Started today...and did terrible already!

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Courtney_7790
Courtney_7790 Posts: 56
in Motivation and Support
Well as i posted earlier i was just tracking my food today, but i was still trying to make healthier choices and i just didnt! I know it comes down to personal motivation and i dont know whats going on...i dont know that ive really struggled this hard! I just eat and eat and eat...I think i need a plan, so i have no choices no time in the kitchen deciding...Im just curious ive heard that can cause the feeling of deprieveration however i feel that might be what i have to do to stop...what helped you get started and get your motivation up?
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  • mensasu
    mensasu Posts: 355 Member
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    One thing that helped me was to remove all foods from my place that I didn't want to eat. That meant from the cupboards, fridge and countertops. (The food bank benefited) Next I made sure I did not re-buy any of it. It does help if its not there to be tempted.

    Next you must have healthy choices in the fridge you can go to, see if you can get these is individual sizes. So for yogurt until I learned discipline I got the small packages not the economical big size.

    The first month was hell, I wanted snack food and sugar. But now 2+ months in I really have no food cravings at all.

    Give it time, and just keep trying.

    (It helped that my husband was also going to follow the diet. I have no idea how I would have kept my discipline if he was still shovelling in the junk food while watching tv)
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    If this is your first day, don't be too hard on yourself. It takes time to re-learn how to eat when you're going from eating anything you want to eating within a calorie "budget" and eating more healthy. It's also overwhelming to try and change too many things at once and it's the reason a lot of people fail at this. Just start off this first week by tracking every single thing you eat and *trying* to make better choices. If you stay within your calorie goal you'll still lose weight even if what you ate wouldn't earn the approval of the health nazis. :smile:

    At the end of week one, take a good, hard look at what you actually ate and drank. What foods were particularly high in calories? In sodium? Did you drink much water or was it mostly high calorie drinks? What little things can you change this week that will help? Can you exchange that order of fries for a side salad the next time you eat out? Can you ask for water or unsweetened ice tea at lunch? Instead of a candy bar, how about an apple or an orange? Keep making little changes over time and you'll reach your goals.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    You don't have to be perfect to lose weight ...... just strive to be better. Make better choices (often .... or most of the time) and you will see improvement.

    Make lifestyle changes you can stick with long term .... one change at a time.
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member
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    I don't know for me when I said I was going to do it. I just did it. No problems some struggles but soon if you ignore it those cravings will go away and you'll wonder when the last time you craved something was. Some people ease into it, by cutting out small things first.

    I started hard. Everything at once except diet coke, thought I couldn't live with out it. It's been gone since June and I don't miss it one bit.

    I just had taco night with the family and it was yummy, but next time I will stick with just two. Other than that my last real cheat day was in April.

    You've got to want it bad enough to walk away from a craving. Never eat while craving it.
  • MDeniseMur
    MDeniseMur Posts: 25 Member
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    Courtney I have only been doing this a few weeks and I can tell you I have bombed a few times. As hard as it is, I log and track EVERYTHING. When I read about other member's successes I realize that when I bomb I am only sabatoging myself. I want to show a weight loss ticker on my profile, I want to be able to post before and after photos. I want my clothes to fit better.............
    message hear is.......take one day, one meal at a time. Start with small changes and you will see positive results. Don't beat yourself up over a bad meal just start again right away.

    I heard this the other day, if you were driving from Michigan to Florida but took the exit to Canada, would you wait until you got to Canada to turn around? Think of this, if you are on a road to health and wellness but have a day meal/day, do you wait until you have gained 5 more lbs before starting over? NO
  • Courtney_7790
    Courtney_7790 Posts: 56
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    thanks everyone, One day at a time is how im trying to looks at it..its just hard as im sure all of you have experianced! I actually feel like i did worse today then i do on a normal day its like since i told myself i cant have this junk anymore its all i wanted and i couldnt stop.
  • Courtney_7790
    Courtney_7790 Posts: 56
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    Courtney I have only been doing this a few weeks and I can tell you I have bombed a few times. As hard as it is, I log and track EVERYTHING. When I read about other member's successes I realize that when I bomb I am only sabatoging myself. I want to show a weight loss ticker on my profile, I want to be able to post before and after photos. I want my clothes to fit better.............
    message hear is.......take one day, one meal at a time. Start with small changes and you will see positive results. Don't beat yourself up over a bad meal just start again right away.

    I heard this the other day, if you were driving from Michigan to Florida but took the exit to Canada, would you wait until you got to Canada to turn around? Think of this, if you are on a road to health and wellness but have a day meal/day, do you wait until you have gained 5 more lbs before starting over? NO

    I really like that analogy! I think being on here might be very helpful to my success!
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
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    Don't be so hard on yourself. Do you remember the first time you drove a car, the first time you rode a bike, and the first time you wrote your name in cursive?

    It takes time and practice. Try not to overwhelm yourself. Start slowly. The first thing I did was cut out regular soda. Then I started decreasing my calories bit by bit instead of all at once. Then I started walking and added a bit more distance each time.

    It took me a couple months to find a rhythm, and even then I made some mistakes. It happens. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start over again, just like falling off a bike and getting back on.
  • Aviation21
    Aviation21 Posts: 154 Member
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    You don't have to be perfect to lose weight ...... just strive to be better. Make better choices (often .... or most of the time) and you will see improvement.

    Make lifestyle changes you can stick with long term .... one change at a time.

    This is great advice just keep it simple. Maybe you just log what you eat and start walking 1 hour day. Get a feel for how many calories you are eating while you are making a "lifestyle Change" of adding some daily exercise. Exercise you can see yourself doing the rest of your life (that is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE). Just doing this will make you feel better quickly and as you grow to enjoy the good feeling you make another lifestyle change like trying to stay within a certain amount of calories per day. As you start doing that you will start looking at better things to eat... do it slowly, not all at once and make it fun!

    Good Luck! :happy:
  • Restybaby2012
    Restybaby2012 Posts: 568 Member
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    If you tripped on the top step of a stairway going down, would you say : "Aww hell, I screwed up" and then throw yourself down the rest of them?? Or would you be a little more careful from that point on?
  • Courtney_7790
    Courtney_7790 Posts: 56
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    If you tripped on the top step of a stairway going down, would you say : "Aww hell, I screwed up" and then throw yourself down the rest of them?? Or would you be a little more careful from that point on?

    Im loving these analogies you guys are giving! I think this website is really going to help me out...infact since writing my post i havent eaten anything else bad...i know its not that fabulous only 4 hours but its a small victory! lo
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    ....what helped you get started and get your motivation up?

    When I started, all I had to do was stand profile in our full length mirror...naked.

    Now that I see I am looking better in the mirror, my motivation is to NEVER go back to looking like that other person I saw 4 months ago.
  • littlelady62
    littlelady62 Posts: 84
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    If you're having cravings, try V-8 juice, that way you will get some veggie servings.
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
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    If you tripped on the top step of a stairway going down, would you say : "Aww hell, I screwed up" and then throw yourself down the rest of them?? Or would you be a little more careful from that point on?
    Okay. As much as I loved the Canada analogy, this was the first analogy that made me laugh for real. :-D
  • timdad1
    timdad1 Posts: 2
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    I can relate, I used to overeat to medicate whatever it was I was feeling. As Dr Phil would say, how's that workin out for ya.
  • gerripho
    gerripho Posts: 479 Member
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    Courtney, have you chosen a plan for eating you think you can follow? Have you thought about the exercises you think you would like to do? Or did you just think to yourself that you would start today and lose weight and get in shape. My suggestion would be that if you haven't made a plan, you take a day or two to do so. Read through some diet plans (free on the internet) and think about picking one that has a definite menu for each meal. I've found those help to keep your menu varied so you're not eating the same thing day in and day out.

    I agree with above post that suggests you get all the unhealthy foods out of your house. Make a list of the foods that fit you new plan and make a trip to the grocery. Buy fresh, if you can, and plan a day or two in advance.

    Put some thought into your exercise plan. Choose something you think you will like and hopefully doesn't cost too much for fancy equipment. Have alternate exercise plans for times when you just can't get to the gym or when it's raining too hard to be on your bike or whatever.

    In short, get yourself a plan and set a date to start. When that day comes, just keep telling yourself you are FREE of the old ways and headed on a brand new adventure.

    Happy travels!
  • quill16
    quill16 Posts: 373 Member
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    After 2 years I still have binge days. Actually for me the cravings never went away, just the ability to deal with them has improved. Getting all the unhealthy stuff out of the house for the 1st few weeks helped. I still have my hubby keep protein bars hidden. It seems alittle drastic, but those trigger foods can really send you over the edge. The more you practice at healthy eating the better you will be at it. Don't let one meal or one day of bad eating deter you. Go right back to the reasons you want this for yourself and affirm them.For the start of it all was medical reasons. I just didn't want to take meds for high BP and diabetes.
  • Courtney_7790
    Courtney_7790 Posts: 56
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    gerripho- I basically just decided i needed to start today i didnt really have an eating plan, however the excerise is something i already do very regularly i workout 6 days a week strength training 3-4 and cardio everyday. I try to run at least 15 miles a week. I just eat enough that it doesnt seem to mattter haha. Im going to start tomorrow off with a plan for eating! thank you!
  • QuilineM
    QuilineM Posts: 4
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    I did terrible my first day too! In fact, every time I thought about starting thinking about dieting for the past year, it would trigger a binge and I would go crazy with the eating, trying to get "one last good meal." I finally realized that it's ok to go off track now and then, as long as you get back on track as fast as you can. One thing that helps me feel better when I do slip up is throwing in 15 extra minutes of cardio that day, if I can. Then I'm burning a little extra.
  • bullisnn82
    bullisnn82 Posts: 110
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    vegetables are very low in calories and if you cook them right they taste great! The more veggies you pack into your meals the more you'll be eating, but not necessarily more calories. The xtra fiber will help you feel full, and they're all so good for you that you really can't go wrong. Also, experience has taught me (the hard way, lol) that if you wait a craving out it will go away. Do your best not to dwell on the cravings or the feeling of being hungry when you KNOW that you don't need to eat. Get out of the house and go for a walk or something if you have to in order to get your mind off it.

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