Will Power / Motivation

alliebob27

Hey everyone! My name is Allie, and I have some questions for those of you who can help me out!!

I started working out real good Dec 06, 2010 and have been keeping it up since then. I was doing P90X there for a good while, but started having some health issues & will be getting blood work done soon to figure out what's going on with me. So I stopped doing the P90X for now until I find out what's going on with my health. I still walk everyday, some days I walk 10k, I hike, bike ride..so forth ( stuff that I can handle right now ). And I was SUPER great with my dieting / lifestyle change..eating healthy, snacking throughout the day versus eating 3 large meals & that be it. Well my problem now is that I've been giving into my cravings. I love water, and still drink 8+ glasses a day..but I'm struggling now with WILL POWER!! What can I do to fight those cravings? And it sucks b/c after I eat something bad..& I know it's bad before I eat it..I feel like CRAP afterwards & sooo guilty. Why can't I just NOT do it?! Anyone have any suggestions? Or what has worked for you? I wanna get on that track & stay on it!! Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!!!!!

RZO42488

Everyone needs a splurge meal.........try to hold off on that craving and eat a "bad meal" once a week. It will help with the cravings and also set your metabolism on the right track.

campi_mama

Usually when I'm having (bad) cravings it's because of hormones or I've let myself eat too much sugar which triggers more cravings. If I cut out the sugar for a day it just gets easier and easier. I chew sf gum to help get over the hump. If it's hormonal I try and keep stuff out of the house around that time so I'm not tempted. The reality is that you can't be perfect all the time but try and mitigate the damage and eat healthy MOST of the time. AND if you indulge, know you're gonna have to work it off. Log the bad stuff in, figure out how many calories you overdid it with and go work out

RZO42488

I agree with the sugar craving........anytime I eat candy to give me an energy boost I should have though otherwise because sugar opens the door for unhealthy eating/snacking.

alliebob27

Thanks guys, y'all are definitely right! And you know..I HATE logging in the bad stuff, but after I do..I see the damage I did..and I'm like REALLY?! Whyyyy lol. But I appreciate the help!

tomcouch

use the 'bad stuff' as a reward once a week rather than just giving in to the cravings as and when they appear. for example if you like chocolate cake and one slice is 500 calories, do 500 calories worth of exercise extra on that day and have the cake as your reward. that way you get the stuff you like but you dont feel so guilty afterwards!

alliebob27

I've heard that about sugar & how it makes you crave more bad stuff. Hmm I'll definitely havta consider that & stay away. My problem is I'm a sodium freak..not so much sweets..but when I want something sweet, I have it

Oh and can anyone help about how many carbs I should be having daily? Isn't carbs the worst for you? Or is it calories?

alliebob27

Tomcouch: I was doing that for awhile..but lately this past week I've been giving in almost daily!! And that's not like me . SO I'm fed up & nippin' it in the butt! Enough is enough lol

tomcouch

lol yeah thats not good do you keep stuff in the house at all? i dont keep any snacks in the house at all cus i know ill eat them all. processed sugar is the worst to snack on, try keeping some raisins or other dried fruit around the house, they are sweet and can beat the craving but are so much better for you!

did anything change to bring this on? are you bored of your exercise regime or anything? a change in regime can sometimes give you a kick and get that motivation back!


carbs are ok, its the type thats important. refined carbs like pasta/white bread/white rice etc arent ideal, try wholemeal bread and brown rice. the split in calories should be roughly 60% from carbs, 25% from protein and 15% from fat. Fat: 1 gram = 9 calories Protein: 1 gram = 4 calories Carbohydrates: 1 gram = 4 calories. youll need to work out the amounts you need for your intake.

RZO42488

Which is worse Calories/Carbs..........depends on how you want to structure your body.

Either way, you definately dont want over 2,000 calories no matter how hard you work out if your trying to lose weight/tone up. Carbs can be good and bad. They obvisously give you energy but on the other hand your body only needs so much energy to function and extra carbs turn into extra energy stored inside your body.

alliebob27

TomCouch: I actually went through my house not too long ago w/ a big ol' trash bag & threw ALL my food away that was processed, fatty, sugary..so forth. But that sometimes doesn't stop me when I'm out and about to stop at Sonic to get a milk shake or a Large Sweet Tea w/ Lemon . That's my down fall!!!! I'm like NO Allie don't stop there damnit lol.

RZO42488: My Calorie intake is 1200..*knock on wood* I haven't ran over in Calories yet, but sometimes I'm afraid I will! And I heard that if you back off of some Carbs for awhile you can drop weight fast. Do you or anyone find that to be true?!

RZO42488

Dropping carbs may or may not help you lose weight but its worth a try, just make sure your not drowzy or tired throughout the day. Health is more important than image (alot of people forget that).