Fell off the wagon HARD!!!

shanwow16

I need help getting back on the wagon!! Over the winter I seem to have fallen back into my old ways w/ late night cravings for junk food. It's definately comfort eating. I am a mother of two, have a fulltime day job and a part-time job evenings & weekends. Ever since I started the 2nd job to try to help pay off bills quicker I haven't been going to the gym. I used to go 3-5 times a week and actually care about what I ate rather then binging all the time. The stresses of my day to day issues plus barely ever having a moment to myself.....when I have free time all I want to do is sit on my butt and veg out! I can see & feel myself gaining weight, my #'s aren't going up but my muscle tone is turning into squishiness and it disgusts me. By no means am I obese, but feeling myself slip back after working so hard to drop 30lbs scares me! Please help motivate me to get my eating habits back in check, when I crave sour chewy candy what is a good subsitute, or when I crave a salty/crunchy snack, etc. I need some alternatives and maybe once I have that back in check I'll start feeling better and then I can get back into my workout regime. I've also reduced my hours so hopefully more personal time will help me wind down. Sorry for the rant, really need a push back in the right direction!

mes1921

Hang in there! I don't have much advice, just for the salty/crunchy snack, I eat pita chips and hummus. It's usually very filling and perfect for the craving for chips and dip. Rooting for ya!

SBug

My favorite is Ritz Crackers with Cream Cheese.. Low cal with protein to build muscle (:

SweetTooth68

Popchips are awesome for salty snack cravings. For sour candy just do a search for sugar free, and you should find some options you like.

I think you already have the motivation you need to get back on track - you do NOT want to go back and have to lose that whole 30 lbs again! It's HARD work!

MomofTeens

I completely understand where you are coming from. It is sooo hard to keep up a healthy eating and working out lifestyle. I have 3 daughters and stay extremely busy.
I also gain weight over the winter months because the only thing I ever feel like doing once I get home is to get under some warm blankets and hibernate.
I got back on the wagon once I had gained back 10 lbs. of the 25 that I lost over the Spring/Summer last year. I was so mad at myself.
I don't have any good recommendations for snacks. Chewing gum always seems to keep my mouth too busy to put food in it. LOL
I just try to keep as much fresh fruit around as possible (another downer in the winter months since there isn't much "fresh" healthy stuff available).
Just remember what you did to lose the 30 lbs. And remember the first week is always the toughest and then it gets easier again. Even if you don't have time to work out everyday, just 30 minutes a couple times a week and tracking your calories to stay in a weight loss range is all you need!
Good Luck!

jdosstech

Check out Time Ferris "4HB: 4 Hour Body". Not only a fascinating read it really can change your perspective on exercise and dieting, specifically on doing as little of the right things as possible, which in the weight lifting world is called Minimum Effective Dose.

The diet part isn't that hard and it is made easier by the cheat day. The one day you can eat anything and as much of it as you want.

While I have only lost 4 pounds in the past month, I haven't even tried to follow his method closely. I have 2-3 cheat days per week! But changing a few little things, less sugar in coffee, more protein, less fast food and monitoring my intake has definitely made a difference and caused me to loose the 4 pounds.

It is a huge book but you don't have to read it all. He spells out exactly what to read and do based on your goals. And I guarantee you won't be able to put it down. The night I picked it up from the library I read almost 200 pages of it.

145Karen

I hear Ya I feel like I fall off run behind often ! But I will not give up! stress tears at us I have started using mini goals sometimes I have to take it minute by minute . and when I do fall I start again now not tomorrow seems to be working for me the last couple of days! So like today when I ate the candy I would normally hate myself give up and binge for the rest of the afternoon today I just made myself think about my day and my goals and i was able to get back on track fast!

shanwow16

Thx for all the motivation and good words everyone! I know I can do it, just have to be more diligent. I used MFP for two years and it was my saviour. I think my problem is finding that balance between family, work and "me time". My eating is great throughout the day, but in the evenings and weekends it's a whole other story. Tomorrow is a new day, time to get back at 'er!

suzieqdiva

All I could think of was reconnect & add more friends to your list & start interacting with them... reading their daily progress will give you the inspiration & motivation you seek & give you ideas to do in terms of exercise etc even maybe during lunch.. ideas will start coming to you & you will be back on track. I cannot tell you how much my MFP pals do for me.. I cannot appreciate their guidance all the time:)

Also, if you are looking for some clean eating ideas.. read Tosca Reno's "Clean Eating"... available on Amazon or your local library:) Take care & lots of luck:)