NSV: thinking about food differently

kristinksmith

In previous weight loss efforts -- you know when I was "on a diet" -- I would obsess about what I couldn't or shouldn't eat. I would long for treats and second helpings. I would deny myself chocolate or cookies -- and then spend the rest of the day haunted by the thought of them -- or eat something and then regret it for the rest of the day.

But no longer -- I have finally said NO to those negative feelings and deprivation.

Now that I am approaching this journey as a healthy lifestyle, instead of thinking about what I couldn't eat, I am much better about making a plan that allows me to enjoy the things that I like and want to eat. Without guilt and without obsessing. So to enjoy my buttered popcorn or a night on the town, I try to moderate other food intake for the day or increase my exercise.

It doesn't always work -- I have splurged since Sunday on birthday celebrations. But I also got in my highest steps counts in ages during these days and am now back on track to a healthy - yet satisfying -- calorie deficit. I also feeligood that my splurge days are infrequent and still are better than what my normal days were before I changed my attitude about food.

Good luck to you all!

seltzermint555

Awesome NSV!

Did you have a birthday on Sunday? That was my b-day! :-) I've splurged a bit too much since the weekend as well.

But I agree. I used to "try and eat healthier" and then when I'd have a Snickers bar two weeks in, I felt like I'd failed and was off the wagon of weight loss totally. Now I plan for treats and don't have that guilt or black/white approach to nutrition I once had.

Yesterday I had an 800 calorie lunch. Normal for me would be 300-500. It was delicious...brown beans, cornbread, green beans, and frosting from my birthday cake. I could have had that for dinner too, and still not gone over my calories because I got a lot of extra exercise in. But I chose not to, because of the full heavy feeling that food gave me and seeing that it would take me a little bit over on my sodium. However, I am still looking forward to eating the leftovers for dinner tomorrow. In the past I would have "beat myself up" over that lunch and thrown out all of the beans and cornbread and cake. Now I am just throwing away the cake, which isn't so good, and keeping the delish homemade frosting for a treat...overall several days of course ;-)

socajam

In previous weight loss efforts -- you know when I was "on a diet" -- I would obsess about what I couldn't or shouldn't eat. I would long for treats and second helpings. I would deny myself chocolate or cookies -- and then spend the rest of the day haunted by the thought of them -- or eat something and then regret it for the rest of the day.

But no longer -- I have finally said NO to those negative feelings and deprivation.

Now that I am approaching this journey as a healthy lifestyle, instead of thinking about what I couldn't eat, I am much better about making a plan that allows me to enjoy the things that I like and want to eat. Without guilt and without obsessing. So to enjoy my buttered popcorn or a night on the town, I try to moderate other food intake for the day or increase my exercise.

It doesn't always work -- I have splurged since Sunday on birthday celebrations. But I also got in my highest steps counts in ages during these days and am now back on track to a healthy - yet satisfying -- calorie deficit. I also feeligood that my splurge days are infrequent and still are better than what my normal days were before I changed my attitude about food.

Good luck to you all!

Well said. Before I would never eat cereal or ice cream. Now I have cereal every day or every other day. I have two small tubs of Häagen-Dazs ice cream in my freezer since two weeks ago to eat if and when I feel the need. At this time, I do not feel the need, but you knows, maybe later in the week, I may fancy 1/2 cup.

kristinksmith

Did you have a birthday on Sunday? That was my b-day! :-) I've splurged a bit too much since the weekend as well.

Happy birthday to us!! Hope you can celebrate all week long! My sister made my birthday cake with homemade icing. Like you, I believe cake is a frosting delivery mechanism -- so I threw out the cake and am enjoying the icing!!!

Sedna_51

This is great! I, too, am starting to break my old habits of deprivation and shame around food. Oh man, it's so freeing. For example: I had a bunch of Halloween candy and a slice of chocolate cream pie at work yesterday. In the past, I would have felt awful and guilty about it, and would probably have dealt with that guilt by going home and diving face-first into a jar of peanut butter. (Which, while delicious, is not a great long-term coping strategy). Instead I enjoyed the pie and candy, then went home and had a slightly smaller than planned but still filling and delicious dinner. And I had a LITTLE peanut butter.

And Happy Birthday to you both! I hope you had wonderful days!