Nearing the end of my rope...

Options
PearlAng
PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I have to vent. I'm in maintenance, but id like to be a little more fit. I exercise daily, but I still eat too much sometimes. Sometimes is okay, it typically happens on the weekends, but also when I'm bored and I feel like I have no control. I'm very small, so I can maintain on very little, but I exercise so I can eat more because I get hungry. But the problem is, sometimes I eat even though I'm not hungry and the past two days have been kind of bad because I did that. Today, I'm stuck home and I had a good, healthy breakfast and then two hours later, I ate Pb and j by the spoonful and a few triscuits. Not even 12:00 pm and my calories are already kind of high. I feel likening didn't deserve the food because I had eaten breakfast and I hadn't exercised yet. J did not need those calories. I may go to the gym later, weather permitting, but if not I have to exercise at home and I feel like I cant get as good of a workout at home. I was planning on eating better to do damage control today and while I can turn the day around and burn the calories, I'm feeling guilty and I feel non productive. Im going to Disney world on the 24th. I'm scared I will not look good.

Replies

  • PearlAng
    PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
    Options
    Maybe this doesn't make a whole lot of sense...
  • Chain_Ring
    Chain_Ring Posts: 753 Member
    Options
    Is there a TL;DR?
  • PearlAng
    PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
    Options
    TL;DR
    I'm not over weight and while I'm fairly healthy with my eating and exercise habits, I still overeat more often than id like to admit and its making me feel out of control.
  • littleburgy
    littleburgy Posts: 570 Member
    Options
    Dun dun dun dun dun......Flash..... Aaaaahhhhhhhh!

    Sounds like "bored eating" (I've done it too) -- you have to ask yourself if you're really hungry or just bored. Find something else to occupy your mind and time. Drinking water helps, too, because thirst can seem like hunger. Crunch on something low calorie instead, or chew gum and brush your teeth.
  • wpwarrior88
    wpwarrior88 Posts: 1,503 Member
    Options
    It does make sense and you are not the only one who struggles with over indulging on the weekends as well as "unplanned" days off.

    Like you wrote, you have the power to turn this around and you can do some exercise at home. Albeit not as enjoyable as getting to the gym can be but it can be very productive. If you are still feeling the need to eat more, drink some water, you maybe dehydrated.

    Any way, don't beat yourself up. If you are in maintenance, you have no need to be "scared you won't look good" when you go to Disney. Remember your shell is not the only measure of beauty!
  • PearlAng
    PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
    Options
    Dun dun dun dun dun......Flash..... Aaaaahhhhhhhh!

    Sounds like "bored eating" (I've done it too) -- you have to ask yourself if you're really hungry or just bored. Find something else to occupy your mind and time. Drinking water helps, too, because thirst can seem like hunger. Crunch on something low calorie instead, or chew gum and brush your teeth.
    ahhh! I just changed my picture before I saw this! Lol well thank you for the advice, I think a lot of it is boredom driven
  • PearlAng
    PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
    Options
    It does make sense and you are not the only one who struggles with over indulging on the weekends as well as "unplanned" days off.

    Like you wrote, you have the power to turn this around and you can do some exercise at home. Albeit not as enjoyable as getting to the gym can be but it can be very productive. If you are still feeling the need to eat more, drink some water, you maybe dehydrated.

    Any way, don't beat yourself up. If you are in maintenance, you have no need to be "scared you won't look good" when you go to Disney. Remember your shell is not the only measure of beauty!
    thank you for the advice!
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Options
    I think this kind of behavior is fairly common, more common than you would think. I sometimes do this too -- it almost always happens at home on the weekends. It's much more common for me during the winter, and this winter has been brutal. I think it's more likely to happen when you have been in a sizable calorie deficit for some time.

    I wish I could offer more advice. I find that keeping yourself distracted helps: get out of the kitchen and do something important or fun. Don't beat yourself up if you do go over maintenance: just keep at it.
  • PearlAng
    PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
    Options
    I think this kind of behavior is fairly common, more common than you would think. I sometimes do this too -- it almost always happens at home on the weekends. It's much more common for me during the winter, and this winter has been brutal. I think it's more likely to happen when you have been in a sizable calorie deficit for some time.

    I wish I could offer more advice. I find that keeping yourself distracted helps: get out of the kitchen and do something important or fun. Don't beat yourself up if you do go over maintenance: just keep at it.
    thank you, and you're right, this has been a brutal winter. I live in NJ and I'm home today due to the snow.
  • craftywitch_63
    craftywitch_63 Posts: 829 Member
    Options
    You may not be the best judge of your looks. Have you asked a friend or you s/o? We tend to be more critical of ourselves than we should be. Bet you look better than 90% of the people at Disney. I've been to Disneyland - seriously, I bet you look better than everyone except the chick in the Cinderella costume! Maybe even better than she does without the mask!!

    Don't worry about it, just go and be :happy:
  • PearlAng
    PearlAng Posts: 681 Member
    Options
    You may not be the best judge of your looks. Have you asked a friend or you s/o? We tend to be more critical of ourselves than we should be. Bet you look better than 90% of the people at Disney. I've been to Disneyland - seriously, I bet you look better than everyone except the chick in the Cinderella costume! Maybe even better than she does without the mask!!

    Don't worry about it, just go and be :happy:
    that was so sweet :heart: thank you!
  • husseycd
    husseycd Posts: 814 Member
    Options
    I've posted this a lot but I'll post it again since I think it will help you. I like to eat at small deficit during the week that way on the weekends I can go over without worrying about it. I don't want to live my life constantly watching every little thing I eat. Mon-Thurs it's easy. Fri-Sat not so much. But if I've watched my intake and banked a few calories for the weekend, it doesn't seem to matter.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
    Options
    Eh it's every day for me. I eat too much in the morning then I'm almost out of calories by 2pm (I'm a stay at home mom, so home a lot). I just deal with it.
  • somefitsomefat
    somefitsomefat Posts: 445 Member
    Options
    So you think you overeat but you're not overweight and don't seem to be gaining weight? Sooooooo what's the problem then?
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    Options
    Just like anything-when you get bored and are about to do something you know you shouldn't (smoke, drink, eat whatever it may be) you need to do something to get yourself busy and the urge will pass. Go for a walk. Turn on your favorite music and dance, do some sort of exercise, drink water etc-lots of ways to fight the urge.

    Good luck!
  • RabbitLost
    RabbitLost Posts: 333 Member
    Options
    You may not be the best judge of your looks. Have you asked a friend or you s/o? We tend to be more critical of ourselves than we should be. Bet you look better than 90% of the people at Disney. I've been to Disneyland - seriously, I bet you look better than everyone except the chick in the Cinderella costume! Maybe even better than she does without the mask!!

    Don't worry about it, just go and be :happy:

    Dove commercial nailed this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=litXW91UauE.
  • Expect_The_Worst
    Expect_The_Worst Posts: 171
    Options
    Is there a TL;DR?

    cut_the_rope_by_craght-d62e5cg.gif
  • Blokeypoo
    Blokeypoo Posts: 274 Member
    Options
    I've posted this a lot but I'll post it again since I think it will help you. I like to eat at small deficit during the week that way on the weekends I can go over without worrying about it. I don't want to live my life constantly watching every little thing I eat. Mon-Thurs it's easy. Fri-Sat not so much. But if I've watched my intake and banked a few calories for the weekend, it doesn't seem to matter.

    Same here. M-F I eat at 250 deficit then eat freely ish at w/e. Maintained for a year so no plans to change!
  • ottermotorcycle
    ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
    Options
    You look young. Are you sure you're maintaining on a small number of calories? Maybe your overeating isn't really overeating at all, just a correction for a low goal? Are you keeping track of your measurements and stuff?

    That being said, I agree with everyone else here. Boredom drives a lot of eating. I've found that eating my meals super slowly (over the course of an hour for a full-sized meal) I simply spend more time eating, so I don't overdo it. I also definitely think the winter is making me eat more. The last time it majorly snowed here I went way over because I just couldn't stop eating. My body must have thought we were about to hibernate!

    Anyway, you're here in maintenance. Keep track of your measurements/weight/whatever and make healthy choices. Don't sweat it so much.
  • sad_kitty
    sad_kitty Posts: 84 Member
    Options
    I'm prone to boredom eating too. My solution is to just not keep the things that can pile up calorie wise in my cupboards anymore. It means that the quick and easy snacks are healthy, but if I crave a cookie, it means I have to haul out everything to bake them, and then do dishes after. That, and snacking on things with protein helps a lot too. A protein shake made with just almond milk (skipping all my usual additives like chia, lots of fruit etc that turn it into a meal replacement), apple slices and nut butter or cheese, yogurt, toasted pumpkin seeds, carrot sticks and hummous, a small handful of roasted nuts, popcorn with nutritional yeast flakes instead of chips...Sometimes I find drinking tea or a large glass of water helps with the boredom munchies because I rationally know I'm not hungry. Also having something to do with your hands can help. Knitting, sketching, crochetting...all these fidgetty hobbies help keep my mind off things when I'm bored or upset or not feeling too great. The times I do cave and cheat, I just try to stay on track for the rest of the week so I don't wind up in a slump where I beat myself up over it.

Categories