the wagon...having some chocolate doesn't undo the rest of your nutrition for the day. In the context of a well balanced diet where nutritional needs are consistently met, having some chocolate isn't a big deal.
Also, dark chocolate is actually quite nutritious.4 -
Eat chocolate! I buy fancy dark chocolate candy bars and have a square a day. Today I had 8 mint m&ms and logged them.4
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I make room for chocolate, as well as any other food I like, every day. A calorie deficit is all you need for weight loss, why deprive yourself of foods you like? I lost over 1/2 my body weight with a calorie deficit, moderation and portion control.3
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A piece of chocolate in the last 3 days...
You've done much better than I over the last 3 days I can tell you that!
I watch a lot of Athlean X on YouTube and the biggest piece of advice I have heard from him...
"You don't have to be perfect, just pretty damn good!"
It's just part of your journey, not a bump in the road, or falling of the wagon... Just part of the process4 -
I make room for chocolate. I eat chocolate probably every other day, and I’ve lost 100 lbs since last year. No one food in isolation is “bad” or “good.” Make room for your favorite foods and do your best to stay in a calorie deficit, and you’ll reach your goal with a better attitude and having learned some habits you can use for the rest of your life.4
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Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »A piece of chocolate in the last 3 days...
You've done much better than I over the last 3 days I can tell you that!
I watch a lot of Athlean X on YouTube and the biggest piece of advice I have heard from him...
"You don't have to be perfect, just pretty damn good!"
It's just part of your journey, not a bump in the road, or falling of the wagon... Just part of the process
Jeff at Athlean X has great advice for starting a nutrition plan. Just remember make small changes to your eating habits. Don't think of it as a diet because then it becomes a list of rules rather than a lifestyle. There's room for chocolate as long as you're earning it. Don't give up because you had some candy, you can do it!
Forgot to add:
The only reason I wouldn’t eat any food in particular is if it’s a trigger food and will or possibly could cause you to binge out. But just starting out, mistakes will be made, don’t get down on yourself to hard. Stay consistent and persistent and your results will come.
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Eat chocolate! I buy fancy dark chocolate candy bars and have a square a day. Today I had 8 mint m&ms and logged them.
When I first started my husband would come up to me after the kids were in bed with a big smile and his hand behind his back - he would ask me “how many?”, then count out peanut M&Ms by 10’s, as in 10 calories each
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I am able to snack at work but most days i am so busy i dont have time to snack, which is why, when i get home, i am so tired. I eat a light lunch. I do function better in afternoon and evening if i have tea/coffee, but then i cant sleep through the night. What fast snacks do people eat at work?0
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mindoverplatter8 wrote: »I am able to snack at work but most days i am so busy i dont have time to snack, which is why, when i get home, i am so tired. I eat a light lunch. I do function better in afternoon and evening if i have tea/coffee, but then i cant sleep through the night. What fast snacks do people eat at work?
My new favorite is a peanut butter (extra crunchy) and banana sandwhich topped with honey and cinnamon (not cinnamon sugar) of whole wheat. It really picks me up on my 9 and 3 pm breaks.
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Eating something that you enjoy isn't going to ruin your diet. It's all about calorie deficit. I ate fast food on an almost daily basis, but I was still able to lose 125lbs in a year. I don't necessarily recommend that from a health standpoint, but it actually helped my weightloss because it was my way of having portion control versus unlimited food at home. I just picked the healthier options.
Whatever works for you. If having a piece of chocolate keeps you from being miserable on your diet, then eat it as long as it fits your calories goals.4 -
mindoverplatter8 wrote: »I am able to snack at work but most days i am so busy i dont have time to snack, which is why, when i get home, i am so tired. I eat a light lunch. I do function better in afternoon and evening if i have tea/coffee, but then i cant sleep through the night. What fast snacks do people eat at work?
I keep a few options around: veggies or an apple, although I find these don't keep me full for too long, a better option (for me), is cottage cheese, Greek yogourt, or a hard-boiled egg.2 -
Be careful not to be subconsciously looking for reasons to quit. Like talking yourself into thinking your confused and weak and can't figure out how to lose weight. You are not broken.. you just take charge and do what you need to do. You can eat a lot of healthy foods that will give you energy ..you don't have to eat at an extreme deficit to punish yourself. dedicate yourself to figuring it out, educating yourself and don't beat yourself up when it doesn't go right. That happens. You can also figure chocolate into your plan.3
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elisa123gal - thanks. I've failed so many times before, so I don't have much confidence in my ability to lose. I am really good until 4pm, then I lose all self-control and just eat. I think what I really want then is a nap which isn't possible. (Wouldn't it be great if every work place had a nap room?)1
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Try nuts. Put them in pre-measured packets. There are also hi-fiber cookies that you can pre-measure and take with you. Higher protein snacks you can try are protein bars, and as mentioned hard boiled eggs, peanut butter, cheese and crackers. You have to try few things and see what works for you.2
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