Tips for staying consistent

xxzenabxx

wunderkindking wrote: »

This is very on topic, and I don't want to start a new post so:

To hear me talk on these boards it sounds like I eat absolute crap 90% of the time. I do not. I am just so tired of the idea that food is 'good' or 'bad' and that have to be eating PERFECTLY all the time right from the start or why bother, or if you don't then you have failed/are failing/did a bad thing and should feel bad.

No.

The truth is these days my diet is really pretty good. I get a good amount of protein and fiber, I eat quite a few carbs (I also run and am generally super active - I need that energy hit) but they're mostly fruit/veg/whole grain, and most of my fat comes from nuts, fish, or avocado.

HOWEVER, the bulk of my weight loss did not happen with me eating like that. I did not get there overnight. I started with a diet that included copious amounts of mayo, butter, heavy cream, whole milk, CANDY (good grief) ice cream, and even my healthy meals were 'bulked out' with absolutely crazy servings of rice and pasta (and drowned in butter/cheese/cream or some combo of those). I made SLOW, LITTLE, changes. I figured out what was worth the calorie hit to me, what wasn't - and where it wasn't worth it I found substitutes that were good enough for me. It has taken me the FULL NINE MONTHS it has taken me to go from obese to a healthy weight to overhaul my diet. It has also not been a conscious attempt to overhaul my diet, just the result of sticking to the calorie deficit - I get a lot more bang for my calorie buck if I eat cottage cheese or oatmeal with my coffee made with almond milk, than I do if I eat a bowl of fruitloops in whole milk and cream in my coffee.

If I had tried to do it all at once - which is what I originally thought I had to do - I would have rage quit. Thinking I had to give up things I loved it why it took me 20 + years of obesity to decide to try and do something about it.

There are absolutely things I no longer eat - because I found, through experimenting, that they are not worth it to me and I didn't really miss them. I could not tell you the last time I bothered with butter, pasta or rice, for example and I've eaten potatoes about 3 times. If, however, you told me 9 months ago that giving them up was the answer to weight loss I'd have said 'to heck with that, I guess I'm not losing weight'.

Heck if you told me that today I'd be eating a baked potato drowned in sour cream and butter and topped with rice just to spite you. I am that person.

You don't have to do it all at once. It isn't failure when you eat a whole bag of kitkats or whatever. It's just data - recognize it and try something else next time. Something that lets you keep your kitkats or chocolate or whatever you love without falling into that. Maybe it's the freezer. Maybe it's planning the treat. Maybe it's prelogging the entire bag across your entire week and you can eat them all at once if you want but know your weekly deficit is there. Maybe it's only eating them when you go out and buy one and eat it in a specific park so they're not in the house. Play with it. Experiment. See what happens. It's not failure. It's just data.

I wasn’t aiming at eating perfectly but with only 20ish lbs to lose I just wanted to make some progress and actually stick to my calories. I’ve realised that when I eat too much chocolate then I want more and it’s because my brain craves it and or it’s bored. I think at this point I would rather abstain for a few weeks and then reintroduce because my taste buds need it too. But yes it’s definitely not failure and I’m glad I logged it all because I’ve got all the data as well. I have to be strict and disciplined and plan at the moment and I honestly don’t mind that. If I really really want something then I’ll have it but chances are I’ll forget about it because out of sight out of mind definitely works for me. I also agree on the small changes too because this is life long journey not a sprint.

scarlett_k

wunderkindking wrote: »

Practical advice here from someone else who loves chocolate a lot.

Portion your amount per day into individual baggies when you buy it, and then FREEZE them. Take your frozen chocolate portion, walk away from the freezer and go sit down somewhere without distraction and work on eating that portion. While it's still frozen. It'll take a while. Particularly if it's a piece of chocolate/chocolate bar instead of a brownie, but it will slow you way the heck down and draw that experience out.

frankly I'm usually bored by the time I'm done and have thought of 13 other things I'd rather be doing than sitting there gnawing bits off a frozen piece of food, thanks to the lack of distraction. YMMV with that one

I'd be very careful eating frozen chocolate. I know at least two people who have broken teeth doing so!

MaltedTea

The best tip to stay consistent with positive goals is to commit to being consistent to your positive goals.

Simply complicated but there it is 🤷🏿‍♀️

Mangoperson88

The cold turkey advice that someone gave is good. It really worked for me
In 2017, I was eating alarming amount of chocolate. Like 2 big bars in one day+ chocolate pastries here and there. It took a lot of hard work to quit, say maybe 6 months is what it took me. But now I really don't obsessively think about sweets and cakes. I just purchased a big slab of 90% bitter chocolate and it's still lying in the freezer. I just don't give a damn about candy anymore and very rarely get a craving. So basically it's hard work like most people said and bitter chocolate if you can stand the taste to gradually wean yourself off it.