The truth is ugly

hkystar

The truth can really be ugly. I think you are going through what lots of us (or at least what I did) when I started here. But the key is now that you see the ugly truth start making small changes. Try to get by on one less soda (and yes I LOVE LOVE LOVE mt dew). I chose to give soda up cold turkey and now I dont get my own EVER. I drink water and occasionally have a sip of the bf's soda (but not often).

Good luck!

CollegeGirl2

Kudos to you for being so open. I know it's hard. The first step is admission, and you've done that. You see that you have a problem, and now it's in your power to do something about it. Knowing that you have control over your body and what goes in your mouth is an absolutely amazing feeling.

As far as going over your calories goes, it might help if you tried logging in your meals ahead of time. It'll let you see exactly how many calories your favorite foods are going to cost you, and how much you have to spare for snacks.

I know quitting soda can be really hard, but it's well worth it. If you can get yourself through the initial cravings (the Propel idea is great), you'll find that after a month or two if you do have a sip of soda, you'll hate it. I can't even stand putting it near my face because the sugar smells so strong.

Congratulations on starting your weight-loss journey. If you ever need some extra support, check out the Weigh in Wednesday group (and feel free to join!). Good luck and keep it up!!

keith0373

a little start you can do is change from regular mt dew to diet.

I'd rather have a single regular pop than as many diet ones as I could choose. The artificial sugars are not processed by your body and can be stored as toxins in your fats. Studies have suggested that aspartame can actually trick your body into gaining weight, rather than helping you lose it by reducing calories.

That study is flawed in our case. THey all include people who are borderline on daily calories. Noone here should be anywhere near that if they are serious about this! I have lost 55 lbs and drink 2 to 5 diet drinks a day. You will also find that many of these "studies" are funded by sugar growers associations.

Sharont213

Congrats to you for starting MFP - and for being so honest about how it is affecting you. I think that is the greatest thing we can all take away from - journalling our food and exercise habits helps us to see how and where we might want to affect changes, whether it is changing from regular to diet soda/pop or deciding to walk for 30 minutes so we can enjoy that little square of chocolate. And along the way, hopefully we can find new foods and new activities to keep us focused and committed. Good luck to you and to everyone who is trying so hard to make a positive change in their life.

sindyb9

Your post hit home for me. I felt like that when I first started logging. I was amazed at how many calories were in the foods I loved. My down fall was coffee. I could drink pots a day, but it was not the coffee it was the sugar and cream I put in it. I cut sugar out 1 tea spoon at a time. I do drink coffee but only 1-2 cups a day and with no sugar. The rest of the time is water. I never drank soda.

You have taken the first step and that is being honest with yourself and that is so ugly as you put it but it brings you to step two, knowledge. You will learn what is worth eating and what is not. I look things up now check calories and if I really want that treat I will do exercise so I can have it.

This is not a diet it is eating healthy and having the knowledge will make the difference. Thank you for posting this you are great at writing too.

Lilliesmom2010

I am also a soda addict, mine is Dr Pepper! I feel your pain when it comes to knowing how bad they are and yet we continue to drink them. Hun, don't beat yourself up about it, just take it one day at a time and one meal at a time. When you want a Mt Dew stop for a second and think... "Do I want to take a Diet one and feel a lil better about the choice or do I want to drink a regular Mt Dew and do added exercises to make up for drinking it?" This has really helped me think about my choices and making a better one! If I do then I make myself do the extra exercise so that I can have it when I want it. If I don't feel like doing the exercise, then I drink water, unsweet Iced Tea or Crystal Light instead. Personally I know that it's too hard to stop drinking soda cold turkey, so don't even try that. Just take a second to stop and think before you pop it open if you really really want it, or do you want to try something else first.

What really sticks out to me is that you said that you noticed "recognizing that my mentality is beginning to shift" THAT'S A HUGE START!! Congrats to you for being able to recognize that is what is happening. You are on the right path! :flowerforyou:

"and that makes me happy because in the end that is what will help me maintain any weight loss I acheieve." YEP, YOU ARE SO RIGHT THERE! I think that for myself it facing the ugly truth before I can say okay, so what am I going to do about it? YOU ARE AWESOME AND YOU WILL AND CAN DO THIS!!! KEEP IT UP!!

Rugbychick16

a little start you can do is change from regular mt dew to diet.

I'd rather have a single regular pop than as many diet ones as I could choose. The artificial sugars are not processed by your body and can be stored as toxins in your fats. Studies have suggested that aspartame can actually trick your body into gaining weight, rather than helping you lose it by reducing calories.

That study is flawed in our case. THey all include people who are borderline on daily calories. Noone here should be anywhere near that if they are serious about this! I have lost 55 lbs and drink 2 to 5 diet drinks a day. You will also find that many of these "studies" are funded by sugar growers associations.

I have to agree with you here, I love me some diet pop, and although I drink much less then I used to, I still drink at least one a day, and I don't believe it hindered me in losing in the least.

AllisonMO

You have so much courage in looking at yourself honestly! I came to the same conclusion that I didn't want to get so many calories each day in a drink, so I now rarely drink fruit juices and limit wine to 4-5 oz a day( and not every day.) MFP makes it easier to be accountable, and that is the first step to success. You can do it!

keith0373

In the end, you can eat and drink what you want if you are willing to do the work to burn the calories and maintain some level of nutrition. For em, just watching Protein and calories is enough. I am not a big sugar, fat, or carb eater and I work out enough that sodium is not an issue and my blood pressure averages 100/68 or so. Everyone will be different.

megamom

I swear stopping pop is as hard as quitting smoking. They add additives to cigarettes to keep you addicted, probably do to the pop also. Wean yourself off by allowing yourself smaller and smaller portions until you quit. You won't get as bad a withdrawal that way.

I really think pop is one of the worse things out there for a person. Completely worthless harmful calories. And the diet is as bad if not worse. Good luck. My son had the worse time getting off mountain dew. It really was easier for me to quit smoking then it has been for him to resist his pop.

kaittx13

You are so right the truth can be so ugly.
It took guts to stick with your dairy and actually right everything down. I know Ive been a coward before and just didnt finish my diary one day becuase i didnt want to have to face those numbers. So good job to you!

It is so interesting how alot of people have something to say about the soda situation or it affects on our health in general. So many people consume great amounts of it every day and yet we dont truely know what it does to us.

I used to freaking love SPRITE. I could easy drink 5 full glasses at a restraunt before the food even came. Then I got more educated about it..even though i knew it was bad for me.. but really learning about it helped kick the habit. That is exactly what you are doing. As well as the suger and calories... the carbonation in soda can casue you to feel bloated and not eat as much of the healhty food you need.. and that can cause you to get hungry sooner.

I first stopped drinking sodas a restraunts because water is cheaper..its free )
and then i just kept cutting it out of the life from there.

NOOWW I can easily drink 5 glasses of water when at a restaurant. My friends always say it would just be easier if the waiter would set a pitcher of water on the table so they dont have to refil my glass so often.

GOOD LUCK on your journey of weight loss!! )

akaDumbo

But the thing that really struck me today, when looking over my food diary for the day, my recommended calorie intake for the day is 1600, those calories are beginning to look kind of valuable to me. I easily drink a meals worth of calories everyday. Do I really want to waste my precious calories on a drink?

I had always insisted I didn't eat much so should not be anywhere near the size I am. Then I started using an online food diary (nowhere near as good as this one). I was absolutely stunned to see that more than 50% of my daily calories came from drink. When I say drink I dont mean alcohol or pop, I mean coffee with sugar in. I tried to cut down the coffee but was adicted to the caffine so I gradually switched to decaff by mixing the 2 jars together. Once I was no longer addicted my 20 cups of coffee a day shrank to about 3 and then when I no longer needed the coffee I stopped the sugar. It took some time but I got there in the end and you will too. You have already taken the first step by filling in your diary, keep up the good work and dont be so down on yourself.

Dreamerlove

Good mind set! Very good, keep in mind that my aunt was ADDICTED to pepsi if she didn't drink she was GRUMPY and ill and all sorts, she HAD to have it in the morning to wake her up and she decided to quit cold turkey and when she did she lost 8 pounds in one week, from NOT drinking soda..this won't work for everyone, but it will work for people who drink it like she did. Plus imagine how GOOD you will feel, not having all the syrup in your body and chemicals.

jeweljade

It really opened my eyes when I start logging what I ate on here. I have always been taught to count calories, but I didn't always keep tabs on how much fat, carbs, sodium, sugar etc that I was eating. It was a huge eye opener for me. I was a huge diet soda drinker, but I was finally able to get off of it. Are you familiar with Stevia? It is a natural plant base sweetener that comes from the Stevia leaf and it is 0 calories and better for you. TrueVia and PureVia are two companies that offer Stevia sweetener . The 0 calorie Sobe life water is sweetened with PureVia. It doesn't have the nasty after taste that a lot of diet drinks have, and it's not a carbonated beverage so even better! They are only a dollar at walmart, and there are a million different flavors. So now if I need something to drink other than water and the oolong tea in my fridge that is what I drink. Even my hubby loves them. Hope this helps

BOGmama2010

Great job and I agree the truth is ugly. My downfall has been looking at how much sodium is really in the foods I eat.

You have gotten some great advice. Keep with it and you will change your life. As I have realized today, old self with your no motivation, you are no longer welcome here. You may have red on your chart (I do too some days) but at least you are honestly charting and that takes motivation.

Keep up the good work!

1Steph1

Diet pop can be a BIG mistake especially when losing weight. It is junk and full of chemicals. Your better off having actual sugar than aspartame. Check out this article on pop very informative

http://teambeachbody.com/about/newsletters/-/nli/165

GOod luck :)