Help - what makes you put down that cookie?

elle_m91

Hi guys, I'm sorry for asking this, but what motivates you to not go over your calories limit?
I mean, I do remember why I'm dieting and I do remember my goals, but that doesn't seem to stop me from eating cookies and beef jerky away when I feel like it.
I always got 500 cals over my limit (1200) and it's so easy to do so!
Would you mind giving me some advice on this?

Thank you so much!

Julesaf

Eating 1700 calories a day isn't that bad!

And I never pick up the cookie in the first place. Once it's in my hand, it's in my mouth! (That isn't to say I don't eat cookies haha.) For me, not making or buying the cookies is what keeps me away from them. I can't have just one.

maroon58

well, thats a tough one! i just made sugar cookies this weekend and ate 4 within no time. i decided next time i make them i am going to give some away, take some to the office and freeze the rest. i also plan on not leaving them on a plate in the kitchen. maybe if i put them in a tupperware or cookie jar they won't be staring at me saying 'eat me, eat me' lol! oh yea, next time i am also going to try and make a healthy cookie version that way if i go crazy its not all that bad.

becomingsara

The first time I logged my calorie intake and then my EXERCISE on the same day, and realized that 20 minutes of moderate walking burns only about 150 cals for a gal my size...well that made it REALLY dang easy not to undo that exercise I just did with one too many handfuls of a non-nutritious food. But then again, 500 cals, if you go over daily, you could take up some cardio and an hour would make up for the 500 over...I really use MFP a bit like a contest or game...making sure that I can with exercise, make my numbers balance out correctly... and I have lost almost 4 inches in my waist and hips in under a month!

Diet modifications AND exercise are the duo that make sense to me. I am striving for a BALANCED life, because only THEN will I be able to practice that for the rest of my life.

anewattitude

I have gone over my limit as well but the key, I think, is to balance it out. Try and perhaps incorporate more exercise into your day because that will also increase the amount of calories you can eat.. hence.... the cookie Ideally the extra calories consumed should be healthier foods but you can't make yourself crazy either. I am a chip'o'holic and would probably sell my soul for a bag of chips right now but so far I have made it a week without them. ( round of applause please..... ha ha). Seriously though, you will find the right system that works for you it just takes patience. Whenever you feel the cookie crave coming on maybe try and eat a piece of fruit. That may help with the sweetness you are wanting. It will get easier. Trust me! You can do it!

PootysMom

Like some of the other members said... I don't buy the cookies. Not in my home I can't eat it because I'll end up eating them ALL.
Money is tight right now and I went to Subway, really wanted a chocolate chip cookie but didn't since it would have cost extra, lol.
Also if I'm coming close to calories for the day I exercise more or be sure to exercise.
I love ice cream and luckily the serve yourself frozen yogurt shoppes are in style. It tastes great for less calories!!! I add an extra effort to get the frozen yogurt by walking to the shoppe. So I'll add a white chocolate chip topping to my frozen yogurt, YUM!
Try not to think of counting calories as a diet, but a lifestyle change. Take it one day at a time. You'll get there! It is tough to retrain your tummy and brain.

Kminor67

What keeps me under calories is the knowledge that if I go over, I'm going to beat myself up, and then I'll eat more because I feel bad, and then I'll beat myself up again... etc. It becomes a vicious cycle. Once in a while isn't a big thing... I went to my 25 year high school class reunion recently and blew myself out of the water, but I knew ahead of time that I would so i let it be okay. But, I don't make a habit of it because the more I do it, the worse I feel.

ncqueenbee

I agree with julIeaf. I won't eat them if I don't buy them. I was the same way when it came to ice cream. I had to stop buying it because I had no self control.

WalkingGirl1985

I volunteer in a cafe where theres tons of cookies staring at me! I guess if i workout hard enough all week, I'll have one or two..and have my 2 cups of coffee...the good stuff..hazelnut creamer included! At least its once a week..

grlaurie

I read on a blog SEAN Anderson's, to think of your calorie amount as money you only have 1200 calories to spend in a day. You simply can not go over. I tell myself it is not an option to be more than my allowance and I stay under every day. If I was to eat all my calories by lunch then I would be done for the day. No excuses this time I am changing (saving) my life 1 day at a time

Actuality

hard when you have littloe ones.. .but i try not to buy. me eating healthy encourages them to eat healthy too!

sassypants68

I can only have 1200 calories a day too, so like other members, I try to balance my calories with exercise. I did eat a cookie tonight (80 calories), but I had enough remaining calories to support it (I actually still have extra right now which isn't normal).

Here is one trick I use to keep myself from eating things like cookies, yummy muffins and donuts at work on Fridays: I literally picture the item with something gross on it. It can be anything from hair to molded cheese, curdled milk - whatever. This little trick changes how I feel about the item (my mouth watering for instance) to being grossed out by it. I can't say it works every time because some items will call you by your first, middle AND last name, but it works often!

mommylucy

I try to remember how many calories it will cost in exercise. Now that I've been journaling my food for nearly 3 months, I have a fairly good idea of what something will "cost" me before I look it up. So one innocent looking cookie on a plate at the office or in my house could be 250+ calories. That's a lot of sweat from me...for a cookie that probably doesn't even taste all that great. If it is something yummy I made from scratch, I'll have a few with a glass of milk and get the craving out of the way. My hubby and kids will take care of the rest.

I also put things away so they're out of sight. When I'm packing lunches for my kids, I will put their servings in the baggie and move the offending item out of my sight right away. One of my favorite places is in the crock pot which is kinda buried in my kitchen. Do I really want to drag that stuff out later to get myself something?

If I wander into the kitchen looking for something "sinful", I'll get a glass of ice water and leave immediately!!

Good luck and try to NOT beat yourself up. Tomorrow is a new day and you can start over. Remember how much each cookie/brownie costs and ask if it's really worth the cals.

elle_m91

thank you so much for all of your inputs, guys!! Tomorrow I will start the day with a ready mindset!!! THANK YOU!

AnAbsoluteDiva

Did you know that you have to walk the length of a football field to burn one stinkin' M&M? That may be folklore but it works for me.

Sweets don't do anything for me but I do love cheesecake. I usually start the cheesecake thing Thanksgiving weekend and run right through Christmas with it.

After hearing the M & M truth, I figured out how many miles I'd have to run to burn off a slice of cheesecake. The answer was 4.2 miles. An entire cheesecake (and I'd eat the dang thing by myself over the course of a weekend) came to 42 miles.

I've trained for marathons and have finished marathons. But to think that I could run an entire marathon and burn only a little more than half a cheesecake was enough to make me stop.

Put a mile value to those foods and if that isn't enough, go run a few miles to get a sense of what it is you're really consuming.

My best to you. :-)

deathbycanon

I read on a blog SEAN Anderson's, to think of your calorie amount as money you only have 1200 calories to spend in a day. You simply can not go over. I tell myself it is not an option to be more than my allowance and I stay under every day. If I was to eat all my calories by lunch then I would be done for the day. No excuses this time I am changing (saving) my life 1 day at a time

had to send this quote to my DH. We're doing Dave Ramsy right now and 0 budgeting. I think "I'm sorry cookey, you fell below the line." will really hit home with him.