Cut back on the junk without feeling guilty

Deps

So I noticed last week that I was eating a lot of junk without really noticing. As I'm sure many of us do, I'm guilty of occasionally just not logging 'that one lindt ball' or 'extra chop' I might eat. For me I feel angry and ashamed seeing those calories go up so I decided to try something new.

I got out a book and wrote the day's date at the top. On one page it says 'food' and the other 'achievements'. I list everything I eat but don't touch the calories (I still log on MFP). I find now that if I am nervous to write food down in the book, I just don't eat it. For some reason I feel less defensive when I'm not a slave to the calories and it's simply something I will read again. I also use a small book and don't want to reach the bottom of the page in one day. Also, I find I'm happier to write down bad foods I've eaten in the book rather than logging them. This means I can keep track of my bad days without getting into the bad mindset I get into when I see how many calories I've gone over my goal, and I can see where I went wrong even if I refuse to log. It also motivates me to write up healthier foods the next day.

Under the achievements page I write down ANYTHING that was an achievement for me that day. I deal with anxiety and depression so even the smallest things can be an achievement for me. Day 1 included: C25K week 1 run, washed the dishes, scrubbed the benches, read a few chapters of a novel I wanted to read. This helps keep me grounded with my NSV for the day.

I realise this won't work for everyone but it really helps me so I thought I would share anyway.