I need help... how do you do it???

timmy2strikes

UUuugghhh... I had a three day weekend and did horrible. My Grandmother turned 88 on Saturday (Yeah Grandma!!!) so we had a party for her. We ate fried Chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, angelfood strawberry short cake, apple slices with carmel, etc. Sunday went to brunch with friends I had not seen awhile and had the 2 eggs, 2 sausage, hashbrowns and french toast breakfast. Yesterday hung out with mom and she took me out to lunch where I had chicken fried steak because it was on special and cheap. That came with mashed potatoes and gravy and fried corn on the cob. I am so use to eating like this and need to stop this very bad habit. How do you all do it??? Help please! Ohhh... and the worse part... I did not work out at all during those three days. :sad:

idahogirl71

Start over with today and put the long weekend behind you. don't beat yourself up for it, just pick yourself up and begin anew. One day at a time, one step at a time

Leannek74

Take a stand and be stubborn! You are the only one who can make your decisions and the changes you need to make for your health. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!! I believe in you, now you get to too!!!!!!

Log everything and don't get defeated!

LesliePierceRN

Log everything you put in your mouth when it happens.. if you know you have to claim it, you will begin to see which foods are worth it and which ones just aren't. Having to confess my calories keeps me straight!

simplepuremaddness

The best way i have found is to get a buddy who helps who when u feel the urge to munch through unhealthy foods U just need to retain your body to notice when its full.
tomorow is another day a journey of 1000 miles began with a single step after all no one said weightloss would be easy

gidjet11

Reading this just made me hungry! lol

Seriously though, just start over and go from today. Maybe the next time you go out try incorporating something green into your meals. Veggies, salads...they are all good food too and its setting a good example for the people around you! Best of luck! :bigsmile:

TiDinzeo

I agree with the others. Just start again today. What's done is done and there's no point worrying about it now.

not_your_average_fairy

Try eating only half of your plate. Or say to yourself if I have this fried chicken I'll have some salad as well. Like idahogirl said don't beat yourself up over it. I had a bad weekend as well, but I found out that I got more exercise in than I thought, and I ate lots of fried and butter filled foods as well. But with my cheesy baked chicken I made sure to eat a salad no dressing.

jrueckert

Just remember that you don't have to eat the bad things just because everyone around you is. Even if that's all that is there, just eat until you're satisfied and then take your attention off of the food!

CollegeGirl19

There's a cereal commerical out there that says "It's always morning somewhere."
To me, mornings signify a brand new start and letting go of past days, so if it's always morning somewhere, you never have an excuse to not start over RIGHT NOW.
Put your weekend behind you and start fresh right now.

NoAdditives

Don't worry about what happened this weekend, just start again. Make a commitment to healthy eating and next time choose healthier options.

dlaplume2

workout now!!

sweetheart03622

Slow and steady... I started really tracking in November, and it wasn't until after Super Bowl Sunday that I really got a hold of my weekends. You have to find what works for you. For me, that meant changing my loss from 1.5lb/week to 1lb/week and allowing myself to eat my maintenance calories on the weekends (Saturday and Sunday). Now, I'm trying to get to the point where I only have one bad day on the weekends, and eventually none. You have to play around with this and find what works for you. You have to be patient and know that these kind of thigns will happen. I travel a lot for work, and because of what I do there's always chocolates, wine, cookies, brownies, etc. in my hotel room. If I want one, I have it, because I know that if I don't, I'll end up having 4 later instead of one now.

Your best bet... get to know yourself and be aware of what triggers you. I know that being around my parents triggers me (they go out a lot, eat bad, etc.) so I try to plan our visits around coffee breaks or at a lounge where I can get a single glass of wine instead of sharing the fried chicken they'd order at home. You'll figure it out eventually

♥Amy♥

This is how I do it, and I'm definitely no expert.

For the birthday party, I would eat beforehand some stuff that I knew was good for me at home or bring something that I liked that I would eat. And spend the time talking to everyone as far away from the food as possible while constantly drinking water.

Then for the breakfast out, I have started choosing healthier options, such as the wheat pancakes, turkey bacon, turkey sausage, etc. at restaurants. Still not the healthiest of choices, but it's stuff that I like and that is better for me.

For the dinner out, I would pick something that is again on the healthier side that you still like to eat. I also try and drink water before going and while eating to help fill me up more. If there's nothing that you like besides the bad stuff, just eat half and get the other half to go home with you (I did this at Olive Garden on my birthday, I really like the chicken fettucini alfredo, so I just ate half and brought the other half home).

It is definitely something that comes with time and you have to get used to. I am not a healthy eater by any means (I don't eat veggies and like hardly any fruit), but I'm trying to make healthier choices in the things that I do eat. YOU CAN DO THIS (if I can, then anyone can!) Don't beat yourself up about it because there's nothing that can be done now. Just keep logging everything plugging along.

david081

If it was easy we'd all be thin. This takes committment - you have to WANT to do it, which means cut out the rubbish and do some cardio, or you will never attain your desired goal...

Good luck!

David

Bellydance

Log everything you put in your mouth when it happens.. if you know you have to claim it, you will begin to see which foods are worth it and which ones just aren't. Having to confess my calories keeps me straight!

I agree with this so much. "Which foods are worth it" cuz some of them ARE WORTH IT. Everyday you are starting anew so make decisions that will make you feel good later and give yourself a cheat day once in a while, but avoid the three day in a row thing. You ARE in control of what you eat, regardless of it being on special. Move on, move down (scales) and just MOVE. It'll be okay.

WomanofWorth

When fried chicken is present, I go with only a drumstick, forgo the potatoes and try to find a veggie. Small portions of everything when there is a potluck type thing. I fill up on a salad and eat an apple 1st when the menu is out of my control. Go for grilled, broiled and foods without sauces and cheese. Log everything, the good, bad and ugly (add a column so you can track sodium if you don't already). Logging allows you to internalize how behavior affects your efforts.

Beyond that, it is done and over with. Move forward and use it as a learning experience.

mgreen10

you have to make good choices....when you look at a menu, note all the items on it that are ok to eat for your diet and choose from them. learn how to say no to yoursef.

wwaaffllee

preplan your meals so that you know exactly what you are going to eat, and how many calories you are consuming
its really helpful

Dawntodusk

You can eat all of those things, but you have to watch your portions. Whenever I go to events that have food like that, I take a plate and fill 2/3 of it with salad - no dressing - and/or steamed/cooked vegies - no butter. Yes, 2/3! (Actually, I often just eat a plate of salad first - no dressing - and then on the second plate fill it up 2/3. ) On the 1/3 that remains I put tiny portions of the fattening stuff - fried chicken, etc. Then I eat 2 bites of salad, 1 bit of chicken, 2 bites of veggies, 1 bite of mashed potatoes, etc. Before you know it, I'm full and satisfied. Then, of course, log it in. As for dessert. 1 bite. Yes, that's right 1 bite. (To tell you the truth, I don't even do that anymore since I have completely cut out sugar.) Good luck!

beatlemom

Log everything you put in your mouth when it happens.. if you know you have to claim it, you will begin to see which foods are worth it and which ones just aren't. Having to confess my calories keeps me straight!
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exactly!]

katemarjoram

I was at a function the other night with a set menu. I ate my entree which was pretty healthy (fresh prawns and salad). When the main arrived it looked delicious - a chicken breast stuffed with cheese and spinach - but I also knew it would also be super calorie dense so I cut it in half and gave half to my boyfriend who wasn't so impressed with the beef dish he had been served. When dessert arrived I ate half then gave the other half to BF who had a few mouthfuls of his and then polished mine off. If you don't have someone else's plate to put stuff onto I still find it helpful to divide what is put in front of me (if it is unhealthy) and to push part of it to one side.

I agree breakfasts out can be a real undoing. BF and I have been on holidays and went out for breakfast the other day - everything on the menu looked super high in calories and fat. The place we were at also had a sandwhich bar so I asked for a ham, cheese (1 slice), tomato and spinach toasted sandwhich, no butter, on multigrain bread - a much healthier but still yummy option. Sometimes it doesn't hurt to ask the wait staff if there are healthier options available.

Finally, if I am going somewhere where I know the food will be unhealthy I try and eat a healthy snack beforehand so I'm less likely to be starving and to overindulge.

I have found that over time it gets easier and easier. I am now 3 weeks in to my current weight loss push and I'm not missing a lot of things nearly as much as I was in the first week.

webdiva1

I can hear your guilt in your writing. Been there, done that, my friend. Here's the thing: the weekend is history now. It sucked, but IT'S OVER NOW. You can't change it, right? Time to move on.

Take all that energy you're putting into feeling guilty and make it work for you. Go take a walk. Start drinking water, and I mean A LOT of water, to help you feel less hungry. The next time an opportunity to go out to eat comes up, look on the web to see if nutrition info is available and decide ahead of time what you're going to have. Then stick to your plan. If the restaurant doesn't offer something healthy that sounds good, don't go. Or eat before you go, and have a salad. Crave some fast food? Try Kentucky Fried Chicken's grilled chicken and green beans ... it's great for me, anyway.

I started MFP about 6 weeks ago, and in that time, everything I think about eating has changed. I cleared my cupboards and fridge of the bad stuff (community food pantries will take a lot of it) and started shopping for fresh food over boxed, lots of fruit, some veggies (not my best thing, but I'm getting better), and leaner meats, like 97% lean hamburger and 95% lean ground turkey. They make great burgers, esp. with a little light mayo, some 2% cheese, all the lettuce, tomato, onions and mushrooms I want. Add a whole grain bun, and you've got a tasty burger that won't blow your day.

You have to get your head in a place where you're ready for this. We're talking life change, not diet here. You've taken great steps forward; now you just have to keep going. Some days you'll slip. Sometimes days will go by without losing a pound, and you might even gain a few back now and then. The best thing about this is, every day is a fresh start, and a new opportunity to succeed.

You can SO do this!

mlwestlake

These things happen.....dont worry because it might discourage you to stop your program. Everyone is right, start over today.

timmy2strikes

Good morning everyone… today is a new day. Thank you for all your kind words of encouragement and support. I did much better with my eating yesterday and as soon as I got home from work I did my hours worth of working out. My roommate made burgers for dinner and I wrapped mine in lettuce instead of using a bun and when he decided to make caramel pecan rolls at 9:00 at night I went to bed to get away from the temptation. This morning when I opened the fridge there they were. I grabbed my milk for my cheerios and forgot all about the rolls. I even packed myself a healthy lunch.

Thanks again to everyone and YES… TODAY IS A NEW DAY!!!

supercatie18

Roommates with carmel pecan rolls sounds fairly irresistable!!! I'm pretty sure the scent of them baking would wake me from the deepest slumber..so good job with that!

I have definitley been in your shoes, the weekends are always so tempting! when it comes to food. If I try to not eat anything bad though, I end up in a bad mood and yearning for all that food! instead I just induldge a little, and try to control myself so that I can still enjoy my food!!! Good Luck! i know I need some too

georgiaym

You will always have those weekends, and I think that's part of life. The important thing is to have fewer bad weekend and more days where you are eating right. Stay focused on the goal and you will achieve it over time. It may take more time if you're binging on the weekend, but try to make better choices in those cases. Have one bad food instead of eating all of them. It would have been fried chicken for me and I would have left the mashed potatoes out. mmmm!