Help! I've fallen off the wagon and I'm too fat to climb bac

JTick

I need a kick in the pants!

For 6 weeks, I ate really well. Felt great. Lost weight. Yadda yadda.

Then, I gave in to one treat meal. Though WTH? I'll get back on it at the next meal.

...3 weeks later, I'm still telling myself I'll back back with it tomorrow.

How do people manage eating a "cheat" meal, whatever you want to call it, and get right back with it? I feel like for me, it's either all or nothing. If I eat ANYTHING I shouldn't, it just ends everything else.

I KNOW that a lot of it is psychological. I have spent a lot of time in counseling trying to deal with my emotional eating, but I slip right back into bad habits. Eating something I shouldn't makes me feel bad, which makes me eat, which makes me feel bad. Cue cycle that never ends.

I still log into MFP every day, telling myself that as long as I'm logging in I haven't actually forgotten what I'm trying to do. But, that hasn't made me actually LOG what I'm eating.

I want this, I really do. I want to know what healthy feels like. But it seems like such an endless journey.

I guess I mostly just wanted to get this out. Any tips on dealing with emotional eating?

marcjenn95

I am in the same situation. I went on a business trip this week and didn't worry about dieting. Now I am home and I am not in control. I am really worried I'll keep trying to give myself excuses to start tomorrow. I know I should "just do it", but as you know... easier said than done. I think you are doing the right thing by continuing to log your meals everyday. I am planning my meals for tomorrow tonight so I won't have to think about it tomorrow. I am hoping by just going through the motions I will get back on the wagon. I don't know if that would help you too or not.
Good luck!

LindaReetz

You're never too fat to climb back on the wagon! If the people on Biggest Loser can do it, so can you! Get up and start climbing!! One meal at a time! So you took a vacation, so what, now you're back from vacation, and time to get back to work!

RestartThisRight

I fell off the wagon for almost a month...it was badddd. BUT! I found this helps: Plan what you're going to eat the next day....I get excited for it and then I don't bother trying to eat anything else. Exercise!...it decreases cravings and once you finish, you don't want to ruin your hard work with bad food. Set goals, buy new workout clothes or a new program, or start a food journal where you write down food and feelings...which I guess is mfp. They all keep you motivated! Good luck!

sloanie1

You literally just have to take 1 hour at a time! I am addicted to food so I struggle too, it doesn't take much to fall back into old patterns, unfortunately it's a full time job and I guess always will be, I have heard maintanence is even harder!!! you aren't alone, it is really hard, BUT its how we get back on the horse that counts, hang in there and NEVER give up no matter what!

memories1

I feel you.. I fell off for the past few months. I think if you log what your eating (even if its horrible) sometimes just seeing the amount of calories in things can help bring perspective. Its about the small things. Aim to end your day with a healthy meal and it may just make breakfast the next day that much easier. hope this helps.

Captain_Tightpants

Try planning your cheat meal AND the meal that follows it. Say you know you're going to a birthday party on Saturday night and you're going to give yourself free reign to anything on the table, make sure you've planned further ahead to Sunday morning's healthy breakfast. It's easier if you know exactly what meal you're going to eat to get back ON the wagon.

amykingsley1

I can relate, once I eat even one bit of junk food I'm done in for the day. For me just ruling things out helps... some people it's carbs, some peple it's fats or sodium... I went vegetarian last December or so and it really helps keep me on track. I just try to forgive myself my "bad" days and just plan a good next day. You can do it!

IvoryParchment

You're not "on" or "off" anything. This is just the way you eat now.

I would work on getting over the mental block about logging first, so it's not so overwhelming. Set a future date to start actually losing weight. Start logging now, with no attempt to reduce your intake. Just complete honesty about where you are starting from.

Also, get a smart phone. Log everything before you eat it. This is totally worth the expense, believe me, and a much better investment than the junk food you're buying now. I have done it both ways, and trying to remember what I ate and log it all later (when it's too late to do anything about it) was a complete failure.

karagav

i know exactly how you're feeling, i've fallen off the wagon too!! it's just hard to get back on but just take it gradually...that's been helping me.

Rayman79

I read somewhere that having one bad meal and subsequently writing off a whole day is a big issue (I have to admit to doing it myself a lot in the past) then one day turns into a couple of days, a week, a month, a lifestyle! Applying the same logic to a different scenario, if you were in an accident and broke your leg, would you say "Oh well, I cvan't walk properly now... might as well break the other one too!" Of course not, and the same logic applies to food.


I also agree with the idea of loging BEFORE you eat. That'll help you make choices based on information and thought, not on instinct and hunger. I do this all the time. I use the iPhone app every day and love it.

jnhu72

I can not have a cheat meal, let alone a cheat day. I have to log everything I eat and eat as healthy as I can everyday or I fall off as well. I had a cheat meal in May 2011 and I am being 100% when I say this I just finally got back into being serious about my weight loss 4 days ago. Everyday I would say that I would do better tomorrow but I never did.

wildkatt7

I don't give into the idea of cheating or not cheating... I eat what I want, balancing it into my diet... I am accountable to it. I eat chocolate nearly every day - most of my diet are whole foods that I make from scratch, but I don't get upset when I have some chocolate or something else others say is bad for me... 81 pounds down in a year. But the most important thing is to do it for only you... as you are the only one that matters... you can succeed just re-evaluate and decide your plan of attack - the plan that is right for YOUR body and YOUR life....

MommyTKD

Log it or leave it. I find that just having to be accountable maeks me less likely to "fall off". And if you stick with "if you bite it you write it", that wagon will be much easier to get back on.

HeidiRene

I am an emotional eater so friend me if you want for support. My big trigger for emotional eating (and the reason I put this weight on - 50 lbs in 6 months) is night time. I am an insomniac and I desperately want to binge all night long. Insomnia is miserable and food makes it sooooo much better. Being fat is miserable too though. :-) What I did was just plan on eating a sig amount of calories at night (I log under snack but I should change that to say midnight snack). Yes, I have to eat a lot less during the day but limiting day calories is so much easier for me than limiting night calories. Hope that helps!

gbelltx

Living Healthy is a marathon not a sprint. It’s not about how fast you get out of the blocks but how consistent you are over the long haul. Dont beat yourself up for having an off day.

gbelltx

Missing 1 day of exercise ok, Missing 1 week of exercise borderline, Missing 1 month of exercise, you better bring a note. Stay motivated!

Helenatrandom

For me, it has been a cycle of giving up once I "fail" on a day, believing that I just "can't" do it because I had that slice of cake (donut, bagel, cookie......) and then totally falling off the wagon. I'm working on forgiving myself and giving myself the pep talk I'd give a friend (in my head, of course. Talking to myself out loud would just be weird...) . It helps that I have friends here on MFP who will encourage me by telling me the good choices I made or just saying "Hope you enjoyed it. Get back on it tomorrow!"

Are you perhaps feeling guilty and punishing yourself by giving up on you? (Sorry. I'm NOT a healthcare professional. I don't even play one on t.v. :bigsmile: I'm just projecting based on what I've done, and hoping that IF you are doing the same, you can learn from my mistakes .) If you are, then FORGIVE you, and move on.
:flowerforyou:

jadedone

Try planning your cheat meal AND the meal that follows it. Say you know you're going to a birthday party on Saturday night and you're going to give yourself free reign to anything on the table, make sure you've planned further ahead to Sunday morning's healthy breakfast. It's easier if you know exactly what meal you're going to eat to get back ON the wagon.

I agree! Try to keep your cheat meal i your calorie goal for the day (or even the week). Plan the meal after it, and the next day, so that by the time you average in the day prior and after, you re actually in range for your calories.

Also, try to add a little extra activity on cheat meal day. Let's say you are planning to have a cheat dinner on Saturday. On Saturday morning try to take a quick walk around the block, or to the park or whatever. Not too long, just 20 minutes.

Then you get to have your cheat meal! Log it. You'll burn off a few of those calories from the cheat meal ahead of time -- with a plan (or leftover calories) to help cover it. . And who knows, maybe your exercise, healthy breakfast and healthy lunch will inspire you to cheat a little less during your cheat meal.

Personally, I give myself a little budget for my cheat meal. It only gets to be around 400 calories more than a regular meal (so I am targeting 800-1000 calories for my cheat). This encourages me to cheat a little, but plan for it the rest of the day. I find I don't need a lot to satisfy the "indulgence" I just need to have it.

bcc112986

The one thing I have learned about myself and my health journey is that I could not be serious about weight loss and getting healthier until I was serious about myself. What I mean is that I found out what it means to really love me and care about me. And just like relationships, the love you have for yourself will grow and mature over time. I have come from losing a parent to being an alcholic to feeling lost and alone to truly loving myself and now I am ready to commit to myself by becoming the best for me.

It will be almost impossible to stop the emotional eating until you love yourself for who you are and want the best for yourself.

I wish you the best and I will say a prayer for you.

Brittany

www.goherbalife.com/brittanychambers

tataliciousd89

I understand what you are saying. Last night I had a greasy salty fatty chicken sandwich with waffle fries and tarter sauce. This morning I had just eaten breakfast and I found myself rummaging for snack foods (something nice and salty) to munch on. Two months ago I totally would've given in without even thinking about it, but today I slapped myself on the wrist and went back to my homework without munchies. I think the major difference for me is that I now have friends on this site and it's more than just private tracking. Even tho they probably wouldn't notice if I fell off, it helps me be more accountable knowing that my activity here is viewable by more than just myself.