Today is Hard...

krennie8

i can feel myself heading towards a binging day...started yesterday w/lunch, got pizza instead of what i packed. I was able to counter that choice with a small dinner, but wow today's hard and it's only noon.

I feel like getting pizza again, instead of what i logged as my lunch, b/c who really wants soup after you've eating it three times already since Sunday? And then I'm supposed to go out to a restaurant tonight for trivia where there's very, very few healthy choices (barbeque joint!). And I really want a burger and fries.

I'm hoping writing this all out will help me stay accountable...i feel like i'm starting to self-sabatoge.

And maybe it's TMI, but for the other women out there, any tips on staving off cravings during that week before that time of the month? It's like all I want is salt, salt, and more salt (this is why I gain 5lbs every month...).

bradXdale

i can feel myself heading towards a binging day...started yesterday w/lunch, got pizza instead of what i packed. I was able to counter that choice with a small dinner, but wow today's hard and it's only noon.

I feel like getting pizza again, instead of what i logged as my lunch, b/c who really wants soup after you've eating it three times already since Sunday? And then I'm supposed to go out to a restaurant tonight for trivia where there's very, very few healthy choices (barbeque joint!). And I really want a burger and fries.

I'm hoping writing this all out will help me stay accountable...i feel like i'm starting to self-sabatoge.

And maybe it's TMI, but for the other women out there, any tips on staving off cravings during that week before that time of the month? It's like all I want is salt, salt, and more salt (this is why I gain 5lbs every month...).

First I would stop and ask "Why?". Why am I having these cravings? Am I stressed? Am I feeling sad / down?

Are you eating enough to be full in between meals? Sometimes I personally have learned that you have to bite the bullet and just eat what you packed for lunch rather than the office goodies. You could say have a burger off the bun with a few fries as long as it fits into your calories for the day. Eating out requires a good bit of extra planning (menu research, estimation, asking for subs on sides, etc)

And that is a good thing to write your feelings out! Get a piece of pen & paper or open Microsoft Word on your computer and write about how you feel about food. Log when you did GREAT and had an excellent day of eating. Jot down your feelings when you feel like you want to binge or just give up. Read it to yourself and be self-critical. Analyze your emotions so the next time you start having bouts of binge feelings you know how to counter act those said feelings.

I'm not a woman and I do not know what that is like but sometimes it's okay to give in a little bit around that time. Things will get better and the more you try to steer away from the "bad" foods the better you will become at it and controlling cravings.

Are you on a multi-vitamin by chance? I've heard some cravings (for salt, sugar, etc) can come from vitamin deficiencies.

Hope this helps!

-bxc

wonderwoman234

What a great response from the guy above. So nice to see.....

If you don't want soup 3 days in a row, freeze it for another time. I would also not be so rigid in your thinking. Eating something else for lunch yesterday and having a lighter dinner is FINE. How is that "bad" in any way? It's not. Stop thinking that you messed up.

For today, eat the soup with the knowledge that you will have a bigger dinner. Things come up in life and we just have to work around them. Order something you like tonight and only eat half. Then tomorrow pack a lunch that is tasty and interesting knowing that you are in control and are choosing all along the way what you can eat.

The black and white or all or nothing thinking is unproductive. Life is lived in the gray areas mostly.

Dawnog

Hi, I know how you feel, I get times when I literally eat everything that moves but I brush myself off, give myself a good talking to and start again when I feel ready. I try to keep busy if I start thinking about a binge and if I know im going somewhere nice to eat I up my exercise, say go for an extra long run to earn the calories then I know I can have a treat. My real weakness is chocolate so I make 1 night a wk my choccie night where I treat myself to lots of chocolate, this has shopped me from having chocolate any other time. You've done so well and you can do it, good luck x

PrincessWarior

Hey Girl.

Trust me I do understand. When my PMS is kicking I ALWAYS gain. And that gain makes me feel like CRAP. And by getting older its worst. When I crave sugar, I drink coke 0 and try to make popcorn with not butter. I even have popcorn at work. If you eat a little before your B.B.Q joint, like carrots or fruit? Maybe you won't be tempted as much?

No miracle exist really, but keep it up I know you can do it. Let me know how you did

lilRicki

I get that feeling when my lunch is super boring. It's right before payday, and my fridge is empty...I'd rather run across the street to get a burger than eat my pitiful lunch. Thing is, my pitiful lunch is right on calories and macros. It's a tough decision. Maybe leave your bank card at home so you don't have money on you. Pack leftovers from the night before, make your lunch super awesome Work for that BBQ joint!

hkied

All these are great Ideas! I have a chocolate and salt issue around that time.... luckily there is a salty chocolate out that is good. One or two little squares helps a lot and then I dont over eat! Like someone else had said work ofr your meal at the restarant, cause you cant control those calories but you can control the rest of your day!

loriemn

seriously I couldnt eat soup three times in a month let alone three days in a row..and when it is TOM,,I just go with it and allow myself some extra chocolate,if I fight it to much I will wolf down everything in the house eventually so I have some frozen choc chip banana bread in the freezer and eat a piece or two of that a day for a couple days and worry about getting rid of the extra calories later,like do extra running or biking or whatever.This works well for me most of the time.

youngamber82

I know the feeling. I almost caved at lunch and got fired chicken but I reminded myself that I lost two pounds this week and I don't want to put it right back on by eating something unhealthy for lunch. So I threw together a salad at a salad bar and got a different kind of salad dressing than normal (only added a little, just for taste, because there is a lot of fat and sodium in the dressing). I find that experimenting with different healthy food does help. I am like you, I crave salt. So instead of me eating a bag of chips, I snack on a few green olives. Yes, still a little sodium but not a ton of fat and calories and carbs. But I also love green olives. I also crave carbonated sodas a lot but have found that "Sparkling Ice" 9those flavored waters) really taste good, have some carbonation in them, and they have no calories. They taste delicious too. But now I am craving some fruity candy and I am trying really hard to stay away from candy which is why I am on here looking for motivation!!! :-)

dettiot

What everyone else has said. During that time of the month, I retain water, so I already know things are screwy with my body. So I don't beat myself up if I indulge a little more then. Because I know as long as I pick myself up one more time than I fall down, I'm succeeding.

Good luck and feel better!!! :flowerforyou:

cuinboston2014

Good for you for recognizing this and putting it out there. It's hard to eat as well as we want sometimes after recently having something that maybe isn't as good for us (the pizza). I find that on days where I overeat or eat something "bad" the next day I crave that stuff so badly.

You will feel so much better sticking with your planned lunch. but if you are bored with it, have variety. i always have multiple options available at work for lunch. I'm not a big lunch eater as I snack during the day but I always have oatmeal, protein bars, and lean cuisine ready at work as well as an extra yogurt and string cheese. That way, if I'm late in the morning or don't want what I brought I have some options. Find what works for YOU.

I HATE the week before. For the love of goodness it's the worst time ever and even when I control it I still get so bloated I honestly gain 5 pounds. It comes right back off but oh my gosh. In any case, I try to find substitutes for what I want. i also LOVE salt. So, when it's that time and I'm craving salt, I will add salt to cucumber slices or have some air pop popcorn and add a little salt.

When I want something sweet I will pack extra sweet fruit like blueberries or strawberries or even another serving of dry cereal (I love cheerios and chex!). Do what works for you.

Try to always think about the "after" of what you eat. If you go out tonight and eat a whole burger and fries will you be OK with that tomorrow? Or will you feel guilty? That *should* help make decisions. It's easier said than done though....

ccrdragon

Having lived on a semi-liquid diet for 4 months (in the past - not now),I almost barf when I see a cup of soup and I absolutely understand where you are coming from. The thing you get to do is to allow yourself to be human and have feelings like those that you are having, because that is all it really means - that you are human. As a human, you get to make choices - like what do I have for lunch (in the current case in point). So what if you have pizza today or had it yesterday - that's not a problem as long as you do not make a regular thing out of doing this.

My biggest recommendation for you would be to forgive yourself since you seem to be having a lot of guilt about this decision - own it, accept it and move on!

Secondly, vary your diet - don't try to eat the same thing every day - that is one of the biggest contributors to people failing at changing their lifestyle!! There are thousands of different food choices that you can make given the average super-store food stocks and most of those choices will aid you in this choice of a healthy lifestyle - why limit yourself to only a single possibility such as soup?!?

krennie8

thanks everyone! I already feel a bit better about it all...will try to work out b/w work and trivia so I can have something interesting tonight.

I'm not taking a multivitamin, only D (when I remember, which admittedly isn't often) and i'm on synthroid.

And Loriemn, I agree, I need variety in my diet as well. I think that's probably part of the issue in addition to food cravings. I think I need to start learning how to cook in smaller batches...

Bethany0214

This all resonates with me so much. When I was younger, I became really obsessive about staying on point all the time and if I "fell off" I would let myself completely derail and give up. I was putting so much pressure on myself to be perfect that I would self-sabotage just to get some relief.

Fast-forward to today and sometimes I still struggle with this, but instead of trying to be perfect, I've become THOUGHTFUL about my food. What I mean is that I really think about why I want something. Do I need it? Is it just for comfort?

I also utilize the 80/20 rule, which was taught to me by my trainer. 80% of the time I stick to whole foods and home cooking. The other 20% I reserve for life's indulgences that you should eat in moderation, but should never force yourself to give up if you really don't want to. I usually use that 20% for a cupcake or French macaron or pizza or anything I find I would just love to have.

When it's my lovely lady time I up my water intake because I am a salt lover too. I also up my fiber to keep things moving along as I tend to get backed up during that time. Before I did this I would fluctuate 5-7 pounds during that time, now I usually stay the same or go up about a pound. And once the time passes my body gets right back to normal.

NikkiSixGuns

What a great response from the guy above. So nice to see.....

If you don't want soup 3 days in a row, freeze it for another time. I would also not be so rigid in your thinking. Eating something else for lunch yesterday and having a lighter dinner is FINE. How is that "bad" in any way? It's not. Stop thinking that you messed up.

For today, eat the soup with the knowledge that you will have a bigger dinner. Things come up in life and we just have to work around them. Order something you like tonight and only eat half. Then tomorrow pack a lunch that is tasty and interesting knowing that you are in control and are choosing all along the way what you can eat.

The black and white or all or nothing thinking is unproductive. Life is lived in the gray areas mostly.

Lots of good stuff in there ^

I agree that you need to remember that you have choices. You can choose to binge or not to binge.

Mistapholeezkat

When I go out to eat I will still order, let's say a burger, but only eat half, and or with out the bun. Maybe just a few french fries instead of the entire plate. I get a to go box and take it home. If no one wants it I feed it to the dog. It is a shame to waste it. Usually if guys are around they are more than happy to eat the rest of my burger. Anyway, you can still eat the fun food, just eat a little of it. Hope this helps!

ibleedunionblue

When I feel a binge coming on, I get out of the house and get busy doing something. I will take a walk, bike, jog, go to the mall, or even drive to ice rink and ice skate.

SandraD1424

I get that feeling when my lunch is super boring. It's right before payday, and my fridge is empty...I'd rather run across the street to get a burger than eat my pitiful lunch. Thing is, my pitiful lunch is right on calories and macros. It's a tough decision. Maybe leave your bank card at home so you don't have money on you. Pack leftovers from the night before, make your lunch super awesome Work for that BBQ joint!

I like this and I can totally relate. You maybe cutting back on calories but give yourself something to look forward to rather than dread and you will want your lunch. Try a new recipe and bring leftovers:)

1princesswarrior

I personally find that drinking water helps me with retaining water, especially the dreaded week before TOM. And besides all the good advice already given why are you limiting yourself to only 1320 calories? Are you trying to lose 2 lbs a week? If so, maybe back it down to 1 lb a week or increase your activity so you can eat a little more to help with cravings or binges. Depriving yourself will only drive you to want to binge more. Don't see foods as good or bad, or fats, carbs, etc as good or bad. There are no good or bad foods. Pizza is calorie dense and loaded with sodium but drinking enough water will help to counteract that. And IMO 8 glasses a day is nowhere near enough, I drink 130 oz. a day or a little over a gallon of water or unsweetened tea and I have not had much bloating since I started that. And it increases my activity at work because I run to the bathroom (the furthest one away) a lot more.

Remember this is a lifestyle change not a diet so you need to make sustainable changes to be successful. I read a post earlier that said once you get to maintenance you have just crossed the start line, not the finish line and I thought that was a really good way of thinking about things.

Enjoy the BBQ tonight but only eat 1/2 of the food and take the rest home to enjoy tomorrow or Friday. Good luck, you can do this.

krennie8

Hi, no just 1 lb/wk, and that's what MFP gave me. I have a sedentary job and lifestyle, and although I'm trying to start working out it's highly hit or miss. So far my average has been higher though, closer to 1430 (net).

And thank you, I will probably do that tonight